[Magdalen] doggie prayers

[Jay Weigel]

Two of my other-kids, John and Melissa, and their boys Preston and Walker,
have a Belgian Malinois pup about 9 months old of whom they are
inordinately fond. Tuco (said pup's name) has been very sick for over a
month now and is currently at the NC State Vet Hospital in Raleigh where
they are trying to determine what is wrong with him. When he first got sick
the local vet thought it was from chewing on some treated wood from a
fence; he broke out with ulcers in his mouth and had bad GI symptoms. This
time he broke out in the ulcers again, wouldn't eat, and was found to have
ulcers throughout his GI system. At first they had thought it was because
he'd eaten a tennis ball he found under the deck, but obviously not the
case (no evidence of ball found internally on x-ray). Now in Raleigh, he's
had surgery to put in a gastrostomy tube for feeding while the vets try to
determine what is going on with him. So far their best guesses are either
an auto-immune disorder or some kind of fungal infection, and Melissa says
at this time they're leaning toward the latter but say they've never seen
anything like it. Tuco is miserable and his family is distraught. Prayers
for all are requested.