It has been a long time since I've written.Thank you to Callie for her support, advice and encouragement in the early days.
My dog was diagnosed with ITP back on June 4th. He is a 14 year old Shih Tzu and until this ITP had always been very healthy. It took 3-4 days for diagnosis, so he was bleeding out that whole time. He went through 4 blood transfusions and 9 nights in the hospital. He has made an amazing recovery, but the meds are taking a toll.
He left with 55 mg mycophenolate 2/x per day and 10 mg pred 2/x per day. The myco has not been reduced. He has been at pred 2.5 1/x per day for the past 3 weeks. I've just started a new vet and she thinks he may have Cushings. She wants to reduce pred 2.5 mg 1/x every other day.
His platelets are very high, his liver values are still very high, but continue to improve. Milk Thistle gives him diarrhea, but I am going to try the drops, starting with one drop at a time. I'm ordering the SamE tonight.
I go back and forth between North and South California so previously he has had two different doctors treating him. Both his internists have been at large hospitals and I am trying to get away from that (most of the large hospitals here pay the vets on commission).
I've tried to do my research, but just really don't know about finding a vet that is good with this condition. This new one may be great, I'm not sure. Is cutting pred from 2.5 every day to every other day a lot?
I have tried to write sooner, but it was just a really tough summer. The first couple of months were really difficult because he just had such a tough time eating. Between giving meds every few hours and feeding every few hours and trying to keep my job it was a lot. I think I was the only one that believed he would make it. (At one time he was down to 10.3 lbs, now he is 17.1)
Early on a few people here recommended that maybe I should just let him go. I think with all the time and expense involved that for people with kids and other obligations that may be the right decision to make, but he is all I have, and he made it through and is happy and joyful again. Now I need to keep him that way.