Jack passed away in January 2023 after being with Roseys Rescue for 4 years. When we first got Jack he was extremely sick with multiple afflictions and it took 10 months and many many vet visits and treatments to get Jack well. But all that medication Jack received to get him well, also ultimately damaged him mentally and physically. We had 4 wonderful years with Jack and he was only expected to live a few days when we saved him. We decided to let Jack go peacefully from his suffering and at the end he let me know that he was grateful for that. I regret nothing. Jack was a good dog and I am so glad that he got to live inside a home with other dogs and cats and knew what it was to be loved. I miss Jack immensely and I am extremely grateful that he was a part of our lives.
Jack, a 5 year old Pit Bull, who lived his entire life on a chain with no shelter and no one noticed he was deteriorating.
Coming to Roseys Rescue in February, we were not sure he was even going to live through the night, or week. But he surprised all of us and began his slow recovery.
Jack was surrendered to my vet clinic by his owners because they were not able to care for him. When he was brought into the vets office, Jack was so lethargic and emaciated, yet his abdomen was swollen and tight. After his exam, the vet found this list of problems Jack was dealing with.
1. Heart worm disease. In fact, his heart worms have completely taken over his heart and have traveled to his liver as there isn’t much room left in his heart for them to go. (Caval Syndrome)
2. Congestive Heart Failure- this is suspected to be caused by the immense heart worm load Jack is carrying in his system. He has a grade 6/6 heart murmur. The number of heartworms in his heart is blocking the values from working properly and is causing fluid build up in his abdomen. Jack is currently on three different heart medications to help his poor little heart function better.
3. Lyme Disease. When we first got Jack we pulled multiple ticks off of him.
4. Ehrlicha
5. Whipworms
6. Anaplasmosis
7. Dehydration
8. Super thin
9. Anemic
-removed a total of 12 pounds in fluid off abdomen.
Once the vet had the diagnosis, they called me and asked if I could help and take him into my rescue. I quickly agreed and a week later I brought Jack home and started getting to know this sweet guy.
It didn’t take me long to see why the staff at the vets office wanted to save him. You will never meet a sweeter boy!
So we began the 5 month journey to get him well.
There was some bumps in the road. He developed pancreatitis, started coughing up blood and has been having a skin issue we have yet to nail down. (Biopsies were taken today and sent to pathology).
But slowly we tackled one issue at a time. Jack was put in isolation in my spare bedroom, away from all the other dogs, to reduce his excitement. We were a little aggressive on the heart meds and the meds used to treat the tick borne diseases. We had to have fluid taken out of his abdomen by a syringe numerous times, we gave SubQ fluids to re-hydrate him, we wormed him numerous times, and I began cooking for him every day. Slowly he began to improve, until he started coughing up blood. It looked like a massacre in his room. Jack was declining! We could not let that happen! Not without a fight! So the decision was made to try to give an immiticide injection (heart worm injection) to see if we could kill off some of these heart worms that were strangling his heart. The vet made a call to the manufacturer and after about 45 minutes, came to tell me we had nothing to lose at this point. Jack would die if we didn’t at least try. It was pretty scary, as it’s not a conventional treatment for his condition, but he still had so many other things going on, we had to think outside the box.
So after keeping him at the clinic for a few days, I was told I could finally bring him home and continue his care. He finally quit coughing up blood, and the color was beginning to come back in his gums.
Slowly Jack was showing improvement. He became happier and had a little pep in his step!
30 days later, we finished the last 2 heartworm injections and monitoring him while he recovered for another 30 days of rest and only walking outside for potty breaks, for the first time in probably a really, really long time, Jacks gums were a nice bright, normal pink!!!!!
What a sight for sore eyes!
We were all the while dealing with the lesions that kept appearing on his head and face, but as soon as one outbreak healed, another was right behind it, but worse. Lupus was suspected, since his immune system was so tanked from all the tick borne diseases he had and had been treated. But after another blood panel was taken, the serum test ruled out Lupus.
So after his 30 days of recovery, Jack went back to the vet for his check-up and see if all these months on the multiple heart meds, had improved his heart murmur.
Good news! His heart was better! And the final major medical step in his recovery, (my goal) was to get him neutered. So the appointment was made for his surgery to get neutered so that Jack could finally come out of isolation and be with the other dogs and me, where he longed to be.
Today, Jack was finally neutered!! Biopsies of his lesions were taken and sent off, and the diagnosis was Canine eosinophilic furunculosis. Likely from an insect bite.
So he is now on the last leg of his recovery. He is still on medication to treat the lesions for a few more weeks and then he will only have to take heart medication for the rest of his life. Jack finally is getting to “be a dog”! He has integrated well with all the dogs here and even likes the cats. He has learned so much from the resident dogs and is enjoying life out of isolation.
Our Jack is a true miracle. And ALL of you had a part in his recovery. Everyone who cared for him, fostered him, treated him, donated towards his enormous vet bill, shared his posts, ALL of you. We could not have done this without every single one of you. So I am beyond grateful. And you can look forward to many more Jack posts in the future.
Thank you doesn’t seem adequate to convey how my heart feels at the amount of compassion that everyone has shown for Jack.
So he is “Our Jack”.
A VERY SPECIAL SHOUT OUT TO ~A Country Vet Clinic~
Without the staff of the most compassionate group of individuals all together in one very special vet clinic, Jack could have wound up in the wrong hands and have just been put down because of the extent of his illnesses. But these extraordinary human beings, saw fit to give him a chance. And for them, I am eternally grateful!