Guest Lefty Posted February 28, 2013 Share Posted February 28, 2013 Hi everyone! My husband and I adopted a beautiful female greyhound in late November. We got a call after her first vet visit in December asking us to bring her in right away because her platelets were 40,000. A Snap test was positive for erlichia. She was started on doxy 300mg bid for 28 days. Her platelets went up to 142,000 on doxy. One week after being off, her platelets plummeted to 39,000. She was put back on doxy 300mg bid for another 28 days. She is halfway through, and her platelets at last blood draw were 98,000. Our vet wants to start her on a steroid in conjunction with the doxy but I have read that steroids should be a last resort. I did an email consult with OSU and got some good information, but when I asked if it was a good idea to put her on steroids. The answer was "it depends, though we don't always do this." We submitted our claims to our insurance carrier and received a letter saying the claims were denied due to a pre-existing condition. We asked for clarification. The insurance company contacted the vet used by the adoption kennel. Two months before we brought her home, she was taken to the vet for lethargy and no appetite. The vet found two ticks on her and recommended doxy 300 sid for 30 days. No blood work was ever done. The vet said that tick born diseases are commonplace and they treat as if they know the dog is infected. We do not know if she was given the recommended medicine as there was no follow up. We were never informed that our dog had a suspected TBD. The kennel called me after they found out our dog was positive for erlichia and still never mentioned it. They just said to make sure she was being treated with the right dose of doxy and possibly add Baytril. Is it common to not be informed of a dog's medical history? Are TBDs are so prevalent that they aren't mentioned? I feel we could have had her tested and started her on medication much sooner had we been informed. She does not appear ill at all. She has great energy and actually could lose a pound or two. You would never know she was sick. I am madly in love with with girl and just want to do what is best for her. Should I see how she does after 8 weeks of just doxy, or should we add the steroid? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cozmicdog Posted February 28, 2013 Share Posted February 28, 2013 Poor Joppa! Glad to hear that outwardly, at least, she fells well! I have no advice for you, and can't help with the insurance issue, as I didn't have any when I went thru this with Cole. Quote Jen and Topper. Missing Cole(Kiowa True Topsy)(Cry Kohlton) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Scouts_mom Posted February 28, 2013 Share Posted February 28, 2013 About your adoption group not telling you--Yes, in an ideal world they would have let you know. However remember that they are volunteers and mistakes happen. It may be that someone forgot to put information about it in her file, and the placement person didn't know. That happened once or twice when I was a placement person. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sambuca Posted February 28, 2013 Share Posted February 28, 2013 I agree that mistakes happen, but generally adopters are informed of any prior medical info. Tbds are becoming pretty common in the dogs coming into care. The vet I use for my fosters have started running a test on the greys we bring in before surgery to test their blood clotting because of tbds. This is because we've had a few come in with clotting issues and after being treated for tbds they were fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaryJane Posted February 28, 2013 Share Posted February 28, 2013 It seems to be that the "pre-existing condition" in this case might be lethargy and no appetite. Since no bloodwork was ever taken to confirm, I can't see how the insurance can stand by and say that it was a pre-existing condition. I might suggest asking them to re-evaluate since "those symptoms" could have been caused by many other issues other than a tick issue. I would not think that finding two ticks would mean anything except a "possibility" of a tick borne issue .. not a confirmation. You might also talk to your own vet and see if they can back you up. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweetdogs Posted February 28, 2013 Share Posted February 28, 2013 Here is the girlie in question - the leggy, spunky Joppa Joppa by needlerest, on Flickr Marie, have you asked the steroid question on the tick-L? I think you'd want to use it if she were symptomatic to try to pull her back but she's responding to the doxy & feels well otherwise. I think Mary Jane's strategy sounds like it's worth a try with the insurance company. As to the adoption group, they should have mentioned it to you. But if she seemed OK, they probably hoped for the best. It might make a difference when this happened - when she first got to the kennel? after she had been there a while? Was she in the kennel long? I don't know if tbd's are as prevalent as they used to seem to be but I would guess most greyhounds are exposed to them during their careers. Most have no lasting effects. And probably Joppa won't either now that you know & are treating it. Keeva Bad Dog missed her Bad Dog Girlfriend on Sunday - there was a new hound to break in & she had to handle it herself. Quote Deirdre with Conor (Daring Pocobueno), Keeva (Kiowa Mimi Mona), & kittehs Gemma & robthomas. Our beloved angels Faolin & Liath, & kittehs Mona & Caesar. Remembering Bobby, Doc McCoy, & Chip McGrath. "He feeds you, pets you, adores you, collects your poop in a bag. There's only one explanation: you are a hairy little god." Nick Galifinakis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MP_the4pack Posted February 28, 2013 Share Posted February 28, 2013 My Diamond (at the Bridge now) had erlichia before I adopted her. When I went to insure her, I opened my big mouth and said she had it. They refused to even insure her. Luckily she didn't need much vet care until the end when she developed OS. Her last 6 months were expensive. But, her littermate Pearl didn't have anything before I insured her, and they probably wished it was reversed. Pearl was diagnosed with heart disease a year later and hypertension a year after that. I maxed out on yearly claims for 3 yrs. I definitely got my money's worth from Pearl. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Lefty Posted February 28, 2013 Share Posted February 28, 2013 Poor Joppa! Glad to hear that outwardly, at least, she fells well! Thanks Jen! It seems to be that the "pre-existing condition" in this case might be lethargy and no appetite. Since no bloodwork was ever taken to confirm, I can't see how the insurance can stand by and say that it was a pre-existing condition. I might suggest asking them to re-evaluate since "those symptoms" could have been caused by many other issues other than a tick issue. I would not think that finding two ticks would mean anything except a "possibility" of a tick borne issue .. not a confirmation. MaryJane, We have Trupanion. This is a quote from the denial letter. "Unable to provide coverage for an illness resulting from any condition for which evidence and/or SYMPTOMS of their POTENTIAL manifestation already exist at, or during 18 months prior to the policy enrollment date." My husband already spoke to them and they will not budge. Deirdre, thanks for posting the beautiful picture of my Joppa Girl. She is a beauty. We have to take her for repeat bloodwork to see if her platelets are still ok. I did not ask tick-L, but I will. Joppa was at the kennel for a year before we took her. Her only vet visit other than 10/2/12 was when she was spayed. She was one of five dogs diagnosed with erlichia within a short period of time. In the end, it is what it is. She is my girl sick or not. We have been lazy about Sunday walks, but we will see you there this Sunday. I will fill you in on the entire saga there. It is just upsetting to have a dog that isn't well after having just lost Lefty to lymphoma seven months ago. PS My bad girl makes Keeva look like an angel. Poor Dothan! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbhounds Posted March 1, 2013 Share Posted March 1, 2013 Marie-couple of thoughts. First-have you ever ran a tick/vector test beyond just a Snap 4DX test? You really need to know what you are truly treating--on top of this many times a dog will return with multiple positive results (ie Lyme & Ehrlichia--co-infection is common). There are titers and PCR tests available. Antech runs a FastBack Panel that's terrific. You can also send the bloods to ncsu-- http://www.cvm.ncsu.edu/vhc/csds/ticklab.html Also, a few thoughts on the blood work--you never mentioned how her WBC was and if the lab ever ran a manual platelet count or are they just running an automatic count?? Platelet clumping?? Personally, I think you stopped medication too soon and that's why the relapse. I know a corticosteroid would bring her WBC and platelet count up quickly but, I would be very hesitate to run that treatment course before consulting further. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Lefty Posted March 1, 2013 Share Posted March 1, 2013 Hi Tracy! Both Dothan and Joppa have had the Snap test. Dothan was negative; Joppa was positive. I had no idea at the time that the Snap only tested for certain things. OSU recommended I have both dogs tested fully and sent to ncsu. We asked our vet about getting more testing on Joppa. She said since Joppa was on doxy her results may not be accurate. Joppa did have a problem with her WBC as well. I'm not really sure how her platelets are being counted but I will ask. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeorgeofNE Posted March 1, 2013 Share Posted March 1, 2013 An insurance company will go out of their way to deny a claim and call it a pre-existing condition if possible. My dog couldn't even get insurance through one of the companies because the lab work said his creatinine was "abnormal" even though my vet said it was fine for a greyhound. People are awful fearful of steroids--but I have seen them to amazing things, and if she were mine, I would give them a try. Quote Susan, Hamish, Mister Bigglesworth and Nikita Stanislav. Missing Ming, George, and Buck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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