snoopy

[jill]

thankyou so much Valley I am def going to ask for the carafate and anti clotting medication on Thursday,also going to chat with hubby this evening personally i would like to contact Dr Dobbs all being well,also he is better on computer than me , just wandering if snoopy remained stable on level that he is, would it be possible to remain at the level till drugs kick in? or do you think might need another blood transfusion? I suppose only time will tell, I just hope level remains the same for Thursday xxx thankyou for chart xx and thankyou all for help xxx

[Sheena]

Hi again Jill

Aazathioprine was great for Worzel, but there are risks as I said. Any sign of vomiting, diarrhoea or pain – stretching out because of tummy ache, you must stop it immediately & change to cyclosporine. It musy ALWAYS be given with food to minimise pancreatitis risks. As everyone has said, tummy protectors need to be given separately, at least an hour away from the other drugs. I just looked at Worzel’s progress chart & he responded to the azathioprine in about 14 days, so be patient for now! I am crossing everything for Snoopy to respond well, as Worzel did. If he needs a small packed red cell transfusion to keep him going, that’s absolutely fine, don’t worry. I found the pred stopped Worzel dropping any further until the azathioprine started to work – let’s hope that is what will happen for you too.

I know for sure you can get Atopica (cyclosporine) in the UK if you need to- here is one site:
http://www.vetuk.co.uk/pet-meds-prescription-only-atopica-c-21_706

I do think contacting Dr Dodds is the best option. Contact her today as she is teaching in Europe, which is OUR timezone – lovely. I contacted her yesterday & she e-mailed me back very quickly. She is by far the best specialist & you wouldn’t need to bother trying to find one in the UK then. I hope your vet will follow her advice implicitly – do you think your vet will be OK with this? She really is lovely & will work with them as much as possible.

Jill, I’m still concerned about the clotting issues. Looking forward to seeing all the results. I had a thought about the sucralfate – carafate & antepsin in the UK
https://www.medicines.org.uk/emc/medicine/3711

Vally’s drug chart looks great with Snoopy’s picture! He is very beautiful – no wonder you love him to bits.

Take care of yourselves – this stage of the disease is so tiring for everyone. I bet Snoopy will get a much bigger appetite with the prednisolone – I had to feed Worzel more often as he was starving & very thirsty too.

Love Sheena xxxx

[jill harknett]

Hi Sheena Hi all, just got basck from vets its good news Snoopys blood level has gone up from 16 to 20! I can believe this, I thought it might stay the same or be lower. vet is going to do a test on Monday to see if blood is regenerating.surely the azathioporine wouldn’t have done this already? I asked about clotting meds but vet said because Snoopy has had a suspected ulcer will wait for now but in future?Also Carafate</h4>Carafate is a brand name for Sucralfate.<br /><br />Please see glossary term Sucralfate for further information.” class=”glossaryLink ” target=”_blank” >carafate he said is not available here and thatvSnoopy was on tum meds already? don’t know if you can see the ones he is taking and if you think they are enough? I asked hubby about contacting Dr Dobbs he said our vet will charge to liase with her might b to expensive I will ask on monday how much?Snoopy does seem brighter in himself even went to door barking at post men and wanting to walk further! Thanks for all your help, love Jill xx

[jill harknett]

ps hubby tried to upload test results on to urgent advice area but had no luck he is trying again this evening xx

[jill harknett]

Ps Also sorry to ask , was just wanting to know what blood level should be for Snoopy? I should have asked at vets, thankyou xx

[Sheena]

Hi Jill!

This is lovely news – I am thrilled Snoopy has an increase – brilliant to hear – and quickly too. Maybe the azathioprine has worked already, but it does usually take 7-10 days at least to have a good effect – so here’s hoping for even better results on Monday.

I understand completely about why your vet is reluctant to give anything because of the stomach issues, possible GI bleeding – they are right to be cautious. There is an alternative to aspirin or oral meds for clotting if necessary – heparin injections. But that would mean you would have to inject Snoopy yourself or take her to the vets every day. There is a small possibility that anti-clotting meds are not needed but this is rare. I’m afraid clots are the number one cause of death of IMHA dogs. This is why I so desperately would like to see the results.

I suspect Snoopy is like my two – sight hound blood levels are not the same as other dogs. Their PCV is usually a good 10 points higher than those quoted on a normal tests. There are other anomalies two – higher haemoglobin, higher blood cell count, lower platelets, higher creatinine & lower thyroid function. There is a great site for seeing the differences in greyhound’s blood values which I will put in a separate message below as links sometimes mess the text up on here. I bet Salukis are the same. Ollie is a lurcher (don’t know what cross he is) & also has greyhound blood values. I will also send you a link to normal average blood values.

Worzel was honestly really, really struggling at his lowest PCV of 15/16/17 for ages – he could hardly be bothered to do anything. I think it does depend on each individual dog, but our sight hounds suffer at what is not a dangerous level for other dogs – it is very low for them! Then, after a small increase, he suddenly was more interested in things & a bit more lively. It’s so reassuring to see them like that & I was over the moon her was improving, as are you.

You do need your vet to liaise with Dr Dodds necessarily – especially if they are going to charge you – I think that would be awful, sorry. She is more than happy to help owners directly, which is what she did with me – of course we can help you too. This disease is very expensive in so many ways, isn’t it?

If you are having trouble uploading the tests results (bloomin computers are sent to try us!) I can send you my private e-mail address if that helps. It would be no trouble at all.

Love & hugs
Sheena & the hounds xxxxx

[Sheena]

Normal dog & cat blood values
http://www.2ndchance.info/normaldogandcatbloodvalues.htm

Greyhounds
http://www.greythealth.com/blood.html

This is why greyhounds make the best blood donors! Dr Dodds’ Hemopet is a non-profit making blood product provider, amongst other things. She rescues greyhounds, gets them back to full health (they are often badly treated in the racing world), uses them as blood donors for a short time if possible, then they are re-homed. She is a wonderful person, doing this because she loves animals, especially greyhounds. Do I sound like her number one fan? I am!

Sheena xxxxx

[Sheena]

Hi Jill

I’m afraid the tests you uploaded were illegible – so sorry – thanks for trying. we cannot zoom in enough without it going completely blurry. Can I suggest you photograph them right over the top of them, not at an angle, & get as close as you can. alternatively, do you have a scanner at home ot at work? Or even ask a friend or relative if they could do it for you?

Love Sheena xxxx