Meeting Champ - Initial Plea for Help

Champ is a 7 year old German Shepherd Dog.  He and his mom, Jewel, were found on a German Shepherd web forum.  She posted a note pleading for help in relieving Champ's symptoms for a skin condition that had yet to be diagnosed.  

After many vet visits and over $1000 in medical bills, Champ's condition was still undiagnosed.  Jewel was desperate for answers, but short on money.  Many of us stumbled across the following post. Once we saw the pictures, we knew we HAD to spring into action:

"I have a 7 year old German shepherd named Champ.  In May we noticed that he developed a rash on his nose and was acting kind of sluggish.  We took him to his vet and he informed us that he had dermatitis.  He gave us Pantalon cream and said that it should clear up.  Well since May he has been getting worse and has been seen at his vet's office numerous times.  They have now told us that he has an auto immune deficiency.  He is constantly on steroids, benedryl and antibiotics.  He can no longer go outside, because when he does it causes him to become worse.  His legs have become so swollen that he can barely walk.  He has sores from head to toe that won't heal, and also a very bad odor and green puss coming from his ears.  He is so miserable.  He also has to wear a cone on his neck because he is self mutilating himself to the point where he has blood dripping everywhere.  He gets better with Chlorhexiderm baths, but never 100%.  He is confined to our garage now, because he has bad diarreah at times.  He has been a part of our lives for 7 years and I couldn't bare to see him put to sleep if he can be saved.  I pray that you can help us or lead us to someone who can.  After paying over $1k to my vet, he is now kinda tired of me calling him and sent a message from one of his vet techs that we need to just move to another house.

God Bless,

Jewel Brown"

The Call to Action

GT from www.germanshepherds.com was the first to answer the call, getting the appointment for Champ at the University of Tennessee Veterinary Hospital and giving the first donation.  From there, the giving train took off and Champ's Angel Network was born.  Champ has since had his first vet visit and has officially been diagnosed with Pemphigus.  For more information on Pemphigus, Click Here.

Champ is now at the beginning of his road to recovery.  But it will be a long road for this special German Shepherd dog. From the link above, 

Expense and side effects can be very taxing for a pet owning family...Treatment for this condition is gradually withdrawn after the lesions are cleared up and the patient is stable. Many dogs ultimately discontinue all treatment permanently but this is after many months. It is important not to be discouraged by failure to achieve a rapid response; this condition requires time and patience.

How You Can Help:

Please see the "How To Help" Page for more information on where to send donations to help Champ on his road to recovery.