Capone Tuzak (Sam’s baby doggy)
Our best friends “baby doggy” Capone is really sick & needs our help. His whole life has been a series of ups & downs & he hasn’t even reached his first birthday. It all started with an abscessed tooth that had to be surgically removed by a veterinary dental specialist before the age of 3 months old.
After Capone was fixed at 6 months old(the age recommended by the vet), he became very sick with an unexplainable high fever, GI issues, and was overall just a sick puppy. This led to multiple hospital stays that never truly gave us any answers.
We knew it was more serious around 7 months when Capone became very lethargic & not his playful puppy self. After going to multiple vets in the area, Sam took Capone to the VCA in Aurora & received a $10k quote for a series of tests & they weren’t even able to guarantee they would have a definite answer when all was said & done. After searching everywhere from the help of friends & family, Sam decided to drive him down to The U of I Veterinarian teaching School in Champaign, IL with hopes they would be able to provide answers while also relieving some financial stress after already spending $5,000+ in medical bills for Capone.
Finally after multiple vets thinking it “could be” Masticatory Muscle Myositis (MMM), a very rare auto immune disease, we had no choice but to start Capone on treatment for this diagnosis.
Unfortunately his health has continued to decline, & with no solid diagnosis, or treatment plan, he has a long way to go in his recovery. This past weekend he woke up with what looked like a swollen butt and couldn’t sit. He was visibly in pain & uncomfortable, so we took him straight to Oswego Animal Hospital. Although they were very supportive in trying to help find out what was wrong with Capone and ran a few tests, there was still no answers & it was recommended he go straight to VCA in Aurora.
Once admitted at VCA they found an abscess that has lead to an infection throughout his body. Due to the medicine Capone is on to treat his auto immune disease (MMM), his body isn’t strong enough to fight off the infection and they are hoping that IV antibiotics will help. If not, it’s possible that surgery will most likely be needed.
Our friend has already spent thousands of dollars in medical bills for Capone & his hospital stay will only be adding to that. This hospital is highly recommended & we are hoping for the best, but anyone who is an animal lover knows that the VCA is the best of the best but is also extremely expensive..that doesn’t stop an owner from doing everything they can.
If you know Sam, you know she is a selfless person & would never expect or ask for hand outs. However, no one chooses to have a sick baby & she will do everything possible before giving up on her baby doggy.
April 28th is Capone’s 1st birthday and we are hoping he is out of the hospital to celebrate at home!!! Thank you to anyone who helps in any way that they can - whether that be contributing a donation, sharing this page, or keeping Sam, Aliyah, & Capone in your thoughts, we can’t say how appreciative we (& Sam) will be.
~ Jackie, Megan, & Ashley 
