Discoid Lupus

[Guest Greyt_dog_lover]

I am looking for a companion for my Bart. There is one female at the adoption agency that has discoid lupus. I dont exactly know what question to ask everyone, but basically is there any reason that I shouldnt adopt a dog with this condition? My wife and I have no kids (nor plan on any), we have 2 cats (geriatric) and Bart (roman-nose guy). We are not high energy people, and Bart is pretty laid back. I am just wondering if this condition has any special needs that I need to be aware of. Now, understand, I have NO problem with special needs, one of my kitties has early stages of kidney failure (which I treat with 200cc's of ringers sub-q every other day), and the other has IBD (which I treat with a dose of prednisilone every day), so the extra effort for the dog would not inhibit me from adopting the dog, I just was wondering what I may be in for. Thanks.

[Guest SoulsMom]

Soul has DL, and so far it has not been too bad. I think there is a 5% chance it will develop into SL, which is far worse. Soul's DL only affects his nose and eyes(which is typical of the disease). It's managed with diet (grain free),supplements, and sunscreen. It has actually been a good summer and his nose has not had a flare up since May. He's even starting to get the cobblstone look to it back

 

I see no reason to not adopt a DL, compared to other conditions this one can be managed fairly easily.

 

*edited to add, if you look at my siggy you can see Soul's classic lupus nose

Edited August 19, 2008 by SoulsMom

[Guest MomofSweetPotatoes]

Hi,

 

My Yardman has lupus with discoid lesions as well.

 

The biggest thing with immune-mediated diseases is to support the immune system to be healthy. People often ask, "Why am I giving a supplement to support the immune system, when it's the immune system that is attacking the body?"

Well, the reason you support the immune system is to make it a healthy immune system Healty immune systems do their job.

 

With discoid lupus, you'll want to do yearly bloodwork, monitor the kidneys and treat the symptoms. The good supplements to give to help prevent the discoid lesions are: a B complex (this helps the amino acids break down the fats for the skin) mainly b-6 and b-2, b-12 in the complex is good because it add that much needed energy. CoQ10 - this supports a healthy immune system, fish oil or salmon oil for the omega 3's, and vitamin E.

 

These will support the skin and immune system. Slowly introduce the supplements, overloading on omega 3's can actually make the symptoms worse. Food is also another consideration, you'll want to avoid foods with chemical preservatives. Chem preservatives can exacerbate symptoms.

 

 

Sunscreen on the affected areas when in the sun helps prevent more discoid lesions from happening. Flare ups usually occur during seasonal changes. Sometimes, simply putting a topical on the lesions will help the flare ups during seasons's changes. Tacrolimus ointment is one of the biggies that are used in discoid. You'll need a script for it.

 

Otherwise if you are a medication type person, niacinamide (not niacin) and tetracycline combo is usually the treatment of choice on discoid. Yardman felt really poopy on the combo, so we chose supplements and he's doing well with it.

 

I hope this info helps. oh, and by the way, Yardman is now 10 and has Systemic Lupus erythmatosis with the discoid lesions on his nose and ears. He's been feeling pretty good beyond having arthritis in his hock (from a previous injury)

 

So, while it's a little extra precautions, supplementing, discoid is pretty easy to manage. Good luck in your decision making.

 

Soul has DL, and so far it has not been too bad. I think there is a 5% chance it will develop into SL, which is far worse. Soul's DL only affects his nose and eyes(which is typical of the disease). It's managed with diet (grain free),supplements, and sunscreen. It has actually been a good summer and his nose has not had a flare up since May. He's even starting to get the cobblstone look to it back

 

I see no reason to not adopt a DL, compared to other conditions this one can be managed fairly easily.

 

*edited to add, if you look at my siggy you can see Soul's classic lupus nose

 

you beat me to it.

Edited August 19, 2008 by MomofSweetPotatoes