Leon has broken out in another rash. He’s been rubbing all over his bed. He’s so itchy.

We finished his course of antibiotics last week –he had about a week of clear skin. And now there’s another rash.

We’ll have to go back to see Dr. at A&M again. I don’t know what else can be done, but will see if she can come up with something. He can’t be on courses of antibiotics and steroids for the rest of his life –that’s not good for him. Will ask Dr. if there’s any way we can reduce the mast cell activity (allergic reaction). She said allergy injections would not work for his food allergies.

Just when we think we’ve got something that’s working –it works –but then the rash comes right back.

So frustrating. My poor boy.

Please continue to support us as we try to nail down a treatment that will keep these rashes at bay and keep Leon comfortable and working. The bills are stacking up and we really need your help. Thank you very much!

Sorry about the hiatus in posting. I had a nasty flu-like virus in December –then the holidays came –and now life is getting back to its normal level of craziness.

Leon’s bacterial skin infection is GONE. The antibiotics worked! He’s finishing up his yeast medication (given at our follow-up visit) to clear up the yeast infection that was left behind. He’s doing okay. Still itchy –rubbing his face and body –his ear is still bothering him. Called A&M and they wrote for a short course of prednisone to hopefully clear up the itch and see if everything’s cleared up if we get the inflammation down.

If it doesn’t work, he will have to go back to A&M for a third visit.

He’s still the same wiggly, happy boy, though! He’s been doing amazing at his service skills and harness work. I am just now starting to feel well enough again to go out more, so hopefully will remember to bring my camera and take some action shots.

I am also starting a Masters program in Public Administration. I feel that this program will equip me to be a better advocate for people with disabilities (what I feel called to do). I am very excited to begin learning!

Also, I am in talks with my church about starting a ministry for people with chronic illness in my community. I have several people on board that are excited about starting this ministry. There is definitely a great need in my area.

Leon James is happy to help as well!

Here are a couple of photos of Leon hanging out at home. Also featured–Marzipan–my Kitty of Doom who I love very much. She and Leon are great friends.

Leon sure is thinking hard about something!

Leon and Marzipan playing a rousing game of “Poke the Kitty”. It’s a favorite in our household. Leon pokes Marzipan with his nose –and she falls over dramatically. haha

And for fun, here is a photo of Marzipan in a box. She LOVES boxes. I currently have 3 boxes from packages because she loves sitting in/playing in them so much that I don’t have the heart to throw them away.

I may possibly have my very own Maru in the house. (For those who may not know, Maru is a cat made famous on YouTube for his great affinity of boxes of all sizes.)

Thank you very much for your donations. They have meant the world to me and Leon –they made it possible for him to receive the veterinary care he needed at Texas A&M. We still need help. We are still in the process of figuring out how to keep his condition stable and his allergies under control. We are getting there, but still tweaking things. Please continue to support us by donating and passing the word along so that our partnership can continue for many years to come.

Sorry it has taken me a bit to update the blog. Lots of stuff going on. Also am in a bad flare of symptoms from a virus I had a few weeks ago. I am recovering, but it is taking a while. Thank you for your patience as it may be a bit in between posts.

Leon’s appointment at A&M went well! This is likely to be something very treatable! We have a plan! They said food is likely to be the culprit–so he’s to be on only his kibble for 4 months (no treats–the treats could be causing the issue) and we’ll get this skin infection taken care of (they’re doing a culture to find the right med for it).

Said that should take care of it –allergies are most likely NOT environmental because he has not responded at all to steroid treatment and because his symptoms have been the same all year.

The vet dermatologist was amazing! She gave us free samples of topical medication and didn’t charge for the skin scrapings. And she gave me her business card –she said she may be able to get help through the vet hospital for Leon’s tooth. And Leon was such a cooperative, flirty patient–even through the skin scrapings. 

They even snagged the vet dentist while we were there to come in and look at Leon’s tooth and give a second opinion. He said that x-rays would need to be done to determine what to do with the tooth –and that an extraction would only have a few hundred dollars in difference with the root canal. If the tooth has not died, he would recommend the root canal.

Leon is currently on a course of oral antibiotics (a susceptibility study showed that his particular skin infection is susceptible to most antibiotics)–will be on those for a month. We go back for a re-check the week before Christmas.

Thank you all SO MUCH for your support! You helped make it possible for Leon to get treatment at A&M and get to the root of his allergy issues.

Please pass this blog post along to friends, family members, coworkers, etc. We still need help to raise funds for his follow-up visit at Texas A&M and for Leon’s dental work.  I know many people are struggling financially –I understand that, trust me. Give if you are able. If you are not able to give, I understand –help us by passing this blog along to those you know.

Thank you all so much! Hope y’all have a very wonderful Christmas and holiday celebrations with your families and loved ones.

This is Leon dressed in his reindeer antlers at a Christmas get-together last year at church. Yes, he is a very tolerant dog. :)

Leon has an appointment with Texas A&M on Nov. 15th for a dermatology consult. We will see what the specialist suggests. And the good news is that I can make payments, so that will help, though I will still need to continue to fundraise for expenses. At least it buys us time.

Thank you so much for your support. Please continue to pass this page along to friends, coworkers, family, etc. This appointment at Texas A&M is of great importance in trying to figure out what is going on with Leon and how to treat it. With your help, we can hopefully find a treatment that will help Leon feel better long-term and have a long working life. Help us be able to continue our partnership –to be active in our community, continue volunteer work, and continue to be a team going through life together.

This is a photo of Leon and I taken during Team Training in the summer of 2011. The start of our partnership. :)

My poor boy has to go back to the dermatologist again on the 13th.

Things are not looking good. He is acting normal, but his rash is WORSE 2 days after bathing with the special medicated shampoo for some reason.

It’s clorhexidine shampoo –it’s supposed to clear up the superficial skin infections he keeps getting due to his allergies. But the rashes are NOT going away –even with weekly baths as recommended. The Predisone is also not seeming to help. His rashes were starting to look a little better –then BAM –huge rash all over again.

I’m running out of funds, energy, etc. If the veterinarians cannot come up with something to help/a viable treatment plan –I most likely will have no choice but to send Leon back to his program. I’ve been battling with his medical issues for a year and a half (almost) –and they are still not under control.

I am weighing also if a possible consult at Texas A&M would be feasible for us. It’s a 2 hour drive, but they are the best. If the dermatologist is not able to come up with a treatment (allergy testing and desensitization is one option–but an expensive one), A&M would be another option. I’ll call her office on Monday and see what she suggests.

We really, really NEED your help, friends! Please help us keep our partnership together! He is my world and my partner in independence. I am hoping that, with the help of your very generous donations, that we will be able to find out the underlying cause of Leon’s medical issues and find a treatment that works and keeps him working happily.

In more happy news, last week Leon and I attended a Halloween costume party. Here is a photo of us.

Leon and I as Traveling Salesmen at my friend’s Halloween party. Special appearance by my friend Whitney. :)

Hope everyone is doing well!

Just wanted to let y’all know that Leon had his 6 week bloodwork (6 weeks since starting the prednisone) and all levels came back normal!

Also, my vet wrote out the script for the prednisone and I was able to get it through the $4 medication list at the Kroger pharmacy! 😀

I hope to have more photos soon to upload. Been sick for a couple of weeks and am just now recovering somewhat.

One of my closest friends surprised me last week for my birthday with a trip to Galveston Island! We stayed 2 nights and 3 days and had a fantastic time! It was soooo good to get away for a while!

Leon experienced what I think was his first time at the beach. I do not think he had ever seen the ocean before. He had so much fun playing in the water –jumping over waves, spinning, digging in the sand. Service dogs work hard –and they play hard!

We spent about 2 hours playing in the water, then headed back to the hotel, where Leon got a much-needed bath.

Here are some photos of Leon from the trip:

This is Leon at the pier near our hotel (which was one block from the seawall). It was so very gorgeous while we were there!

Leon pausing during play to pose for a photo. He really enjoyed the ocean! :D

Leon watching the waves come in. :)

Leon posing with his Jolly Ball at the hotel. He had a brief play session before bed the first night. :)

Leon, my friend, and I near the seawall

And here’s a video I shot of Leon playing at the beach. He really did enjoy it! My friend and I had to start spelling B-E-A-C-H because he would think we were going back when we said it! haha
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pi6WLqRp0rQ&feature=results_video

Last week was specialist week for Leon. He saw both the dentist and his dermatologist.

We had a free dental exam (a very generous program for assistance dogs) and discovered a problem with one of his front lower canines. It’s discolored and it is likely that the pulp is dying/has died. Since it is a major tooth, the vet dentist is wanting to do x-rays to see the status of the pulp and, depending on what they find, do a root canal. He said extraction of the tooth is not a good idea –would cost the same as the root canal–and the tooth is needed to help keep his tongue in his mouth. The vet dentist said this needs to be done within the next 4 months. Yikes.

Leon’s appointment with his dermatologist went okay. He’s been put on a course of antibiotics, a stronger steroid and some ear drops for an ear infection. I am to continue the 1-2x a week bathing with the special shampoo. Leon goes to our local vet for a recheck in a couple of weeks to see if things are clearing up (belly rash and ear infection). More bloodwork then, too.

Leon’s in good spirits as always. Happy, happy dog. We had “fun” painting yesterday. I had a project for a friend where I needed Leon’s paw print. Not hard, I thought. Used a paint brush to brush Leon’s paw and applied it to paper. Took a while to get a print that looked nice.

I was putting Leon’s paw ina  bowl of water to rinse it off and Leon decided to take off through my apartment (knocking over the bowl of water with paint in it in the process). Oh, what a mess! haha

Thankfully, it was a paint that comes up with soap and water.

Leon did wonderfully when we went to visit a friend in the hospital. He’s very good at remembering routes and helped me find the way to go. He has many fans among the nurses/staff there.

Side note: I should hopefully have my camera fixed sometime soon (battery compartment won’t stay closed –duct tape only held it for so long) so I can take and upload more photos.

Welcome! Glad you are here. My name is Sheena and I am partnered with a black Labrador service dog named Leon. He is a mobility dog, meaning he helps me keep my balance when I walk and retrieves items for me off the ground, among other tasks. He and I have been together for one year. Leon has helped me regain much of the independence I lost when my first service dog Pebbles retired. He has made my life not only safer, but more full -he has enabled me to be more active in my community than I could be otherwise.

Leon and I at the Mall

One thing has made our partnership strained and more than a little difficult at times. Leon has very severe allergy issues. Both food and environmental. He breaks out in rashes. He has had these issues since before he was partnered with me by his program, but apparently they exploded when he moved to Texas with me.

Vet bills, buying his special food (a special limited ingredient kibble for dogs with severe allergies), buying his special veterinary shampoo (for the rashes) and getting his monthly medication has been putting a large strain on me financially and emotionally.

These are the lowest-cost options I have been given (and can comply with). Leon works so well for me and I don’t want to go back to life as it was before he came into it. He has enabled me to get out of my apartment more and be more active in my church and community. He loves working and gets excited when the harness comes out. It’s what he lives for. The financial strain is really tough, though. I have my own medical stuff to deal with and having a dog with a chronic health condition places additional strain on my already very tight finances.

I am facing the choice of continuing the special food, shampoo and medication which seem to be working to help keep him working comfortably and keep the allergies under control –or return my dog to the program he came from. So I am asking for help. Every little bit will mean so much to me. Leon has made such a HUGE difference in my quality of life this past year. Please help keep our partnership together.

Please, if you can give –even a small amount adds up –help us out.