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!

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!

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…

(Consider this a warning – things are about to get nasty up in here!)

Yesterday morning Sid tipped his giant face-wart Carl up towards me, looked me in the eye, and yelled, “Enough is enough!”

 Lucky for Sid, I whole-heartedly agreed.  After two months of rapid growth, we decided that Carl was anglin’ to take over Sid’s face and HE NEEDED TO BE STOPPED. I mean, seriously, it was getting to the point where Sid was accidentally chomping on Carl whenever he’d yawn.  Also, we’ve been on a bit of an X-Files binge here at the Pug Slope Headquarters, and I was starting to have nightmares in which Carl sprouted legs and became a sentient being of extra-terrestrial origins intent on wreaking havoc in our lives.

THE TRUTH IS OUT THERE

The amazing Dr. Quim at Prospect Park Animal Clinic was able to fit us in for a wart excision later that afternoon.  Now, as you know, Sid is a frequent visitor to the vet.  Unfortunately, that means that Sid now knows that the vet’s office is not a fun place to be.

He stared at that door for our entire time in the waiting room, as though if he were to look away, for even a second, he’d miss his one opportunity to escape.

Once we got into the exam room, Sid literally pulled out all the punches – pushing, pulling, jerking, and flailing about while the vet and his assistant tried to get a good look at Carl.  Sid was so wound up that we decided that the only way to proceed was to give him a mild sedative to calm him down.

So Sid was given the sedative, and we were left alone in the exam room while we waited for it to kick in.

Sid spent the next 15 minutes pacing rapidly in a tight figure-eight formation around my chair.

The assistant eventually came back in to check on us, and upon seeing Sid’s continued hyperactivity, she turned the lights down in the room and pressed a button on a small stereo in the corner.

The opening notes of Brahm’s Lullaby began playing.  Then, without warning, the voice of Celine Dion wafted about the room.

Sid continued to pace frantically, while I pondered the life decisions that led to me to be in a dark room with a wart-faced, hyperactive pug, listening to Celine Dione sing lullabies.  Whatever decisions they were, they were obviously the right ones.

By the end of the song, I found myself pacing around the room, but Sid was in my arms, being bounced like a baby, his eyes set in an unfocused gaze, his tongue hanging from his mouth, Timothy-Buttons-style.

It was time.

Dr. Quim was masterful with his surgical tweezers and scissors.  With a quick pop, Carl was off of Sid’s face, severed from his life-source before he could wreak havoc on humanity.

 Why, yes, I did ask if I could take a photo of Carl while the vet was busy cauterizing Sid’s wound.  YOU DON’T PASS UP AN OPPORTUNITY LIKE THIS.  Ask Brian about my wisdom teeth sometime…

With his wound cauterized, Sid was ready to head home!  Dr. Quim said the sedative would take a while to wear off, but Sid did a great job walking home.  He seemed a little out of it, but he walked the whole six blocks like it was no big deal.

Until we got to the stoop.  I think that’s when the sedatives really kicked in.

I carried him up all of the stairs and put him down as soon as we got inside our apartment. Rather than jumping into his normal post-walk routine of spinning in circles while yelping for treats and pawing frantically at the food bin that we keep near the door, he just stood there, swaying, until he ended up leaning pathetically against the bin.  He began snoring.

I carried the poor guy to the couch.  I was hoping he’d just go to bed, but he seemed pretty determined to stay awake.  Thank the blog gods that my cell phone was right in my back pocket, because as soon as I set him on the couch, this happened:

OMG SID YOU’RE BREAKIN’ MY HEART!!!!!

That position that he flopped into?  He stayed that way for a good two hours.

Eventually I moved him to his bed.  At one point, he stood up like he had a plan, took one step, and then immediately gave up:

That became his 8pm-9pm napping position.

From there, he again stood up like he had a plan, walked to the middle of the room, and…

I’ve got four more minutes of that, if you want to see it sometime.

At that point, I officially cancelled all of my evening plans so I could keep an eye on him.  I was worried he’d decide he was thirsty, walk over to his water bowl, and then zonk out again, and I’d come home after a fun night out to find him face down in an inch and a half of water.  The irrational fears concocted by my imagination stop me from doing a lot of things.

That didn’t even come close to happening, of course, and the sedative finally began to wear off around midnight, just when it was time for the rest of the world to go to sleep.  I left a light on so Sid could finally admire his Carl-free face.

Ta-da!!!!

Sid has a new best friend.  He also has a new gigantic wart on his muzzle.

Sid named his best friend “Cubby.”  We named his ginormous wart “Carl.”

Cubby’s here to stay, but we’re hoping that Carl can find a ticket on the next train home to Wartsville.

But, you know what? If Carl decides to stick around for a while, that’s fine with us.  Just as Sid’s love for Cubby can withstand a broken squeaker or a dousing of Timothy drool, Carl’s warty presence could never diminish our love for Sid.  We love this pug, warts and all!