1/29/12 - Decided to create this blog and put in all the information from the spreadsheet I have been keeping since November, 2011. I will now begin to write about Cletus as things happen on here as well as the spreadsheet.
To tell you a little about me and Cletus... My name is Douglas Silber and I am the owner of Cletus, a 100 pound bloodhound living near Gainesville, Florida. Cletus celebrated his 2nd birthday on January 23rd, the same week he was diagnosed with the only known reported case of open lipped schizencephaly in a live canine.
Open lipped schizencephaly is a congenital cerebral malformation where spaces or clefts remain where the cerebral hemispheres would normally seal shut shortly after birth. Although extremely rare in humans, this malformation has never before been known to be reported in a dog making Cletus very special to the doctors even though he has been special to me for a long time.
Cletus was diagnosed with epilepsy after he began experiencing seizures in November of last year. I began to be more concerned when his seizure activity increased even after his medication was raised. I brought Cletus, or TeeTee as I call him in for testing and an MRI showed a congenital hydrocephalus, a buildup of excess cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) within and around the brain. Upon closer review, this MRI unveiled Cletus’ open lipped schizencephaly.
Over the past few weeks Cletus has been battling more and more seizure activity. Of Cletus’ fourteen known seizures, seven have occurred within the past week. So far the doctors have tried very hard to control Cletus’ seizures as well as reduce the amount of CSF in his brain to relieve the pressure but have had limited success.
All I am interested in is making sure Cletus has a good quality of life. I weigh the benefits and risks of each procedure or test and try to do what I feel would be best for TeeTee. Meeting Cletus, you wouldn't know anything was wrong with him at all. He loves to play and wrestle with his adopted brother, Magnum, take rides in the car, and catch tennis balls.
Over the past two weeks, I have spent over $4,000 on his treatments and I am seriously feeling the financial strain. I want to do what is best for Cletus but the bills are enormous. There is a limited amount to what I am able to financially afford. This is only the beginning of a long road ahead for Cletus and for us. Without treatment, he will die. Quite honestly with treatment he could die but I would rather do all I can to help him and I would hate that just because I can't afford to help him, he has to suffer for it.
According to the Humane Society of the United States, there are 78.2 million dogs in the U.S. (http://www.humanesociety.org/). According to rightdiagnosis.com, schizencephaly affects 1 in 2719 people or 0.04% of the population (http://www.rightdiagnosis.com/lists/preval.htm). If we assume the same statistic in dogs, it equates to between 28,760 and 31,280 dogs out there with schizencephaly in the U.S. alone.
Please help me to get the word out about Cletus and schizencephaly.
If you have any information that could help Cletus, please let me know. Please pass this story on.
Anything you can do to help out my TeeTee would be great. He is so special to me. Thank you,
Doug
I am Douglas Silber and I was the owner of Cletus, a bloodhound who is reported to be the 1st dog with open lipped schizencephaly (OLS). Even though he has the only reported case of OLS in a dog, he can't be the only one with the condition. This blog began with the purpose of following his life and to help educate about OLS in an animal. Cletus may no longer be by my side but I will continue to push for schizencephaly education and awareness... in the name and memory of Cletus the Bloodhound.
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