Ryley's Story

Ryley was found tied to a car bumper in a field that was on fire, rescued by the firemen.. only to be turned in to a shelter that only 4% of the animals make it out alive from.

So WHDR rescue resources started pulling together to get this unusually small, sweet, scared boy out and into a foster home. This was accomplished and he even found a great home with a young couple just starting out. Hooray for Ryley!

What happened next surprised EVERYONE..
Ryley was sick, his new family contacted WHDR in to tell us that Ryley had to be hospitalized due to pneumonia and he had a problem with his eyesight in the left eye...diagnosed as Glaucoma...causing him to loose sight. Ryley did not respond to antibiotic therapy so upon further testing the veterianrian determined that he had a fungal infection in his lungs called Blastomycosis. It is found in the dirt (moist river banks)in Kentucky, Ohio, and the Mississippi river valley. Dogs are infected when they sniff dirt containing the fungus.

Anyway......Ryley`s prognosis is NOT good...this fungus can kill. His right eye is now affected and swollen and it`s almost 99% positive that he`ll be totally blind in both eyes. He has several blisters on his body that end up lesions. The veterinarian wanted to remove his eyes on thursday due to the pressure of the swelling causing pain. There is no way he would have survived the surgery.

Add to that the other Blastomycosis symptoms/treatment and he would be in misery. (The treatment is very difficult ..4 months in duration... and could very well kill him.) After talking to his new owners we decided that maybe the kindest thing to do was euthanize him on Friday. I called them this morning (Sat) and they told me they did NOT put Ryley to sleep as he has rallied once more!! The fever is gone...the eye surgery can wait as the swelling/pain has decreased... he has renewed energy and is eating like a horse! He has had 4 days of treatment with a drug called sporinox and is responding well!!!

They don`t care if he is left blind...he is adapting well to it already. They love him dearly ..think he is an angel and want to do everything they can for him. They will be consulting with the ophthalmologist on Monday to recheck his eyes and see if surgery can be postponed til he is in recovery.

They already have a $1000 bill from the pneumonia hospitalization. The treatment will cost $300 to $400 a month for 3-4 months. We are not yet sure how much the eye surgery will cost..maybe $1000.

Ryley after the surgery
to remove his eyes
with his favorite toy
"The Wicky Wicky Ball".

Ryley's progress: He had surgery to have his eyes removed. According to the doctor Ryley had very few problems during the procedure (a little hemmoraging in the right eye and a few irregular heart beats) and made it through fine. Ryley is now at home recooperating and seems to be doing well. He is slightly more timid than before surgery but I think that will subside as his pain decreases and he becomes more used to his life without eyes. He is still eating well and has already showed us signs that he will be okay. He goes in next week to have blood work done to make sure that the itraconazole is not having any negative effects on his system and goes back to the eye doctor in two weeks to have the stitches removed. The blood work is a once a month thing until he is off the itraconazole and then he will have x-rays taken to make sure his body is clear of the fungus. He has been a real trooper through this all and has not shown any signs of aggression or anger. I think he just wants to be healthy so he can play more!!