Help me. They want me to put him down. – Page 3

Raya

Guest

Hey all :)

An update on Ani boy here. The last appointment we went to, with his regular vet here in town, she had gotten access to all of his records & tests from the ER we had gone to for his first visit/diagnosis and his transfusion. When she tested his blood, his RBCs had gone up from 16% to to 19%. This was with the lower dose (20mg twice a day) of prednisone and 100mg once a day of the Atopica/Cyclosporine.

She said it was best that we try to hit it harder with the medications in order to make more progress and get him stable. She agreed that his dosages were far too low for what was happening. She doubled both, so now we’re at 40mg Prednisone twice a day & Atopica/Cyclosporine 100mg twice a day. We went back this morning to see where his RBCs are at, and he’s now made it to 27%. We come back next week to check again, I’m hoping it’s only up from here. On the way home, he proceeded to get a little bit of motion sickness I believe- Got sick all over the inside of my car as we pulled up to our house. Fabulous.

Didn’t get upset, I know he just has such a full tummy right now and that the side effects of the Prednisone aren’t really on his side right now. :( Poor thing is always so hungry and thirsty on this stuff..

I was wondering your advice on a few things. Yesterday was my first day heading back to work since we found out he was so sick. We don’t have a living situation where he can come and go out of the house whenever he wants, I keep him in my room when I’m not home. With him having to go out to pee so often, I’m wondering what to do. Yesterday I came back home every two hours or so to take him out. As you can imagine, this is very difficult to manage.

My workplace, is my sisters house. I’m wondering if it’s best he stays here and I keep coming back to do what I’ve been doing, for the sake of keeping him home/not having him get car sick/keeping him calm and in a familiar environment, or if I could bring him with me like I used to. We have a large crate for him, a separate smaller front house, away from all the other animals (my sister has four dogs and two cats-they never come out front or into the front house) and I’d be able to keep him mellow and continually take him out to potty in between work. I just don’t know what would be too much for him right now, I’m afraid to take him anywhere that his allergies might make things worse or have him catch something from anyone.. Or get bug bites. Anything. I’ve become absolutely paranoid. I don’t want to leave him anywhere too far away from me for too long, but obviously I have to work. I’m just concerned about having him out of the house now, as the techs and nurses tell me “keep him home, keep him quiet”. I just don’t want to overstimulate him or set him back in any way while he’s trying to recover.

Another thing, is diet. I was wondering what you ladies were feeding yours when they were first trying to recover. I’ve been boiling some rice, small chunks of carrot and sweet potato, and boiled/pulled chicken. He likes it, but I know I need to throw some
variety in there so he can get some more nutrients. I was wondering if you think he’s okay to eat canned/kibble or if I should keep doing what I’m doing and just try to find good veggies to interchange in his food. I was looking up good vegetables/foods for anemics earlier today.

Next, is your advice on boarding him. I’ve called around to many boarding places- Ultimately worked something out with the same one my sister takes her dogs to. They are willing to administer his meds, keep him calm, keep him quiet, and keep him solitary (away from any other dogs). I am horrified of anything happening, but I don’t have anyone else to watch him. This trip with my sister has been planned for over a year now, we will be gone for three days. I’m so worried and wish I could just cancel this plan, but I don’t think anyone would be very happy with me if I explained that I can’t come because I need to stay with him.. But I’m debating doing it anyway. We just don’t have any people we trust to look after our animals like we do for one another, and it just so happens that anyone who would usually be available to look after him are coming with us too. I was wondering if any of you have done this with your pups since they got diagnosed. I will be one state away from him (two hour plane ride) and I’d be dropping him off on the morning of July 1st, coming back to pick him up early afternoon July 4th. I was also concerned about him not having the Bordetella vaccine- Most kennels and boarding facilities require it, and he can’t get any vaccines right now or probably ever again. I was wondering how you deal with this part of it. The owner of the boarding facility didn’t seem too concerned when I explained, he just said that he doesn’t mind working with Ani and that I just need to get a note or letter from our vet saying that it’s in his best interest not to receive the required vaccine.

Finally- I’m wondering about what flea and tick preventative you suggest. He was taking two orally before all of this happened, Sentinel and Nexgard. When I sent him to camp, I had put some topical (Advantage) on him, as we had run out of his regular stuff and that’s all I had available at the time. I’m also wondering about having him outside right now. I’m really afraid of setting off his allergies, so when I take him out to potty, this is a huge stress. I’m also wondering if I should wait to give him any baths right now. Poor guy had some diarrhea from the medicine and stepped in it a couple times, I cleaned his paws off really well, but he hasn’t had a bath since he’s been home. And then with him getting sick today in the car, I think a bath might help calm him and make him feel better.

This is a lot. I’m so sorry! I should probably ask his vet literally all of this, but we only had a tech appointment today, specifically for a tech to re-check his RBCs. I’m going to set up an actual visit with the doctor next week after his next tech appointment to go over all of what I’ve brought up here.

Aside from the side effects, Ani’s personality is slowly coming back. He seems a little bored sometimes, but I know he can’t go run around and play right now.. So sad, but I know it’s for the best. Let me know what you ladies think of all of this.

Raya & Ani ❤️

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Linda

Guest

Hi Raya. So glad to read that Ani is doing well. This is awesome news. Keep up the great work.

Yes, we had to lower the Cyclsporine first with Sadie. But that was the second and third relapse and had we done it properly the first (onset), it may have not been that way. Sadie did well.

Agree with Vally 100%, I would definitely get a second opinion with Buddy. This is not right at all to me, what they have done, which actually, is nothing to help if this is AIHA/IMHA. Get him to another vet ASAP, please. Blood work is absolutely a necessarily. How on earth could they not have done this?

Sadie has a sister too. I used to worry that she would come down with it too. But thank goodness, she is fine. I am sorry that Buddy is going through this too. 2nd opinion, for sure, before it’s too late.

Also, you mentioned cooking for Ani. I cook for Sadie – have been for several years. I think this too is what has kept her going. I did finally do the food tolerance test with Dr. Dodds, called NutriScan (thank you, Vally) and found Sadie’s tolerance/intolerance to certain foods. I had been giving poultry for a long time, and by golly, come to find out, it’s a “hot” food for some dogs and Sadie’s intolerence is very high. She is now getting (all cooked) beef, pork and salmon. To this, I add (she has kidney and liver issues due to all the relapses and high immune suppressants given, so I typically chop VERY small or purée all greens) organic green beans, kale, carrot, apples – peeled cut up, cooked – blueberries, even a few raspberries and then add mashed organic sweet potatoes or mashed up orgainc rice, but 90% of the time, it’s sweet potatoes. It’s time consuming and I’m still trying to figure out THE best way to do in bulk and freeze. I was just told I should not re-freeze frozen veggies – geeze, another blunder. So, back to all fresh, unless using immediately and only goes into refrigerator. Lordy.

If I travel, I have plastic containers with lids that I fill with a meal’s worth, freeze (no frozen veggies – fresh) and take with me in a cooler with ice. Goodness, what we do. My SEVEN children were not as time consuming!!! Nor as expensive and they all have college educations! Ha. My eighth child, my goodness!

Remember though, when cooking, you should add supplemental vitamins and minerals. This was a huge research for me, to find the right one that would work with her kidney and liver concerns. I now use either BalanceIT (needs a vet’s prescription and I use BalanceIT K, for kidney) or THORNE Serior Vitamins (no prescription, Amazon, which I just started, the “senior” has no phosphorus, which should be limited in kidney dogs, Sadie is pre-renal, trying to keep it that way). I think I’m liking the THORNE.

You would think if you are cooking and giving a well balanced, home cooked meal, all vitamins and minerals needed would be there, but not so. Need to add, if cooking. It is in commercial food, so none is needed if giving that.

As a cheat, in a hurry, I also use either Honest Kitchen Preference (add water) or Halo Vegan (kibble, it’s also one of her two only treats, Fruitables being the other, Apple, Cranberry, Blueberry or Apple), which has no meat (have to limit protein for Sadie too), so that way I use that as a base and add the meat I want.

And, I had a vet canine dietician from the University of Penn, do a “diet plan” for Sadie, through my vet’s communication of Sadie’s labs, diagnosis and between the two, I was presented with a meal plan. Not as much of a hassle as it sounds, all went smooth. Can send link with her information if you like.

Between the meal plan, cooking the RIGHT tolerant foods and supplements, Sadie is alive and doing pretty darn good (knock on wood). Oh, a daily supplement I was told about at onset and she continues to this day, is PetTinic, an iron supplement. It has sugar, not to my liking, but she needs the iron and it’s worked – I’m not messing with success.

I also give Nature’s Way, refrigerated probiotic (still, thank you Patrice!) daily. Much needed. There are other supplements, but unless asked, I won’t bore you with them. The combination seems to be working and we are very thankful. No more relapses, please Sadie.

Oh, and boarding. No. I tried. They pick up any and every bad thing and as you will most likely not vacinate again, I wouldn’t. I don’t. I pay to have someone (VERY trusting, this took a bit of hunting) come in or I take Sadie to a friend that has cared for her for years. I pay to her rescue group (greyhounds, close to my heart anyway), instead of paying her, she will take no money, but this way it is a win-win. The other person, I pay.

Again, SO glad to read the wonderful news about Ani. Here’s to continued positive blood tests. And good luck with Buddy. Let us know.

Love, Linda and Sadie

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