Pit Diagnosed with AIHA

[admin]

Hi Alyssa

How lovely to hear you’ve decided to help re-home the doggies! I just knew your were a kind & compassionate lady – good on you. I used to have photos of dogs up for adoption in our local rescue home in the window of my post office in the UK. It was great to see people stopping to look at the dogs, then popping in to ask me questions. It is a no kill shelter I still support & sadly has some permanent residents who can never be rehomed. We found the photos worked a treat – we would advertise “dog of the week” with a story about them & they soon got snapped up & adopted into a forever home. Good luck & let us know how you get on.

On the pred reduction front, take it nice & steady to avoid a relapse – you don’t want that to happen. If Sassy has to stay on a small dose, that honestly is no big deal. I totally agree with Vally. She will get better & better in herself when you get the pred to a low dose. I always think it’s better to stick to the reduction protocol here:
https://www.secondchanceaihadogs.com/AIHA_Terms/prednisone-dose-reduction/

Let us know the results on Saturday – fingers & paws crossed she’ll have improved.

Sending love & big hugs
Sheena, Worzel & Ollie (both from no kill rescue shelters in the UK)
xoxoxox

[Alyssa]

I would love to know the photography website! I have been into photography for years now.. it’s something I really enjoy. I mainly like macro and nature, but I love photographing Sassy and would definitely do other dogs if I had access to any.

I photographed a wedding once, purely for practice I made sure they didn’t expect anything from me, haha. But the photos turned out fairly nice for my one camera and one lens I had at the time. They seemed genuinely happy with them, and considering they couldn’t afford a photographer and had no one else taking any photos, I think they were grateful for some printed memories!
That was fun… but stressful. I think I’d love to do children, even engagement sessions, but weddings are scary. I got a really nice camera for my birthday last year (canon 6d), and have barely got to use it! Things just got really crazy and I’ve only recently started picking the camera up again. I hope this works out and I can take some nice photos for them. Depending on how it goes, I may try to contact the larger shelters in the area and see if they want photos too. Photography and animals, makes me happy!

You can see a lot of my photos here!
https://500px.com/Alyphoto
I hope it’s okay to share! I mostly upload everything there, except all the photos of sassy unless they’re really nice, so I don’t flood people with pet photos haha.

[Vally]

I’m heading out but had a look at your photos. Alyssa these are seriously seriously amazing. Absolutely beautiful. Macro is also my favourite, with flowers probably up there too. Usually ends up macro flowers.

I’ll email you quickly now with the website and then email you a bit later when I’m home to explain. May be tomorrow if I’m late tonight.

Regards
Vally

[Alyssa]

Thank you Vally :) I looked through yours and yours are beautiful as well! Nice to have someone that likes photography!

Sassy is at 45! Last check was 42.93%, so we’re still going up smile emoticon all other levels look great. WBC was 12. I had them do a full chem panel as well but I am waiting for them to email me to results so I don’t know the numbers; but the only things high were expected, no surprises there. Got the go ahead to start exercising a bit too.

For this next reduction, we are now going to 1 20mg tab of Pred, every other day. She was on one 20mg tab, everyday. Azathioprine is going to stay at 25mg a day while we start this reduction.

I also asked for a prescription for Intercepter. I’m terrified to start Hw meds BUT I can’t not do it in Arkansas and Mosquitoes are BAD already. But they don’t have interceptor yet; so where can I take this prescription? Should I do it online?

[Vally]

Oh oh. A 50% reduction sends up red flags. Alyssa, I know 50% is a standard reduction, but unless there’s a serious reason (major side effects), it’s better to slow down the reduction. No more than 25-33% at a time. Here’s the glossary entry on it:

https://www.secondchanceaihadogs.com/AIHA_Terms/prednisone-dose-reduction/

I know you want Sassy down off the prednisone, but if she’s coping well, please don’t rush it. I can’t remember is Sassy doing 10 mg twice a day? or it sounds more like one 20mg tablet once a day. If it is once daily, can you cut it into quarters and do 3/4 tablet daily for at least 2 weeks, preferably 3, before cutting down a bit more.

Going to every second day right now, I think, is too soon.

My very best,
Vally & Bingo

[Alyssa]

I am currently doing her meds as 10mg in the morning and 10mg in the evening.

The reduction alarmed me as well. Im not sure what to do now. I can’t contact her until Monday.

Do I bother telling her, or just do it myself?
I also am starting to have to fight family members to keep her treatment as recommended… fiance and mother just keep saying she needs to come off the Pred. It’s going to be extremely difficult to convince fiance to go against Drs orders (I will find a way…but he doesn’t want to listen.)

[Alyssa]

I need to know the dosage for tomorrow morning. Considering just not telling fiance I’m going to slow it down, as I do the pills every time, he wont know. :\

She has had 10mg this morning and will have 10mg tonight. I wasn’t to give it to her tomorrow. So I don’t know what to do!

[Alyssa]

Am I right here —

A 25% reduction of her current dose, which is 10mg morning 10mg evening would be

10mg morning 5mg evening (so split the half once more)?

I am so nervous and horrible with numbers.

Also, discussion / argument have and everyone is reluctantly listening to me for now. So that’s good.

What do I tell my vet Monday?