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Millie
Manny
Owen RIP xxoo
This story has been written by the volunteers at Illinois English Bulldog Rescue.
Teresa, President of Illinois English Bulldog Rescue:
I got a call from a woman the first part of May from Southern IL. Said she had three bulldogs she just couldn’t take care of anymore. I asked for pictures, like we always do. Over a week had passed with no pics and she finally called and said noone she knew had a computer, etc. So I asked for pics on a cell phone. The ones I got were blurry, but I could tell they were bulldogs. She told me one of them (formerly Monster, we changed to Manny) had genetic mange and she had tried several things but was on social security, etc....
This is one of the cell phone pictures Teresa received.
One of the volunteers drove the 2 1/2 hrs to get them on May 26th. She called me to tell me how bad Manny and Owen (the son) were...but I had no idea until I got home from work.
They were waiting for me when I got there...I just sat in my front yard and cried. He literally looked like he had been BURNT. I was a shelter manager for 3 1/2 years and have seen alot of terrible things--- and I also did a puppy mill bust---so I have seen a lot--- but NOTHING prepared me for Manny. I immediately called the vet to see how soon I could get them in. We went to the vet the next day, Manny, Owen and I. By the time I got there, the inside of my car looked like someone had been murdered. Just the stress and sun cause manny's skin to break open and bleed. Owen had it also, but not nearly as bad as Manny. We scraped for mange. The mites were all over and we started him on treatment immediately. We moved Manny, Millie and Owen to Cindy (near Chicago) on memorial Day and she has had them since.
Cindy, volunteer for IEBR and foster parent of Millie, Manny and Owen:
Three days after getting the three to my house we took them into my vet due to congestion. The vet said she had heard of severe cases of mange like this but had only seen it in the books, never in person. We did cultures on both Manny and Owen to see what else may be going on with their skin other than the demodex mange. We had to wait several days for the results to come in. In the meantime, 3 days after this visit, on Saturday we took both Manny and Owen back into the vet as the congestion was worse even being on antibiotics.
Owen could hardly breathe and stressed easily. I spent 4 hours at the vet and we all decided he needed to get to the emergency hospital as he was not doing well at all.
Carrying him into the car, and speeding the few miles away Owen started to turn blue. We got him in and they immediately put him into an oxygen tent but still he couldn’t get enough air. We had x-rays done and it turned out that in addition to his elongated soft palette Owen had a pencil size trachea, an enlarged heart, and he was completely filled up with fluid. Owen was in congestive heart failure. The emergency vet kept him in the tent and tried some meds to get the fluid out but it wasn’t working. We lost Owen that night.
On Monday we received the cultures back. Both Owen and Manny had not only demodex, but a staph infection that had turned into MRSA.
Photos of Manny's severe case of Demodex Mange
Manny’s care is a bath every other night in a special shampoo, frequent vet visits every few days, and lots of medication. With the MRSA, gloves must be worn while giving baths and giving loving to him . Manny has had pneumonia since he came into us, so for over 2 months now we have been treating not only the demodex and mrsa but also the pneumonia. He takes several different antibiotics daily for the pneu and staph infection and has now started on daily ivermectin treatment for the demodex. He has had several med changes as his body becomes immune to medications. He still oozes and clothes still get bloody. But who can help but to give him hugs back when he comes and gives you a hug! His immune system is so depressed due to him never being treated for his ailments in the 3 years of his life, it is a long long recovery road for him and we all hope and pray that his strength and will to live get him thru it.
Millie, Manny’s partner and Owen’s Mom has had a tail infection since intake. She too has been on several antibiotics and creams trying to get it cleared up. The option may have to be tail amputation if this last round does not take care of it. Millie is a sweet girl and a doting partner to Manny that wants so much to be loved. She is doing much better emotionally, but her forever family will need to go slow with her and let her know they are there for the long haul and she is a part of their family.
Manny in June 2010
Millie and Manny on the 4th of July
Manny in August, a few months after treatment
English Bulldog News:
When this story was sent to us, we were notified that after treatment and Manny was back into full health, that Millie and Manny would be adopted TOGETHER. This was great news! We could see the progress of Millie and Manny and see how wonderful they were doing. We knew they were going to get a wonderful home after all they had been through. Well here is what happened next.
This photo was so wonderful to see after a few months, you could really tell Manny was so much better, and his hair was starting to grow back.
Cindy, volunteer for IEBR and foster parent of Millie, Manny and Owen:
One day in October 2010 after giving Manny his bath breathing treatment and all of his medications, Foster Mom sat down in a chair in his room exhausted. He sat in his bed looking at her. When she swiveled around and looked at him, and told him she loved him, his ears perked up ; he looked at her sideways and then went running over to her, jumped up into her lap and gave her the biggest hug ever.
That was Manny’s turning point. From that moment on, he knew (more so than she) that he was home.
From that day forward he became the sickest happiest boy she had yet to encounter. He started strutting around the house like he owned the place, made himself at home on the couch and pretty much started to demand even more attention! Yep, this little bully boy had found his family.
Manny’s contentment poured over into Millie’s personality. Millie is becoming more confident, happy and content. No longer ducking her head when Mom lifts her hand to pet her, giving constant kisses and wanting to snuggle. Mom looks forward to the day when Millie will walk through the house with her head held high instead of head hung low trying to be invisible.
Knowing no applicant would ever be good enough for these 2 special bully’s, IEBR knew that foster Mom would pick through any applicant with a fine tooth comb and always come up with reasons as to why Manny and Millie just couldn’t go to that home, they approached her to consider being a “forever foster” to these two, as Manny will always be sick and his issues would have to be dealt with on a case by case basis as time goes on.
Mom wasn’t content with merely being our forever foster Mom so she asked to be able to adopt us, and become their real Mom- taking on all responsibility of our care and financial burdens.
Manny and Millie were adopted on Dec. 26th 2010, by their foster mom, Cindy. They are home, and they know it.
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