~~~ In Memory of Sunny ~~~

Wednesday, May 28th, 2003
I took my beautiful, handsome, four year old American Eskimo Spitz to the veterinarian for his annuals. Sunny received his rabies, the 3-in-one combo vaccine (Distemper, Parvo, Corona) and Bordetella. Two days later he wasn't acting quite his rambunctious self. On Saturday I took him back to the vet. His pac cell count had dropped to 20. A normal dogs range is somewhere in the 40's. They kept him for the weekend an started him on Prednisone. By Monday his pac cell count had dropped to to 12, so they suggested I take him to a 24 hour facility in Greensboro, NC.

He stayed there a week, where he received three blood transfusions, was put on high dosages of Immune Suppressive Drugs. It was there I learned that the problem was Auto-Immune Hemolytic Anemia. I was informed that they sometimes see this occur in dogs after receiving their vaccinations, but not this quickly. He crashed in two days, not the 2-3 weeks this is normally seen when this does happen. We brought Sunny home the following Monday but he was a very sick little boy.

Wednesday, June 25th, 2003
By now, Sunny had developed flibitis in his back leg.We were taking him to the vet about every other day to have his pac cell count checked. He was taking antibotics. By Saturday night he would no longer take his medicine.

Sunday, June 29th, 2003
Sunny was no longer eating. I called the vet; she suggested he probably had an upset stomach due to the antibotics. By 3:00 that afternoon he was not drinking water, so I called the vet again. She asked me to take him back to the 24 hour faculity in Greensboro, which is about 40 miles from where I live. On the way there my precious little boy went into Respitory Failure and died. The Internal Medicine Specialist said it could have been a blood clot that went to the lungs.

I keep thinking that if I had taken him earlier that morning, maybe my son would still be here. A month ago he was in perfect health. When I took him to get his annuals, I thought I was doing the right thing. I had no idea that these vaccines could stimulate his immune system to bring on this condition.

NOBODY bothered to tell me the risks
involved with vaccinations!

When I took Sunny to for his annuals, my little boy tried to bite me. I had to spank his little butt. That memory still haunts me. He had more sense than I did. He was my best friend in the world. He would watch for me at the window, and when I came home from work he would jump in my lap, put his paws around my neck and lick me. This has been a nightmare.Thanks to my ignorance, I feel like I have just killed my best friend.

The medical professionals believe his immune system was already  primed for this to happen  and it would have happened anyway. I don't believe that. Our first American Eskimo Spitz developed Lupas and died at 2 years old. I have to wonder if this was triggered by the annual vaccines as well. This has caused me and my wife unnecessary  grief and heartache not to mention the financial expense. All of this could have been avoided had I been advised of the risk. I didn't even know this condition could occur in humans, must less dogs. I would give anything to have him back in my arms again to be able to tell him how much I love him.  Now I must live with the guilt, the loss, and the heartbreak.                                     

Jeff Bowman
Lucky4u27@hotmail.com.

There is NOTHING like an American Eskimo Dog!