Charlie
Charlie
Here’s a story about Charlie, a happy-go-lucky dog who is coping with his SARDs condition by paddling, doggy-style.
Be sure to see the update, photo, and a video of Charlie deeper into the page.
June 28, 2009
Our dog is Charlie. He is a mixed breed, probably part Cocker Spaniel and possibly part Labrador and/or Collie. Charlie was born in Ireland in 1999. We adopted him while we were living there when he was about five years old. We are his third family. We had much debate about whether or not to bring him with us when we decided to move to Vermont. We finally decided he should come with us as we didn’t want to be the third family to abandon him.
Charlie sleeps in our bedroom on a pallet next to our bed. Late this winter, he started waking us in the night needing to go outside. This was completely new for him as he always slept through the night. We started to notice he was drinking as much as twice the amount of water he would normally have. He had also gained weight. We did not take much notice of the weight gain as we all gain weight over the winter in Vermont. There’s not much opportunity to get out and exercise. He was also lethargic which was very unusual.
We took him to our vet on March 31 and told her about his symptoms. His weight had climbed to 66 pounds. He was given a thorough examination. The vet examined his eyes and said they looked fine. He also had complete blood work which showed no abnormalities. The vet said everything looked “perfect”. I thought his problems were attributable to his weight gain.
We took him home. The snow had melted by early April and we started playing ball with him again. His favorite thing is fetching a tennis ball. In the past, we could throw the ball as far as possible and he would go straight for it and return it to us. Now, when we go out to play ball, he runs out to fetch the ball, but he can’t see it. He turns back to us and looks at us as if to say “are you going to throw it or what?” Eventually he would find the ball, but it would take considerable hunting around the common. And playing catch close up by tossing the ball into the air and him catching it before it hit the ground was a thing of the past. He could never catch it before it hit the ground. We gradually began to see additional signs of vision loss when he started bumping into things. But he still had some vision.
On May 29 we took Charlie to his vet to get some advice on a weight management program.
On June 2 we took Charlie to his vet for some annual vaccinations: lyme annual vaccination, Lepto 4 and bordetella annual vaccination. On his exam report card it was noted that his eyes had “aging lenses”. His weight was 64 pounds.
We took him back to the vet on June 10 to have an eye examination. At this time, Charlie had stopped getting us up in the night to go outside. And his food and water intake seemed to be back to normal. He had started to salivate excessively. The vet examined his eyes and could not find anything. We were referred to a veterinary ophthalmologist in Massachusetts. We were told Charlie’s details would be faxed to the specialist that same day and we would probably hear back by noon the next day to set up an appointment. We did not hear back that week. When we were told the specialist would get back to us by the next day, we just assumed this was their normal course of business. We did not realize there was a sense of urgency with Charlie’s condition. We went to the specialist’s office the following Tuesday, June 16 and they said they could squeeze him in June 23 for an examination. We still did not realize there was a real sense of urgency.
The examination on June 23 resulted in a diagnosis of SARDS. We were told he was blind and there was no treatment for the condition. An ERG was discussed which would have confirmed the diagnosis. However, when asked, the vet said the probability of finding something different than the diagnosed condition was highly unlikely. We were told there was an experimental treatment in Iowa and the doctor listed some of the possible side effects of the treatment. And that was it! Following is the vet’s assessment:
SARDS (Sudden acute retinal degeneration syndrome).
Unfortunately, Charlie was diagnosed today with bilateral blindness, most likely secondary to a condition called “SARDS” (Sudden Retinal Degeneration Syndrome). The underlying cause of this irreversible blindness is unknown but a possible autoimmune-mediated response is suspected. Patients ofter have a history of increased appetite, thirst and weight gain as well as elevated liver enzymes. These signs resemble a condition called “Cushing’s disease” but unlike Cushing’s, SARDS is typically not treated. SARDS itself is not painful and does not cause other intraocular complication.
Since this diagnosis we have been trying to learn as much as possible about Charlie’s condition. We found some information on the internet. We bought a book titled “Living With Blind Dogs” by Caroline D. Levin RN. I haven’t read the entire book yet, but it has some very interesting and useful information. In her discussion about SARDS, she lists her web site: http://www.petcarebooks.com/research.htm. This is a very good site for owners of dogs with SARDS. It has a lot of updated information about the condition, particularly some discussion about adrenal exhaustion which she sees as the underlying problem with SARDS. After reading this web site, we are not so inclined to just help Charlie adapt to being blind. We are going to go back to our vet tomorrow and continue to pursue treatment for him.
We discussed an ERG (electroretinogram) to confirm our tentative diagnosis since differentials may include retrobulbar optic nerve disease as well as a cortical lesion. We also discussed a possible experimental treatment for SARDS.
Patty Galbraith
Here’s an update from Patty on Charlie’s current state, after a brief comment about the treadmill blog posting:
Hi Jay, Suzxanne, & Oscar,
Here’s an update on Charlie’s progress. We loved seeing Oscar’s treadmill; what a great idea.
Patty
Charlie after his walk, July 22, 2009.
We have been busy over the past several weeks trying to get up to speed on SARDs and what we should be doing for Charlie. When I sent the original write-up on Charlie, we had just been through some material on the internet that was really heartbreaking and terrifying. Now, after continuing to research and working with our two veterinarians, I feel like some of that information was alarmist in nature.
Based on our findings, we have taken Charlie off all commercial dog food. Everything for him is now home-cooked. His diet is based on calories per day with 50% of his intake protein and the other half fruits and vegetables. He loves carrots and apples!
Since starting his diet at the end of May his weight has come down about five pounds. He goes for his walk every day around the baseball diamond near our house, usually making two or three laps.
There is a fountain on the common in our village and he loves to get in the water and just walk around in circles for thirty minutes to an hour each day. The water comes up to about his shoulder so it’s good exercise for him as well.
Our BIG challenge will be to figure out how to keep the activities going over the winter. He’s not too fond of walking around on the ice and snow.
I had sent an e-mail to Tufts University Cumming School of Veterinary Medicine. They called me back and said the first and most important thing to do was to confirm the diagnosis of SARDs. Our local vet ran another series of blood tests which came out normal except for a very slight increase in white blood cells. We are going to follow-up on this issue.
Yesterday Charlie had an ERG (electroretinogram). The procedure was done at the Specialty Hospital in Deerfield, Massachusetts. Charlie was a champ. Electrodes were inserted under the skin beside one eye and on his forehead between his eyes. Then another very small devise was placed directly onto one of his eyeballs. All of this taking place with the vet, the vet’s assistant, my husband and myself sitting in the floor in a very tight circle around Charlie to ensure he stays still through the procedure. The results of the test were a flat line which effectively means he has no reaction whatsoever to light. The vet advised us to have his eyes checked every six months from this point forward.
Charlie is still a happy dog. He loves going outside even though he is getting more tentative in his movements. And we will continue to look for ways to make his life a little bit easier.
Charlie swimming in fountain.
His tail never stopped wagging while in the water! Keep up the good work on the weight loss and keep us posted on his progress. I am glad you got the ERG test done. It’s important so that you can move forward and won’t always have that question in your mind. It seems that Charlie’s vision loss was more gradual that what we usually hear of. But, and this makes sense, as Dr. Nelms told me it might be more gradual in all of them but we just don’t know since they can’t tell us they aren’t seeing well and dogs vision isn’t as important to them as ours is to us. Especially since upon being examined early on when we first notice those other symptoms the eyes don’t appear to be having a problem. We don’t know these symptoms involve the eyes until they are actually bumping into things or can’t find something right in front of them and in most cases it’s then too late.
My dog was just diagnosed with SARDS, his name is also Charlie. He is a golden lab mix and is 12 yrs. old.
Prior to Charlie’s diagnosis of Sards he got into a bag of trash and got food poisoning. Before the food poisoning I did not notice any problems with his eyesight, that I noticed. I am a very attentive owner and would like to think if he had a problem seeing I would have noticed.
When he got food poisoning I thought it was going to kill him. The night he got sick was the first time he seamed to have a problem with his eyesight, or the first time I noticed it. When he got poisoned he was having involuntary spasms mostly I noticed in his legs. He was having problems just trying to stand or move as if he had forgotten how, central nervous system it seemed to me.
Thats when I noticed, when I put my hand on his head to try to console him he pulled back as if afraid of my hand. His eyes were twitching and looked different somehow. Since that day his eyes have not been the same. This was just a month prior to his diagnosis of SARDS. I was wondering if your dog Charlie had any food poisoning or physical problems prior to his diagnosis of SARDS?
My Veterinarian thinks he had it prior to the food poisoning, but if he did I sure didn’t notice it.
Our dog Lucy is a 7 year old minature poodle. She grew to the top of the height for minatures (15 in) and was never really overweight according to her vet visits. She developed small cataracts but was still seeing just fine.
I started to notice that when I called her back in from the backyard she no longer bolted back. Instead it appeared that she meanderd and sniffed her way back. It addition she was grasping wildly at treats handed to her instead of her usual delicate nature. She also started side-swiping objects, especially outside. She also just appeared sad and did not entice us to play with her.
I took her to the eye specialists for cataract removal. During his initial examination he becamed concerned. He did all the tests mentioned on this website and determined she was blind in her right eye and had a little sight in her right eye. He was strange because SARDS usually affects both eyes equally. While at a convention he discussed Lucy’s case with other doctors. All were perplexed. More tests were taken with a SARD’s diagnosis. Three month’s later Lucy’s other eye became blind as well.
She seems very depressed and we are finding it difficult to encourage her to play. She will play a few minutes then retreat to her bone. I still take her on walks and she goes, reluctantly. We have a follow up appointment with the eye specialists next week.
Hi Carol,
Our Oscar exhibited similar behavior of depression and being withdrawn. However, he has since recovered some of his playfulness, and really enjoys walking on his new treadmill.
If you haven’t seen the treadmill posting, have a look at the videos.
@Sandy
Hi Sandy.
I just read your reply to Charlie’s posting.
The first time we noticed our Charlie’s vision problems was this spring, probably sometime in March. The snow had melted and we started playing ball again outside. He was having a hard time seeing the ball; then he couldn’t even see us throw the ball.
Other than the fact he gained a bit of weight over the winter, he was very healthy. I do think he still had vision in March but it went downhill very quickly from April onward. And his eyes never really looked funny until just recently. They are getting very cloudy now. Otherwise, he’s been fine.
Good luck with your Charlie.
Patty
Hi Carol.
I just read your posting about Lucy.
Charlie was seeming pretty depressed for six or eight weeks after his diagnosis of SARDS. But he is definitely bouncing back now. He loves to go outside for his walks and his swim in the fountain! He is not completely back to his normal self but he is moving in that direction.
Jay’s very nice e-mail of July 24 was great in reminding us to keep ourselves and our dogs in a positive state of mind. I am so pleased about Charlie’s progress.
Good luck with Lucy.
Patty
Morgan was diagnosed in July waith SARDS. He is a 7yr old mini schnauzer. In May he started hesitating to climb up the stairs in the evening. By June he was bumping into walls and could not fetch a ball. We were both depressed for a few weeks while he learned to step up, step down, fast walk on a leash and play again.
This weekend we took him camping and to the beach. He seemed really happy to be back at the beach and even was willing to try and run to me at 50yards away. We walk in the middle of the street for part of his walks now. He like flat sidewalk and downhill but still goes slow uphill. He has taught me so much about bravery and trust. We know he will never be the old Morgan but we love the new Morgan and will continue to teach him we will always be there to keep him safe and let him be his doggy self.
Hi Jay.
So sorry to hear about Morgan but it sounds like he is really adapting well and quickly.
I would say it took Charlie a little bit longer to come out of his depression but he is pretty much back to his normal self, as much as possible.
We would LOVE to take Charlie to the beach. It was his favorite thing in Ireland and we all miss it now. But Charlie is feeling pretty confident to run free when we take him to the baseball field. And I know what you mean about trust. Yesterday we were on the way home after our walk and a dog starting barking from across the road. We both looked over to the barking and Charlie immediately stepped into a storm drain! Thank goodness there was no damage but it gave all three of us a start. And it just shows how much he trusts and depends on us and how quickly it can all go wrong when we take our eyes away from him.
Your story about Morgan is nice.
I hope he continues to improve.
Thanks so much for access to all your experiences about SARDS/IMR. They are encouraging to me as I help my little Dachsund cope with IMR and sudden blindness.
Cheryl
I have been reading all the comments on the website and find them very comforting. I adopted my two miniature dachsunds in Dec of 2008 2 weeks before my mom passed away from Alzheimer’s Disease. I have also been unemployed since Sept of the same year and my little buddies have kept me sane through all of this. The girl, Frankie I am almost positive has SARDS. She has most of the symptoms that everyone has mentioned here. Unfortunately since I am unemployed I don’t have the funds to have her tested but I don’t see as how it would do any good since there is no cure and she would not get her vision back. If I had the money, I would take her there today.
I just wanted to thank everyone who posted here and also the hosts. This has given me a wealth of knowledge and some great advice as to how to handle this. I didn’t realize this was the cause of her hunger. She eats with a venegence and seems to never be full. She is about 5lbs overweight and that is not good for dachsunds, especially the miniatures because of back promblems but I can’t seem to get any results and I have put her on a diet. I am going to take her off of commercial food totally and see if that helps. Right now she gets 1/3 cup of Beneful Weight control and 1 can of green beans but is still not losing weight and as a matter of fact picked up 1/4 lb on our last vet visit.
My pet Simba was recently diagnosed with Sard. Simba is my dog who is now 15 years of age and is my baby. I cried alot over these past few days but now I feel so much better after reading all these encouraging posts from owners who are going through this same thing. I love my pet so much that I need to find the strength to help him. I would gladly appreciate any type of help. Thank god for us pet lovers who care and cherish our pets to give them a second chance on life and a better future…..
Can anyone out there provide any speciality shops for pets who are in need of special adaptations like collars or helmets for dogs who are blind and need something to wear inside their homes. I would really appreciate it if someone could guide me to a pet store in Houston Texas who would sell these items…
@Jay
thank you for giving me hope for a better future for my pet who also is blind.
Our beloved 8 yr old Lhasa, Gidget was disgnosed with SARDS yesterday by the Opthamologist. She performed all the diagnostic tests to make a confirmed diagnosis. Paul and I have not stopped crying. Gidget exibited all of the typical symptoms, increased appetite, weight gain, change in ability to run and jump up the stairs, except increased drinking. She is otherwise in good health as indicated by all the tests done in the weeks prior to SARDS disagnosis.
Today she is just listless and sleeps mostly. Her breathing has sounded labored for the last few weeks and we thought that this was attributable to allergy. She has had eye inflamation in the spring and summer for the past 4 yrs that was treated with eye drops. Gidget has her best pal, our 7 yr. old male Lhasa named Charlie.
Charlie was brought home when Gidget was a year old and they instantly bonded. They are inseparable. Our hearts are breaking for both of them. I am trying to hope that she will be with us for a long time and may just need to adjust to her loss of sight, but with the level of protien in her urine already I am fearful that this could be the beginning of a very sad decline.
Dr. Grozdanic told Paul that very often the loss of vision is the least of the problems with SARDS dogs, and that if she starts to decline that the humane action is the best. I am having trouble typing through my tears and feel that I just want to hit somthing. Hit it hard. I will continue to post Gidget’s progress.
Our beagle was diagnoses with SARDS last fall. She was depressed for about 2 weeks but bounced right back to her old self. She does EVERYTHING she use to do, except run rabbits for hunting (she still tries to run them in the yard). It was also suggested that if the owners are depressed, so will be the pet. Know that they are happy and loved and will adapt very quickly. Dogs are great teachers for us and demonstrate that nothing cannot be overcome.
Our vet also said it was a reaction to a vaccine and that it is very common to have such vacinosis. There is a huge study on vacinosis in dogs being conducted at the University of WI in Madison. I will not vacinate any dogs again with first checking for titers and only if it is necessary using mono(single) dose injections.