Praying for a full recovery!

[June Hwang]

My dog, Dots, a 7 year old (intact) female shih tzu was diagnosed with AIHA. On April 10th, her HCT was 36% and blood platelets 95,000! Her doctor first assumed it might be thrombocytopenia. She was administered with vincristine and got prescribed 12.5mg of prednisolone and doxycycline Suspension 50mg/ml – 1.3ml. On April 15th, she got her blood drawn. A few days later the results showed her HCT went further down to 31% and platelets up to 596,000. Doctor was worried and prescribed her omeprazole and carafate on the 19th and rechecked just her PCV which showed it had went up to 34%. On the 20th, Dots started vomiting NON STOP (everything she ate and drank she kept throwing up), so off to the vet we go! Doc checked her PCV and it went up to 38%. At that point Doc recommended we stop doxycycline and lower the prednisolone dose to 5mg everyday instead of 12.5 and she also got a shot of Cerenia injection for her vomiting. On the 27th she got her blood drawn again and we received her results the next day. It showed her HCT went up to 42% and blood platelets 566,000. Doctor said to keep giving her the prednisolone at the same dose and omeprazole and discontinue the carafate for three more weeks.

On the 11th, Dots started having diarrhea. At first it was just a lot of mucus in the stool. On May 13th we went back for another bloodwork panel and came back with HCT 48% and platelets 480,000. Doc wanted to wean her off her prednisolone that day but because of her diarrhea he wanted to hold off on it and see if Dots diarrhea could get better with a chicken and rice diet. After a few days with no luck and diarrhea getting worse, doctor prescribed her with metronidazole 50mg tablet twice a day for 7days and proviable. Her diarrhea instantly stopped and for a while she was doing great after three days off metronidazole and her diarrhea started again. Doctor asked me if her diarrhea was really bad, it wasn’t. He said let’s wait and give Dots a chance to fight this on her own. It was just getting worse again. On May 28th, doc prescribed her with Tylan powder and told me she was will have to be on it for four weeks. He said we will discuss about lowering the prednisolone after her diarrhea is under control. After a week, doc lowered the prednisolone to 2.5mg a day.

Today is her fourth day on the lower dose. I’ve been recording everything meticulously from her resting respiratory rate to her daily food intake and constantly checking her skin for any bruises and checking her gums. Her resting respiratory rate before lowering the dose was in the high teens and lower twenties (breaths per minute). Recently, Ive been noticing her resting respiratory rate is in the higher twenties and even up to thirty one today. Call me crazy or obsessive but I love my dog to death and I will do anything for her! I called the doctor today and left a voicemail, we will see what he says about this. I’m hoping it isn’t a symptom of prednisolone withdrawals. (Any idea guys on why this is happening?) besides her higher respiratory rate, she eats very well and is her normal sleepy self (she always napped A LOT even before this so it is sometimes very hard to differentiate lethargy from her normal habits).

Also, her front right leg has been very weak lately. She will start limping on her left leg EVERYTIME she gets up from a nap. She’ll walk normally after a few mins of limping. Im thinking it is muscle wasting from the steroids. Any advice or suggestions on what I can do to help her regain her muscles?

[Vally]

Hi June, I’m so sorry to hear about Dot.

Do you have blood test results? If so, please send them through the urgent advice and Patrice, the site owner can have a look at them for you.

The PCV is in the normal range, so that’s great. The platelets are also now normal, so that’s good too.

What is Dot’s weight?

I think the rapid breathing is a side effect of the prednisone. That is quite common.

Tylan powder is great for diarrhear, it’s a slower way to treat it but its a very safe treatment. So stick with that for the 4 weeks.

Keep Dot’s food bland and keep doing what you’re doing.

Any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask.

My best, Vally

[June Hwang]

Hi thanks for your advice and support! In the beginning of this whole journey, my heart was heavy and I was completely devastated. The first sign of Dots acting weird was skipping her breakfast for two days followed by a sudden seizure one morning. Everything was so sudden! I just want everyone out there dealing with the same situation to stay strong, patient, and keep fighting! There were times where everything seemed like it was getting worse than better but I’m thankful my beautiful Dots stayed strong and is fighting this!

I just have a concern because my current Vet said that there doesn’t seem to be a problem with her breathing as long as the resting respiratory rate is below thirties. I’m just a really anxious nervous person so everything worries me. Her last Bloodwork was on the 13th of May and that’s a month ago! When I asked the doctor if she can maybe get her PCV checked just in case, he said it wasn’t necessary and that we should just monitor her and wait a month of the lower dosage of steroid and do a full blood work.

I will post up the bloodwork on the link you provided. Thank you so much !

[June Hwang]

I’m sorry I meant to write *IMHA as her prognosis.

[Vally]

Hi June,

I’m a very anxious sort of person myself. I was a mess when Bingo was sick, so I totally understand.

I’m not sure why your vet won’t do the simple PCV test. It makes sense to keep track of Dot’s progress and that’s an easy way to do it. I would ask again, and simply say that you are very anxious and don’t think you can wait a month to see what the PCV is.

Panting is very common, although I know it’s hard to watch.

You mentioned a seizure. Has Dot had her thyroid checked? It’s possible that she may need thyroid medication. The thyroid really runs the whole body and as they age, many dogs need to go onto a thyroid supplement.

Another thought, you may want to consider doing an online consultation with Dr Jean Dodds. She’s a brilliant vet and a specialist in this disease. I did a few with Bingo along the years. You simply complete the form, the charge is US$150. Send her a copy of everything you have in one document (so scan everything together). She responds very quickly. Once she has responded, if you have more questions you simply email her back and she’ll respond again, so whilst you pay $150 for the consult, it’s an ongoing consultation with no extra charge. So really it’s very fairly priced.

She put my mind to rest many times. I’ve added in the link from our page and click on the second panel “Online Consultation Request”.
https://www.secondchanceaihadogs.com/hemopetresources

I’ve emailed Patrice about the blood test results you’ve sent through. I’m not very good with understanding blood results so I’ve asked her to have a look for you. She should come back soon.

Regards, Vally