Dog diagnosed with IMHA

[Vally]

Great news Eric. Yes I too think she looks like a kelpie, so you can add that to the mix. She is beautiful and yes, she looks very happy in the photo.

You’ll learn pretty soon, we’re a paranoid lot, so hence the warning about the food. Yes, I’ll say it too – low fat food especially for now. Prednisone gives them a huge appetite, so she’ll be begging and, because we all turn into mush over them now, we tend to lavish them with anything and everything.

If you’d like a medicine chart made up, I’d be happy to do that for you – just list the meds, dosages and times and I’ll get it straight back to you.

Post the results when you get them. Keep up the good work Torrie.

Vally & Bingo
xxx

[Linda]

Hi Eric. I was just wondering how your beautiful Ms. Torrie is doing? I hope she is continuing to do well.

Have a wonderful weekend! Linda and Sadie

[Linda]

Oh and forgot to say, Torrie is absolutely darling!!!! And glad you got from my mispelled “Upload Your Photo” (auto correct, but worse if I turn if off…..da) where it was. That road of good intentions…….goodness.

Love and hugs, Linda and Sadie

[Eric]

Small update. I forgot to ask for a copy of the lab results from the clinic as I tend to forget things when I’m nervous. The vet said her platelet levels were still low so he didn’t want to put her on the Plavix. Instead we put her back on the Heparin shots, which I hate having to do. The vet also said her kidney levels were high and her RCV was still the same at around 26%. He recommended we do a test for Leptospirosis and we should have those results today. In the meantime he recommended we put her back on the Doxycycline seeing as how we already have the medication and that’s the treatment for Leptospirosis anyway. We haven’t seen any blood in her urine and none in her feces as far as I can tell. Her stool has been inconsistent. Sometimes its almost liquid and sometimes its more solid (sorry for the detail). Unfortunately I think the side effects of the Heparin or Doxy are starting to kick in as she didn’t want to eat anything this morning when she has been eating like a pig all week. The doctor also said the high kidney values could be caused by damage to the kidneys during this hole ordeal, or it could just be that she needs more time for everything to stabilize. He said he has the feeling Torrie is going to be a difficult case which has me worried.

Although, with every day she seems to be getting better mentally and physically. She gets up and walks around unassisted now (still wobbly and falls occasionally) and she seems interested in things again. For example, on the return trip from the clinic she desperately wanted to stick her head out the window of the car so my wife had to ride in the back seat with her to keep her from falling over. She even tried to play fetch a little, even though it mainly consisted of my wife trotting along side her so she didn’t fall over. We got her to play with the laser pointer a bit and she even barked a little. The barking was a big deal for us because Torrie is know for her loud mouth and she hasn’t made a peep since she got sick.

I am setting up an appointment for Friday for a recheck and hopefully we can get her off the Heparin and onto Plavix soon. I also pray she doesn’t have Leptospirosis because from what I am reading it is a dangerous disease especially around a pregnant woman. I will try to see if I can get a copy of the lab results sent to me when I call to make the appointment.

The doctor is pretty insistent that the Sucralfate and Denamarin isn’t needed. Can anyone recommend a dosage of Denamarin because I don’t see the harm in giving her a supplement with no known side effects.

I guess this short update ended up being a longer one. Once again, thank you for all your help and loving support. If I think of anything else or hear anything else I will be sure to update again.

-Eric

[Brigitte]

Hello Eric,
good to hear from you with some positive news! I am glad Torrie is more mobile and moving about. Pleas don’t over do it, let her be the judge as to how much she can take, don’t push her. Try and keep a schedule that she can relate too, keep it positive if there is something she can not do yet and keep telling her how fabulous she is:) Doing too much could lead to a muscle or ligament injury. She needs lots of rest to heal. Let her guide you as how much she can handle.
Your vets insistence that Sucralfate is not needed honestly makes me a bit angry. Is Torrie maybe on any other stomach protection? Famoditine, misoprostol, pepcid? In my humble opinion Sucralfate is the best protection but if Torrie is at least on something else I could relax a bit. If your vet is insisting on leaving stomach protection away, maybe it is time for YOU to insist to add it! There are no side effects or complications I know of, just benefits of taking Denamarin, I am a bit dumbfounded that your vet would insist on also leaving this out. Sorry I have no dosage info, I always got it through my vet. The sucralfate is even given when the prednisone doses are reduced. My Standard Poodle is on an antibiotic right now for an infected sebaceous cyst. After a week his tummy is really bothered and I give him a capsule of Slippery elm with every dose. This helps a bit. If he would however be on prednisone, there is no way I would not protect him with sucralfate. Stand up for your dog please! I have not heard of any dog having complications because protecting the digestive tract, but so many that had ulcers that did not do very well when they did not take anything. Sorry for being a nag.
Best wishes,
Brigitte

[Sheena]

Hi Eric – Brigitte is right – we have ALL stressed the importance of tummy protection & I agree that sucralfate is the best. You said you wanted to make this plain sailing for Torrie as you couldn’t risk any setbacks, so please you must stress this too with your vet & get the sucralfate! I know it’s not easy to stand up to your vet sometimes – we have all experienced this to some extent- but you are the only advocate for your dog & the last thing you want is a bleed in the GI tract. Yes, I am a nag too, but we are only looking after Torrie’s best interests & giving your our honest advice – sorry to be hard about this.

At least they have done something about possible clotting issues for now – that’s one thing less to worry about for now. It is possible that abnormal clotting can take place, even with low platelets, but a blood smear is the only thing that would tell for certain. I hope they will find out what the infection is very soon too – did they do any tests earlier on? Correct treatment is so important & if you are in any doubt about your vet at all, please carefully consider changing to someone else.

Denamarin website dosage for you:
http://www.nutramaxlabs.com/dog/dog-liver-health/denamarin-for-dogs

I am so happy to hear that Torrie is more perky – that is such great news! Hang in there Eric & Torrie

Sheena x

[Vally]

Hi Eric, The others have nagged, so I won’t add it EXCEPT to say, been there. An ulcer with the prednisone, just another set back.

It’s funny, everyone notices that bark. It is mentioned time and time again, and it’s always wonderful to hear. Yes I remember too the first time Bingo barked after he’d been sick. I was so very happy. When you tell someone else the dog barked they think you’re nuts.

Poo is a great topic here too, so don’t worry about bringing that up. All the more reason for stomach protection. Said I wasn’t going to nag didn’t I. Perhaps you can say to the vet that poos are very runny and you’re worried about Torrie’s stomach and you’d like to put her on something.

I’m exactly the same every time I go to the vet, even today. Everything goes out the window. Can you ring the clinic and ask them to email you a copy? It would be really good to see what the results are saying. You’ll get the hang of it it too to remember to ask each time. I felt silly asking the first time, but I simply said I can understand things better if I see them.

My very best,
Vally & Bingo

[admin]

Hi Eric

Well, I’m a bit late to welcome you to the forum, but welcome anyway, and I am so sorry to read about what you’ve been going through with beautiful Torrie. How is she doing now? Will be hoping for good news tomorrow. Congratulations too on that little bun in the oven :)

Mary and Mable x