Pred/Atopica not working anymore – Page 2

Keymaster

Hi Mike

Thanks for the info – so far, I can’t see anything untoward with your drug regime, although the atopica should ideally be given on an empty stomach – to get the 2 doses 12 hours apart would be better too – so you could change the morning dose to 10am? Sometimes dogs have tummy upsets with the high starting doses of atopica, but it usually passes when the dose can be reduced. Dr Dodds has a protocol for atopica called pulse dosing – give it at 10 mg/kg for 5 days rest 2 days, then at 5mg/kg for another 5 days. The lower dose is repeated after a 2 day rest on a 5 days on, 2 days off cycle as long as is needed. I don’t know if you have decided to contact her or not, but you could discuss this aspect with your vet. It also says that “atopica induces rapid T-cell suppression within about 48 hours and has been safe, effective, and well-tolerated at these doses”. As I said earlier, I would also urge you to contact Dr Dodds to see if she is happy about so many immuno-suppressants (aza can suppress bone marrow) – our lovely Tamara has had problems with her gorgeous boy Ashki & I hope she is around to tell you about her experiences.

Good that you have famotidine, but I agree with Brigitte – I am also a huge fan of sucralfate – it is wondrous as it coats the GI tract, enabling it to be protected & ulceration will heal nicely using this drug. A “last thing at night” 1 gramme dose (2 hours after the last medications) was the only thing that stopped Worzel’s stomach pain. To me, it is an absolute essential.

If your vets thinks there is a possibility of an infection, I am relieved to see the doxycycline. I presume they are doing tests for infections etc? Worzel was on a high dose for about 5 weeks to make sure it killed off the tick-borne disease he caught. It gave him terrible tummy ache, poor lad. I see you are giving the azathioprine with food – that is good. Has she had any tummy issues at all?

Yes – lack of nutrients & lack of enough thyroid hormone can really hold their recovery back. Many owners find that adding thyroid hormone & giving the supplements really helps to get an improvement.

The PCV going up & down a bit – are they always taking the blood sample from the same place? My specialist insists that we ALWAYS take a sample from the neck, not from the leg. Taking them from different places might give different results. As Vally mentioned, hydration levels make a difference too. And these drugs can make them dehydrated at times – I expect you already know that though!

Sorry to be a bit of a stick-in-the-mud, but I am always dubious about supplements. You mentioned Drs Foster/Smith chews. I’ve never heard of them (probably because I am in Europe) & can’t even get on their website to check it out for you. (Can anyone else check this out for Mike please?) I’m not saying there’s anything bad about it but I prefer it when II can read that supplements have genuine research to back up the statements & can prove they are free of nasty things such as arsenic, heavy metals etc. I would rather you to used PetTinic for now. I would prefer to be cautious & for you to use a well known & trusted brand & your vet is saying Lola needs Vit Bs & iron.

Finally (thank goodness for that you say!) the pred weaning process you followed doesn’t look overly aggressive BUT did you take before & after PCV checks? If there is a glitch during weaning, you have to increase the pred back to the previous dose & wait for things to settle down. I notice you mentioned a few ups & downs – was that during weaning? I am ultra-cautious on dropping the pred – it’s vital to get it exactly right or relapses do happen.

Going to grab some food now – I know you want to add to the information.

Speak soon
Sheena x

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