[Dandi - Good Update 1/3/2012]

Poor guy! I hope being at home eases him enough to heal. Here's hoping 2012 will be better for you and yours!

 

How's credentialing going?

 

Finally making progress. Everything is in except the HR confirmation from Concord Hospital that I worked when I said I worked. The credentialing officer has sent 2 requests so far. Ironically, the rehab hospital is on the Concord Hospital campus. My director e-mailed me Friday to let me know that the other HR confirmation had arrived. Everyone is closed tomorrow, so she'll be in touch with the credentialing officer Tuesday to see if everything is tied up for me to have temporary privileges. So I hope sometime next week I can start. But not before Dandi gets what he needs down at the specialty care hospital I'm taking him to on Tuesday. I doubt they can do a whole workup on him the same day, so I have a feeling he may have to stay overnight. Oy.

 

Definite improvement today! Last night was musical beds. If there were any question of him being able to get on his feet, it was quickly silenced when, everytime I went downstairs to check on him, he was on a different bed. This morning, I found him on a bed which is up on a small platform, so he's finding his way. He's still a little unsteady but more because his feet and hind legs hurt. I was expecting puddles on the floor but it seems that he did go out, I watched him walk outside onto the deck, and then go down the stairs which was NOT good, as he slipped and fell down the last 2 steps. That was not needed - I have to put up a baby gate so he can go on the deck but not down the stairs. He ate 2 bowls of turkey/rice and hamburger/rice and took his pills with cheese. I also gave him a tramadol which he's going to need today. He was ripping and gnawing at the bandages so I took most of them off - I'll try to redress his hind paws later, as they're in pretty bad shape. The other wounds look OK. The good thing is that he growled at iggy Buddy. The real Dandi is emerging!

 

He;s walking around downstairs so time to check on him.....thanks, everyone, for youf loving thoughts!

[Dandi - Good Update 1/3/2012]

If there is a silver lining (ok- trying to be an optimist here) the Buprenex will slow his gi tract down (typical side affect of narcotics).

Poor little bugger- must have been so scared.

 

Ah, why didn't I think of that? That's one side effect I'm fond of at the moment.

 

Batmom, I think that he probably tried to stand in his cage, but (despite having about 3 huge blankets) he slipped and splayed, and was unable to get up, and then panicked. Most of the wounds are on the inside of his legs and on his ventral chest and belly, which would make sense with that type of injury. He looks incredibly painful - I'll grab some photos when I can. The worse sites are his thighs, both knees and elbows.

 

He ate 2 bowls of turkey and rice, and took his pills with cheese like the good boy he is.l I just pulled his IV because his leg was becoming quite swollen. Also redressed one of his wounds as the bandage was all macerated. I found him standing in the living room (where his beds are), looking confused, Didn't want to go outside or even pee on the floor, and it took him a bit of time to get back down again, but hopefully he'll stay down for a while. If he gets up, the dogs upstairs will let me know but I'll be checking on him regularly anyway.

 

Thanks again, everyone, for caring.

Jordan

Happy New Year?

[Dandi - Good Update 1/3/2012]

This has been a horrific day for Dandi.

 

Fiona called me at 6:30am, asking if I could come in to help her with Dandi. Apparently, at some point when she was not there, something happened resulting in wounds on his chest, belly and extremities, and a blanket of poop. She was coming in every 2 hrs to potty him since his diarrhea had started again yesterday. But her husband turned her alarm off so she could get some sleep, and instead of making it to the office at 4am, she didn't get there until 6. She was beside herself, crying because she was so upset about what happened. When she got in, she said he was splayed on his belly, thrashing to get up, screaming and absolutely crazed with fear. She was trying to bathe him (there was diarrhea everywhere) and examine his wounds, and that's when she called for help. By the time I got there,. he was sedated with bupe and cleaned up, and she was working on his wounds.

 

He's got huge areas of ecchymosis on both inner thighs, also on his belly and chest, and bruising and also abrasions on his elbows, hocks, tarsal-metatarsal joints, and various wounds on all extremities. The wounds I see are not full thickness but will need wound care. If he's not hurting in his hind legs right now, it's only because he's still gorked from the bupe -- tomorrow morning I think he's going to be miserable, and I have tramadol here for after the bupe wears off. He can walk but needs support until he gets going. I could not get him up the stairs from my garage, and he couldn't do it even with support, so Fiona came by to help me lift him up and get him up the stairs to a big, plush bed waiting for him. He ate a couple of chicken nuggets (not the best thing, but he looked excited and hadn't eaten much today), continues to drink heavily, and has peed rivers a couple of times. I have not yet seen him have diarrhea again today but the night is young.

 

He slept for an hour or so, and when I just went down to check on him, he'd gotten up and moved himself to another bed without any assistance, which is better than a few hours ago. He's still got the IV catheter in and I've got IV fluid to run if needed. Fiona is going to be around this weekend and, given that she lives around the corner, I know she'll be checking in on him by phone or in person. I'm going down now to warm up some turkey and rice for him and feed the other dogs. I just want him to stay quiet until he's feeling strong enough to move around himself and climb stairs safely. If I stay up in the bedroom, the other dogs do too, and I don't want anyone bothering him, so I go down frequently to check on him.

 

If he is doing OK and stable over the weekend, he'll be seeing my IM vet on Tuesday. If there's a problem beforehand, I'll call Fiona, and if it's necessary, I'll have to bring him to an ER. I really don't want to have to put him through the stress of another trip to the vet's so I'm hoping he's better tomorrow.

 

I was looking forward to him coming home in good spirits and alert, as he has been the last few days at the vet's office, but this has totally thrown him for a loop. I do not bear ill will toward Fiona. She's jumped through hoops for him, and I know she's beating herself up over this (when she should be beating her husband for shutting off her alarm).

 

I miss my big bully, the tyrant of his pack. I want him back... hopefully I'll see a spark of him tomorrow.

Thanks for listening.

J

[Dandi - Good Update 1/3/2012]

Did they or plan to run a bile acids test??? Also please keep in mind that Ghs blood proteins including albumin run on the low side (although 1.6 is too low). They may have plans to run a TLI test too.

I have been down this road before- its not fun or easy but, keep the hope- fingers crossed he will improve.

 

I don't believe bile acids were done, but I'll discuss this with Fiona. My concern is his sky-high lipase. From my reading, chronic pancreatitis may be concurrent with PLE, and it is often subclinical. I forgot to ask Fiona about doing a CPLi I also question pancreatic insufficiency as a result of chronic pancreatitis. He needs an abdominal U/S, which I assume the IM will do.

 

I remember you sharing your experience with PLE when you were talking online with Kathy (Tigger). Can you give me more details about diagnostic workup, med regimen and diet? Which form of PLE was diagnosed? Did you use a prescription diet?

 

I appreciate your support.

[Dandi - Good Update 1/3/2012]

Well, I wish I had better news. He had diarrhea today - and the vet is not sure what precipitated it, but is going to make some med changes overnight. Some of his regular meds, like clomipramine, robaxin and xanax, could be the culprits. I'm not sure what he's eaten besides his turkey and rice yesterday. And unfortunately, even with 48 hrs on hetastarch his albumin has not budged since admission (1.6). Not good, but at least he didn't slide back. He continues to be bright and alert, and as usual has a great appetite and no vomiting. His UPC was fine, so he's not spilling protein in his urine, which confirms some type of PLE or malabsorption disorder. His WBC count is elevated, but it sounds as if his other labs are either stable or improving.

 

I'm going to bring him home tomorrow and hope he stays stable through the weekend. Fiona tried to contact my IM vet but she's gone until next Tuesday. I think she's going to try to contact the other IM vet covering (I actually know her), and if he starts acting lethargic again or becomes weak, I'll have to bring him to the ER at the same clinic. Boy, do I hope I don't have to do that. But the writing is on the wall when it comes to him needing an IM eval ASAP, almost certainly with ultrasound and endoscopy with bx. Fiona will repeat labs tomorrow a.m,. and we'll figure out the plan for the weekend. I think he's got to go onto some type of low-residue veterinary diet until we get in to see the IM vet.

 

Holiday weekends should be illegal!

[Dandi - Good Update 1/3/2012]

Dandi is deeply appreciative of all of your kind wishes. He is also deeply humiliated that he should have to undergo the torture and degradation thrown upon him, just because he ate his IV catheter last night.

 

 

He's improved a lot! He's continuing on the hetastarch and will have his labs checked again tomorrow. He's eating very well (thank goodness he's a kibble vacuum) and I brought him boiled turkey and rice for supper. No diarrhea -- actually, no poops! Fiona feels he's about halfway to a normal fluid status and has not developed ascites or edema. She said he looked very tired last night but has been alert all day - much brighter. The metronidazole has clearly helped with the diarrhea, for which I'm very grateful.

 

We're hoping that if the diarrhea can be controlled or stopped, his albumin levels should stabilize. She also suggested, and is probably right, that when the Avoderm baked L&R returned to the market after several months, the formula or meat had changed, thus the worsening of his diarrhea. Tomorrow we'll have to decide on a plan, even if it means using a commercial prescription diet temporarily while he stabilizes.

 

Of course I have the usual mother's guilt -- if I had brought him in MONTHS ago, this could have been prevented. All this time I was waiting for him to improve, and chalking up his weakening hind end to his back issues. OK, pity party over with. He's taught me humility and I'll have a very low threshhold from now on, for bringing him to the vet.

 

Thanks again, everyone!

[Dandi - Good Update 1/3/2012]

HI Jennifer

 

I'll e you later with the technical details, which essentially mirror your recommendations, and I really appreciate your input. I'll PM you after I get back from visiting him.

 

A change for the better today! As of early morning, he was brighter, looking well, without any diarrhea. He's now on the metronidazole and tolerating it OK. (Fiona and I also have to sit down to go through his med list to see if there are any interactions.) She is going to continue hetastarch and IV fluids for another 24 hrs, with plans for him to come home tomorrow if he continues to improve. I'm sure she's rechecking his albumin and I'll find out if his UPC is in. The one question not yet answered is the off-the-charts lipase, but from what I read last night in the literature, this may be due to the PLE, could be a chronic pancreatitis, or even suggestive of pancreatic insufficiency. Lots to learn from his case!

 

Mama actually cooked for Dandi (sound the trumpets, I cooked!!) and am heading over with boiled turkey/rice and his meds. Hopefully the news will continue to be good and he'll come home far better than he went in.

 

The rest of the pack was astounding quiet and relaxed last night with Dandi gone. I told them they'd better not get too comfortable because the Tyrant will be back soon. Thank you everyone for your loving thoughts!

 

Sending good thoughts for you and Dandi! What have you tried so far for the diarrhea? While the endoscopy/biospy to confirm the diagnosis is obviously the ideal way to go, if it's not looking like that will happen in the near future, there's also the option of starting treatment for suspected IBD/PLE. If you haven't already, it wouldn't hurt to go ahead and start him on a limited antigen diet and metronidazole (or tylosin). Adding pred is the one step that I really try to avoid until we can confirm the diagnosis since it can interfere with testing. In cases where the owner has no plans to pursue further diagnostics, if all the signs point to IBD, I'll go ahead and start the pred too.

[Dandi - Good Update 1/3/2012]

Thanks so much,everyone!

 

Jennifer, I'm not sure how old Dandi is (or any of the galgos). He was estimated to be 5 when he came in 2006, so perhaps he's around 10 now. I'd add a couple of years onto that given his life before he was rescued. I have a photo of him in a cage, taken just before he was rescued, and whenever we were having a rough "Dandi Day" and I was tempted to fly him back to Barcelona, I'd pull out that photo and remind myself why he has "issues". And I'd cancel the plane ticket.

 

Just had a call from Fiona, my vet - she thinks he's perked up considerably on the IV fluids/hetastarch.We'll connect again in the early morning and figure out the game plan. My research points to his needing endoscopy/bx to confirm dx and get him onto appropriate treatment. I think Fiona is hoping to stabilize him conservatively and keep his albumin up until I'm working and can afford the mega-workup. (I *really* hope to be credentialed to start work next week.)

 

On a cheerier note, here's my big maroon a few years back:

 

 

[Dandi - Good Update 1/3/2012]

Big Bad Galgo Dandi is in hospital tonight, being treated for dehydration and critically low albumin. He may well have protein losing enteropathy.

 

Long story short, he's had progressively worsening diarrhea - it used to be episodic but has become chronic over the past month or two. Last night he looked awful to me -- lethargic, depressed, miserable. No problem with eating, but he's been having intractable diarrhea -- sometimes in the kitchen -- and combined with voluminous water intake, it's become obvious there are problems. (Because I've been out of work since June, I was hoping he'd stay stable until I was working again and could afford a comprehensive workup -- I'm still waiting to start my new job, but Dandi couldn't wait any longer.)

 

He's receiving IV fluids and Hetastarch. He was quite dehydrated. His bowels appear edematous on xray but no masses were seen. His lipase is off the charts (not a new finding -- it was the same last year). His weight has been stable for the past 3-4 months. A year ago, he was becoming quite overweight (91 lbs) so I cut his food back, got him walking, and he dropped 10 lbs in about 6 months. He did drop about another 2-3 lbs and has remained at around 78-79 since then.

 

We'll see how he is in the a.m. and decide how to proceed. I'm ready to take him down to my regular internal med vet tomorrow if he needs it.

 

Dandi is my tough cookie with other dogs, but a mama's boy with me. He came from Spain with a lot of baggage, but I came from the Bronx with a lot of baggage too, so we really understand each other. He's really a love, so please tuck him into your heart tonight.

[Uveitis/acute Blindness (Sudden Onset Blindness)]

Hi

 

I've become all too familiar with uveitis in humans, as I was diagnosed 6 years ago. The key here is to treat this aggressively, and to correctly diagnose any underlying problem that would have caused the uveitis. While it's possible that this is due to tick borne disease it's also possible that he has an autoimmune disorder, whichcwould cause inflammation somewhere along the uveal tract in his eyes, and this often requires steroids, either systemic or topical (drops). The other diagnosis to consider would be PRA, or even a neurologic event such as a stroke, but this is really an emergent problem that warrants an urgent evaluation by a vet ophthalmologist..

 

I sincerely hope that all goes well for Paden, and that at least some vision can be restored.

[Welcome Cali-Rose!]

My friends Maureen and Gary Ross are excellent and compassionate dog trainers in NH. They train, test and work with therapy dogs and with the READ program. Their greyhound, Tia, was their heart and soul, and Tia was also a Delta-trained therapy and READ dog, and was always the face that greeted you when you walked into their huge training gym. Very sadly and unexpectedly, Tia experienced cardiac arrest while anesthetized for a dental, and could not be resuscitated. I don't have to explain how devastated they were. Tia was their only greyhound in a home filled with Newfies, a Leonberger, and several others, but the absence of a greyhound can never be filled by anything but....

 

a Greyhound! Maureen, Gary and Journey the Newfie drove just under the radar from Irene, to NC to pick up Cali-Rose, who had been a prison hound, trained and loved by her inmate caretakers. Maureen hopes that Cali-Rose will show the same affinity for therapy and READ work that Tia did, but right now is just loving her presence and giving her time to settle in.

 

Here's a very funny slide show that Maureen put together of Cali-Rose

 

welcome to Yankee world, sweet girl!

[Removing Staples]

I have an extra staple remover if you need it - it'll take a couple of days to get to you so if you can wait, I'm happy to send it out.

[Knuckles Mom Is Finally At Peace]

 

 

Grace, Roy, Judith,

Kathy I hope you have all hooked up & are well again.

 

Sabrina

 

Yes, I know they're very much together. Kathy was Judith's angel to the nth degree. There are not enough wonderful words to describe Kathy (and Judith) . I just think of a very beautiful reunion at the Bridge yesterday, and smile...

[Need Specialist Suggestions]

I don't have experience with any in CT, but here are my MA recs:

Angell Memorial, Boston MA - Dr. Sisson (neurologist) < yes, big time. He's brilliant

 

VCA Northboro, Northboro MA - Dr. Dudley (ortho surgeon)

 

Where in CT are you and how far can you travel? Tufts is another option if Angell is too far for you. I'm biased toward Angell. They have MRI, CT, etc. on site. If it's a neurological issue that requires surgery, most vet neurologists are also neurosurgeons (Dr. Sisson is). But if an ortho consult is needed, they can arrange to have it done right there.

[Eating Drywall]

This just caught my eye, because Gigi is eating my house, room by room.

 

But interestingly, she never did this until I had a paint job, using Benjamin Moore paints. Strangest thing., Almost always, the holes are adjacent to the dog bed she happens to be in. I've got plexiglass on all the walls in my bedroom, but then she started eating the hallway, then the dog's room downstairs. I keep saying that when she grows up I'll have it all repaired, but it's been 4 years now, and... She chomps all the way down to insulation.

[Dr Dodds' Food Allergy Test]

Instinct (made by Nature's Variety - the people who make Prairie, make grain-free food, and also have Ltd. Ingredient diet. I've got Mafi on Turkey (w/tapioca) and it's a really nice food. Food allergies aren't an issue for her, but it's got excellent ingredients and relatively high caloric content without an exceedingly high fat or protein content. I have a couple of sample packets of the chicken formula -- if you'd like to try them, I'll get them right in the mail.

[Otc Meds For An Italian Greyhound]

Diphenhydramine: can, fel-4 mg/kg PO TID, 0.5 mg/kg IV, IM BID. (I gave Bailey 12.5mg (1/2 tab) twice daily).

 

Ranitidine: can-0.5 mg/kg PO BID, rat-6-10 mg/kg PO BID. (Lexi was taking 37.5mg twice daily - I split a 75mg tab)

 

Pepcid: The recommended dose of Famotidine to be administered to pets is 0.25 to 0.5 mg per pound (0.5 to 1.0 mg/kg) every 12 to 24 hours.

Dogs: 0.05-0.1 mg/pound by mouth every 8 hours. Treatment should only be needed for 1-2 days. If diarrhea persists or worsens, contact your veterinarian.

 

Veterinary meds is a pretty good resourcewith doses included

[Need High-Caloric, Irresistible Kibble]

 

If she's is good body condition, do you think at least part of the 3 lb weight loss is just from that loss of muscle mass? If so, I wouldn't be too concerned about trying to get her to eat more.

 

I honestly don't think so, Jennifer. Maybe .5 lb, but she's very ribby and almost every thoracic vertebrae are visible. 3 lbs on a bitty girl like Mafi really stands out.

 

I agree with you about not giving her unintended reinforcement for picky behavior, which is why I wanted to find an irresistible kibble that would grab her attention (and I wouldn't feel compelled to). Her habit while eating is to just walk away from her bowl, and go out to the yard or, if weather is bad, she'll go upstairs to her bed. Segregating her is possible but knowing Mafi, she'd stop eating and whine (she takes after me ). It sounds as if I'm making excuses, but it comes from almost 10 years of living with this little galga and her habits. She will, without fail, walk away from food to seek human attention. Eating has never been her priority. (Well, except for when she first arrived home -- I turned around for 30 seconds and then found her standing up on the kitchen counter.) This is why I was hoping to find a calorie-dense food in small volume.

 

So today I went to an excellent pet food store where they only carry quality products. At the owner's suggestion, I bought a small bag of Prairie turkey Instinct kibble - no grain, but not the extremely high protein content that Evo has. It has 440+ k/cal per cup. She ate virtually all of it, mixed in with Merrick canned. I'll wait to see how it's going over the next few days, and if she's eating well, I'll continue to feed it.

 

Thanks so much for the suggestions!

[Need High-Caloric, Irresistible Kibble]

[

My solution to this is one that most owners don't like. Pick one or two high-quality dog foods that you want her to eat, and then feed set meals 2-3 times a day. Simply put the food down, and take it away after 20 min regardless of how much has been eaten. No add-ons, no coaxing. ...

 

A healthy dog will not starve herself, and she will eat when she's hungry. When first making this change in feeding routine, some dogs may go 2-3 days without eating, but this won't hurt her if she's healthy. And once they learn the routine and realize that there is no alternative, I find that most dogs end up eating better than they did before.

 

If she continues to lose weight, I'd still be concerned that there's an underlying health problem that's starting up. How is her current body condition?

 

It's great in theory, Jennifer, and I absolutely agree with this training method, but it doesn't work in a 6-dog house. Suppertime is systematic here for survival purposes. Everyone has their own specific spot and is fed in a certain order. They also seem to have figured out that if they don't finish quickly, the bowl Nazi's will come around and push them out of the way so they can steal the food.

 

Do you remember Kody from many moons ago? His nickname was "One-Kibble Kody") because he was a slooooooooow eater, but since he was alpha and the biggest, he wouldn't be bothered. Mafi is the same way - she's a very slow eater, always has been, and gets distracted easily. Her body condition is excellent. She's lost some muscle mass but she's active, can go for long walks without a problem and still stands up to give hugs.

[Need High-Caloric, Irresistible Kibble]

I would talk to the vet about doing some bloodwork (CBC & Chem Profile.) At her age it's really a good idea anyway and with her not eating it may be important.

 

If her bloodwork comes back normal, you could talk to your vet about adding prescription A/D food. It comes in little cat food size cans, it's really smelly/tasty, and mixes with kibble really well. I've used it with old, sick dogs that wouldn't eat much of anything else.

 

Another suggestion is chicken baby food. If a dog won't gobble that down, they won't eat ANYTHING.

 

Blooodwork is normal. I have a couple of cans of AD, and I know it's a good source of calories, but I'm just not a Science Diet fan. The chicken baby food (and lamb, beef, turkey) have been fail-safe goodies for all of my pups, especially when they refuse to eat anything else. It's worth mixing it with the kibble to see if it sparks her interest - good idea! It doesn't have very many calories, but it's so stinky it's hard for them to resist.

 

I've used the tripe before. I've got the put that at the bottom of the list, because I almost woofed my cookies around that stuff!

 

Thanks so much, everyone! I'm going to print out the entire thread, and I'll have lots of options for the delicate little flower (NOT!). I really appreciate!

[Need High-Caloric, Irresistible Kibble]

Jordan, since you said Mafi's healthy, I'm assuming she's been checked out by your vet and had bloodwork done recently? Has she always been a picky eater or are the change in her appetite and weight loss more recent developments? It's not unusual for older dogs can lose a little weight due to loss of muscle mass, but I don't typically consider a decrease in appetite to be a normal part of aging. I'd want to make absolutely sure there isn't an underlying health problem before assuming the signs you're seeing are just diet related.

 

Sorry I missed this until today (I hate when work interferes with my social life).

 

Jennifer, Mafi has regular senior check-ups and labs, and actually just had her exam and labs/Snap 4 10 days ago. Mafi has a very good appetite, for things that she loves. But for many years, her interest in kibble has waned. She'll pick up a bit if I try a new kibble that she likes, but she usually loses interest quickly. I can put in meaty add-ons, but she'll inhale the meat while working her way around the kibble. She also likes a little competition - she'll walk away from her food in the middle of eating, then I'll hold the bowl for her which often draws her in. When the other dogs take an interest is when she'll eat.

 

She's always been picky, now is picky and a diva. But she's down to 42 lbs from her baseline 45, so I'd like to get more calories into her.

 

Thanks, Jennifer!

 

To be honest, I'd still ad a good digestive enzyme like Animal Essentials Plant Enzymes -- you can get that from Amazon now, affordable that way. You wouldn't you do have to put a little water on the food to get the enzyme powder to dissolve -- and you wouldn't think that this would improve appetite -- but it does. And I've had plenty of experience with loss of appetite and picky eaters.

 

Thanks, Carla! Do the dogs tolerate it when it's put into their food?

 

I had some luck rotating the Merrick kibble when Sheila got fussy about her kibble. Turducken, Grammy's Potpie, Cowboy Cookout were favorites. When Ed's senior Boston lost weight we put him on the Merrick puppy kibble and mixed it with canned.

 

That's easy enough to try - most feed & pet stores carry it now. My guys have been eating Merrick's canned for years. Thanks for the tip!

 

I added melted butter to the diet when my pldie lost appetite - worked well. Now he is first in line! But have you checked on teeth?

 

Yes, her teeth were just checked during the exam 10d ago. The galgos have amazing teeth - Only one of my 4 galgos has ever needed a dental since they came from Spain. Mafi's teeth continue to be stellar!

[Sick Of Ehrlichia]

I didn't know where this topic fit best ... in health and medical or in the rant section. Please bear with me.

 

Is anybody else with me on being sick and tired of tick borne diseases?

Yup - for about the past 13 years! Two of my galgos were just diagnosed, one with Lyme, one with ehrlichia. This is a recent conversion, as they both had negative Snap-4's within the past year.

 

 

1) Keeping one of the boys eating that came with a poor appetite after breakfast and now it's even worse since the initiation of doxycycline. What worked best for your hound(s)?

I haven't experienced this problem yet, but it's just been 10 days. With Lyme you have the alternative of using amoxi; I believe imidocarb is being used as an alternative for ehrlichia.

 

2) Did you do a standard course of treatment with or without serial titers? How many weeks of anitbiotics for your hound? What dosage of antibiotic per lb or kg was your hound treated?

 

I should have but did not send off baseline titres and/or PCR's (or C-6 for Lyme) as I usually would do, because of personal circumstances. I plan on talking with Cindy Holland at Protatek and following her recommendations as far as serial serology.

 

I consulted a TBD guru who stays on top of the research and recommendations: both Lyme and e. canis are treated with Doxy 5mg/lb (or 10mg/kg) twice daily for 2 months. I will also say that my own vet did not prescribe that dose -- she used 5mg/kg x 1 month, and I have to shamelessly admit that I have my own doxy supply and treated both dogs per the recommended TBD protocol. You might want to check out TICK-L, which is a great resource for consulting with the vets and infectious disease people who are at the forefront of TBD treatment.

3) What stage of ehrlichiosis was your hound in when diagnosed?

 

Neither dog was symptomatic,nor had clinical signs. The best way to find out is through the serial titres to graph the peak and then the fall during convalescence

 

Thank you if you choose to share any information.

I hope all of your hounds have a speedy, uncomplicated recovery!

[Need High-Caloric, Irresistible Kibble]

Thank you! I'll pick up the meat and cream cheese - that looks like an easier recipe, and I've got most of the ingredients here. That will be a great supplement!

 

Mafi is funny - she doesn't like soft kibble. I can put a spoon or two of water on it but any more and she'll leave it. <sigh> That's why I was hoping to find a very enticing kibble to mix in with the satin balls or canned food, so she'd get in the extra calories.

 

Off to the store tomorrow.

[Need High-Caloric, Irresistible Kibble]

UPDATE 6/12: So far, so good with the Nature's Variety Instinct Turkey formula. I'm mixing it with about 1/2 can of either Merrick's, Wellness or other canned food, and she's been eating well (this week, anyway). She still walks away to go outside in the middle of a meal, but apparently it's for a bathroom break, and when she comes back in, she's been finishing her bowl. I might be hallucinating but I think she's put on weight already. Hopefuly this will last.

 

 

Mafi the galga is now around 11-12 years old () and I just cannot get weight on her. It's not a matter of her eating but not gaining; she loses interest in her kibble and tends to walk away from her bowl. She was always a wee one (45 lbs) who is now down to 42 lbs. While I wish I could just pour a couple of cups of kibble into her bowl and let her eat as much as she can fit, I'm hard pressed to get her to finish 1 cup of Avoderm baked L&R. I add at least 1/2 can of Merrick or other quality canned food, but she'll pick it out and leave much of the kibble behind. I'm trying to supplement with an additional can, but again, sometimes she just doesn't want to eat it all.

 

Can anyone suggest a hi-caloric kibble (puppy food is OK) that is so palatable it might be irrestible enough for her to really chow down?

 

Mafi is otherwise very healthy, and needs no dietary restrictions. Raw is really not an option for me though pre-prepared could work.

 

thanx!

[Don Juan ~ L D's Kokomo]

That beautiful white face.... Don Juan had the all-too-rare fortune of being loved from the time he was born to the time he made his journey to be with his littermates. You were both blessed by being such an important part of each others' lives.

 

touch the stars, Don Juan..

 

Hugs to you, Pat..