Bio-Algae Concentrates

[admin]

Amber – I can see you’ve really got your head round this now – pred reduction first this time is good. We all understand this disease costs such a lot of money & we all have to work within our “budget” sometimes, so don’t worry about last time – not worth it.

As far as I know, the thyroid problem would not affect neutrophil levels to such large extent, if at all. It is possible the corticosteroids could be the culprit to raise them – but I am still thinking infection of some kind though as something has caused a relapse – almost always infection is the cause of high neutrophils – & I would be happier if you get this checked out with your vet. There is a way they can tell – looking at the number of band cells (which are immature neutrophils) – large numbers or a “left shift” indicates infection / inflammation, rather than response to corticosteroids. There are no such figures I can see on the tests. Sorry if this is complicated – just print this & take it with you.

Have you had any other tests done? Snap 4 test for tick diseases would be a good start. My dog Worzel was ill for a long time before we realised what it was – we suspected a tick borne disease – he was given doxycycline, high dose, for 5 weeks. The problem is our dogs are highly susceptible to infection because of the pred – it would be easy for Dean to catch something. In my opinion (& my specialist’s) if you think a dog with IMHA has an infection, treat it straight away – don’t hesitate. Don’t waste time testing for things other than on the Snap 4 as it gives the infection a chance to really get hold. Let’s see what the band cells say too!

What I can categorically tell you is that hypothyroidism causes high cholesterol levels in dogs (and in people too) so that would explain Dean’s high level.

Off to bed now! Hope I’ve helped a bit more.
Hugs, Sheena xxxxx

[Amber]

I truly love the vet that Dean goes to. We went yesterday and she said she had already been consulting with the specialist at the emergency pet hospital in town. Luckily Dean doesn’t have an infection but his liver results are high. ALP at 836 (normal range 20-150) and ALT 931 (normal range 10-118). She recommended 400 mg of Milk Thistle (and a good quality brand of Milk Thistle from a whole foods supplier) in his food once a day as well as some diet modifications.

It has only been a week since the scary test results that prompted us to go back on the Cyclosporin and during that whole week I was anticipating a dramatic turn for the worst like in the beginning of this whole disease. GOOD NEWS! While it has only been 7 days of adding cyclosporine and soloxine, Dean’s RBC went up by a tiny bit from 4.51 to 4.73 and his HCT went from 33.92% to 36.34%. I think I almost passed out in the waiting room when the vet came out and showed me these results. I truly was expecting her to send me back to Blue Pearl (our emergency vet) for another blood transfusion.

More good news; she is completely on board with supplementing Dean’s care by going to a vet in town who specializes in traditional Chinese medicine. She even offered to fax all of Dean’s tests to the TCM vet for me.

[admin]

Hi Amber!
it is refreshing and so wonderful to hear about a vet that is not only knowledgeable about the disease but is also not on a high horse and willing to work together with specialists and a TCM vet. it looks like Dean is well on the way to recovery and you can pat yourself on the back, you did a great job looking after him and being his voice. I was glad to read that you added milk thistle, ask your vet to also get Dean some Sam-E/Denamarin to help his liver recover from those high values.

Well done! Best wishes,

Brigitte

[Vally]

Hi Amber, yes, as Brigitte said, the Denamarin works magic on sick livers. It’s also a controlled dose, so its much more accurate than Milk Thistle. You can get it online at a much better price than available through vets too.

I’m so glad Dean has improved. Yes I know the feeling of sitting in the waiting room waiting for results and thinking you’re going to pass out from fear.

Vally & Bingo
xxx

[admin]

Hi Amber

Really good news – I’m so happy to hear things are going well & that your vet is great – & open-minded too. I have never understood why some vets refuse to listen to others.

Goodness, we all worry ourselves silly when waiting for results – I always did – no-one understands how stressful this disease is unless they’ve experienced it, so you’re not alone there!

As Brigitte & Vally have said, the Denamarin is wonderful & will really help.

I’m so happy for you & Dean

Love Sheena, Worzel & Ollie xxxxx

[Amber]

We visited the TCM vet yesterday and got some good recommendations for a diet that meets Dean’s specific needs as well as some herbs/supplements. She mentioned that blue algae is in one of the supplements as a way to balance his immune system, not send it into overdrive and start killing the red blood cells again. However, I’m learning that it is so important to get expert advice before adding any (ANY) supplement to an IMHA dog’s diet.

She believes Dean was predisposed for anemia and since he got vaccinated right before his diagnosis, this is what triggered the disease process. He is now on medication to help cleanse his system of any residual vaccine and a supplement to restore the good bacteria of his gut that the medication has killed off (this will help him build his muscles back up). He is also on a Chinese herb (I literally can’t decipher any of the words on the box or I would describe it better) that can work to stimulate his bone marrow to create reticulocytes. Acupuncture can do this too but the herbs are less invasive and better for your first attempt.

I’ve realized that Dean should never again be vaccinated (this was the vet’s recommendation too although she has a specialized vaccine for rabies that she recommends for IMHA dogs) which means his days of going to the doggie daycare are over as well as trips to the dog park. This makes me sad but I’m trying to focus more on our time together, what we can still enjoy together, as opposed to what we can’t do anymore.

[admin]

Amber,
no vaccines does not mean that your dog is not immune! I am not a fan of dog parks to start with but I compete in dog agility so my dogs are exposed to all kinds of dogs, year round. You can titer test your dogs to check for immunity. I have done this every year (this is over kill, every 3 years is good) and so far after their first shots, my dogs have always been immune. There might have been one time that we had to immunize distemper but it is so long ago I don’t even remember. My dogs are 5 and 9, healthy and happy, no vaccines and I know they are immune to parvo and distemper. They are never immunized for Leptosirosis and Bordatella, the risk is too high. I had a dog that got AIHA because of over immunization so those two are out. Rabies is a different story. It depends on the law if you have to do it or not, if a titer will be accepted or not. Flying under the radar can be risky. Here in Canada we don’t have a law that makes us do it, but I did it anyway because I was traveling to the US. Rabies is extremely rare here, but it still happens so I decided to do it.
For now don’t even think about vaccines, cross the bridge when you get there. Your main focus is to get Dean healthy again and it looks like he is well on the way!

Best wishes,
Brigitte

[Vally]

Amber that sounds great. As Brigitte said, titer testing will put your mind at rest. I was the first person around here to ask for titer testing for Bingo about 8 years ago. I sat on the phone for about 30 minutes while they were checking to see how it was to be done. The results came back, as with Brigitte’s, Bingo had heaps of immunity.

Vally & Bingo
xxx