sassy is relapsing.

[Sheena]

Hi Alyssa – this sounds awful.

I can’t access the videos as I don’t have the google account it’s asking me for, but I can see from your description that this is more serious than a usual tummy ache. Sorry, this needs serious attention. Pain after food can mean pancreatitis or ulceration – and now I am concerned about pancreatitis (chronic rather than acute is my guess).

Please stop the azathioprine IMMEDIATELY & replace it with cyclosporine (atopica) as soon as possible. I had a recollection Sassy was on aza still, but wanted you to confirm it. Azathioprine causes pancreatitis, full stop. It can cause it during the first few days of taking it and more rarely, later on – but it DOES happen & you know a lot of dogs on here have had it on aza. For this reason, I am insisting you do not give another dose – those instructions should be in the leaflet actually. And your vet should have told you this – I am REALLY angry that they haven’t picked up on this either – sorry to be blunt, but I am very worried & would never forgive myself if I didn’t tell you the truth. You know Worzel had aza, but in hindsight & knowing what I know now, I would have chosen cyclosporine in preference.

I don’t have anything to work on here, so I’m guessing your vet is giving amoxicillin because of the WBC count indicating infection. Or are they giving it for another reason? Pancreatitis maybe? Thanks for getting it changed as soon as possible. I also desperately need to see those tests possibly confirming pancreatitis. Send anything & everything.

Please could you get some sucralfate again. It is the best tummy protector by far. Just to cover the possibility of ulceration.

Sassy is looking good on the anaemia front – I would tell you if she wasn’t. But we need to get her pain sorted out. It’s no use giving Tramadol for the pain & not treating, or even looking for the cause. Pain is not an option. No way.

It’s 1.30 am here, so I need to go to sleep fairly soon! But reply to me as soon as you can – I will stay awake as long as I can.

Love Sheena x

[Alyssa]

She is not due for Aza until 10:30 in the morning, so I can call the vet. I do know they are iffy on atopica but I don’t know why. I think the cost is going to be astronomical on a dog her size. What do I need to ask for/any guess on price?

Im reading it can take 6 weeks to be effective, and I think it is the aza doing the heavy lifting here – I’m so scared to full stop! Is she going to relapse switching these meds so suddenly?

[alyssa]

Well, I’m just not sure what to do here. I expected atopica might be $150/month but with my research I think it’s going to be more around $500. She is 75lbs and it seems dogs her size need 100mg twice a day or so. Maybe more. I just I don’t think we can afford that. We are at our limit already & still trying, but that is just not going to be sustainable – is there no hope of recovering from this while on Aza? Even if we lower the dose? I don’t know what to do. Feeling completely defeated and depressed.

[Vally]

Alyssa, the problem here is that the aza is know to cause pancreatitis.

I know it’s hard. Instead of getting the cyclosporine from the vet, ask them to give you a prescription for the cyclosporine – it’s a human drug. That’s what I did. It was heaps cheaper from the chemist as opposed to buying it from the vets. I was paying from memory about $125 (Aus) a packet for this from the vets. Bingo was on 25mg capsules. At the chemist is was less than $35.

Check the prices on line for cyclosporine and see what they look like.

Vally
xxx

[Sheena]

Morning Alyssa

Let’s all try & get a plan together to put your mind at rest.

1. Phone your vet as soon as possible and ask the question – does Sassy definitely have pancreatitis – Yes or No – please. A copy of the test(s) is needed.

2. If she has pancreatitis, I personally think you have no choice but to stop the azathioprine. If it were Worzel, I would stop it & I can only advise you on what I would do personally – I am not a vet. Even if you miss a few doses, you can restart it if we find she has not got pancreatitis.

In the high doses we use with cyclosporine with this disease, it will work pretty quickly. I think you might have been looking at treatment in lower doses for skin problems, etc, in which case it would take longer to work, that would say 6 weeks. The pred she is on should hopefully prevent her from having a relapse – it holds them “steady” and her bloods are really good on all fronts except the WBCs.

If she doesn’t have pancreatitis, there is something else going on to cause such a bad tummy ache. ?Ulceration?

(Linda gets her cyclosporine from Costco for Sadie I think – an idea?)

3. Are you still in contact with Dr Dodds? If so, e-mail her again & tell her what’s happening. Like us, she will need to see all the test results in full. I would feel happier if you followed her advice too.

There is no need to get too stressed out, there really isn’t. Sassy is doing well apart from the pain issues & the high WBC.

So the plan – find out for sure if she has pancreatitis or not – and we’ll take it from there. Give Sassy a big hug from me, please.

Love Sheena xxxxx

[alyssa]

I am waiting a call back from the vets,

In the meantime! I found out this:
I can get 60 tablets of modified cyclosporine, 100mg for $150 from a home town pharmacy. That is the cheapest I’ve found but I am still looking. I went on the assumption of a 200mg/day dose but it could be more or less, I have no idea – she’s 76lbs.

Walgreens also has it, $350 but if I pay $20 a year the price is only $168.

These are much more doable – praying she doesn’t need MORE than 200mg a day.

I will report back once I’ve spoken to the vet.

[alyssa]

Still calling around –

$134 from a compounding company. That’s the best and probably lowest I’ll find.

[Sheena]

Hi Alyssa
Just e-mailed Linda about where she gets hers – will get back to you as soon as we can on where & how much it is.
Sheena x