Ari-Man …..there will never be another….


Addison's Disease - 2007

Addison's Disease

Ari started having trouble getting up in the morning January of 2007. The first diagnosis was Lumbar Stenosis, then mid January he was diagnosed with Anaplasmosis, a tick related disease. Then a few weeks later he was not eating well and one morning I woke up and he was in a coma.

After I rushed him to the vet where he was given a 50/50 chance, I learned more than I ever wanted to about an Addisonian Crisis. He slowly came out of it and several days later came home for the weekend. The next week, no eating again and blood tests revealed that his liver numbers were 10x normal. More IVs.

He now has to get a monthly Percorten shot and low doses of Prednisone to keep him going. Since then he stiffened up – Anaplasmosis again so once more being treated for that. In addition, he is borderline Pancreatic Insufficient and gets enzymes on his food and has some developed Spondylosis.

Ari aged overnight but his fun loving attitude never waivered. He still (September 2008) chases the school bus and keeps the yard free from critters. His Percortin shots have extended to 45 days apart and he seems to do well on 2.5 mg. of Prednisone daily.

During his Crisis he may have actually crossed over but returned because as I was driving him to Great Lakes Vet, THREE large deer crossed in front of me before my first turn. I turned the corner and again they crossed in front of me. It seemed a little weird at the time because they were so big and they didn't really hurry and I had to stop. After researching it I found this written:

The DEER represents entrance into the spirit world. Perhaps the symbol of the deer was used to represent the fleeting life review which occurs there shortly after arrival in the spirit world according to recent literature on near-death experiences.


When I talked to Marilyn Tokach, Animal Communicator, she had a very hard time connecting with Ari which was unusual but when she did, he told her it could go either way and was ok with whatever turned out. Because I'm a true dog lover, I told him that it was NOT ok and that he had more to do in THIS world!

Ari and Samantha

PSA Trial in Baltimore MD in June 2006 (click photo for trial details)