sassy is relapsing.

[alyssa]

Still waiting on a call back – it’s only 10:30Am. she is waiting on a response from Sassys internest I think.

I’ve fed Sassy at 7:30 and just now, a little less than 1/2 scoop hills science ID dry & about 2 tablespoons of the ID wet with a little pumpkin (her poops a bit hard because of the small amount I’ve been feeding), and digestive enzymes ( promyze). So far today her belly is SIGNIFICANTLY less bloated & not hard at all. Maybe this food is helping (even tho I hate it nutritionally!). I’m praying she doesn’t have an attack but we all agreed she had to have something in her with Pred or we’d just give her ulcers. I’m feeding her very little though.

I did skip her Aza this morning. She just had Pred and Aspirin. I’m so nervous – everything I read says cyclo takes so long to suppress. Aza, I know, is THE drug that suppressed her. I honestly don’t know about full stop. If she continues to do well on this ID food – what are the thoughts on adding Cyclo and lowering Aza a little, keeping both for 1-2 weeks to give the cyclo some time, then pulling aza?

[Sheena]

Alyssa

Let’s see what the vets say, but yes I do like the idea of reducing the aza & adding the cyclo to play safe. I like that a lot. Providing the pancreatitis (or is it?) doesn’t bother her. Anything fatty will aggravate pancreatitis, so avoiding anything like that for now will help. I’m so happy to hear her poor tummy is not so bloated & swollen.

It’s a shame, it really is – aza turned Worzel round from death’s door to recovery too, so I am obviously a fan of it for that reason. But I do know it is risky for some dogs – I also think high doses in the longer term is not a good idea. Again, some dogs (seems like the smaller ones generally) instantly are ill with it within a few days. It is widely used too. We also must remember that pred aggravates eveything too, so maybe it’s a combination of both that makes it worse in some cases.

Keep us posted!
Sheena x

[Linda]

Hi Alyssa. Can I pipe in her about the cyclosporine? Sadie has been on cyclosporine (Atopica) off and on for a very long time. I get it from COSTCO. It is still is expensive. And the price can very from one scrip to the next, depending on supply/demand and their costs. You do not have to have a membership to COSTCO for prescriptions AND they have a great plan for Sassy if you have no insurance. The cost savings is much better than online and it’s more than half off form the vet!

I also buy the prednisone, Plavix (anti clotting) form them. Sadie also has problems with her pancreas and I am really watching her fat intake too. I am getting ready to send all Sadie current blood test results, ultrasounds to Penn Vet Nutrition for 1. a home cooked diet AND 2. a suitable commercial (holistic) diet suggestion (for travel). I will post once I get it. I think many of our pups could benefit.

These drugs save their lives but play havoc on their organs, hence, the ‘protections’ namely: FOR LIVER, Denamarin and Ursodiol; FOR ULCERS, Sucralfate, Prilosec or Pepcid; AND FOR ANTI CLOTTING, Plavix (Cloprodigrel) or Asprin – these are what I use for Sadie, anyway.

Sending love and hang-in-there hugs, Linda and Sadie

[Alyssa]

Hi Linda, I have heard good things about Costco & would love to go there but they don’t even have one in my state :( All we have is Sams club, and the price wasn’t very good. The compounding company so far has been the best at $130. Sams was $190, and if I bought the premium membership, $140 + an extra $50 a year.

Still no call from the vet. I am going to give it a little longer before I call. Sometimes they will wait to call me after 5 when they’re closing, but I really need to get a script for Cyclo called in before 5pm to get it by tomorrow. I know she was waiting on the internist to call her back. Ugh. I hate waiting games.

[admin]

Hi Alyssa

I’ve been reading through and am so sorry that you are going through this horrid time with Sassy. I’m glad her poor tummy is feeling a bit better. Have you heard back from the vet? I will be interested to know what they say about tapering off the aza and starting cyclo. Completely understand the dilemma you feel and hopefully this will be an option.

You are doing such an amazing job of looking after your little lady. She is lucky to have you, and I will keep everything crossed you get some answers soon and that Sassy carries on getting better.

Much love,

Mary & Mable x

[Alyssa]

okay…so, here is the plan

based on her behavior today, the fact that she has eaten 4 meals now without an episode

we’re going to keep administering Aza over the weekend. I know this is against advice, but we do want to be 100% sure this is pancreatitis before we pull the med that stopped her attack. I’m going to go in early tomorrow and get the… quantitative lipase test? i dont remember the name. it will be the one that gives the levels. During this time, Sheena, I will ask for the better blood results – so I’ll have them send all of that off with this. Maybe not another chem panel, I am just running dry with money, unless you reply here and tell me you 100% need to see something else on a chem test – otherwise it’ll be the CBC will full white results, I assume.

The bad thing is, it’s Friday, so we wont get results until Monday. And, at this point, the pharms need a notice to get Cyclosporine in – so I can’t even get *that* until Monday. No one was comfortable pulling Aza for 4-5 days with nothing else there, it just wasn’t an option.

Also, she’ll need double what I thought for an immune suppressing dose, so it will be something like $260 vs $130. I’m going to everything I can to save Sassy, and if needed I will be switching her meds, but I cant save her if I run out money :( I had a loooong after-hours talk with her vet and we think pulling the aza full stop is so risky right now, we HAVE to first figure out if we HAVE to. if that lipase test comes back with low levels, it may be possible to continue with a very controlled diet. if they’re up there, we agree there is no choice & we’re switching. it will be a few days – these things always happen on the weekend :(

[Sheena]

Hi Alyssa

Sounds like a sensible plan! We just need to know about this pancreatitis business – or not. Frustrating for you. If she is OK with this diet, I can’t see any problem continuing the aza. It seems odd to me that her amylase was OK but they said she had pancreatitis. And you’re right – every time something happens it’s the weekend! We call it Sod’s Law.

When I go for Worzel’s check up blood test, I always have to ask for a particular format showing all the WBCs, otherwise it is like the one you get. And I ALWAYS ask for a lipase & amylase test as Worzel takes one aza per week still. My Specialist also advised me to do this every single time. Worzie boy is old so I’m not stopping it now unless he develops a problem with it.

Money is always flowing out of our purses with this disease – they cost us a fortune. I quite understand how hard this is for you guys & I know you’ll do everything possible to get Sassy back to 100%.

Love Sheena xxxxx

[alyssa]

Oh so Worzel takes life long Aza? That was the plan with sassy. He doesn’t take pred anymore? That was also the plan – wean pred first, but lifelong Azathioprine, I assume the lowest we can do.

The vet isn’t open yet, but I just wanted to let everyone know she’s made it since 10:30AM Wednesday without an attack. The only changeS made were diet – even though she was on a 10%!fat food diet already we were giving boiled chicken as a topper, tiny amounts of plain fat free yogurt to ward off UTIs, occasionally salmon/sardines in water. That was her diet. Since going totally the hills prescription food, she’s not had an attack. The only addition I’ve been doing is pumpkin, as a pill delivery & to help soften her stool bc that food seems to be making it a bit hard.

She had a very good day yesterday in fact, better than I’ve saw in about 2.5 weeks. I started glucosamine about 1.5 weeks ago and I can’t say for sure if it’s that or perhaps she had low grade constant tummy ache for a while – but she’s suddenly light on her feet again. She had just looked so “heavy” since she was diagnosed a month ago, dragging her feet a little. About 2.5 weeks ago she out of no where bit one of her toys – I think she had started feeling a lot better, but then I think pancreatitis (or whatever this is) hit her and she’s just been down.

ALSO, she is laying in a little ball again – something she hasn’t done for a while, since her white count went back up. i didn’t even notice she wasn’t doing it until she was doing it yesterday. I’m thinking her tummy finally isn’t hurting and she could ball up like normal. Before she’d just spread out on her side and that was her only sleeping position.

It’s so difficult to fast her – ugh! she is absolutely starving and it’s really hard. Trying to hold out for that lipase test.