Hemolytic Anemia, Low Platelets, Enlarged Spleen, High Wbc's

[cleptogrey]

my vet just put felix on predisone. we cut out his antibiotics since they were killing his appetite. after a week of increased eating after no antibiotics(which he has been on for lyme) i started predisone for his L.S. he gained 2#s in around 10 days! he is also eating 95% carbs since his kidneys are failing and he has pancreatitis as well. we are using zofran & pecid ac vs. cerena. 3 weeks worth is around $17. yes, the predisone has really kicked in appetite wise and he's not slipping as much. i cook a whole chicken in a huge vat of water and 7 cups of rice. debone the chicken when it's cooked and it's most appetizing....even to DH who is getting pretty desperate since i only cook for felix these days.

 

i'm so sorry to hear this. these greyhounds really do hang on to life! and it's so hard dealing with their decline. then all of a sudden it's a rally and they are ready to go for a ride in the car. hugs- it's exhausting.

[kudzu]

Is he still on Doxycycline?

 

Yes. We continued the doxy, but the vet added on clavamox because of the rising WBC's.

 

Cerenia can work miracles. Might try that rather than withholding food.

 

Also make sure you're not giving ABs or pain meds on an empty stomach.

 

Probably should have called the vet today, but he only vomited once in the morning & he appeared to be resting okay. Unfortunately, this evening he vomited again. This was almost all bile, a lot of it, with a few bits of Pill Pockets. This morning I used a couple Pill Pockets to get his meds into him this morning, even though it still required pilling him. Then I got a few more empty Pill Pockets into him so his stomach wasn't completely empty. That was after his morning nausea & 7-8 hours before he vomitted a second time. At this point, I've nothing to treat the nausea & he's not interest in food. So there will be not evening meds tonight. That's far from ideal, but I don't know what else to do.

 

my vet just put felix on predisone. we cut out his antibiotics since they were killing his appetite.

 

He was on an appetite stimulant but after a couple days of the prednisone he was ravenous. Even with no appetite stimulants & two antibiotics he was still voracious. That is until this morning. It wouldn't surprise me if the anti-b's were causing the nausea.

 

So the meds he is currently prescribed are as follows:

Prednisone

Tetracycline

Clavamox

Famotadine

Gabapentin (for pain)

 

Today is when we were to start tapering his prednisone down so he wouldn't have gotten it this evening anyway. Am not happy about skipping the antibiotics, but if he was just going to barf those back up anyway... ?? I guess it's less hurtful to skip this dose.

[NeylasMom]

I wouldnt worry too much about missing a dose of ABs. You might try giving the Gabapentin (maybe just pill him if he tolerates it well?) as that shouldn't upset his stomach.

[Rakete]

@Kudzu many dogs on doxy suffer from a lack of appetite due to sore throat etc. Do you fully wrap the doxy with meet or anything? It is recommended to give it after feeding. You could try to feed some oatmeal gruel 30 min before the doxy.

 

If anything tick related is going on, skipping the doxy might be the wrong decission.

[cleptogrey]

the cerenia or zofran really do make a difference in the way of nausea.

 

it's a hard call, we avoided doxy since felix stops eating on it! he has been on it before and lost weight, and that was when he was younger and healthier. close communication w/ your vet will be his best bet. it's so difficult when their body goes haywire. amoxicillin has been substituted for doxy in both humans and dogs. with DH's last tick bite the new protocol was one huge dose of amoxicillin. but we are NOT vets, just individuals who are sharing our personal experience. it's always helpful to bring suggestions and questions to your professional.

[EllenEveBaz]

Just adding

[kudzu]

He's gone. He had been improved last night and ate dinner, but he was sick again during the night and this morning. Called vet to say I was bringing him in. Then he crashed. Got him to vet. His temp was low. Extremities were cold. CBC showed what I feared. Platelets very, very low. RBC & HCT dropping. He was nearly comatose when we eased him out of this life. Despite the emergency, the vet's office made it a calm, quiet & peaceful departure.

 

Am heartbroken, but am at peace with the decision. Thank you for your support through this.

Edited November 5, 2018 by kudzu

[FiveRoooooers]

Oh no, Kudzu, I am soo very sorry Your sweet boy

[XTRAWLD]

I'm so sorry to read this. We hoped you would have a bit more time. You made the right call at the right time though, and he had a pretty decent last night as it seems. Hugs. You did all you could, you really really did.

[ramonaghan]

I'm so, so sorry.

[Rickiesmom]

So unspeakably sad, I am very sorry for your loss.

[NeylasMom]

Oh no, I'm so so sorry, this was not the news we we're hoping to see.

[Remolacha]

I am so sorry

[cleptogrey]

So, so sorry to hear this;(

[Batmom]

:( I'm so sorry.