ShantisMom Posted February 27, 2015 Share Posted February 27, 2015 (edited) Miss shanti has had a rough 2 days. Yesterday she was paralyzed on my floor. She spent the day at the vets and a bunch of tests run. Good news is she's somewhat mobile again. Disturbing news was blood work showed "boarder line positive" for heart worm. She's been on heartworm meds for as long as I've owned her, 9 years! Her thyroid test was off, but she didn't have meds that day, muscle tests were off and CBC was up. She has valley fever too, has had that for 7 years or more. Missed the vets call so I'll find out more tomorrow. Poor girl has never caught a break! Edited February 27, 2015 by ShantisMom Quote The Girls Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartdogs Posted February 27, 2015 Share Posted February 27, 2015 Sending white light to Shanti, she sure has had a hard time. My daughter's 2 GSD are heartworm positive as are most of the GSDs found running loose in the DFW area. Did the vet just do the quick snap test or another test? You may want to get another test done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duncan41 Posted February 27, 2015 Share Posted February 27, 2015 Prayers for Shanti. Poor girl, sure had a terrible day yesterday! Have never heard of borderline positive for heartworm. If that dx was done via snap test, I am sure a sample sent out to a lab will provide a definitive answer. Quote Linda, Mom to Fuzz, Barkley, and the felines Miss Kitty, Simon and Joseph.Waiting at The Bridge: Alex, Josh, Harley, Nikki, Beemer, Anna, Frank, Rachel, my heart & soul, Suze and the best boy ever, Dalton.<p> ....for all those hounds that are sick, hurt, lost or waiting for their forever homes. SENIORS ROCK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShantisMom Posted February 27, 2015 Author Share Posted February 27, 2015 I'm not sure how it was tested. I'll ask. This could explain her episode the other day of a clot or larva broke free. And I'm guessing my other dog will have it too! She's a poo eater. but she's also in meds for heartworm Quote The Girls Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeylasMom Posted February 27, 2015 Share Posted February 27, 2015 I'm not sure how it was tested. I'll ask. This could explain her episode the other day of a clot or larva broke free. And I'm guessing my other dog will have it too! She's a poo eater. but she's also in meds for heartworm Heartworm is transmitted by mosquitoes carrying infected bled, not through stool. So it's not likely both of your dogs have it unless you're in an area with a really high rate of heartworm disease. Hope you can get everything sorted out for your girl. Quote Jen, CPDT-KA with Zuri, lab in a greyhound suit, Violet, formerly known as Faith, Skye, the permanent puppy, Cisco, resident cat, and my baby girl Neyla, forever in my heart "The great thing about science is that you're free to disagree with it, but you'll be wrong." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShantisMom Posted February 27, 2015 Author Share Posted February 27, 2015 That's good to know! Quote The Girls Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Remolacha Posted February 27, 2015 Share Posted February 27, 2015 poor Shanti! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShantisMom Posted February 28, 2015 Author Share Posted February 28, 2015 Shanti is having more stability problems tonight. Got a run down on Shantis bloodwork. Red blood cells are good Platelets are low White cells are elevated Chem protein: Globulin high 5.9 Albumin tad low 2.6 Excess protein in urine Liver good Kidney function normal Blood sugar fine Muscle hst elevated Muscle CPK elevated 1900 (895 is high of normal) Heartworm borderline positive Urine was high protein So...we are going to retest heartworm next Saturday. We will return blood panel in 2-3 weeks after we get her stabilized on meds. Depending on those results we treat for heartworm and move on to bi cavity ultrasound to see what's going on. X-rays were all fine. Quote The Girls Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJNg Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 Heartworm disease doesn't cause paralysis or mobility problems. Do you see a lot of heartworm in your area? Even if Shanti does have heartworms, it sounds like she has more pressing problems. I'd pursue further workup for her clinical signs before jumping to heartworm treatment. Quote Jennifer & Willow (Wilma Waggle), Wiki (Wiki Hard Ten), Carter (Let's Get It On), Ollie (whippet), Gracie (whippet x), & Terra (whippet) + Just Saying + Just Alice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbhounds Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 Heartworm disease doesn't cause paralysis or mobility problems. Do you see a lot of heartworm in your area? Even if Shanti does have heartworms, it sounds like she has more pressing problems. I'd pursue further workup for her clinical signs before jumping to heartworm treatment. Me too--Jennifer would you be concerned with the proteinuria/stroke here? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShantisMom Posted February 28, 2015 Author Share Posted February 28, 2015 Vet mentioned her protein issues could cause it too. What causes the protein t skew so? No, not a lot of heartworm here and we have not traveled to anywhere around here that it is prevalent. Quote The Girls Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbhounds Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 When you lose protein in the urine (proteinuria) you also lose antithrombin 3 by default too. Antithrombin is an anti clotting factor-too little = suspectible to thrombosis (clot/stroke). Treatment of choice per Dr Couto for stroke is low dose aspirin (no steriods). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShantisMom Posted February 28, 2015 Author Share Posted February 28, 2015 Interesting. Learning all kinds of stuff with my diva. Is there a way to stop the protein loss? Quote The Girls Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greyhoundlov Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 If you have been diligent with your heartworm preventative, and I'm sure you have, and if your dog has heartworms, check with the manufacturer. This should not happen. Good luck and big hugs.... Quote Mary in Houston Everyone has a photographic memory, but not everyone has film. LAND OF THE FREE BECAUSE OF THE BRAVE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJNg Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 Hard to say without knowing the amount of protein in the urine, or what the actual clinical signs are, but stroke is probably a much more likely cause of the mobility issues than throwing a clot due to the heartworms. We see a lot of heartworm disease here, and I've never seen it cause mobility problems. Clots from heartworm disease usually go to the lungs and cause coughing and difficulty breathing. Most low positive or borderline positive dogs are asymptomatic. Also, if you're in an area with a low incidence of heartworm disease, you're a lot more likely to see false positives. There have been an increasing number of recent reports about resistant heartworms, and preventative has never been 100% effective, so it's still possible to get heartworms while on prevention. That's why a yearly HW test is important even when the dog is current on prevention. But it's much more likely in high risk areas like the southeast and Mississippi River Valley. If you have a good purchase history for heartworm preventative through your vet, most manufacturers will pay for treatment if the dog really has heartworms. The most common cause of protein loss through the urine in greyhounds is glomerulonephritis, a type of kidney disease. If proteinuria is confirmed and quantified with a urine protein:creatinine ratio, it would be a good idea to start on an ACE inhibitor like benazepril or enalapril, in addition to low dose aspirin therapy. The meds don't always completely stop the protein loss but will help reduce and and hopefully slow progression. Quote Jennifer & Willow (Wilma Waggle), Wiki (Wiki Hard Ten), Carter (Let's Get It On), Ollie (whippet), Gracie (whippet x), & Terra (whippet) + Just Saying + Just Alice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShantisMom Posted February 28, 2015 Author Share Posted February 28, 2015 She's currently taking carprofen, tramadol and gabapentin. Can aspirin still be given? Or do we need to pull carprofen first? Quote The Girls Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest FloridaGirl Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 That is so weird - there's only "you have heartworm" or "you do not have heartworm". It's sort of like pregnancy - you can't be "sort of prego". I've seen plenty of SNAP tests come up with a faint positive, but then we always check the blood for microfilaria (baby wormies) in addition to the SNAP test and that would always come up with the truth. If all else failed and another SNAP test still showed a faint positive, the blood would be sent off to the lab for a more thorough examination. I would definitely inquire more as to what your vet calls "borderline heartworm", because that's just...weird sounding? I only worked in the vet industry for a little over 5 years, but the only products I saw fail (with regular, accurate dosing) was Revolution and Advantage Multi. In the three clinics I worked in (Florida - so VERY heartworm heavy...and full of people who washed their dogs way too often) I saw four large dogs who had microfilaria while on regular, accurate dosage. Now, this ISN'T to say that topical is any less effective (correlation does not prove causation, resistant worms are becoming more prevalent), but I've always been a fan of internal methods just because. I'm not sure what your darling girl is on, but greyhoundlov is right - you need to contact the manufacturer. If you are able to prove your regular healthcare and preventative through your vet records, then the treatment is often covered by the manufacturer. It truly depends on the level of infection and what your vet recommends, but the treatment can range anywhere from the traditional ivermectin injections and hospital stay (full blown heartworms) to simply changing heartworm medications and testing monthly for 3 months (just microfilaria). I hope things work out, and I am super curious as to what your vet recommends. It's been a few years since I was in the industry, and I know how things change. Good luck, and I'm sending warm hugs your way! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShantisMom Posted February 28, 2015 Author Share Posted February 28, 2015 She was on Interceptor until discontinued and is on sentinel now. Both pull forms. Quote The Girls Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest FloridaGirl Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 That's so weird - I hope things work out tho. <3 You may just have some really nasty wormlets in your area. :/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShantisMom Posted February 28, 2015 Author Share Posted February 28, 2015 Maybe. We are not in a hot zone and miss gimpy has not left my house. My money is on false positive. She's the "interesting case" at the vets. Never good to be that!!!! Quote The Girls Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJNg Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 You don't typically want to mix NSAIDs (carprofen and aspirin), but I believe it may be ok with the very low aspirin doses used to prevent clots. You definitely want to discuss the pros and cons with your vet before starting this combination. Quote Jennifer & Willow (Wilma Waggle), Wiki (Wiki Hard Ten), Carter (Let's Get It On), Ollie (whippet), Gracie (whippet x), & Terra (whippet) + Just Saying + Just Alice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbhounds Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 Fwiw-I gave 40mgs of aspirin daily while giving predinsone. This was prescribed by Dr Couto. For the record this dog was also taking priolsec and sucralfate too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShantisMom Posted March 1, 2015 Author Share Posted March 1, 2015 I'll ask my vet about it. Miss Shanti's not doing good today. Quote The Girls Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeylasMom Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 Have you considered seeing an internist? Might not be a bad idea since this doesn't seem straightforward. Quote Jen, CPDT-KA with Zuri, lab in a greyhound suit, Violet, formerly known as Faith, Skye, the permanent puppy, Cisco, resident cat, and my baby girl Neyla, forever in my heart "The great thing about science is that you're free to disagree with it, but you'll be wrong." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShantisMom Posted March 1, 2015 Author Share Posted March 1, 2015 (edited) We've done that in the past. May come to that. I'll rerun tests once. If it's unclear, we move to specialist I think. Last time I did that it was $800 too! Edited: iPhone autocorrect sucks! Edited March 1, 2015 by ShantisMom Quote The Girls Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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