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Mikey's Story

Most people talk about what they have taught their dog,

I talk about what my dog has taught me.

I thank Mikey each and every day for educating me.

My entire life came to an abrupt halt when my Weimaraner puppy became deathly ill. We got him from a vet who had declared the puppy to be healthy. The day after we brought him home our vet examined him and he agreed that Mikey was a healthy puppy. This healthy pup became deathly ill before he was one year old.

At first his problem seemed to be very minor. He had a skin condition and it was closely monitored as he was seen by the vet every few weeks for his puppy shots. With antibiotics it did finally clear up after a few months. For many months he suffered with itchy paws periodically, he would lick them until they were raw and sometimes bleeding. The vets prescribed an array of products but none of them helped. His condition grew increasingly worse. He started displaying behavioral problems. In September of 2003, he went through a period of vomiting. We took him to the vet and then his skin started breaking out with what looked like hives or acne. His coat became dull and coarse and his hair began to fall out. He became tired very easily and he could only play for about five minutes. He was cold all the time. At times he insisted on being right with us every moment. Being alone made him extremely nervous. It wasn’t enough for us to be in the same room with him we literally had to be touching him. Many times even while he was resting we could actually see his chest pounding because his heart was beating so hard and his breathing was very unusual. Even the smallest cuts or scratches seemed as though they would never stop bleeding.

In September of 2003, when his stomach became unable to tolerate food or even water we took him to the vet. They took Mikey into a room to x-ray his stomach and then the vet discussed exploratory stomach surgery with us. Mikey's condition became progressively worse and worse. He became deathly ill and after being examined by eight vets we realized no one could help him so in February of 2004 I began frantically typing a medical diary so I could send it to one of the worlds' leading veterinary experts for a "final" opinion. While looking at the invoices from the various vets I learned that when they took Mikey into that room for an x-ray the vet took the liberty of vaccinating him again five months early, while he was sick and without my knowledge or consent. Mikey's vaccination record was in his file and it clearly indicated that he was not due for any vaccinations until February of 2004! According to the vaccine manufacturers directions for safe usage the product can be "safely" administered to "healthy" animals. Mikey certainly was not healthy when that man took the liberty of needlessly vaccinating him.     

We had been through eight vets, a small pharmacy, what we now know to be one completely unnecessary major surgery and literally thousands of dollars only to be told that Mikey's problem was food allergies. Finally we found vet #9 and he correctly diagnosed Mikey with severe allergies, hemophilia, inflammatory bowel disease, and liver & pancreatic disorders. He did so by taking Mikey's medical history, examining him and reviewing one lab report. The lab and pathology reports support his diagnosis. Those same reports were completely ignored by several of the other vets.

Vet #9 correctly diagnosed and began treating Mikey's mysterious illness and within a month his condition had improved drastically. We found out Mikey almost died most likely because of an adverse reaction to vaccines. His symptoms from the beginning were indications that he seemed to be having great difficulty tolerating the vaccines and was suffering from adverse effects. Then that vet took the liberty of vaccinating him again. Mikey's immune system seems to have been overwhelmed. He is still undergoing treatment but he is so much better. He's obnoxious, overbearing and demanding ... everything a Weim should be! This experience has really opened my eyes to the potential dangers of many "safe" and commonly used veterinary pharmaceutical products.

The pathology report recommended further testing for liver and pancreatic disease. We had asked three vets to do the testing and they refused. Instead they insisted that the problem was nothing more than food allergies and kept trying to sell us expensive allergy dog food and anti-vomiting pills so the pup could keep the food down. As his condition continued to deteriorate under their care we took it upon ourselves to create a nutritious homemade diet for him. In January we made the decision to stop using flea control products and although we had no idea he had already been vaccinated we decided to postpone all vaccinations. While one vet was demanding that we euthanize Mikey another vet did insist that we ignore Mikey's serious health condition, go against the vaccine manufacturer's recommendations for safe usage of their product and vaccinate him anyway. The vaccine label states that it can be safely administered to “healthy” animals. It was quite obvious that Mikey was not healthy, in fact he was seriously ill. We truly believe the decisions to stop the flea control product, postpone vaccinating and cook fresh foods for him saved Mikey’s life.

The Tragedy Doesn't Stop There!

We're also faced with legal issues. Complying with the mandatory rabies vaccination could and most likely would kill Mikey. A commonly recommended solution when anticipating an adverse reaction is to administer benedryl. Mikey is allergic to benedryl, tavist and many other drugs.

The state of Florida allows medical exemptions and Mikey does have a letter of exemption from the vet. The vet encouraged us to go to the county and get Mikey’s dog tag. He said as long as the dog has a current tag he would be in compliance with the law and would generally be treated the same as a vaccinated dog. We found that the regulations vary from county to county. Our vet is in Brevard County and the Animal Control officers there are wonderful. They are very knowledgeable about rabies and how the disease is transmitted. That does not appear to be the case in the county we reside in. Many Animal Control departments deem dogs like Mikey as potentially rabid animals because they are not currently vaccinated. Apparently they have forgotten that the rabies virus is transmitted through saliva and these dogs must be bitten by a rabid animal or somehow manage to have the rabid animal's saliva introduced into their blood stream before they can contract the disease. They commonly refused to issue dog tags unless the dog has been vaccinated and according to the county regulations in many areas any dog that is not currently vaccinated or not wearing a collar with a current rabies tag attached must be kept confined in a kennel or a structure at ALL times. In Mikey's case that confinement would most likely be for life. I find that very interesting because that law is in direct conflict with our state's animal cruelty laws. In the event of even an accidental bite / scratch incident Mikey's life will knowingly be jeopardized by Animal Control and the Health Department because of county regulations. The local laws would require that he be confiscated and vaccinated. 

The Animal Control officer I spoke with displayed great enthusiasm when she let me know that if Mikey ever broke the skin of a human or if he was even accused of breaking the skin of a human either by tooth or nail and even if he did so accidentally and while playing they would confiscate him and quarantine him at the Animal Control facility for ten days. His specific medical needs to maintain his health would be ignored and he would be treated the same as any other dog. Although they are aware that his immune system is compromised he would be exposed to other potentially diseased dogs that have been allowed to roam freely. He would be fed dog food even though Animal Control is aware that he cannot tolerate dog food and it would be detrimental to his health. If (when) he became ill under their care (lack of) after making ONE attempt to contact me they could legally kill him. If he survived the ten day stay they would ignore our vet's conclusion that the vaccine could be detrimental to his health, they would ignore the letter of exemption issued by the vet who saved Mikey's life and they would ignore the manufacturer's statement that their product can be safely administered to "healthy" animals and they would vaccinate him before releasing him to me. A vaccinated dog could deliberately attack a person with vicious intent and would be allowed to serve the ten day quarantine at home unless the injury was so severe that it required several stitches or surgery. My sick pup would have his life jeopardized simply because he cannot be vaccinated due to illness and because we reside in this county. One of our neighboring counties treat medically exempt dogs the same as vaccinated dogs unless they come into contact with an animal that is known or suspected of being infected with rabies.

Mikey is never outside unless we are with him. My biggest concern is that my next door neighbor has a Weim too. The neighbor's dog has been known to escape and I am concerned that he might injure someone and Mikey will be blamed for it. We've been through a horrible ordeal and we've already spent more than $5000.00 to save this boy's life only to find that due to local regulations Animal Control and the local Health Department will knowingly jeopardize his life. Animal Control makes little effort to do anything about unwanted feral cats but they insist on exerting their authority when it comes to a sick pup. This county is over 1250 square miles. Last year we had an increased number of reported rabies cases. There were three in the entire county for the entire year and I would like to mention that those three cases consisted of two rabid raccoons and one rabid cat. The three previous years we had a total of one rabid fox within that three year period. I think the Animal Control officers are a bit overzealous myself but the fact is that even if the neighbor's dog does something Mikey could get the death penalty for it simply because they look alike. This could happen to any dog. They do not have to actually do anything - the mere accusation is enough. Under current regulations a mere accusation gives Animal Control the right to confiscate and quarantine pets for ten days at their facility and they can  quarantine medically exempt pets for up to six months.    

From what I understand Weims and many other breeds are predisposed to this type of problem with vaccines. If your dog has a mystery illness I urge you to read information about adverse reactions to vaccines or any medication / products that you use for your pet. A commonly used term is vaccinosis. I often hear that cases like Mikey's are extremely rare. Since he became ill I have been in contact with many people who have had similar experiences. Now I am more inclined to think that what makes his case so rare is the fact that he survived. 

We are very responsible pet owners. We make sure Mikey gets the best of care. He always had his flea control product and his vaccinations. He was fed expensive dog food and treats, he was constantly in the vet’s office and he was constantly being given medication for his illness, allergies and skin problems. We almost killed our pup because we were “responsible pet owners.” Don’t just assume that your vet is capable of keeping up with all of the latest research, studies and products. It is your responsibility to read, research and advocate for your pet. Make sure you are educated about the products you use as well as what you feed your pets. I urge you to get on the internet, make sure you use reliable sources and do your own research. 

Please feel free to share Mikey's story with others. I can only hope his tragic ordeal will be helpful to others who might be experiencing the same type of difficult to diagnose nightmare.

Please be sure to review your state and local regulations, both county code and city regulations as well. If you need help finding this information please contact MikeyDeWeim@ZBirdBrain.com and we will be happy to help you locate it.

You want to make sure you live in an area where:

The Animal Control officers and your local Health Department officials are well educated about how the rabies virus is transmitted and use effective methods of rabies prevention and control

They honor the medical opinions of veterinarians who have been licensed by the state

They correctly comprehend the state laws and enforce them accordingly

They read the labels on vaccine bottles and do not jeopardize the lives of sick pets due to improper / unsafe usage of the product  

If not, please contact your state legislators and demand changes be made to stop this type of animal abuse. If you need assistance finding information please e-mail MikeyDeWeim@ZBirdBrain.com

Pets depend on us to be their voices. Please advocate for pets.

Thank you for allowing us to share our story.

Sincerely,

Mikey & Mom

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