hayley's blood work

[lynn]

well Hayley got stressed over a toy yesterday and looked not pale but not pink like she should… so I took her for blood work this morning at 8:00 am we just got back from the vet it is now 8:54 am… her pcv was @ 38% that’s her lowest in many years. the vet didn’t do anything just said watch her give us a call if she get’s pale… wow!!! she has been very calm but when it comes to her toy’s she really get’s very upset.. and, stress isn’t good for her. all these years of going through surgery and being sick with the use of pet sitter’s she did great. but when it came to a lost toy she lost it…. little stinker. that little perky baby goes nuts if she can’t find a toy…. and, stress for IMHA and her heart worries me…. she lays all her toy’s out in a line and takes her nose and counts them… if just one is missed place she goes all a part until it is found. we find them in such strange place like a pillow on sofa or chair or in a blanket she lays on … but this was under my bed pillow and took a while to find. something like this to stress that little thing. I am at a loss only she knows. the vet said we will do another ultra sound of the heart in august. I just hope she is on the right heart meds for DVD she taking benazepril and I also give her cardio strength by vetri- science lynn & hayley

[admin]

Hello my sweet lady

Hayley with her toys is such a beautiful story & really funny too, bless her! I’m assuming you mean she has degenerative valve disease. There are lots of medications available, but she should have specialist examination to determine exactly what is going on. An ECG (I think you say EKG?) & ultrasound should be carried out to see what’s happening inside her heart – which valve is the problem, etc etc. This is a common thing in certain breeds including chihuahuas & greyhounds, so we are in the same boat! I completely understand you are worried about her PCV & I would be too. At least she’s in normal still – what has she been before, Lynn? Is it a big drop or just a few points?

Worzel has a leaky mitral valve (a prolapse) – has had for years – and his been on pimobendan (which regulates the heartbeat), plus prilactone (which improves heart function – see http://www.ema.europa.eu/docs/en_GB/document_library/EPAR_-_Summary_for_the_public/veterinary/000105/WC500063366.pdf)
for about 5 years now. He is absolutely fine, touch wood, and has not got any worse so far – he’s at least 14 now. He has an ECG & ultrasound every year to check him out. It is really a specialist thing for a vet to know exactly what the problem is & which drug(s) will work best. Here is an interesting read from Cornell University:
http://www.vet.cornell.edu/hospital/Services/Companion/Cardiology/conditions/leaky-valve.cfm
I am a huge fan of pimobendan:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pimobendan
as it has prolonged the life of many, many dogs with this MVP problem- Worzel’s heartbeat dropped from 200 bpm down to normal within 12 hours of starting treatment. I’m not saying that it would definitely work for Hayley as I’m not sure precisely what her problem is – but it’s certainly worth asking your vet specialist/cardiologist about a different medication if she’s not quite right. It does say it is better than benazepril in some articles, but it depends on the diagnosis.

Hope this has helped a bit – we will always worry – forever – about our babies. It can’t be helped after the trauma of getting them through the IMHA treatment.

Sending much love & loads of hugs to you, my very dear friend, and to little Hayley as well,
Sheena, Worzel & Ollie too xxxxx

[lynn]

sheena , thank you for the info on pimobendan. I will ask her heart specialist about this med. yes I am worried about her large drop in her pcv to 38% she has not been that low in many years .her stress factor is that of her toy’s. most of the time it take a minute to find one but not this time… she looks some what better her gums are pink but not the inside of her ears like before. I did not like the vet brushing this off he said (a fill in vet ) she was in normal range and nothing needs to be done.he said dogs can be 32%-40% and that’s normal. acted as if I was just a nervous mom. but …. he acted as if I was stupid… because I tried to tell him she was 49-50% . you know what he said … I can read her chart just fine. he took all of 3 minutes to say that and turned and said she needs another ultra sound of her heart in august…. well I knew that her last was in jan. of this year. and that was because I requested her before a year. it makes me feel better to know if any change has taken place. oh vets! make me so upset at times. I just hate it when her vet isn’t ther the day I take her. I shouldn’t say the word hate… that’s strong.i am just so uneasy with her right now… I keep checking her every 5 minutes.i will ask about the heart medication… I just never felt safe with benazepril … I had taken that and it did not work for me at all.thank you for the advice. so glad your babies are doing so well. I am calling to see if her vet is in tomorrow… and, I will take her back even if she as pink as I think she should be.i need to know for sure as color sometime has fooled me. I thought she looked pale and she was 50.2%. .. after all its money in their pocket to care for my baby. thank you. lynn& hayley

[Vally]

Lynn, I’m sorry you had a hard time with that vet.

I took Bingo in one morning as I was very worried about him (that was the morning after the little dog came into the house). Since September last year, I changed Bingo’s general vet to a lady who is lovely (I changed from the old vets because I kept getting a different vet there). That morning the vet wasn’t there and I saw her partner. Well she almost had me in tears. Her name was FFiona (yes 2 Fs), and she said Bingo was in a terrible condition for a dog his age, he should never have been on prednisone blagh blagh blagh. I left there and went straight to the specialists who, without any comment from me, said, he’s in good condition for his age!!!! So there FFFFFFFiona!!! When I saw his regular vet there and told her FFFFFiona had upset me, she said she has done that to a few patients. So if Bingo needs to go in one day and my lady vet isn’t there, I’ll just go to the specialists.

They like to keep us on our toes these special ones don’t they.

Love Vally & Bingo

[admin]

Hi again Lynn

Just a thought – Hayley is/was hypothyroid, right? Is she on soloxine (thyroxine for dogs)? As people get older they often need their thyroxine increased as the gland doesn’t work so well. I think it would be a good idea to get a full thyroid panel done for her. We all know what a difference adding soloxine makes to getting the PCV of our dogs up & Dr Dodds ALWAYS recommends it regardless for anaemia. Hypothyroid people are often inclined to be anaemic, so are dogs. The other thing you could get is a Vitamin B12 test to make sure she is absorbing enough through her GI tract.

I agree with Vally completely – it’s horrible when you are not 100% sure of your vet & it makes things very difficult. I always pick which vet to see at our practice according to what we are going in for – they all have strengths & weaknesses!

Sending all our love to you & the babies, as always.
Sheena & the boys xxxxx

[lynn]

sheena & vally, it sure does as there are all new vets in my area… the older ones retired or moved away… these young ones just really don’t know anything. Hayley is much pinker today. we started to take her to the over night clinic but she seem to be with color… that toy just stressed her and can cause relapse … this I know. she had been ched for thyroid issuse’s but were all normal testing but I am going to make her an appointment when her regular vet is in and ask and bring up the solxine… not a bad idea to ask again. these vets sometimes check her and I have to ask to check the blood. I would hate… but would take her to Knoxville to U.T. for check ups but being 200 miles if something bad happened would be very risky. honestly these new young vets just don’t take being a vet seriously… they run out in the hall while you hold your baby on the table to talk about what they did the night before … and , what they plan to do this night. I always bring a blanket as I don’t like my baby on the steel cold table anyway. i do give Hayley B12 … I would love to give her mushroom’s for immunity .. but don’t think IMHA babies can have it. I dod know that the medical ones helped shelly. after going through cancer treatments 2 times… when I was told no more surgery or treatments… I kept up with that treatment on my own I just couldn’t get the I’m yunity or yunna bao which ever after the vet said the fight was over but she fought long and hard for another 1 1/2 year on the combo of medical mushrooms. that poor dear baby wanted to live so badly she lived on love… and, dealt with so many forms of cancer…. it is so hard to believe someone just moved away left her on her own for years…. how I wish I had found her the day they left her to her own. she wouldn’t have been so alone all those years… it hurts me so to know that people are so very cruel to such little living breathing beings with such love to give us. we loved her so… I never gave up I was there doing all I knew to do… and, the same with Hayley I just wish my health was better as I am not sure I can drive that distance or my hubby could any more to go to Knoxville … I am so thankful the older vets were here when Hayley was hit with this disease. she is nice and pink so maybe… she can wait until her vet is working I am at odds of concern here.hayley at one time had the best vets but now these are horrible vets that’s here now. I am so sorry to say something that ugly but it is true… I always like to think nice thigs about everyone but its so hard … when they give 2-3 minutes but mostly talking to other vets outside your door… I am not the only clints who say this as I hear them talking in the parking lot .I feel like I am in the twilight zone of going no where with my baby. lynn & hayley

[lynn]

hayleys pcv is @ 42% thank heavens it’s going back up. will check Monday again lynn& Hayley p.s. she has to keep up with her toy’s better… ha! telling a baby that … right! I am so happy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[admin]

Congratulations, Lynn & Hayley! That is good news indeed – maybe a temporary glitch – glad to hear she’s OK
Love Sheena & the boys xxxxx