Vally - 8. page

[Vally]

Jon, I haven’t heard of it. It’s a Lincosamide antibiotic so I’m not certain. I’ve sent Patrice, the site owner, an email to ask her about it. She’s much more cluey about this than I am. I’ll answer as soon as I can.

When is the dental surgery due?

[Vally]

I’m sorry Jon, there seems to be a problem.

If you list the drugs you’re dealing with, I’ll be happy to try and find out what is safe.

In a nutshell, the ones to avoid are cephalosporins, sulfa drugs and penicillins.

Safest antibiotic for our dogs is doxycycline.

Regards, Vally

[Vally]

Great great news and thanks for posting.

I always found that you notice a difference when you drop the prednisone. I’m sure the body needs time to adjust.

Good luck.

Vally

[Vally]

Hi Lucy, I’m thrilled to hear that Shaka has improved.

You’re starting the reduction at 33% and that should be okay. Don’t rush the reductions. I’d probably go a bit slower than every 2 weeks. Can you stretch it to 3 or 4 weeks. Makes sure Shaka’s PCV is checked first. A slight reduction is okay. You don’t want to see a continual reduction.

The percentage can vary by about 5% up or down, without concern, although I HATED any drops. They terrified me. The percentage varies also by how much fluid they’ve had, so if they drink a lot of water, the PCV will go down and if they are dehydrated, the PCV will go up. That’s why slight changes are not a problem.

If the PCV is 34 or thereabouts, I think you’re safe to start reducing. Just keep an eye on Shaka, which I know you’re doing.

With the Omeprazole, the 2 hours after is fine, but you can also do say 1 hour before food and drug, if that’s easier for your scheduling.

Regards, Vally

[Vally]

Sorry a bit slow. Was out all yesterday.

The weeing is most likely the prednisone. It makes them drink a lot and so it’s not unusual to hear that accidents happen when they’re on high doses. It may happen a few times still, but it’s not a forever thing. As the prednisone can be safely dropped, you’ll see a lot of the side effects go.

For heartworm medication, we, on this site prefer Interceptor as recommended by Dr Jean Dodds. I’m quoting this from another post. “It can be used for very ill dogs in 45 day dosing cycles, but there is NO WIGGLE ROOM if you dose this way. It must be exactly 45 days. The label says 30 days because owners can forget to give it and probably remember sometime in the window of 30-45 days”.

I personally don’t like 3 monthly anythings after my last dog started having seizures after the yearly heartworm injection. I only use monthly heartworm but dose every 6 weeks and note it on the calendar and send myself a note on the phone so I don’t miss it. I don’t use anything else on my girl now.

I know there are no answers, many times we never find out the cause however hypothyroidism is a very big possibility. In fact you can ask for testing to be done through Dr Jean Dodds. She is a specialist in this and in fact runs very specific thyroid testing, based on breed, rather than just on the normal “dog” results.

In fact Jean Dodd’s protocol for treating AIHA is to dose with thyroxine even if a dog is NOT hypothyroid. Have a look at the Second Chance Resources relating to Hemopet. https://www.secondchanceaihadogs.com/hemopetresources
Item 5 shows a dose of 0.1mg/10lb giving twice daily. It helps to stimulate bone marrow and enhances platelet function.

Regards, Vally

[Vally]

Hi Lucy and Shaka. I’m so sorry to hear about what you two have been through.

Good news though he seems to be improving and you did great in getting emergency care quickly.

Keep Shaka quiet as while his red blood count is low, oxygen is not circulating as usual, so I would keep him quiet and maybe reduce his walks for now until he’s better.

Pink/red gums are the best. Don’t look at his gums while he’s resting, because they’ll always be pale. It’s best to check them while he’s up and about.

Red blood cells at 28% is out of the danger zone, so that’s really good.

Prednisone has a lot of side effects, panting, increased appetite, increased drinking, and so increased weeing.

Did they check for tick disease? It’s possible he has

Ask anything Shaka, happy to help.

Regards, Vally

[Vally]

Hi June,

I’m a very anxious sort of person myself. I was a mess when Bingo was sick, so I totally understand.

I’m not sure why your vet won’t do the simple PCV test. It makes sense to keep track of Dot’s progress and that’s an easy way to do it. I would ask again, and simply say that you are very anxious and don’t think you can wait a month to see what the PCV is.

Panting is very common, although I know it’s hard to watch.

You mentioned a seizure. Has Dot had her thyroid checked? It’s possible that she may need thyroid medication. The thyroid really runs the whole body and as they age, many dogs need to go onto a thyroid supplement.

Another thought, you may want to consider doing an online consultation with Dr Jean Dodds. She’s a brilliant vet and a specialist in this disease. I did a few with Bingo along the years. You simply complete the form, the charge is US$150. Send her a copy of everything you have in one document (so scan everything together). She responds very quickly. Once she has responded, if you have more questions you simply email her back and she’ll respond again, so whilst you pay $150 for the consult, it’s an ongoing consultation with no extra charge. So really it’s very fairly priced.

She put my mind to rest many times. I’ve added in the link from our page and click on the second panel “Online Consultation Request”.
https://www.secondchanceaihadogs.com/hemopetresources

I’ve emailed Patrice about the blood test results you’ve sent through. I’m not very good with understanding blood results so I’ve asked her to have a look for you. She should come back soon.

Regards, Vally

[Vally]

Hi June, I’m so sorry to hear about Dot.

Do you have blood test results? If so, please send them through the urgent advice and Patrice, the site owner can have a look at them for you.

The PCV is in the normal range, so that’s great. The platelets are also now normal, so that’s good too.

What is Dot’s weight?

I think the rapid breathing is a side effect of the prednisone. That is quite common.

Tylan powder is great for diarrhear, it’s a slower way to treat it but its a very safe treatment. So stick with that for the 4 weeks.

Keep Dot’s food bland and keep doing what you’re doing.

Any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask.

My best, Vally