To all those that responded to our cry for help, we wanted to let you how things are progressing since my friend's visit to Cornell. Here is what they came away with from the soft tissue vet. This is the first email I received from my friend Karen: The vet said that Vito doesn't have a horrible case and were going to treat it with Cyclosporin and either Protopic or another ointment. The vet said he has seen worse cases than his...I don't know how good that makes me feel because his is pretty nasty. I'll tell you something, I am researching all about the nutritional requirements of the German Shepherd dog and hope to some day feed them a complete holistic diet using no kibble whatsoever. I am really on a mission here...I've spent countless hours on the computer and am waiting for four books to come in the mail. Here's the response Karen wanted me to post to the list members for taking the time to care: Thank you so very much...it was so comforting to know that there are people out there who cared enough to take the time and let me know their trials, tribulations, and roads traveled...the people, the web sites and overall concern...it really made me feel so warm and fuzzy! This is not an easy illness to deal with...there is so much that is not known...so much gray area...it seems like this is really trial and error...but we love our furry children so dearly and we will most certainly go broke to save our Vito!!! Lucky for us that Cornell is a mere 6 hour walk around the block...to have such a terrific vet hospital in the same state is such a blessing. Hopefully in time we will get this in remission and Vito will live a long, long healthy life. Paula, Ray and 'The Kids' Hidden Valley Shepherds ============================================================================ POST is Copyrighted 2005. All material remains the property of the original author and of GSD Communication, Inc. NO REPRODUCTIONS or FORWARDS of any kind are permitted without prior permission of the original author AND of the Showgsd-l Management. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. ALL PERSONS ARE ON NOTICE THAT THE FORWARDING, REPRODUCTION OR USE IN ANY MANNER OF ANY MATERIAL WHICH APPEARS ON SHOWGSD-L WITHOUT THE EXPRESS PERMISSION OF ALL PARTIES TO THE POST AND THE LIST MANAGEMENT IS EXPRESSLY FORBIDDEN, AND IS A VIOLATION OF LAW. VIOLATORS OF THIS PROHIBITION WILL BE PROSECUTED. For assistance, please contact the List Management at admin@xxxxxxxxxxxx VISIT OUR WEBSITE - http://www.showgsd.org ============================================================================