KATHY'S SPECIAL JAKE
May 16, 2006
Jake "A Chihuahua’s tale of hope through remission"
Little Jake will be celebrating his one-year remission anniversary June 30, 2006. Please share his story to encourage all the other "Special pet parents” out there.
I adopted Little Jake in February 2005, from the ‘PROUD’ Rescue Shelter. He had the most beautiful face I’ve ever seen and my life would never be the same.
Early into June 2005 he began showing odd subtle behaviors, stumbling, running into things, crying out for no apparent reasons, loss of coordination and balance, and a mild seizure causing his legs to weaken. I took him to my Fresno vet Dr. Yoo several times, although no outward problem could be diagnosed or detected. His eyesight was fine. Then his head began to tilt - only slightly at first and then after a few days, more prominently.
On June 29, 2005 in the early evening after visiting Dr. Yoo, he determined it was a possible neurological problem in his brain, that nothing was left he could do and referred me to UC Davis VMTH 3 hours from Fresno. I made my first desperate calls that evening to UC emergency and Jake’s first voice of hope was Dr. Patrick Kenny, of the neurology department.
Dr. Kenny saw Jake the very next morning and he was admitted to their hospital for diagnostic testing under Dr. Kenny’s primary care for the next 6 days. His scans and spinal tap suggested a condition referred to as "inflammatory brain disease" cause unknown. Most dogs diagnosed with this condition live a very short time. Dr. Kenny told me Jake was a very unfortunate little dog and made it clear, that this disease would take him and he was "not a normal dog". I assured the ‘PROUD’ shelter I was doing everything possible for him. He was just over 2 ½ years old at this time. However, Dr. Kenny had no intention of giving up on Jake. He put Jake under an aggressive experimental treatment plan called Cytosar; a combination of steroids and chemotherapy.
Dr Kenny’s plan was to have Jake back for treatments every 4 weeks. I expected he would not live to see his first treatment.
While there his little head had further tilted and condition had worsened due to increased pressure in his brain. Although he was not in any pain - he just looked so pitiful. Jake broke my heart, but yet that day, he was still living and breathing. I took him home July 5, 2005. Dr. Kenny told me they had treated Jake aggressively while he was there. It was not a disease that could be cured, but there have been some cases that dogs have responded to the treatments and have remained in a remission state for a short period of time, each case was different. His response to the Cytosar treatments would prove to be nothing short of phenomenal.
At first Jake no longer acted like a normal dog, although he did seem very happy and energetic upon returning home. He didn’t race around the house, or bark, or react, and his coordination was somewhat still limited. He retained a loss of dexterity in his front left leg, and over all a loss of strength in his other three. His medication increased his appetite so his weight became a challenge. After about a week and over time, his head tilt had lessened, he began to become more focused and alert. I was amazed at any positive progress for Jake, because I wanted him to be happy most of all and have a little bit of life that he would be so cheated of.
Jake’s symptoms continued to improve over the next several months and his energy level and stamina grew phenomenal. Jake’s complete personality returned. I don’t remember the day I first heard Jake bark again, responding to noise outside the front door. He now was a completely acting "normal dog". He finally barked after a month. He’s been barking non-stop ever since.
He no longer could jump on the sofa like he used to. In the event he ever did get up on it, I had doggy beds next to it, to make sure he would not fall off and get hurt. My shock came a few months ago when he used the dog bed as leverage with new strength he now has in his back legs to boost himself on the couch. As I raced over to retrieve him he jumped off the sofa and landed with perfect dexterity on all his legs onto the floor. He did not stumble anymore. He’s on the sofa all the time now. His strength, coordination and balance had returned.
He retains slight neurological symptoms of his head tilt and loss in his front left leg. His remission began the day he arrived at UC Davis June 30, 2005. He continues to go every month to UC Davis for his treatments under the care of his primary neurologist Dr. Kenny. Jake has also been under the care of Dr. Melanie Campbell, and Dr. Diccon Westworth.
The UC Davis neurology department are to be commended for their kindness, dedication, and commitment to Jake’s ongoing care, and the love he receives while visiting. They are not always a place of miracles, but a place of hope. Not only for Jake, but also for all the special little friends that are brought to them, (And they are ALL special-not just Jake).
Jake is very precious to me and at this writing, he’s happy, energetic, wags his tail, barks non-stop and remains stable in his treatments. He acts like a very happy "normal dog". He is my little "bouncing bambino".
It is my hope that thru Jake, a greater purpose will be served and one-day research will bring hope of curing this disease of unknown causes. There are many tears yet to cry, but I would not have missed it for the world. I wish to bring recognition to the non-profit ‘PROUD’ shelter founded by Marilyn and John Lofgren in Kingsburg that diligently works to rescue less than fortunate dogs and who have changed my life. Jake is special. No matter what tomorrow does or doesn’t bring - his story is worth telling. His time is borrowed. There is no a cure for Jake, but through him perhaps one day there will be.
Please share my favorite verse. Any pet lover will understand.
1st Cor 1:27
Kathy Arnold, Fresno, CA
Thank You Kathy for sharing this wonderful story of Jake.
Those of us that trust God in all things, truely know the real reason why Jake will bring you many years of pleasure.
Blessings, Kay
Update on Jake, Jan. 2007
Dr K and me talked awhile today when I picked Jake up. Jake has truly defied the odds. His body amazingly adjusted and compensated to the Cytosar and Pred therapies he has received for so long. He has done exceptionally well. He is one of the few longest survivers of this very sad condition. Most survive 2-3 months. After over a year and a half I had to fight being in denial. He is nearing 5 years old. His time is decreasing. He was expected to live less than 3 months. He is now going on nearly 20 months. The long-term dosages of Pred has begun to show it's side effects the last 2-3 months. There is nothing that can belay very long side effects of immunosupressive therapies. The Pred has begun to break down his muscle tissue in his legs although today he is currently strong and considered clinically stable. I would not ask God for a million years...only forever would be long enough. Thank you for having Jake's story on your site. I enjoy very much the photos of your pets and others. God Bless Kay.
Jake Fall 2006
Hi Kay, April 7, 2007
Jake is doing so well that I feel guilty that he is hogging up a huge beautiful page on your web-site waiting to die. Dr Kenny has reduced Jake back conservatively small amounts on the Pred over the last 2 months. Although it’s a drug he cannot be completely off of, it’s a decision Doctor K has tried for the last couple of months. I’m excited that no one has given up on Jake. The muscle tissue wasting has been a slow process yet he is still strong, bright and happy. In July 2007 Jake will have outlived Dr K's residency at UC. What a tremendous and discouraging loss for Jake and myself. Without Dr.K Jake wouldn’t be here now. Jake has been under his care since day one June 30, 2005.. As of today his weight and exam is still considered stable. 23 Cytosar treatments later. He did well on the reduced Pred and he is now going to be on a ½ pill daily unless it does not go well for him. Since a small group have surprised the neurologists they are attempting to reduce the Pred amounts. The face of this disease seems to be changing. I’m very pleased that Dr Kenny has continued to put so much effort in still doing as much as possible for Jake since he went from a short-term survivor to long-term. I am discouraged that Jake is losing his doctor but the entire neuro dept is very familiar with Jake and I have to adjust to changes. He has done so well under Dr. Kenny’s care you can’t imagine how hard it is turning him over to a new resident without the same experience. Thank you for sharing the stories about Onyx and Julianna. It has made me realize that it is OK to be human. If you want to take "Jake’s Story" off your site and fill it with something else, I will continue to keep you posted. Jake was not expected to live outside 3 months. On June 30, 2007 if he makes it he will have retained his remission for 2-years. That could change tomorrow but today we are living not dying. I will be sending some photos of my others also that if you want to put on "Your Pets" page that would be awesome too. Thank you for your site...sure got some adorable Chi’s.... Kathy Arnold UPDATE July 4, 2007 Hi Kay, How are you? Just updating you on Jake. 2 Years has gone by and Jake has improved. June 30, 2007 marked 2 years to the day his anniversary outliving his bleak diagnosis of 2 months. It was June 30, 2005 I took him to Dr. Kenny @ UC with a broken heart. Ironically enough I was picking Jake up June 30, 2007 again at Davis from his treatments from Dr. Kenny. Absolutely incredible. His prednisone has now been reduced to ½ tab every other day and he continues Cytosar treatments each month at Davis. His neurologist is going to London to teach. That was a hard loss for Jake, but Jake is very much a celebrity and a familiar visitor in the neurology dept and his care will carry on under the direction of a new resident. Some of the effects of the Pred have started reversing on the reduced dosages which Dr. K started in March. His hair has begun to fill out again and his muscle tissue wasting has slowed dramatically. If it wasn’t for his slight head tilt he retained from the beginning you could never guess he was far from surviving 2 years ago. He is now the longest patient to receive Cytosar treatments for his condition. Way to go Jake and thank you Kay. God Bless you. I spend little time at my computer these days but always appreciate your emails. Thank you for having a web-site that clearly puts "Jesus" first. Kathy Arnold July 25. 2008 Update on Jake Hello Kay, I have been away from your site far too long Kay! I opened your web-site to look at the precious pictures and there was Luther! with Jake! Wow now that is a dog, being his age that has really shown tremendous heart. Jake remains stable and his Pred intake is 1/2 every alternating days, which is quite minimal. Jake is estimated at about 6 years old now. His body recovered from the ill affects from the high dosages he received before. Jake recently began his Cytosar treatments in Fresno. We are now hoping to get Jake a dental. He has never been sedated since his original symptons but since he has done so well and his poor teeth are not in good condition we anticipate a positive outcome for him. His Fresno vet will observe him for awhile before deciding on this. Gosh it was exciting to meet Luther. Who knew that it was really a small world. She has every right to be hopeful. Even though Luther is quite a bit older, he has done remarkably well. I really think the face of this disease is changeing. With Jake being a long-term survivor with Pred reduction really offers the ability of long-term hope. Jake is still very loved @ Davis and I will take him every few months. He continues to be a case study. Although the reasons and causes I'm sure are numerous, it's really looking like this may become a treatable disease under the proper protocols, when recognized. With Jake, we had no idea. I thought he was bumping into things, because he could not see well..................... Feel free to give Luther's mom my email address................. Thank you Kay - please keep emailing me your religious stuff! I like it! 1 Cor 1:27 
Luther's Story 
I was so touched and thrilled to read Jake's story as my Luther has his own, very similar story. Luther is a Shih Tzu between 13 and 20 years of age. The reason I don't know his exact age is that he was thrown from a car on a busy street and when he found me the vet said that he was at least 10 years of age. The last 3 years have been wonderful as he is such a sweet little presence in my house, which he shares with 5 other dogs rescued under similar circumstances and numerous rescued cats and ferrets. On January 4th, Luther started seizures and was taken into emergency on a Friday night. After being transferred from one emergency center to another with a neurologist on staff, he was diagnosed with Inflammatory Brain Disease - cause unknown. He was started on Prednisone, Phenobarbital, Enalapirl for his heart murmur and Cytosar. Just this past weekend he started having seizures again and was rushed to emergency. Luckily, he was stabilized that they found that his Phenobarbital levels were way too low and they increased his dosage. His neurologist was amazed at how good he looks, although she was very surprised by his extreme hair loss as she has seen only one other dog that has lost hair due to the Cytosar.
Today I was Googling Cytosar to see what I could learn when I came across your website and Jake's story. It gave me such hope for this little man as I can't imagine what his life was before he found me, but I know in my heart that his last three years were better than any he had before and I think that even at his age, he has lots of life left!! Luther was left blind due to the seizures, but it hasn't stopped him from enjoying life. Tonight I will go home and tell him about Jake and let him know that there is hope!! Thank you so much for sharing Jake's story - it has given me such a lift!!
Sincerely,
Trudy Jo Wallach
PSSSSST: If there is anyone out there that has a 'Miracle' in their pets, please share and I will post your story also.
E-Mail Me
KATHY'S SPECIAL JAKE
May 16, 2006
Jake "A Chihuahua’s tale of hope through remission"
Little Jake will be celebrating his one-year remission anniversary June 30, 2006. Please share his story to encourage all the other "Special pet parents” out there.
I adopted Little Jake in February 2005, from the ‘PROUD’ Rescue Shelter. He had the most beautiful face I’ve ever seen and my life would never be the same.
Early into June 2005 he began showing odd subtle behaviors, stumbling, running into things, crying out for no apparent reasons, loss of coordination and balance, and a mild seizure causing his legs to weaken. I took him to my Fresno vet Dr. Yoo several times, although no outward problem could be diagnosed or detected. His eyesight was fine. Then his head began to tilt - only slightly at first and then after a few days, more prominently.
On June 29, 2005 in the early evening after visiting Dr. Yoo, he determined it was a possible neurological problem in his brain, that nothing was left he could do and referred me to UC Davis VMTH 3 hours from Fresno. I made my first desperate calls that evening to UC emergency and Jake’s first voice of hope was Dr. Patrick Kenny, of the neurology department.
Dr. Kenny saw Jake the very next morning and he was admitted to their hospital for diagnostic testing under Dr. Kenny’s primary care for the next 6 days. His scans and spinal tap suggested a condition referred to as "inflammatory brain disease" cause unknown. Most dogs diagnosed with this condition live a very short time. Dr. Kenny told me Jake was a very unfortunate little dog and made it clear, that this disease would take him and he was "not a normal dog". I assured the ‘PROUD’ shelter I was doing everything possible for him. He was just over 2 ½ years old at this time. However, Dr. Kenny had no intention of giving up on Jake. He put Jake under an aggressive experimental treatment plan called Cytosar; a combination of steroids and chemotherapy.
Dr Kenny’s plan was to have Jake back for treatments every 4 weeks. I expected he would not live to see his first treatment.
While there his little head had further tilted and condition had worsened due to increased pressure in his brain. Although he was not in any pain - he just looked so pitiful. Jake broke my heart, but yet that day, he was still living and breathing. I took him home July 5, 2005. Dr. Kenny told me they had treated Jake aggressively while he was there. It was not a disease that could be cured, but there have been some cases that dogs have responded to the treatments and have remained in a remission state for a short period of time, each case was different. His response to the Cytosar treatments would prove to be nothing short of phenomenal.
At first Jake no longer acted like a normal dog, although he did seem very happy and energetic upon returning home. He didn’t race around the house, or bark, or react, and his coordination was somewhat still limited. He retained a loss of dexterity in his front left leg, and over all a loss of strength in his other three. His medication increased his appetite so his weight became a challenge. After about a week and over time, his head tilt had lessened, he began to become more focused and alert. I was amazed at any positive progress for Jake, because I wanted him to be happy most of all and have a little bit of life that he would be so cheated of.
Jake’s symptoms continued to improve over the next several months and his energy level and stamina grew phenomenal. Jake’s complete personality returned. I don’t remember the day I first heard Jake bark again, responding to noise outside the front door. He now was a completely acting "normal dog". He finally barked after a month. He’s been barking non-stop ever since.
He no longer could jump on the sofa like he used to. In the event he ever did get up on it, I had doggy beds next to it, to make sure he would not fall off and get hurt. My shock came a few months ago when he used the dog bed as leverage with new strength he now has in his back legs to boost himself on the couch. As I raced over to retrieve him he jumped off the sofa and landed with perfect dexterity on all his legs onto the floor. He did not stumble anymore. He’s on the sofa all the time now. His strength, coordination and balance had returned.
He retains slight neurological symptoms of his head tilt and loss in his front left leg. His remission began the day he arrived at UC Davis June 30, 2005. He continues to go every month to UC Davis for his treatments under the care of his primary neurologist Dr. Kenny. Jake has also been under the care of Dr. Melanie Campbell, and Dr. Diccon Westworth.
The UC Davis neurology department are to be commended for their kindness, dedication, and commitment to Jake’s ongoing care, and the love he receives while visiting. They are not always a place of miracles, but a place of hope. Not only for Jake, but also for all the special little friends that are brought to them, (And they are ALL special-not just Jake).
Jake is very precious to me and at this writing, he’s happy, energetic, wags his tail, barks non-stop and remains stable in his treatments. He acts like a very happy "normal dog". He is my little "bouncing bambino".
It is my hope that thru Jake, a greater purpose will be served and one-day research will bring hope of curing this disease of unknown causes. There are many tears yet to cry, but I would not have missed it for the world. I wish to bring recognition to the non-profit ‘PROUD’ shelter founded by Marilyn and John Lofgren in Kingsburg that diligently works to rescue less than fortunate dogs and who have changed my life. Jake is special. No matter what tomorrow does or doesn’t bring - his story is worth telling. His time is borrowed. There is no a cure for Jake, but through him perhaps one day there will be.
Please share my favorite verse. Any pet lover will understand.
1st Cor 1:27
Kathy Arnold, Fresno, CA
Thank You Kathy for sharing this wonderful story of Jake.
Those of us that trust God in all things, truely know the real reason why Jake will bring you many years of pleasure.
Blessings, Kay
Update on Jake, Jan. 2007
Dr K and me talked awhile today when I picked Jake up. Jake has truly defied the odds. His body amazingly adjusted and compensated to the Cytosar and Pred therapies he has received for so long. He has done exceptionally well. He is one of the few longest survivers of this very sad condition. Most survive 2-3 months. After over a year and a half I had to fight being in denial. He is nearing 5 years old. His time is decreasing. He was expected to live less than 3 months. He is now going on nearly 20 months. The long-term dosages of Pred has begun to show it's side effects the last 2-3 months. There is nothing that can belay very long side effects of immunosupressive therapies. The Pred has begun to break down his muscle tissue in his legs although today he is currently strong and considered clinically stable. I would not ask God for a million years...only forever would be long enough. Thank you for having Jake's story on your site. I enjoy very much the photos of your pets and others. God Bless Kay.
Jake Fall 2006
Today I was Googling Cytosar to see what I could learn when I came across your website and Jake's story. It gave me such hope for this little man as I can't imagine what his life was before he found me, but I know in my heart that his last three years were better than any he had before and I think that even at his age, he has lots of life left!! Luther was left blind due to the seizures, but it hasn't stopped him from enjoying life. Tonight I will go home and tell him about Jake and let him know that there is hope!! Thank you so much for sharing Jake's story - it has given me such a lift!!
Sincerely,
Trudy Jo Wallach
PSSSSST: If there is anyone out there that has a 'Miracle' in their pets, please share and I will post your story also.
E-Mail Me
