calliecritturs
Posted : 5/23/2006 7:26:51 PM
We just got back from seeing the holistic vet. She's got a slightly different take from the other vet (not bad, just 'different').
She thinks it was likely that ear infection that actually TRIGGERED the IMHA -- Billy's been prone to skin infections, but this one was potentially nastier in that it was systemic and somehow 'worse'. So she thinks it's a good possibility that what he's responding to is more the presence of the antibiotic, and she's actually suggesting keeping him on the antibiotic for an EXTRA week. (yep, this is the holistic vet talking -- the one who hates antibiotics!!)
But she (altho her prognosis is even better than the regular vet's) doesn't think this is a permanent anemia at all. *I* was under the impression that once you had this, you HAD it forever. But she says no.
SOMETIMES (in fact, probably 'often' or even 'most of the time') IMHA is triggered by excessive vaccines, steroid use, or drugs (particularly long term antibiotic use of pennicillin type drugs or sulpha drugs like TMZ) you don't find that dog sick until they 'crash' -- constantly vomiting, terribly anemic, weak, lethargic, etc. -- and generally their liver/kidneys have been trashed by long term drug use -- but even THEN often she expects them to get off the pred and return to a more normal state if they have been found in time TO help them.
Of course, like me, she wants to see him off pred as soon as possible -- not 'fast' -- she agrees totally that we have to decrease the pred by small increments -- far smaller than you would normally wean off pred. But not months and months either.
So now I straddle the regular vet/holistic vet 'line' and pretty well go with my gut. She and I talked a LOT about food. She wants super nourishing stuff. Barley (particularly I need to find Oriental Barley which is 'different' somehow) and greens (which he already gets a LOT of and she was thinking that's part of why he HAS fared so well). She'd like to see me do a lot of iron rich meats -- he already gets beef, but she wants heart/liver, etc.
And LOTS and LOTS and LOTS of milk thistle to cleanse the liver from the pred he's taking in.
But not much that is detoxing or cleansing YET -- until he heals first.
I feel SO much better -- I was really a bit freaked that this was a 'forever' thing that would overshadow us into oblivion. But I guess the fact that we caught it EARLY makes such an enormous difference.
Oh ... and the other thing she suggested ... since we're going to cautiously wean him off the pred (and aren't even sure when he's totally returned to 'normal' BEFORE we cut the pred back) she suggested I bring him in once a week on the evening she's open late (and I can't GET to my other vet like this), but that they can pull just a small sampel to get a hematacrit in just a couple of minutes and literally check the blood weekly. That way if we drop the pred and the blood drops suddenly we'll know we're in trouble RIGHT away.
We're definitely gonna do that.
There is only one more test to come back and that's the fecal ... so parasites aren't 100% ruled out. Poor Billy -- he just ain't following ANY known 'parameter'. But at least we're making progress. So that's SOMETHIN!!!
Thanks again -- and this is the boy with his 'long' hair. During the winter we usually let it grow because David and I both like him soft and silky. This was a cold day at the park and his Scotland the Brave shirt (Dad's favorite). And English cocker spanYELL, in a Scottish shirt -- now THAT is *brave*!!! LOL
