Raven Has Low Platelets...please Pray For Her...

[Guest RavenRacersMom]

Hello. This is my first post..and I have come here often to learn about my greyhounds and their needs. My girl, Raven has low platelets. We went to the emergency vet on Wed nite because she had "bruising" on the inside of her thigh and her leg was swollen. They said she had low platelets and put her on doxy and prednisone. She tested negative for ehrlichia. Friday, my regular vet took blood to do a full CBC and bubesia test. Today, Monday, blood work came back, her platelets are at 3,000. This is not a typo, 3,000!!!! They said normal was 100,000. WHAT THE HECK? Bubesia test will be back Thursday since they had to send it out of state.

 

I don't know what kind of question I have to post, but has anybody out there have this happen to their hound? I really dont know what else to do. Doc says she is at her max of prednisone. She is happy, not in any pain, I guess. She had one new bruise this past weekend.

nPlease keep her in your thoughts and prayers...

 

Thank you.

 

Sue

Edited April 28, 2008 by RavenRacersMom

[HopeForHounds]

Hello. This is my first post..and I have come here often to learn about my greyhounds and their needs. My girl, Raven has low platelets. We went to the emergency vet on Wed nite because she had "bruising" on the inside of her thigh and her leg was swollen. They said she had low platelets and put her on doxy and prednisone. She tested negative for ehrlichia. Friday, my regular vet took blood to do a full CBC and bubesia test. Today, Monday, blood work came back, her platelets are at 3,000. This is not a typo, 3,000!!!! They said normal was 100,000. WHAT THE HECK? Bubesia test will be back Thursday since they had to send it out of state.

 

I don't know what kind of question I have to post, but has anybody out there have this happen to their hound? I really dont know what else to do. Doc says she is at her max of prednisone. She is happy, not in any pain, I guess. She had one new bruise this past weekend.

nPlease keep her in your thoughts and prayers...

 

Thank you.

 

Sue

 

 

You or your vet should get in touch with the Greyhound Health and Wellness team at OSU. They likely can help sort this out.

 

greyosu@osu.edu

[iluvgreys]

You're doing the right thing... getting Raven tested for TBD's (tick borne diseases). The hounds I've seen with low platelets have usually had a TBD and it's very treatable. This site Greyt Health has a good article about bloodwork, and Dr. Couto at Ohio State U. is also doing research into abnormal bloodwork. You might want to contact him, depending on how the Babesia test comes out. Sending lots of prayers.

 

Just saw that foxysmom posted the email like for OSU.

Edited April 28, 2008 by iluvgreys

[Burpdog]

Did she get a shot of doxy and dex to start out? How much doxy is she on? There are other tick diseases that don't show up. The negative for erlichia: was that the snap test?

 

Dr. Stack has said, if they are really sick, they might test negative and still have erlichia. She should be on (after an initial shot) of 5mg of doxy per # of body weight twice a day.

 

Sending lots of prayers.....

[Guest snakes]

my last hound had her platelets drop to 2000, so i know what you are going through! It is horrifying, you are afraid of any move they make for fear they will bump into something and cause more bruising. In our case they couldn't figure out what was going on except that it was most likely underlying auto immune disease brought on by something during or after a tooth extraction(i think it was a reaction to some of the medications, especially the pain meds) or a tick disease. She went on Prednisone and Doxycycline, along with pepcid to avoid any internal bleeding.

 

Eventually, after roughly 3 days we got her platelets up to 11,000 (which was pure joy for us since the 2k). She eventually made is back up to 110,000.

 

One thing though, when she was able to go for walks again, she didn't have hardly any energy for at least a week, she was very sensitive to the sunlight, walking late at night was her best time to be out.

I also found that holding the pepsid once ina while helped her appetite, but she was a VERY picky eater, so hopefully you don't have that problem.

 

GOOD LUCK!!

 

just remembered, my hound also got an intial shot of prednisone in her back that she hated having done, but it really seemed to help her.

Edited April 28, 2008 by snakes

[CaliforniaGreys]

You've already received advice from the best, so all I can offer is a special prayer

[Guest Cris_M]

You and Raven are indeed in my prayers. My first grey, Gabriel, had pancytopenia (an autoimmune disease that destroys all the components of the blood) so I know the fears and concerns you have. However, your vet is working hard and seems to be doing all the appropriate things and you have gotten some good advice here. Hopefully, you will soon be posting that Raven's platelet levels are rising.

[jamngrey]

keeping you and Raven in my prayers

[Guest argolola]

I will pray too.

[galgrey]

How very scary! You've already gotten good advice, I'll just add my good thoughts for her complete and speedy recovery.

[Guest boni923]

Sue,

Sending prayers and good thoughts your way for Raven!

How is the big boy doing?

Diane & Sabot are sending good thoughts for Raven also.

[Bevd]

Sending good thoughts

[Guest vahoundlover]

Sending prayers too!

[Guest VaGreymom]

Adding my prayers to the list as well. Hugs to both you and Raven and please keep us posted.

[Guest 4Irishgreys]

My Dylan had this same problem several years ago. My vet contacted Dr. Stack & she said to start treatment for the tick diseases even before test results were back. So he was treated for everything. He was on prednisone & his platelet count went up but when I was weaning him off the pred. the bruising came back. So off to a specialty vet. She did a bone marrow test & sent his blood work down to Univ. of North Carolina for testing for different variations of erlichia n(sp) that local labs didn't test for. Of course, results all negative. Since when he was on the pred. his levels went up, he was put back on it. He was on this for almost a year but in very small doses before I could finally take him off & his platelet levels were OK. Never did find out what caused his problem. But it was recommended that I give him Vitamin E - 200 mg to help his immune system. So that's what he has been getting every day since. Knock on wood - the problem has never returned & now it is 4 years later.

 

Long winded but hope this may help.

 

 

Shirley & the Irish Gang (Shannon, Ginger, Madison & Dylan)

[Guest RavenRacersMom]

Thank you so much for your well wishes, thoughts and prayers. Raven is having what we think are little seizures. Her jaw clenches up and sometimes she cries because her tounge is getting bitten. It lasts about 30 seconds and then it releases. It is so scary. Her platelet count is STILL 3000. She gets bloodwork done again on Thurs. Her bubesia came back negative and the doc says she looks good clinically. Good color, no new bruising.

 

Today she is with my parents who are retired and can stay with her all day until I get home from work. It just breaks my heart to see her and know that her body is attacking itself.

 

Doc took her off of doxy since the tests came back negative hoping it would help her appitite, but she is a VERY PICKY EATER anyways. She takes 30mg of pred twice a day. Doxy was 100 mg twice a day and she still gets a pepsid.

 

I will keep you all updated, thank you for yoru kind words and prayers.

[Burpdog]

Ask them to give a shot of doxy and a shot of dex. Do NOT rely on the tick panel. You have to get those platelets up. By now, they should have given transfusions. Have they?

 

bold added

 

Suzanne Stack, DVM

Studies have shown that it can take as long as 5-7 years following a bite from an Ehrlichiacarrying

tick for a dog to show symptoms. By then, a greyhound is long gone from the tickinfested

racing kennel or farm and possibly living in an area where Ehrlichia is unheard of. The

greyhound may present with a variety of mysterious ailments, some of which can be serious

and fatal if not treated. Veterinarians working with adopted greyhounds should maintain a high

index of suspicion for Ehrlichia.

Ehrlichia canis is the most common Ehrlichia species infecting dogs, but there are others (E.

platys, E. risticii, E. equi) and researchers suspect that there are many more. E. canis is a

rickettsia (an organism somewhere between a bacteria and parasite) carried by the brown dog

tick - a common if not universal problem in racing kennels. Greyhounds from all over the

country mingle together sharing their ticks, making racing kennels a smorgasbord of tick-borne

diseases.

Acute (first few weeks) signs of Ehrlichia, such as runny eyes/nose and cough (resembling

distemper) would not be expected in adopted racers. Virtually all adopted greyhounds will be in

the chronic stage. There may be vague signs such as lethargy, fever, anorexia, and weight

loss. Greyhounds may have bleeding, bone marrow suppression, eye disease, neurologic signs,

neck/spinal pain, polyarthritis, enlarged spleen, enlarged lymph nodes, or kidney disease.

Bloodwork may show anemia, low white blood cell counts, low platelets, increased protein

(hyperglobulinemia), and increased ALT/ALKP.

Ehrlichia testing is done with antibody titers. Titers measure the body's immune response to

the bug, not the amount of bug in the dog's body. Most labs titer from 1:20 to 1:1,000,000 or

more. In general, the more chronic the infection, the higher the titer. The IDEXX in-office

"combo" test (heartworm/Lyme/Ehrlichia) catches titers over 1:100. While sick dogs usually

test positive, they might not if:

1. They have a poor immune response (the reason why a very sick dog sometimes tests

negative).

2. They carry an Ehrlichia strain other than the standard E. canis the lab tests for.

3. They have a titer <1:100 on the IDEXX test, or

4. There is variation between labs.

There is not necessarily a correlation between the severity of the disease and the titer number.

All positive titers should be treated.Ehrlichia dogs respond dramatically and quickly (within days) to doxycycline dosed at 5 mg per

pound twice daily. For this reason, greyhounds should be started on doxycycline as soon as

Ehrlichia is suspected. If not immediately available at the veterinary office, all human

pharmacies carry doxycycline (a tetracycline family antibiotic). Often patients are vastly

improved by the time their titer results are back from the lab. This doxycycline trial can be as

useful as the titer results in determining whether to continue with treatment. The standard

regimen we use in Arizona where Ehrlichia is endemic is 5 mg per pound twice daily for 2

months. Doxycycline must always be given with food - otherwise it may upset the stomach.

Alternatively, Ehrlichia can be treated (offlabel) with Imizol, an injectable drug approved for the

treatment of Babesia, another tick-borne disease. The Imizol protocol is two injections two

weeks apart.

There is a poor correlation between resolution of infection and serum antibody titers. In

patients with high antibody titers, the antibody concentrations decline very slowly (over years)

following effective therapy. In many patients, the antibody titers persist at high concentrations

indefinitely. The PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test, which tests either positive or negative

(no numeric value) for Ehrlichia DNA in the bloodstream, may be used for follow-up testing,

but is not perfect either.

The most reliable indices of response to therapy are clinical signs, CBC changes (i.e. anemia,

platelet counts), and serum globulin concentrations. A reasonable approach is to monitor

recovered dogs with a CBC and titer at six-month intervals as long as the dog remains clinically

normal. If clinical signs develop or the CBC becomes abnormal, re-treat, using Imizol if

doxycycline was used the first time around. The majority of Ehrlichia dogs will require only one

treatment course, but owner and veterinarian should remain watchful in order to recognize a

relapse.

[Guest greytexplorer]

Hi Sue,

My Mandy is the pickiest eater around, so I feel your pain in that dept.

However, she just LOVES raw chicken!!!

She and Ester usually get one meal of raw daily (I say usually, cuz sometimes I forget to pick up more!)

which is a thigh and a drumstick.

Now Ester could take it or leave it, but Mandy would jump through fiery hoops for raw chicken.

If rawfeeding doesn't put you off, then maybe you might try offering a drumstick to Raven???

 

Good luck, prayers and healing thoughts going your way!

~Pat

[Guest RavenRacersMom]

We lost our girl tonight. Thank you all for your advice, well wishes and prayers.

[Guest TuxsMom]

oh no

 

i am so very very sorry

[Guest boni923]

So very sorry for your loss, she was a vey special girl.

I'll stop in to see you soon.

 

Boni

[Guest vahoundlover]

I am so very sorry!

 

When you are up to it, would you post in Remembrance and share some stories of her with us?

[Guest Cris_M]

 

I am so very sorry for you.

[DaisyDoodle]

I'm so sorry for your loss.

Donna

 

 

[Guest RavenRacersMom]

I am very new to this site, can you tell me where to post in Remembrance? I would love to share stories about my beautiful little girl. SHe was truly an angel. Thank you all so much for your thoughts and prayers. You have no idea what it means to me.

 

Her brothers ( greyhound - Bernie, choc. lab - Yeager) miss her dearly as much as my husband and I do. We are saying goodbye to her on Monday where she is going to be buried at the Pet Road Cemetary in Las Vegas.

 

God Bless You All....