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[admin]

Hi Alyssa

Blimey! That’s very expensive – I also used to go to the pharmacy to check the prices against the vets – good idea, Vally.

I think Brigitte’s idea of adding something to alter the pH of the urine is good too – most bacteria do not like a change in their “ideal” conditions, so that can only help.

If it is resistant MRSA, I would urge you to follow Patrice’s advice & contact Cornell Uni – they are at the forefront of much research & I’m sure they could help your vet.

Keep your chin up, Alyssa. This disease throws all sorts of things at us along the way & you have dealt with everything really well. You CAN get through this, even though it will be hard work, stressful & sometimes bloomin’ expensive.

Please let us know how things progress – & keep having a moan on here – we all understand how frustrating this is.

Love Sheena, Worzel & Ollie xxxxx

[admin]

Hi Alyssa

Please dear friend – don’t be scared. I really feel for you with all this extra worry – Sassy’s poor eye, the rash & now UTI. She has an infection – your vet is right – that always holds them back a bit because they aren’t able to fight it off themselves properly. As soon as they can isolate the bacteria & you get her on the right antibiotic, she will start feeling better & I bet her PCV will be better too.

The drop in PCV is the limit of a small drop in my opinion. I’ve just looked at Worzel’s results chart & he had a drops of 4 or 5 quite often after a reduction- the next week it went up again. He had a drop of 8 once, but again, it was back up again the next time – I got another test 5 days later to put my mind at rest as 8 scared me! The level of hydration / dehydration makes a difference of a few points, so does taking the blood from a different part of the dog. I bet if you took two samples half an hour apart, they would be different. So don’t you DARE worry.

Please trust your instincts – I know you know her inside out because you love her so much – if Sassy is eating well, perky & happy, she’s doing fine. And you can check her gums for pinkness when she is fully alert & moving about (not when she’s asleep or just woken up). Have a look here:
https://www.secondchanceaihadogs.com/AIHA_Terms/capillary-refill-time/
If you think she’s out of sorts, that’s a different matter – we all worry then. That was when I used to get another PCV check done just in case! Oh yes, I worried too. I still do & none of us ever get over this, Alyssa.

Sending you the biggest hug possible
Sheena xxxxx

[admin]

Hi Susie

Thanks for putting on the figures you can get hold of.

High reticulocyte numbers are excellent news – she is making new baby red cells nicely – great! Her red cell levels are coming up gradually & she is improving well. Her white blood cells are still a little high – I know Emily had antibiotics at the beginning. Have they gone down since the 1st April? They are not hugely high though & sometimes see “skewed readings” when dogs are making lots of new baby red cells as the machine they use can mistake them for another type of cell.

The denamarin will help bring those liver enzymes down – don’t worry about that. We see these kinds of figures quite often – it’s the drugs, as you know, and you are already on top of this anyway.

I noticed they did a prothrombin & partial prothrombin time test on the first one, so they are keeping an eye on the time her blood takes to clot. It was clotting a bit quicker than it normally should & I know you have asked the vets about the need for anti-clotting meds already, so I won’t repeat what I said & bore you again! Maybe it’s back in the normal range now, but I don’t know as it’s not on the second test.

I would have liked to have a look at her platelet numbers, but there aren’t any on either test. If you don’t have the figures, that can’t be helped! Also, there is no blood pathology (blood smear) information either, which would have been useful for the other clotting risks. Hey ho. If you get anything else, by all means put them on here.

Susie – you are such a good Mum & Emily’s red cells & are doing great.

Hope this helps a little
Love Sheena xxxx

[admin]

Hi folks
Just realised you couldn’t get into this topic, so have changed the name.
Sheena x

[admin]

Hi Alyssa
I would still get this checked out as soon as you can – UTIs need treating otherwise the bacteria can creep up towards the kidneys, but it’s good to hear she’s a bit better. Keep us posted!
Love Sheena xxxx

[admin]

Hi Alyssa

Please don’t worry – blood is often seen with a urinary tract infection too. A visit to the vets first thing to check Sassy out & some antibiotics will soon have her back on the right track. You are doing all the right things.

Weekends are always the time when these things happen – sod’s law. Ditto to all that Brigitte said – these drugs make them highly prone to these infections. It’s horrible for them & for you, I know – poor Sassy.

Keep us posted on what’s happening – we all tend to think the worst because this disease makes us all very freaked out. Your vet will put your mind at rest, I’m sure.

Love & hugs, Sheena xxxxx

[admin]

Hi Beth

Wonderful to hear from you & Heathy – and with such good news too! It looks like you’re going to have to do some more home cooking then – that kibble is not agreeing with him at all. As Brigitte says, if you cook it yourself, you know exactly what’s in it & it will be the best thing for him.

Glad your life is finally settling down after the worry & stress of everything – you really have been a brilliant Mum.

Loads of love & hugs
Sheena, Worzel & Ollie xxxxx

[admin]

Hi Susie

A slower reduction is safer & most dogs do better this way. There are always exceptions though. I agree that you should discuss with the vet as to why they want to do such a drastic reduction.

Here is our info on the usual reduction protocol
http://www.secondchanceaihadogs.com/AIHA_Terms/prednisone-dose-reduction/

My dog Worzel was so emaciated, weak & skeletal that we did a 50% per week reduction – it was risky & extremely scary & I would never advise anyone to do this in normal circumstances. He was really ill, Susie, & had horrendous withdrawal symptoms the first week. I must explain that Worzel had a different form of AIHA from Emily & greyhounds are very thin muscly dogs with no fat on them – so different circumstances.

Everyone has given you good advice – please check with your vet as to why they are doing this. I would hate sweet Emily to have unnecessary problems because she’s been doing really well so far. Relapses are best avoided – please be very cautious & take things gently. We have many dogs on here that have relapsed & it makes the treatment much more prolonged.

Apologies for any typos I’m useless on this tablet thingy!

Sending love & hugs
Sheena, Worzel (not so skinny now!) & Ollie xx xx xx