ILLINOIS COCKER RESCUE
Rescuing, Rehabilitating, and Rehoming
Cocker Spaniels, Cockapoos, Poodles and other Toy Breeds

From Sully's Mom

Dear Aly:

It's with a very heavy heart that I have to write to you.  As you know, Sully has had troubles with his ears due to infections, which triggered a number of other health issues for him.  Last fall, just a few weeks before we were married, Jim and I put Sully down.  He was in such pain and had been for awhile as we tried every option we could find; dermatologist, allergist, homeopathic doctors, considered surgery, traditional vets, etc.  As we got near to the end of his life, even the homeopaths advised me that they could only do so much.

Sully was such a brave guy and so, so good.  He gave me four great years and, I believe, helped me to find the guy that I will spend the rest of my life with.  Sully absolutely loved Jim and they enjoyed treat times together.

Your note asking for opinions about the BARF diet and your policies on it for your adopters really touched a tender spot with me because while I did so much of what you recommended, I also listened to my vet who pooh-poohed the importance of a natural diet.   You are welcome to share this with anyone that you think might learn or benefit from it.

In January of 2001, when I first brought Sullivan home I had him vet checked.  It was mostly for me to learn about him as I had had dogs before, but never a Cocker.  Also to introduce us both to a vet while Sully was healthy.  So often we all go to doctors only when we're sick, so they don't know us healthy.  I wanted Sully to have a doctor who knew him as a healthy pooch.  They gave me all sorts of advice in addition to pointing out things to be on the lookout for that are common issues to Cocker Spaniels.  One of those things was ear issues.  They taught me how to clean them and told me that it looked like he may have had some issues in his past, but that his ears were currently in good shape.  They told me that the BARF diet was not necessary, but Sully and I stuck with it anyway.  As an added bonus he loved veggies so it was pretty easy for us.

Sully and I had some wonderful romps together in the park, but I began to be aware that he was rubbing his head quite a bit and had started avoiding the raw chicken that I gave him.  Sometimes he would eat it, but mostly it just sat while he ate everything else.  Back to the vet . . .

They told me that his ears had a slight infection and that while I was cleaning him quite a bit, it might not be enough.  We started out first round of steroids at that time and revisited how to clean.  Our other finding was that was most likely allergic to chicken and that may be one of the triggers for his ear issues.  So we moved on to some vet recommended higher grade dry foods (usually Eukanuba or sometimes Royal Canin) looking for versions that were primarily beef or lamb to avoid chicken.  Unfortunately, Sully's ear issues continued.

Fast forward a bit - I had taken Sully to the vet every few months for a few rounds of treatment for his ears. It was almost always a new vet due to turnover at the clinic.  I kept asking them what was wrong and telling them that I didn't think this was normal, but they kept shaking their head and just saying Cocker ears and would prescribe another round of steroids.  Finally, after round and round of these treatments Sully became ill.  Truly ill, his eyes looked terrible and he was shaking.  That Saturday night was our first trip to the emergency room, where I found out that he had pancreatitis.

I took him back to our regular vet the next business day and met with a vet that was available.  This man was new to me and completely irate with me.  He took one look at Sully's ear and really felt that I was remiss in taking care of my dog.   He really chewed me out.  At the time I was very offended and asked this latest vet to take a look at Sully's record and note that I kept bringing him back for the same condition and had kept asking what other options were to help him.

At that point, he calmed down and referred me to a specialist--a dermatologist in Chicago.  She was just lovely and really a great person and it was such a nice change to see the same vet every time I was in.  With our dermatologist we planned our approach to methodically try different treatment options until we found something that worked and we changed Sully to a homemade venison and potato diet to try and see if it was allergies that were keeping his ears from healing.  That didn't help, so while keeping him on the homemade venison stuff, (seemed healthier) we had him tested for allergies and started allergy shots for him.  During this time, we started him on distilled water only.  I had heard that this might be another way to help him.   It seemed a small price to pay if it would keep him healthy.  We tried lots of things like the blue stuff, different ear cleansers (vet prescribed and off the shelf), the shots, the natural diet.

Sully was in good spirits most of the time and his hearing was only slightly impaired.  He was still such a great pooch and so loving.  Loved the car even though it often meant that we were going to the vet.

Many people were aware of what Sully was going through and offered referrals.  Our groomers referred us to a vet that had helped one of her other cocker clients with ear issues.  This new vet was very thorough, but after seeing Sullivan she also recommended a specialist as our best route and so while she was our new regular vet, we stayed with our dermatologist.  Our dog walker, neighbors, fellow dog people in the park--they all tried to be helpful.  I was collecting quite a crew that was interested in Sullivan's well being-- mostly because he was so sweet.

At this point, Sully was not in great shape and the steroids had really taken a toll on him.  Finally, a number of people recommended the Tikaboo surgery to me.  Jim (at that point, my fiance) went with me to meet with a well known surgeon in the suburbs. Nice man, but I couldn't get over that this would completely take Sully's hearing and that we wouldn't be sure that he would ever be out of pain.  The doctors assured me that this was an easy surgery and that they did it all of the time.  But to me, anything like that sounded excruciatingly painful.  I know that the dogs are under anesthesia during the surgery but recuperation from ear surgery and bone surgery really, has got to be painful.

We decided that we didn't want to do that to Sully and kept at the venison feedings and cleanings and hoping that it would work.

Finally in early September of 2004, Sully had another attack of pancreatitis.   We spent three days shuttling from the emergency vet where he would spend the night to our regular vet for day care.  At that point, they told us that it wasn't good and that he might as well be comfortable at home since they didn't expect a recovery.  Jim and I had long discussions about Sully's quality of life and if we stayed with the current state, he would live in pain.  If we had the surgery, he would live in a completely silent world and may not ever be completely pain free or healthy.  We decided at that point that we'd bring him home for a few good days together and then put him down at the end of the week.  Sully rallied.  He perked up and began to be himself again and happier than he'd been in quite some time.  I think it was being home and in his own bed (ours, actually).  That week we decided that if his health failed again in the near future that we wouldn't put him through spending his days at the vet's in a cage again.  If he was going to go it was going to be at home with us.

A few weeks later that day came.  Sully had been a little quieter over the weekend, but Jim came home from a business trip on a Monday evening and Sully perked up.  Thursday of that same week I began to watch Sully get quiet again and had a bad feeling especially since Jim was leaving again the next morning for another project.  Jim's car picked him up at 4:00 Friday morning.  Sully and I went back to sleep to get up at 6:30 for our walk.  Sully didn't want to go for a walk, which is unusual.  Equally unusually, he didn't eat or want to do anything else either.  His eyes looked dimmed and I knew he was in pain again.  I called into my office letting them know that I wasn't coming in and left a message for Jim that he would pick up on a layover in Dallas.

After catching up with Jim in Dallas we made a decision together over the phone.  I talked with our vet that afternoon and explained.  I also told her that my intentions were to put Sully down that weekend.  She was quite supportive and tried to reassure me that I had done everything possible for him.  It was a terrible day.  Sully didn't feel good and I just cried.  We spent a lot of time just sitting in the sun together.

That evening, I grilled out cheeseburgers for Sully and he wolfed it down and actually ate for the first time in quite some time.  That night Sully woke me up around 1 a.m. to snuggle.  He hadn't done that in such a long time.  We set an alarm for early the next morning and drove to a park for a bit.  We spent the morning sitting by the lakefront which was one of our favorite places.

Sully was euthanized that day on September 25th in my arms.  Jim was overseas, but was there in spirit.  I didn't bring anyone else with me.  I felt like I was Sully's person and he was my dog and that if this were to happen that it should happen with just us.  His ashes were later buried in our backyard.

Aly, having Sully was the best and worst experience.  I can't believe that I let Sully down or you for that matter but having Sully as part of my world was the best.  He was such a great companion and introduced me to so many nice dogs and people.  He was a great snuggler, listener and good judge of character.

I hope to have another dog someday and most likely not a cocker, it turns out that I'm allergic to them. ( I don't know if I ever told you, but within a few weeks of getting Sully I found out that I have asthma.  It was not serious enough to make me consider bringing him back to you, as he was already too much a part of my life, but just enough that I can appreciate not having to carry an inhaler with me all of the time.)

Thanks so much for bringing Sullivan into my world.  He really was the best buddy.  I'm so sorry that I haven't contacted you before this.  With a few weeks to our wedding when Sullivan was put down, it was all I could do to keep it together.  He was supposed to be part of our day and meet us for pictures and what not.  It's still an empty spot in our wedding memories.  Since then, I just haven't really known what to say.

My point is this...people will make their own judgments about what they think is right for their Cocker.  They may do so with the advice of a vet or one who may not have an appreciation for BARF or other natural meals and medicines.  Sully and I went through thousands and thousands of dollars in medical costs and spent a great deal of time at some of the most well-known vet offices in the city and still had major problems.   I don't know if staying true to BARF in the early days or finding an immediate natural alternative to BARF would have helped him, but it couldn't hurt.  Even changing to a natural diet later in his life wasn't enough.

So after re-reading your policies regarding BARF nutrition requirements on your website, I think it's fine to be vehemently supportive of BARF and ask perspective adopters to recognize the importance of a healthy diet for their dogs.  People need the guidance early on to get it and understand how important it is for them to be aware of the health of their newest furry family member.

I hope you'll keep me on your distribution list and would still be available to you as a volunteer for adoption events if you think that's appropriate.  I still think that Cockers are the best and the greatest personalities.  I visit your site often just to see what's new with you and the crew.

Best wishes to you and all of your Cockers.  They are lucky to have made it to you and have you as their advocate.

Susan
Susan and Jim Schultze

Illinois Cocker Rescue
Aly Posner
P.O. Box 384
Harvard, IL 60033
Email: ILCockerRescue@aol.com
Website: www.ILCockerRescue.org