WOW!  We want to say a big “thank you” to everybody who’s contributed to Sid’s Treat Jar! I was a little hesitant when Sid came up with this crazy plan to replenish his “treat fund” after we had to empty it out to cover his big vet bills, but I guess I shouldn’t doubt a pug with a plan.

Wart-free flap-flip!

While Sid is hard at work on the Planet Cool Sid screensaver and other goodies, I want to take a minute to give an update on his health.  It’s been two weeks since he had all of those warts removed, and it’s been three weeks since he had his last dose of prednisone.  When we had big Carl removed from his muzzle back in April, he was still on prednisone and little Carl’s started popping up almost immediately after big Carl was removed.  Fingers crossed, but this time, with his immune system unhampered by the steroids, his muzzle is still wart-free after two weeks.  Amazing!

Also, as Brian mentioned in an earlier post, the skin allergens test uncovered an allergy to a yeast bacteria that naturally grows and lives on skin.  If you’re not allergic to it, you don’t even know it’s there, but if you are allergic to it, it’s basically like being allergic to yourself, and the more you scratch, the more the yeast multiplies, creating a super-itchy cycle of madness.  Sid has been on an anti-yeast medication since the day of his allergy test, along with anti-yeast ear drops, anti-yeast shampoo, and anti-yeast face-flap wipes, and we’ve never seen him so calm and relaxed.  It’s incredible.

Finally, we picked up our first supply of allergy shots on Friday, and the vet techs taught us how to do the shots.  Since he’s allergic to so many things, we have two different serums to administer – one every other day.  After seeing how great he’s been since getting the yeast nonsense under control, we’re feeling really good about the allergy shots’ potential to help out our bubble pug.

Thank you again to everybody who’s helped replenish Sid’s treat fund – I know it’s cliche, but every little bit truly helps.  The vet bills we racked up in the wake of the warts / allergy test were a shock, but the promising results we’ve seen thus far make me hopeful that we’ll be giving Sid a much longer and happier life than he’d have if we just kept him on the prednisone.

Here’s Sid’s run-down of the goodies he’s sending out to anybody who helps replenish his treat fund:

$10.00:

• A special thank-you on the blog

$25.00:

• Planet Cool Sid desktop wallpaper for your computer
• A special thank-you on the blog

$50.00:

• Sid Solves Your Problem – Submit a question to be included in my new Planet Cool Sid advice column.  I can answer questions about anything and everything! I KNOW IT ALL. MY INPUT IS PRICELESS.
• Planet Cool Sid desktop wallpaper
• A special thank-you on the blog

$100.00:

• A limited edition print of my Dad’s awesome painting of me wearing my aviator hat
• Plus all the stuff listed above!

$150.00:

• For those of you who are dogs: a Sid’s Picks Combo Pack featuring your very own confidence shirt and potato toy!
• Or, for those of you who are humans: your very own set of Pug Slope note cards!
• Plus all the stuff listed above!

$200.00:

• Here’s where it gets crazy, guys.  A special VIP access code for the PugSlope.com Treat-bone Live-Cam, good through the end of 2012.  Log in every weekday between 1pm and 2pm ET to see me chillin’ like a villain with my peanut-butter-filled Kong bone. It’s gonna be EPIC.
• Plus all the stuff listed above!  That’s a lot of stuff!

Seriously, guys. WHAT THE PUG. 

I wake up last Monday. No breakfast. My Mom takes me over to the vet’s and LEAVES ME THERE. The next 5-6 hours are hazy, but I know it wasn’t fun because I was at THE VET. Next thing I know, my breath is fresh, but I’m missing a tooth and, like, 15 warts have been removed from my face and my mouth.

Then, on Thursday, SAME THING, but worse! I wake up. No breakfast! Mom AND dad take me to see this new vet – a dermatologist – AND THEY LEAVE ME THERE. AGAIN! And, again, the next 5-6 hours are hazy, but instead of waking up without a tooth, I wake up with a big weirdo bald patch on my side and a whole bunch of marker marks on my skin. THAT’S RIGHT. THIS “VET” SHAVED MY GLORIOUS FUR AND WROTE ON ME WITH A MARKER.

Look away!  I’m hideous!

Mom and Dad say that this is all for the greater good, so that I can stop taking prednisone to manage my allergies. I guess the prednisone made my imune system too weak to fight back against the wart virus, and then the wart virus was all like “WOO-HOO! IMMUNE SYSTEM’S OUT OF TOWN!” and invited his friends over for a pool party on my face, which was fine, but then some warts from the wrong side of the tracks came by and started to party on the roof of my mouth, and they brought along their creepy older cousins who started getting up to no good back by my esophagus, and the next thing I knew I was getting all wheezy and slobbery because this pool party turned into an all-night rager and it was time for Mom and Dad to call the cops (metaphorically speaking).

Stupid warts.

Mom and Dad are all like, “Listen, Master Cool Sid, now that the vet shaved your glorious fur and wrote on you with permanent marker, we know everything that you’re allergic to. FYI – you’re allergic to all the things. We’re going to take ALL OF THE STUFF THAT YOU’RE ALLERGIC TO (again, all the things) and INJECT THEM INTO YOUR BODY twice a week using a giant syringe, and, since we all apparently live in Opposite World, injecting ALL THE THINGS directly into your body will magically cure you of all your allergies.”

And then they’re like, “OH, AND BY THE WAY, THIS ALL COST, LIKE, A GAZILLION DOLLARS.  WE PAID FOR IT BY EMPTYING OUT YOUR TREAT FUND. KAYTHANXBYE!!”

WHAT. THE. PUG.

Um, hey, everybody. Jenn, here. Sid’s in the corner hyperventilating into a paper bag, so I’m going to take over this post for a second.  

So, these procedures didn’t quite cost a gazillion dollars, but they did hit us hard. Monady’s teeth cleaning / wart removal extravaganza was $750, and then Thursday’s skin allergy testing – including sedation, various prescriptions, and the first supply of shots – was just under $1,550. That’s $2,300 in one week!  We adopted Sid when he was 3 years old; his allergies and a host of other issues had already been diagnosed, so insurance wasn’t an option, and it wouldn’t have covered the bulk of this even if we had it.

We wish we could’ve waited to do these procedures after we’d had a chance to recover from our recent move, but the warts were growing in places where they were starting to obstruct his breathing and swallowing. After almost a year of dealing with these warts popping up in exponentially larger numbers, it’s become pretty clear that he wasn’t going to be able to fight back against the Canine Papilloma Virus until he was off the prednisone, and the only way to get him off of the prednisone was to get him on started on allergy shots.  

In the long run, if the allergy shots work, this is definitely for the best, since long-term use of prednisone can cause a whole host of other problems down the line. But we definitely weren’t prepared to be dropping that much money on our little guy in one week. You do what you’ve gotta do, right? We love this pug more than anything, and we want to make sure he has a long, healthy, happy–

BLAH, BLAH, BLAH.  BUT WHAT ABOUT THE IMMEDIATE IMPACT ON MY TREAT FUND?!

Listen, guys, I’ve only got, like, half a bag of treats left. We need to find a way to replenish my treat fund, pronto.

You’ll notice a new little widget on the right side of the blog. That’s my treat jar. Right now it’s bone dry. My goal is raise $2,300, so my treat jar is right back to where it started. That way my Mom and Dad won’t be so stressed and they can focus on important things, like buying me treats and then feeding those treats to me.

Mom and Dad were like, “Sid, this plan is crazy,” but I said, “I’m a pug who can order his own food online and use photoshop, and I have a sassy girlfriend named Timothy whose tongue doesn’t fit in her mouth. Crazy is my middle name.”

Smooches

And they were like, “You’re totally right, Sid. Why do we ever doubt you,” and then they tried to give me a whole bunch of treats and I was like, “NO! WE MUST RATION THE TREATS UNTIL THE TREAT FUND HAS BEEN REPLENISHED!! RIGHT NOW I SHALL ONLY EAT FOUR.”

And they were so touched and moved by my gesture of sacrifice, they helped me come up with a whole bunch of cool things that we can give to our friends who help replenish my treat fund.  BOOM.

Here’s what you’ll get if you make a contribution:

$10.00:

• A special thank-you on the blog

$25.00:

• Planet Cool Sid desktop wallpaper for your computer
• A special thank-you on the blog

$50.00:

• Sid Solves Your Problem – Submit a question to be included in my new Planet Cool Sid advice column.  I can answer questions about anything and everything! I KNOW IT ALL. MY INPUT IS PRICELESS.
• Planet Cool Sid desktop wallpaper
• A special thank-you on the blog

$100.00:

• A limited edition print of my Dad’s awesome painting of me wearing my aviator hat
• Plus all the stuff listed above!

$150.00:

• For those of you who are dogs: a Sid’s Picks Combo Pack featuring your very own confidence shirt and potato toy!
• Or, for those of you who are humans: your very own set of Pug Slope note cards!
• Plus all the stuff listed above!

$200.00:

• Here’s where it gets crazy, guys.  A special VIP access code for the PugSlope.com Treat-bone Live-Cam, good through the end of 2012.  Log in every weekday between 1pm and 2pm ET to see me chillin’ like a villain with my peanut-butter-filled Kong bone. It’s gonna be EPIC.
• Plus all the stuff listed above!  That’s a lot of stuff!

Awesome, right?!  Now, I’ve been doing some Googling while I’ve been stuck inside waiting for my hair patch to grow back, and apparently a bunch of small donations are just as valuable as a few big donations – they call that “math.” So, tell your friends. Tell your family. Tell your neighbors and your doctors and your mailmen. Tell your arch nemeses. Tell them to tell their arch nemeses. Every little bit will help get my treat fund back on track.

And, I just wanted to say THANK YOU again for all of your love and support and good juju over the past few weeks. Mom and Dad are trying their best to keep me wart-free and allergy-free AND prednisone-free, and so far things are looking good.

Love from the coolest planet in Brooklyn,

Sid (and Jenn and Brian)

Like the brave trooper that he is, Sid survived another full day at the vet yesterday, this time to see the Dermotologist for a full skin allergy test. This makes for two full days this week at the vet which wasn’t fun for anyone (esp. our flat-faced wonder). He was happy to return home and find solace in his bolster.

As you probably noticed, there is a patch shaved on Sid’s left side where they performed the skin allergy test. The little dots are Sharpie marks indicating where the various allergens were injected. We’ve dubbed this his “Control Panel”.

As you may have guessed, our bubble dog tested high for allergies to many common things: various grasses, trees, pollen, dust mites, fleas, flys, mold, sheep wool, and yeast – his OWN yeast in fact. So basically Sid is allergic to himself. Poor little dude.

Based on the various items Sid is allergic to, the dermotologist will put together a customized allergy shot that Sid will be getting twice a week. His own system will hopefully build up immunity to the various allergens which should desensitize him and basically not make him as allergic to mother nature (and himself) as he is right now. Unfortunately, this process can take anywhere from 3 to 12 months and even then there’s still a chance that the allergy shots won’t help him at all. We’re keeping all our fingers, toes, paws, and tails crossed (or “curled” I suppose) that he responds well to the allergy shots and our little dude will be able to get off the prednisolone train ASAP.

While we’re waiting for the allergy shots to kick in, we’re planning to try some various things to keep his itchiness in check. The main thing is an anti-yeast medication called Fluconazole. The dermatologist said some dogs with yeast allergies have responded really well to it. We also may try some other human drugs such as Zyrtec or Allegra (we’ve tried Benadryl in the past but that doesn’t appear to help him at all).

Thank you all for your positive juju and prayers this week. I know they certainly helped keep our spirits up and allowed Sid to make it through all these tests successfully. The results came back from the papillomas they removed on Monday and the good news is they are just normal papillomas and not the “C” word. Whew!

This weekend, Sid’s getting rewarded by having a sleepover party with Miss Timothy Buttons. I heard rumors that she’ll be wearing her new party dress.

“DID SOMEBODY SAY PARTY DRESS?!”

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Sid’s been at the dermatologist all day today getting his skin allergen test done.  He’s such a trooper.  We’ll be posting an update later tonight once he’s back home.  Brian says the little guy is getting “triple dinner” tonight.  Usually I’d say that’s a little excessive, but today I think he deserves it, don’t you agree?

Thank you for all of the great juju!  Your positive stories and comments really helped us stay sane and semi-relaxed throughout the weekend.  We dropped Sid off at the vet this morning for his teeth cleaning and wart removal, and in a few short hours he’ll be coming home.  He’ll be a little woozy, but his breath will be fresh and his face and mouth will be wart-free!  Perhaps, if he’s feeling up to it, we can get his take on this whole situation sometime tomorrow.  I’m sure he’ll have plenty to say about the fact that he couldn’t have breakfast before we “abandoned him” at the vet…

So, Carls Jr. (son of evil wartlord Carl) has been opening up new wart franchises all over Sid’s face and inside his mouth.  I’m sure you’ve noticed them in some of the photos from our trip – they’re huge.  Just in the past week, about five more began sprouting on the outside of his muzzle, one has begun growing underneath his right eye, and we discovered a few big ones on the roof of his mouth, back near his esophagus.  Like, right in his throat.  They all seem determined to eventually connect with the Carls Jr. flagship location on his chin, turning Sid into one giant wart. Sigh.

It’s the esophagus ones that are freaking us out the most – Sid’s breathing has been a little wheezy lately, and he’s been extra drooly – so we’ve scheduled a teeth cleaning for Sid on Monday.  While he’s under anesthesia, our vet is going to remove the majority of the Carls Jr. locations.  But, what we’ve learned over the past few months is that the Carl family is much, much stronger than Sid’s prednisone-addled immune system.  These warts aren’t gonna be waving a white flag anytime soon.

We have to fight the underlying problem of his weakened immune system in order to banish these warts for good.  He’s on the prednisone to manage his epic allergies (if it’s a carbon-based compound, he’s allergic to it).  The prednisone basically stops his immune system from going haywire whenever Sid comes in contact with an allergen (basically every moment of his existence).  But, the prednisone is also stopping his immune system from fighting back against the papilloma virus.  So, when we say goodbye to the warts, we’ll also have to say goodbye to the one thing that’s guaranteed to tame Sid’s crazy allergies.  (Atopica was a great alternative to prednisone for awhile, but, after a month or two of amazing success, he began vomiting whenever he took it.  Of course.)

So, after Monday’s teeth-cleaning-wart-excision-bonanza, the next step is to go back to the dermatologist, get a skin allergy test done (more accurate than the blood tests, apparently), and start him on allergy shots.  I’ve read that 65-85% of dogs respond well to allergy shots.  A lot of people would consider those odds to be good, or at least “okay,” but considering Sid’s luck, that doesn’t make us feel very hopeful about going down this route.  It is what it is, though.  Right?  And who knows, maybe our little guy will surprise us this time around.

But, in the meantime, Sid could use a little juju for Monday’s procedure.  He’s gone under anesthesia for a teeth cleaning once before and he did fine, but that doesn’t stop us from being a nervous wreck, especially since he’s going to have all of these Carl’s Jr. locations removed from his face (and tongue!) (and eye!) (and throat!!) at the same time.  Blergh.  Google has only increased our anxiety levels, so any positive stories that you can share of pugs undergoing anesthesia, wart removals, and/or allergy shots in the comments section would be much appreciated…