Carmella-Cam Coming Soon!

I've decided to let the whole world wittness Carmella's recovery. Just a quick post before I go to sleep, as somebody could be coming to hook up my wireless system as early as 8:00 am!

I figured I better start this before Carmella has her procedure so that readers can see the before and after footage that still pictures can't quite illustrate alone.

The webcam I'll be using is a Linksys Wireless-G Internet Home Monitoring Camera that works with a wireless router.

Today I spent some time throwing sticks for Carmella in the back yard and got some more pictures of her.

She fell a few times, but is still holding her own.

Tonight she has been jerking, and then I noticed her toenails were very long and needed to be clipped so I had to really wrestle with her to get that done. She acted as though she was being killed even though it doesn't hurt.

She also managed to find a tear in the linoleum and pull off a piece about a foot long, to my horror!

I had to spray some bad-tasting stuff on the area to see if I could keep her from picking at it any more but that doesn't always deter her.

In just a few more days I should hear from Dr. Muller as to when he can get the NDV and do the procedure. Stay tuned! You may be seeing live feed of Carmella's motion starting today or tomorrow. All Carmella, all the time.

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Maybe

I woke up this morning with a headache and my nose all stuffed up. The phone woke me from a sound sleep.

"Is this Ms. Carlington?" It was a woman whom I didn't recognize.

"Yes."

"This is Dr. Norwood's office. I'm the vet filling in for Dr. Norwood while he's on vacation. He'll be in Aruba for a full week. The reason I'm calling is that I received a strange phone call this morning from a woman who has been reading your blog and your postings on a Distemper message board. She's from Miami and she has a dog with Distemper, and she wanted me to give you her name, and contact information because her dog isn't doing well and she heard that Carmella was responding well to her treatment. I think she just needs someone to talk to who is in the same boat. Would you be willing to talk to her?"

"Sure. Yes, give me the information and I'll see what I can do to help her get some help with this, but you realize that Carmella still needs the shot in the spinal canal before she'll be finished with her treatment."

"Yes, I read her whole record. It's quite amazing! I don't hear about many dogs with Distemper. I read that she's having myoclonis."

"Yes, and it's getting worse."

"That's quite common in dogs with Distemper. Is she on any anti-seizure meds for it?"

"No, not yet. That would mask the symptoms and until we find a vet to do this procedure that would not really be in her best interest. If they don't see the symptoms they're less likely to treat her, thinking she can just live with it. That would make sense to give her that after she's treated though if the jerking doesn't resolve."

"It can relax the muscles."

"It's important that she get this virus out of her brain so it can't continue to do further damage. Where do you practice usually? Do you have experience with spinal taps? I figured I'd ask while I'm at it."

"I don't really have a regular office. I'm a floater. I just fill in for other vets, and I haven't ever done a spinal tap before."

"Oh that's too bad. Do you know what's going on with Dr. Norwood? He was talking to me regulary because this is a pretty serious situation and after UGA turned Carmella down he had his vet tech give me the news but he himself never returned my calls. Is he OK? I was wondering if he was giving up on her."

"The records really didn't say much other than that UGA said no. He didn't leave any notes. I guess is is stressed out by his job in general so that's why he had to take a vacation but he didn't make any reference to this case. Have you tried Auburn? They're really good. I used to go over there all the time. They're about as far as UGA."

"No, not yet. Is it really no further than UGA? I thought it was way far away."

"No, it's about the same."

I told her about the Fulton County Animal control and the epidemic over there, and Carmella's recovery after the first shot, and how vets really should spread the word about this and encourage their colleagues to start using it so that others would not have to go through the agony I'm going through and that this woman is now suffering. She then gave me the woman's contact info and just then a patient came in and she had to go, but told me she'd call me back to talk further.

I waited until about 3:30 to hear back from Dr. Westmoreland in Perry and then made another long distance call. Dr. Westmoreland was in with a patient and the receptionist was not the same one I'd spoken with yesterday so she knew nothing about what I was referring to. She left the phone for a long time and then a man answered the phone.

"Hello, Ms. Carlington? This is Dr. Slappy. Can I help you?"

"Yes, I was waiting to talk to Dr. Westmoreland. One of his patients told me she thought he might be open to doing experimental things."

"He's with a patient. Is there anything I can do to help".

"Well we need a vet who has had experience doing spinal taps." I gave him a quick rundown about the protocol and what it involved and about Carmella's situation. He seemed familiar with NDV.

"Do you have the exact instructions for it?"

"Yes, and Dr. Sears who developed it will be willing to speak with any vet I'm working with to guide them through it. I have his e-mail address and two phone numbers for him."

"You realize that there is a very bad possible side effect of spinal taps and injecting anything into that area...death" he said flippantly. "It's a possibility we might be able to do this. Let me call Dr. Sears and I'll get back in touch with you later on today or tomorrow."

"Also could you find out from Dr. Westmoreland whether he ever received my e-mail. I sent it twice. It has Carmella's whole story in it."

"Yes, I'll do that too. Let me get your e-mail."

I gave him my e-mail address and we got off the phone.

I told my best friend about what the vet filling in for Dr. Norwood said about Auburn being as close as UGA and she said that on mapquest it was quite a bit further than what she said and that it would be too far for her; she would get sick. She told me she really hoped Dr. Brantly would change his mind and decide to do it. There was something about the sound of this one we both weren't too sure about.

Hopefully we can get a committment from a vet this week or next because she will be indisposed for about two weeks, and I don't have anyone else to take me. The woman I've known for 20 years who lives just one mile away sure won't do it and keeps making little digs each chance she gets asking how I'm going to get here and there.

I took some more cute pictures of Carmella today. She is still falling every once in awhile, but when she's not falling she is quite graceful running around the back yard. She grabbed a big stick and dragged it around, an old dirty T-shirt someone had thrown back there, and a piece of what looked like linoleum. She was really funny dragging that stuff around with her.

Then she plopped down into the ornamental edging grass that grew around the perimeter of the yard on the side near my next door neighbor's house and near the back porch, chewing on sticks and rolling around, then bounding in and out of it.

The neighbor's brown and white bulldog breathed noisily on the other side of the fence, panting and wobbling about on its stubby legs. It was too afraid of Carmella to venture very close, but watched her from a safe distance. Carmella bounded up to the fence boldly with her tail raised in a semicircle and whined expectantly. The other dog didn't come forward but instead averted its eyes and turned away.

I was taking lots of pictures and trying to get Carmella to look at me when suddenly I noticed out of the corner of my eye the neighbor lady standing just inside her garage, staring at me. She didn't make a move to speak to me but just stood there gawking. She's a little strange. I don't know what her deal is, but it's got to be something. I didn't say anything to her because her energy gave me the creeps. I figured it best to just ignore it. She went back inside the house and Carmella resumed her playing in the long grass. It was beginning to get too dark, so after getting quite a number of good shots I decided to call it a day. Carmella was tired and hungry and so was I.

Tomorrow will be another long day trying to get that maybe turned into a yes.

If you'd like to help Carmella you can buy an ad on my blog, donate, or go to my Etsy store and start your holiday shopping early this year. I am gearing up to start some new pieces, so be sure to put me on your "to buy from" list if you love silver because some great items are coming! In the meantime take a look at the other jewelry designs I currently have available; 70 items to choose from!

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Some Comic Relief on a Saturday

The repairman called and said he could come fix the fence and the back door today and it was none too soon because Carmella has been full of nervous energy.

He arrived at around 11:30 or 12:00 noon and although I was up I felt as though I could have used about 3 hours more sleep. The man came in and immediately was taken with Carmella, and she loved the attention, wagging her tail and jumping all over him. He related how he had been sick lately with chest pain that had spread to his jaw, but that a stress test showed nothing. His wife had tried to convince him to stay home today but once he ate something he felt better.

It didn't take him long to fix the fence and the door, but the door is going to need to have some wood shaved off when he comes back in two weeks due to the warping of the doorway. Luckily he was able to widen the hole the deadbolt went into since the foundation had made it uneven and sealed it shut. He had to remove it and put it back in again so that the same problem wouldn't happen all over again.

Carmella was thrilled at the chance to run around in the back yard and took off like a jet over the pine-straw-covered terrain. She wasn't satisfied with chewing up the pinecones but just had to eat them like a bad immitation of Yule Gibbons and his "going green" diet of high fiber which looked like twigs. At least I knew that she wouldn't have a problem with irregularity any time soon. That really gives new meaning to the concept of recycling. Meanwhile, the remainder of her food sat uneaten in her dish in the kitchen.

The repairman accidentally knocked down a shirt I had hung up on a hanger in the livingroom and I picked it up off the floor to get it out of range of Carmella's deadly micro-snout with needle-sharp teeth and radar for exactly the things I don't want her to discover. She seemed to come out of nowhere and suddenly took a flying leap about 4 and a half feet into the air, landing with a giant thud on her butt and then falling backward. She was definitely no cat. The repairman burst out laughing, and Carmella shot him an unimpressed look as if to say, "Oh please...like you've never fallen flat on your ass before."

The repairman remarked, "You clumsy dog", still highly amused by Carmella's antics, and Carmella looked back at him as if to say, " Oh yea, and you're a regular Mikaiel Barishnikov, I'm sure..."

Then it was back to eating pinecones again until the humid air took its toll and she came back inside panting and relaxed. She draped herself like a wet, limp towel on the livingroom carpet with front feet out in front and back legs splayed, flattened out like some sort of trophy hide used as a throw rug.

The repairman finished his work, said goodbye and left, and although Carmella had gotten quite a bit of exercise she didn't stay down for long and began to look around the house to see what kind of mischief she could get into. It wasn't long before she lost interest in her chew toys and turned her attention towards sneaking off while I was on the computer and not looking. She has been known to sneak off into a corner of a different room and pee just enough to cause an irritating odor, not really peeing because she has to pee but more the way male dogs do to mark their territory. Other than that she's pretty much house-broken. The thing is I don't know how long it will be before I can totally trust her as she has the habit of defacing property on the sly like a teenaged tagger sneaking behind a building to do his subversive artwork.

A few hours of watching her like a hawk was wearing me out and it wasn't even 1:00 O'clock yet. Then it was time to go to the Farmer's market, a people milling around like ants in every isle in preparation for the Labor Day weekend's cooking. The Bavarian rye bread at the Dekalb Farmer's Market is to die for, among other things, so I guess navigating my buggy around an obstacle course such as that one was worth it.

Carmella was ready and waiting for my return and nearly trampled my groceries to be let out again but then she couldn't decide whether she wanted to stay out or in since this time I was too tired to go with her.

After letting her out again briefly I put her back in the kichen so that I could take care of some things on Etsy. I was happy to find that someone had bought two ad slots on my blog. I got two notifications in my e-mail, and went in and approved them. I had begun to think I'd have a better chance at winning Publisher's Clearinghouse, so this has restored my faith that maybe people really aren't bored into a coma and that others may be lurking and just waiting for someone else to buy a slot first. OK, now I just know that I'm going to wake up tomorrow and find all 18 more slots accounted for! Come on Lucky number 18! Hey, it ain't Daily Candy, but those Google alerts come daily or thereabouts, and it's not like a thousand other blogs out there.

I've been trying to think of a fun blog giveaway or contest. If you guys have any ideas of one that might spark more participation please post your ideas. Maybe who can guess how many times Carmella stumbled today (just kidding).

All kidding aside; I noticed a change in Carmella tonight just a few minutes ago as she lay down and stopped moving; the jerking started again, but this time it was not only her right front leg and shoulder, but it was way worse and I saw it also where both back legs connect to her loin. I was letting her lie on my bed while watching TV and she began jerking so much it resembled someone with cerebral palsey, so much that she was shaking the bed. Now I'm really worried! It figures it would have to be Labor Day weekend and three more full days before any of these vet's offices are open. Tonight I was really beginning to worry that it would turn into a full-blown seizure. I hope her activity today was not too much and that it didn't cause neurological disease-progression. Something needs to happen soon!

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Chicken...Buck Buck Buck!

And I'm Not Talking About What's In The NDV Vaccine

Photo: Courtesy of Greenfingers.etsy.com

maker of smudge sticks, other herbal preparations, and eco-friendly items

Dr. Brantly came sheepishly to the phone this afternoon, intent upon making his point, and with voice quivering he said, "Hello? Ms. Carlington? Are you calling about Bear?"

"No, Carmella, " I replied thinking that not enough sleep and too little coffee was possibly muddling his head for a short second.

"Oh, yes, Carmella." The doctor seemed to snap his mind back into focus.

"So, have you had a conversation with Dr. Sears yet?"

"Nnno...?" he hesitated. "I haven't called him just yet. I'm still planning to though, just mainly to get information, ask questions, and discuss with him. " There seemed to be a "but" coming and there it was. "I, I, um really don't feel comfortable doing the injection at this point. After all the reading up I just don't know whether it would be safe unless she were faced with imminent death."

"Well according to Dr. Sears she will be sooner or later even if she's not going to die immediately. I'd rather she not die at all until she would normally. I don't want her to continue to get worse and then have a lingering horrible, and certain death in which she suffers."

"She might not". He sounded as though grabbing at straws, and in fact he was.

"Do you mean you think her immune system could fight off the virus in her brain on its own?" I asked dubiously.

"Yes, it's possible. Some dogs have static symptoms like seizures or jerking and still do quite well."

"And you're saying that antibody tests show that those dogs have killed the virus; that it's no longer detectible?" I had him there.

"Well...no. Very few vets will even do a spinal tap to test the CSF for antibodies. We really haven't gone that far to see how those dogs did. Just based on their symptoms, they seemed to not be progressing."

"I'm not sure what you're mainly worried about. Is it doing the spinal tap or the injection? Are you worried that you might hit the chord and paralyze her?"

"No, that is a risk, but it's not that. It's the way the NDV's shelf-life is preserved that I'm worried might not be good to be injecting into her spinal canal." He also expressed a fear that she'd go into shock, and I said that from what I've learned from Dr. Sears if you run IV fluids that will handle that effectively.

"You're worried about the preservatives they use being harmful?"

"Yes".

"Well have you read the formula to make the dog-based serum from scratch? That wouldn't be filled with preservatives". It was beginning to look as though the man was quickly running out of viable excuses.

What now? I thought, and there it came...predictable.

"Yes, but I still don't feel comfortable doing it. It's still too experimental". The last desperate defense of a man who had no defense. So is everything, I thought, until it becomes commonly used. What kind of logic was that, I wondered. Certainly not scientific. If all the techniques used now in other deadly diseases had been simply tabled indefinitely because they were "experimental" chances are we'd be an endangered species by now, and so would our dogs.

Then a brilliant idea struck me as if fired from a gun. Last night I had been searching on Google to look up Distemper research and it became apparent that the drug company that manufactures NDV, Merial, had done quite a bit of research on Canine Distemper, but mostly in Ferrets.

"Merial seems to be quite interested in Distemper. They had links all over Google as I was reading last night, and people who own ferrets seemed to be a strong advocacy group for that sort of research. I didn't find as much in dogs, but what if some vets were to team up and submit a funding request to Merial for grant money to do a clinical trial? It seems to me that would put alot of this fear to rest, and once an offocially recognized study were done vets could stop freaking out about it. If there is real merit to this and it is the only real cure for Distemper don't you think it deserves a chance?"

"Yes, that is a good idea, but it would probably be the academics; neuro vets with the big credentials; those in research facilities who would be the best ones to submit a proposal. Places like UGA have all the equipment, MRI, CT, and contrast for guided imaging."

"Yes, or ones in private practice specialty clinics like Dr. Johnson."

Dr. Brantly agreed. He sounded relieved to put this responsability on the academics and the specialists.

"Well, maybe a task force with those as the lead investigators and including other vets who are interested could be put together. It seems to me that the only way that vets in the community will get used to this is by being directly involved, because there are only so many neuro vets to go around. I found exactly two board certified ones in Atlanta; Dr. Johnson and one other, a woman in Sandy Springs, and about 4 in Athens around (or on staff of ) UGA. I did find out a few names and I'll be contacting them too."

"I did contact a vet in Alabama who has had great success using the dog-based serum."

"Well, good! What about having her treat Carmella?"

"She has only done the first part (in the body; not in the CNS), and she also is afraid to attempt the tap procedure."

"Well that's exactly why a clinical trial really is timely. If vets don't use it then what good is having a cure?"

We left it that I would send him any relevant research that implied this would be safe and effective, and that he'd call me to let me know if he thought of anybody who did feel comfortable doing the procedure, and he asked me to let him know if Carmella got any worse.

When he and I got off the phone we both knew the unspoken truth; that he could not scientifically guarantee me that she wouldn't.

When I checked my e-mail there was a message from Dr. Sears.

"Just about any vet can stick a needle in the Foramen Magnum without an ultrasound or MRI. Find one that will try."

In response to the fact that Dr. Johnson was working on Interferon he had this to say, "As to interferon, it does not work. Does not interrupt the distemper virus. We tried that years ago. There are now 9 different interferon's and none of them work against this virus. They do work against some but not this one. Induction with NDV sets off a variety of Cytokine's, many of which we have no names for. They just work. Especially against distemper."

And his response regarding shock happening: "Absolutely, once the NDV is introduced into the spinal space shock occurs. So what. If an IV line has been placed before anesthetic then fluids can be given and the shock is under control. Treat or death is the eventual outcome."

Regarding the trouble I've been having finding a vet to commit to this procedure, (I had to leave a few choice statements out in the interest of decorum, LOL, so as not to alienate other vets who might end up being important allies), but I can include some of it.

"I was able to find a Vet in primitive Indonesia. I cannot believe that there isn't a vet with needle savvy in all of Florida (he meant Georgia). I have now treated 4 dogs (in the CNS). One 36 years ago, and 2 10 Mo's ago, and 1 three Mo's ago. The 2 in Indonesia are both alive and without secondary symptoms at this time, Daveyo's dogs.

Hopefully yours is next.

Doc Sears"

Carmella still needs your help. Her bill is growing. Your purchase from my Etsy store is much appreciated. I'd like to thank the few individuals who have recently bought jewelry in the last 2-3 weeks. I just tonight added a new pair of earrings to my Carmella Collection. Remember that with love and action, all things are possible!

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Carmella Collection- Lillies of the Valley (earrings)

The Dark Cloud Returns...

Around 2:00 pm I called Dr. Brantly's office and they told me he was out of the office all day. The receptionist seemed shocked when I told her I had not heard anything all week even after having left several messages on his voicemail. She checked the record and there was no notation that he and Dr. Sears had touched base, so she told me she'd make a point to tell him on Monday when he got in that we were still trying to reach him and needed some follow-up. At that time there was nothing new to report other than the fact that Carmella's jerking had not disappeared.

Later I went to pick up Carmella's refill for Zithromax at Dr. Norwood's office. Almost as soon as I sat down in the waitingroom the receptionist, Felicia asked if I would please come over there, then asked me how I wanted to pay (even human doctor's offices wait until you're finished to accost you for money). I humored her rather crass request as I waited for the vet tech to prepare Carmella's antibiotic. Felicia swiped my CareCredit card and tore off a receipt for me to sign. I scrawled my name and sat back down opposite my friend. The antibiotic was nearly $50.00 for a ten day's supply and I commented to my friend that I wondered once again whether the Baytril and Penecillin G for 7 days would have cost the same and cleared up her pneumonia faster. It seemed Carmella's lung congestion was clearing only by millimeters, incrementally taking its time leaving her body as though making a stubborn political statement that it would not depart without a fight.

The vet tech called us back to a room, formulated the antibiotic, and then placed it with a syringe with which to squirt the liquid into her mouth in a paper bag. I told him the latest about Carmella's visit at the other vet and how things were still up in the air with the CSF procedure, and said that Carmella's pneumonia was still not gone after this many weeks and that after this next 10 days if it was still not gone that Dr. Norwood should really consider trying another antibiotic. The vet tech nodded as if to say they were starting to get now what Dr. Sears had been trying to say all along. This drug, while considered a pretty strong broad spectrum antibiotic, still didn't out-perform the Baytril and Penecillin G combination, and for secondary pneumonia was tantamount to trying to scrub the floor with a toothbrush. Why these doctors want to reinvent the wheel is beyond me. Had my careful reading of the variables of those studies proving their blanket conclusion predicting joint damage was based on higher dosages for longer periods meant nothing? Had Dr. Sears' long years of experience using these drugs on the many dogs who'd passed through his office fallen on deaf ears, written off as just one vet's biased opinion?

I went home and gave Carmella her daily dose of Zithromax. She swallowed it down as though it were liquid candy, liking its cherry flavor. Then she ate her dinner, drank some water, and set about her nightly shenanegans attempting to chew my pants leg, and rotating her attention between overturning her bed and playing with her various toys; a squeaky stuffed rabbit, a long stick-like rawhide chew, a tennis ball, a rubber ball with a bell inside, and a miniature rubber tire.

After roughhousing for awhile she plopped down on the floor next to where I was sitting on a towel in front of the sink. I noticed that her right front leg was jerking again, this time much more conspicuously. Previously the jerking did not happen every time she was lying still but now it did. I watched her throughout the rest of the evening and like clockwork it started each time she became still. Until now it never happened when she was standing on that leg but tonight it continued to while she stood, only slightly less pronounced then. I checked on her an hour or so later and found her lying down and that leg was jerking harder than it ever has. It was jumping so much it seemed to take on a life of its own and that really began to scare me! "That does it", I thought, "that vet cannot put this off any longer." I was not about to wait until she was convulsing at 9.9 on the Richtor Scale before something would be done about this. It seemed perverse to wait around for "The Big One" in order to justify the situation as "urgent enough to act".

One of my friends had a haunting dream the other night that I called her at some unGodly hour crying and telling her that Carmella had just died. At the time I just wrote it off as her anxiety with all the suspense going on, but tonight I really began to feel ominous again, as though maybe it was an omen.

I always hate when these things happen on the weekend because I never know whether it will get worse or stay the same and what I'm going to do in the event of an emergency when nobody's in their office.

Needless to say, I'm a little afraid to go to bed, although I'm not sure how much longer I can stay awake. My own muscle inflammation is getting the best of me at this point, so I'll have to get some sleep soon if I am going to be any help to Carmella. I just hope she can hold on until Monday and not get any worse before Dr. Brantly is back.

Will He Or Won't He...He Won't

I called Dr. Norwood's office around 1:00 PM and asked whether I could make an appointment for Carmella to have her worming shot and check on the Zithromax. It was one of the older black twin receptionists who answered the phone.

"Carmella made it through the weekend!" I reported into the receiver.

"That's great!" came the response on the other end.

I made the appointment and then they connected me to the vet tech who told me the Zithromax had come in. He avoided my question about Dr. Johnson's answer, then transferred me back to the receptionist again. This time if was Felicia, the younger white woman with brown hair pulled back in a ponytail. She sounded particularly bouncy today, uncharacteristically so, but I figured that maybe something good had just happened in her life on this particular day.

Later when I arrived at the vet's office omething seemed different. Felicia, the receptionist who had never been very warm before suddenly greeted me with a big smile, and for some reason the whole office seemed to be behaving like a restaurant on the day of their inspection by the Health Department. For a moment I wondered if I was imagining it or if it was real.

A tall, black drug rep dressed in a dark grey suit was making conversation with the receptionists behind the counter about a drug for arthritis. I found myself wondering whether that was the company that manufactured Baytril or some other rival medication. He looked over to where I sat with Carmella resting on my lap and smiled briefly, then turned and went back to his sales pitch to the receptionists.

When I was called back Carmella almost ran to jump on another dog down the hall before turning left into the room. The vet tech pulled the leash in that direction and closed the door behind us.

I said, "Look at how lively she is! She's really come back to life!" His mouth did not move to smile and it seemed almost as though he were willing it not to. Then I knew something was definitely up. I wondered why everybody was not jumping up and down with amazement; only this canned version of happiness. It began to make me question my sanity. Was I the only one seeing how good Carmella looked, or was this indicative of something else?

I felt as though I was scrambling to figure out what to say next. Carmella pulled on the leash some more, scratched at the carpet and promptly peed. I apologized and said that she must be nervous or something. The vet tech, said, "Oh, that's alright, don't worry about it".

Then he made some comment about that even though Carmella looks much better they still had to follow protocol because "it never goes away". I asked him what he meant by that. She'd been in there for several weeks every few days and they'd never mentioned it before. I asked if he meant the protocol she was on for her treatment, and he said, "No, we have to wear special suits so other dogs won't get infected". It looked to me as if he wore the same uniform he always had, basically what amounted to royal blue scrubs. He was not wearing a mask or anything of that nature and the shirt was short-sleeved. It didn't appear as though it were made of special impermiable or waterproof material. I wondered if he were joking, but he didn't seem to be when I looked at his expression. Then I wondered if the office got freaked out about the neuro symptoms which had developed over the weekend. They must not have known that now it could only be transmitted via the tear ducts, so unless a dog licked her eye or her eye touched his outfit which touched another dog's eye or mouth it was pretty unlikely.

"She should be cured once she gets the other part for the neuro symptoms", I responded, to which he said, "I'll have Dr. Norwood come in and talk to you about that." Still he was not jumping up and down with joy and not smiling, so I figured it must be bad news.

Dr. Norwood came in shortly, the vet tech by his side, leaned on the table with his chart and said, "Well Dr. Johnson got back to me today and it's looking almost for sure that he's not gonna do it."

I felt cold air hit my face as though a draft had suddenly come into the tiny closed exam room. Carmella seemed to bounce nervously around like a ping-pong ball picking up on the vibes.

The vet tech didn't leave the room, but instead stood by the door with arms crossed like a sentinel. I looked over and smiled as if to say, OK, I'd humor him on this dramatic scene, but really, all this wasn't necessary. Something was getting really wierd in there. I'd seen human doctors do this every once in awhile when they wanted a wittness because they were afraid they'd get sued. I wondered why Dr. Norwood would even think that I would be considering such a thing. He had done the treatment for the body and as far as I could tell it was a success. Whatever Dr. Johnson did or failed to do had nothing to do with him or the treatment he'd given Carmella. I wondered what the hell that man said to him that had him and the whole staff on edge.

Dr. Norwood went on to say that Dr. Johnson was offended by some of Daveyo's anti-vet comments in his written instructions, and that he was too at first, but that he wasn't now, but that that could have contributed to why Dr. Johnson did not want to treat Carmella although he didn't think it was the primary reason. I said that yes, he could come on kind of strong at times but I think it was because of what happened to his own dogs before they got the treatment they needed, and that he was a researcher; not a vet, and from my experience alot of them are like that. I said you just have to seperate that from the science and take the demeanor with a grain of salt. I told him if I'd let that stop me I would be dead myself, as the man who saved my life wasn't what one would think of as a benevolent person, "in fact to be honest the guy was a stone jerk", but if I wanted to survive I resolved to ignore that and look at the protocol on it's own merits. We can't always choose the messenger, but don't throw the baby out with the bathwater. The important thing here was to help Carmella and if the treatment works it works, and no interpersonal issues could change scientific facts.

"It seemed to be mostly the lack of journal articles about it that's holding him back", he went on. "Also, he said that it's really never done, putting anything into the Central Nervous System. He said the dog would almost surely go into shock. We were running fluids on her when we treated the rest of her body and she didn't even flinch, but putting stuff directly into the spinal canal like that could be much more likely to cause shock." I wondered why that would be unmanageable for someone with his expertise, as he would have at least as many anti-shock precautions at his disposal in an expensive specialty clinic.

"Just look at how much better she is", I said. "Is he going to let her die of neuro symptoms after all this? Just letting her go would be a waste of a perfectly good dog when it's not necessary. There's something he can do, he's got the skills and he's just choosing not to do it. I wondered if he thought a slow, agonizing death from eventual paralysis and/or seizures was better than the slight chance of death on the table. My son was looking into having brain surgery last summer for a benign brain tumor that caused debilitating seizures but they did not refuse to do it because there was some risk involved. They figured the benefit was worth the risk because it was interfereing with his ability to support himself. By the same token, Carmella has really nothing to lose by undergoing this procedure because the only alternative is a sure death, and judging by how she'd come through everything else with flying colors, there is reason to believe she would survive this too and even recover completely. If they'd give a person that chance, why not a dog?

One of the other people in a forum I post in about this treatment was not so lucky. Her dog died the other night in the Phillipines, and it was really because the vets involved refused to follow the instructions. Because her current vet was in a remote area and there were no neuro vets accessible her vet had to attempt the procedure on her own having never done a spinal tap in her life. She pushed the needle too far and hit the chord. Had there been a neuro vet available to offer his services her dog would probably be alive and recovering now.

This reminds me of before abortion was legalized and women had to obtain it on the black market, often not under the best conditions or by qualified practitioners.

Experienced neuro vets really need to start making themselves available so that this doesn't happen to any more dogs.

I went home from Carmella's appointment feeling dazed. None of the other names on the list I called today had panned out, but the only thing I came up with was a possible vet at a place called Loving Touch, and the possibility that Auburn or UT veterinary school might have someone willing and able to do the rest of Carmella's treatment. I'm hoping I don't have to go out of town to find somebody qualified. There must be someone in all of Atlanta.

Tomorrow back to the drawing board.

My Baby Is Finally Coming Home!

Well, Carmella is coming home from the vet's tomorrow! I can hardly wait to give her a big hug! Although the issue of the one discontinued antibiotic has yet to be resolved, it may not be disasterous as long as Dr. Norwood sends some oral antibiotics home with her that are strong enough to get rid of all the pneumonia.

He left early today, but according to the vet tech she is much more energetic today than yesterday, barking like crazy at other dogs who pass by, and her breathing is better, although there is still occasional raspiness.

This journey has been tenuous and often precarious, not knowing where the next help is going to come from, if all the stars are alligned just right to have each step come out as planned, and not to fall through the cracks, and we are only halfway there. My dog and I are like marathon runners hoping to find a glass of water outstretched by a benevolent stranger on the side of the road at the right moment when we're about to run out of steam and "hit the wall", just hoping it will be enough to sustain us through the next leg of the race. In this case it is a race against time, a Rubick's grenade still threatening to explode in our hands if anything should fail.

As much as we appreciate the well wishes, there is still the bill looming menacingly like a wolf at the door, and more yet to come. If we could add even $5.00 for each well wish, at least that would be more in Paypal than we have now. There are only two full days left on the 10% off sale and so far I have had no luck yet; not one little purchase all week. Is my style missing the mark or is everyone's account empty? I know that can't be so because people are still buying something on Etsy, otherwise it would not continue to stay afloat.

There have been a few kind souls who have helped promote us and for that I am thankful.

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There is still the matter hanging over our heads as to when and by whom this CSF procedure will be done. We must remember that a cure for the body does not prevent the virus in the brain and spinal chord from continuing to grow and wreak its havoc. They cannot leave her half-treated and expect her to be OK, and we must not be lulled into the illusion that because she's more energetic and her pneumonia is much better that we can just leave it at that. We must see this thing through all the way. I just hope when she comes home that "out of sight" to the vet does not translate to "out of mind".

A friend who lived near the office where Dr. Johnson, the neuo vet has his practice, went over there earlier today to advocate for Carmella and me and get him to return Dr. Norwood's call as soon as possible. The receptionist seemed somewhat oblivious, eyes glazed over from all the emergencies she'd seen come in there (the place does alot of emergency medicine). They don't yet know how truly special Carmella is, but they will.

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Forward, Backward, Side Step, Side Step

Today was such a bixed bag of news and developments I'm not really sure how to interpret it.

As has been the case for the past several weeks, I spent most of the day working to actively affect a positive outcome for Carmella. Things seemed to be looking up, then down, and then what can only be described as lateral.

The first part of the day seemed to confirm that Carmella was a very special dog in that the scientific community may (if everything goes as planned) come to consider her an extremely rare example of a puppy whose recovery would meet the stringent requirements set forth for write-up in credible medical journals.

Although over 600 dogs have apparently been cured of Distemper, most of those would not reach the standard of evidence maintained by professionals in the field of mainstream veterinary medicine. A diamond nestled in amongst tons of quartz, it was certainly looking as though at least up until late this afternoon that Carmella might fit the criteria.

That was until the course of her treatment took an unexpected turn. Dr. Sears spoke with Dr. Norwood by phone this afternoon and he did seem encouraged at the improvement she showed, but both he and I were unaware that her Baytril (one of the antibiotics which was combined with Penecillin G) had been discontinued after only one day of treatmentfor the pneumonia that went hand in hand with the deadly disease.

According to the written material in Dr. Sears' protocol, both antibiotics are to be given together in a shot, IM, twice a day for a full 7 days. The lack of Baytril for 6 out of those days may account for why she still had raspy breathing after most of that time-frame and that although improved, the pneumonia was still not gone.

Apparently such dogs treated with the Baytril and Pencillin G combination have quite a remarkable improvement after the full course.

Her pads are much better as a result of the NDV to treat her body for Distemper, but Dr. Norwood told me that he was worried about the risk of joint problems developing from Baytril while she was growing. As of yet, I do not know what the impact of this deviation from the instructions might be, it may just slow down her progress; not stop it. Time will tell. Dr. Norwood is in the process of ordering Zithromax to use in it's place.

Dr. Sears go-between, Daveyo was flabberghasted and went into all-out emergency mode. Currently living for a few years in Thailand, he immediately suggested I give her the injections myself or get a nurse to do that. There it is much more common to do that kind of thing, as their whole system is different than ours and they can get most anything without prescription. Given the set of circumstances where I live, with no car, not many people who can give me rides places, and never having given a shot in my entire life, I'm not sure how feasible it is to do it myself or go looking in facilities where nurses are employed for such help.

People here are so terrified of "liability" even when it's unwarranted, so I just can't imagine such a thing happening in the US. If I walked up to a nurse and said to her "Excuse me, but would you mind injecting my dog for me?" I'd either be carted off to jail or to the loony bin. At the very least I suspect I'd be met with "Are you nuts! I'm not going to lose my license to inject your DOG!" I don't know, maybe I'm a chicken, but I'd rather leave the injecting to the vets. I don't even know how diabetics can inject themselves without stabbing some vital organ by accident. I remember some of the die-hards in the human autoimmune community subculture doing some pretty drastic and often downright gruesome things to make themselves well in the absence of adequate medical support, and that's just not me.

I realize this may result in a longer inpatient stay for her at the vet's, but maybe he'll take some off the bill if it turns out he discontinued the drug prematurely and decides to go back to Plan A.

Tonight I looked around to see the pros and cons of giving Baytril to a puppy and although many sources say it's not recommended, upon closer inspection of the variables in these studies the dosages they used in clinical trials are alot higher (we're talking only 0.5cc of Baytril used on our protocol).

Sometimes doing what's counterintuitive on the face of it is really the right choice, and I seem to be blessed with good critical thinking skills, so maybe to state "it is often not recommened in young dogs" was an overgeneralization on the part of those doing the studies. One must take into account not only what you read in clinical trials, but also what is left unstated or de-emphasized.

If more than 600 dogs have been quietly given this treatment along with the NDV behind the scenes over the duration of Dr. Sears' carreer don't you think we would have seen horror stories rather than success stories? At around age 71 and retired, Dr. Sears still gets so many inquiries he has to guard his phone number so that he can live his life, much like a celebrity ducking out of sight in order to keep ahead of the papparazzi. I had almost given up on his responding to our communications until I heard that he'd spoken with my vet on the phone today.

I found a chart regarding cartilage toxicity in young dogs and at 2.5mg/kg, at 2-15 weeks of age, Labradors suffered no ill effects even when given the drug for 30 days! Carmella would be about 14 weeks old right now.

Another interesting finding (but you have to read the chart carefully to get the significance of it) is that mixed breed dogs tended to be more resistent to joint damage overall. It did not appear that 7 days of Baytril had any deleterious effects whatsoever.

We are still waiting to hear from the neuro vet, Dr. Johnson as to whether he is willing to administer the CSF Newcastle injection/tap procedure. Dr. Norwood has placed a call to him but he was tied up with patients and the receptionist took his name and number, saying she'd have him return the call.

It's beginning to feel like Chinese water-torture as this drags out. I look forward to being able to take Carmella home and have all these horrors behind us.

Daveyo told me that I must be very careful not to get her wet or give her a bath for 1 month after the shot/tap into the CSF; the final leg of the treatment, because her pneumonia could flare back up and kill her rather rapidly. Meanwhile I can use a very mildly damp cloth on her to spot-clean her and put baby powder on her to keep her from getting too stinky, then make sure to dry her completely.

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The First Signs Of Improvement!

You are not going to want to miss this update! Carmella showed her first noticeable signs of improvement in only two days after the administration of the Newcastle's Virus Vaccine protocol!

I spoke with the vet tech this morning and he informed me that the deteriorating pads of her feet were markedly better! The office is only open half a day on Saturday but I was dying to find out how she was doing, and this news really lets me know that I'm on the right track.

If anyone assumes Distemper is hopeless then you might just have to revise your thinking because this works!

Now all we have to do is find a neuro vet to deliver the Newcastle's Disease Vaccine to the Central Nervous System to get rid of any remaining virus in that area, and finish up the twice a day antibiotic injections for her pneumonia.

Dr. Sears is due back from his trip to California tomorrow, and I hope, will make phone contact with Dr. Norwood on Monday.

Dr. Norwood is going to try to get a committment from a vet at a practice he knows about on the other side of town and I hope the way will be paved for us to finish the neuro part of this as early in the week as possible.

The longer these consults take to agree to do the procedure the more she runs the risk of neurologicasl disease-progression, as the serum given by IV does not cross the blood-brain barrier.

Think of the brain and spinal chord as a sealed chamber. Distemper accessed that space via the lungs, but it appears it doesn't work the other way around when treating the body.

It is neurological disease-progression that eventually kills the dog in late stage distemper. That's why it is so vitally important that this second part of the protocol be done as soon as we can get it scheduled. The vet doing it must be skilled in doing spinal taps because the delivery of the substance is done through an LP needle at the base of the skull in an area dangerously close to the spinal chord. If that spinal chord is nicked it can result in paralysis or worse.

Carmella will be placed under general anesthesia, and some spinal fluid will be withdrawn to be analyzed for the level of virus found in it, then the Newcastle Vaccine substance is injected via the same route. This should rid her of any remaining virus threatening her Central Nervous System. She could have seizures or temporary paralysis afterwards, not as a reaction to the procedure, but a delayed reaction to whatever the virus has already done. She will need to be watched closely during the following days and given supportive care until she is stable. Once she is over that crucial period the danger will have passed and she can focus on regaining any function, strength, and weight she lost over the course of the disease while it was active.

The literature says she may have a few quirky things over a 30 day period after this procedure and then any fluctuations should settle down, then at around 50 days she will start to make gains. Her rehabilitation could take up to a year to become complete.

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Tears of Joy
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Cascading Pea Sprouts
(From the Carmella Collection)