Billy's "adventuring" again *sigh*

Billy - I'm sorry that you have to be away from home again this week, but you are in good hands.  You have such a sweet face, and I can just imagine how soft those fuzzy ears are!  I wish I could give them each a rub against my cheek.  I like your wavy taffy colored hair!
 
Callie, I'm sorry all the tests results weren't 100% encouraging, but as you said, if the results give them a better idea of what course of action to take, then that's a good step in the right direction.  And YAY for Eric, recruiting his posse of readers!  I love it!
 
I hope you and David are getting some rest and staying well yourselves.  Take care. [sm=angel.gif]

Sorry my provider was being a pill last night so I couldn't post (and frankly I was exhausted -- it was Kee Shu's night at the acupuncture vet last night and the poor little thing was scared -- Billy's her rock).
 
Test results in yesterday -- the tick test results were false -- there are NO tick parasites at all, and there IS evidence of antiboides to those so he's been exposed but his body built antibodies.
 
But the difficult news is that his blood is producing baby red blood cells but they are all disappearing at a certain stage -- which means it's IMHA.  So now they gotta re-adjust his meds (and hopefully get him OFF the antibiotic for the tick which is part of what caused the iniital crash weeks ago. 
 
So now it's down to IMHA.  So we'll deal with that and go on.  He'll be coming home Saturday.  They would have relased him Friday but the gal I work with is on bed rest to prevent her miscarrying and my boss is totally freaked and I just could *not* be gone Friday.  He's been good thus far but I just can't do that to him (not and stay in good graces, besides it would be irresponsible to be honest). 
 
Thanks again -- Eric told me yesterday that one of the techs is getting a big charge out of reading Billy his emails!!

Well, I hate that is is AIHA for sure, but at least now he can be treated for it and it only, which will probably help.  When I didn't see a post from you yesterday, I got worried, but am glad to know he is coming home now.  Prayers still coming your way.

Callie - I'm sorry too that it isn't something more easily treated, like tick disease, but hopefully knowing exactly what it is now, will help with treating it.  I know how hard it can be taking care of the dogs, working full-time and trying to take care of yourself too, so be sure to keep in mind that you need to nurture yourself too through all this.  Still sending healing thoughts and prayers.

Sorry -- again I'm having all sorts of provider problems (Sprint has 'changed' and now they say I have to use Outlook or I can't email anyone grrrrrr).  So I've spent 3 hours I didn't have on the phone only to have them blow me off repeatedly.  Ack!!!! 
 
The good news is we can bring the boy home on Saturday.  They called me this morning wanting me to rush up there to get him, but they haven't adjusted ANYTHING yet and I want to know he's holding before I bring him home again ONLY to have him crash yet again.  That is too unbelievably hard on all of us.  The results of the cylcosporin concentration won't be back til tomorrow and the acupuncture folks aren't done with him yet.   So Saturday it is.
 
I'm eager to see ("eager" -- that's somewhere between trepidatious, anxious, nervous, but let's-do-SOMETHING) what he'll be like after they take away the doxycycline.  It was after the addition of the doxy 3 weeks ago that he crashed initially -- before that when they thot it WAS just IMHA he was responding really well and the blood was on the rise WITHOUT any sort of transfusion.  They added the doxy for the oft-mis-diagnosed-totally-frustrating-phantom-tick disease and HE CRASHED.
 
So I have to wonder if that was ultimately the cause since antibiotics so often ARE the trigger for IMHA.  And honestly it makes me more than a bit angry that the tick disease was mis-diagnosed by a lab TWICE.  How the heck are you supposed to know and treat??  Sheesh.  It's frustrating to think that the whole trauma of the last three weeks may simply have been caused by the mis-diagnosis of that tick stuff.  *sigh* (and we won't even count the thosuands it has cost)
 
I just hope we can get this stablilized now.

Im so sorry Callie!  I dont know what to say other than YOU have done everything you can and thats only so much.  Unfortunately we do have to put a life and trust into others hands.... and you have him at a wonderful place.  I understand your anger and Im so sorry...  keep us updated...
 
Billy, you hang in there.  I know its taking a while but your momma is gonna get you better!!  Shes not giving up on you so you stay strong pretty boy.  [sm=angel.gif]

So I have to wonder if that was ultimately the cause since antibiotics so often ARE the trigger for IMHA. And honestly it makes me more than a bit angry that the tick disease was mis-diagnosed by a lab TWICE. How the heck are you supposed to know and treat?? Sheesh

 
You'll probably never know the cause but if the doxycycline did cause it that's an awful hard thing to deal with. I'm praying for Billy to recover from this and sending you <<Hugs>>.

Callie - I do know some of what you're feeling and I'm sorry that they didn't think to rule out the tick borne disease sooner.  It's not just about finances, although that's part of it too, but it's about getting your friend better.  I've begun to lose my patience with the vets treating Sassy and I'm not sure it'll help, but I feel better speaking out more.  I finally told them today that I'd spent over $1000 in Jan-Mar, and over $500 in the last few weeks and I want to know what they recommend we do to prevent the next infection.  They're reviewing her chart and said they'd get back to me.

I know you feel like you've probably run a marathon lately and the good news is it sounds like Billie is stable and and can come home Saturday.  I hope it's the best 4th of July weekend you've all had in a long time.

I'm not so much "angry" (and I'm NOT angry at all really) as "frustrated" literally at how round and round in circles this went. 
 
Just to sum up -- 7+ weeks ago when this started, we pulled a senior blood panel b/c he was 6 and I knew I was seeing some 'stuff' that just wasn't readily explainable (and knowing how nauseus they get with IMHA/low hematacrit that WAS likely it).
 
When the readings came back super low/anemic, my vet said "It looks like IMHA but tick disease is a BIG possibility so since they still have his blood at the lab do you mind if I order a tick test on it?"
 
THAT initial tick test came back negative.  So we treated for IMHA.
 
But IMHA didn't 'fit' (because he hadn't actually 'crashed' yet) so my holistic vet suggested a broader tick panel (looking for more varied types of tick diseases since he was a rescue-from-who-knows-where and FOUND on the Interstate originally). So she took new blood (this was a month ago) and sent it for this broad array of tick diseases, *including* the one already taken (since it was 'included').
 
All came back negative EXCEPT the Ehrlichea (the one first taken) and that one result lagged behind and eventually came back positive after more than a week.  But it was a borderline positive.
 
But based on that, we put him on the doxycycline.  Now doxy is NOT one of the known drugs to readily exacerbate immune-mediated stuff (drugs like sulfa and a few others are).  But it was literally 5 days later that his blood crashed from 29 1/2 to 20.  and then in short order to 10.  That's when I took him to Gainesville and THEY took another tick panel looking even more specifically for more tick diseases.  It came back in just a couple of days showing positive for the Anaplasma tick disease and they then sent for the complete report on that ONE result.
 
That's the one that just came back (after like 10 days)   But now rather than showing 'positive' (which was the result we asked to have expanded on), NOW it's saying "oh, no tick disease at all, just ANTIBODIES." (emphasis mine).
 
These tests DOOOOOO take time.  They culture things, they grow things, etc.  -- it wasn't that they delayed in doing it at all -- I have absolutely no fault with how they handled it - at every turn they made the sensible input (with my input too). 
 
Nope, I'm just frustrated that "life" generally gave ole Bilbo the Adventurer such a flip floppy deal here. 
 
Life is rarely "fair" and this is one of the times it just plain SUCKS, so I guess I"m gonna have to go get myself a Tootie Roll Pop and suck on IT!!! 
 
Every decision made all the way thru has been the best decision made possible with the best information available at the time.  David and I make it a point never to go back and kick ourselves for "what ifs" -- because it's dumb. 
 
I just wish the tests for the tick diseases themselves were more reliable -- these aren't tests unique to U F -- these are nationally used 'tests' -- and they just don't show much sometime.  We got information on a test and it seemed to 'fit' what we knew so we went with it.  And that IS what tests are for ...
 
So if anyone walks away with anything beneficial from this, it's to always question test results generally.    How many dogs get put down just on the basis of "a test"?  It happens.  How many owners fail to treat because "the test said" and they assumed the worst and figured they couldn't afford it. 
 
Such is life ... we continue to take this day by day ... and I will be SO glad to see the boy on Saturday -- even tho I think he's got half the University totally in love with him.  There's worse things in the world than having your dog socialized by a whole vet school of students who all think he's too cool for words.
 
Me?  Yep, I'm tired and I've had it with this crappy provider hassel.  *sigh*  It took me all evening just to get thru the zillion phone calls to get here to make ONE post.  No other dogs got helped today -- I'm glad it was a low emergency day *sigh*. 
 
Thanks for rushing to buck me up folks -- you're a darned good bunch!

Callie - I saw your post earlier this morning, and I checked in late this afternoon to see if you'd had more news.  I decided I'd check again before turning in for the night, and I read your latest posts.
 
I'm very familiar with the frustration level you're experiencing.  How discouraging to think that some medications were given that weren't necessary (for tick disease) and that possibly aggravated his existing condition.  I think it was a great idea for him to stay a bit longer to get totally stabilized -- plus it gives you and David a day or two to rest somewhat. 
 
I don't know why bloodtests can't be more reliable.  You see those kinds of false negatives and positives in human illness, too.  My mother knows a woman whose husband died this winter after battling an inexplainable illness that was undiagnosed for 2 years - it had severe neurological symptoms, among other things.  He lives in a highly-infested area for Lyme Disease, and he was tested for it numerous times, always negative (by more than one doctor, specialists, etc.).  By the time he went out of state to some kind of high-level specialty place, his condition was beyond help.  And guess what the final diagnosis was after they did even more extensive testing?  You guessed it, Lyme Disease.  They figure it had been in his body doing damage for close to 4 years.  I guess science is never exact.
 
Anyway, I keep all of you in my thoughts all the time, and I imagine myself giving Billy lots of ear rubs and neck scratches.  I smile when I think of how wonderful you'll all feel when he's home with you again.  I'll keep praying that he makes steady progress.  Hugs to all of you.

I'm not so much "angry" (and I'm NOT angry at all really) as "frustrated" literally at how round and round in circles this went.

 
Honestly, I know what you mean.  I think the team working to diagnose this with Billy has done a great job and so much of medicine is a best guess, especially when the test results are inconclusive or unavailable.  As Tracy said, it happens with us human patients too.  I have a friend who's suffering with horrible back problems and they just can't say "this is the problem and this is what we need to do to fix it".  She's beyond frustrated and quite depressed.
 
On a side note - I had bloodwork done on Sassy this week, and although all the bloodwork looked good (white blood cells, cholesterol, etc.).  Her thyroid levels were quite high (FT4 was 72 & normal is 9-32, TSH was 5.6 and normal is .7-2.5).  I mentioned that I'd thought that from the beginning and she said that when they retested her (at my request) 3 weeks after starting meds, they only ran the minimal test (TSH or FT3?) and it was low normal.  They told me at the time that it wasn't necessary to run anything more extensive.  I'd insisted on the full panel sent to MSU initially, but trusted that they knew what they were doing.  I told them all her symptoms, insisted on a BP reading, and they told me that I probably just wasn't used to the new "awake" Sassy.  Well, I should have listened to my gut.  She hasn't spent more than 2 or 3 nights sleeping in the house with us since then.  She just won't settle at night and now I know why. From this point on, I will make sure that the full test is done. 
 
Anyway - sorry for going on about my woes.  I hope you can all celebrate Billy's coming home tomorrow.  It sounds like they've taken real good care of him...but, there's no place like home []. 

I have to say that I have never heard of IMHA until now. I did an internet search on it and I am now educated on it.  Billy is such a cute dog and from the sound of it he just a little trooper to go through all of this.  I always question my vet and he is used to it and always expects me to question him and the results. He knows that I will take the results and start researching on the internet so that I can understand him and the situation better.  It is nice to have doctors and clinics that will work with you to care for your animals.  It sounds like Billy is in great hands.

Hi -- I had to be up at 5 and we didn't get home til after 11, so I didn't post last night *yawn*.  But we're on our way to go get the boy in just a couple of minutes.  I've got a list of questions as long as my arm LOL.
 
Cathy I'm SO GLAD you persisted in getting them to test Sassy.  low thyroid isn't really dangerous.  HIGH IS!  good call girl!!!  High can cause everything from hypertension (which can be fatal) to IBD and vicious diarreha, etc. and a whole list of stuff that is debilitating.  good for you!
 
I'll post later today. 

The boy is home.  It sorta looks like he's gotten to do whatever he darned well pleased .... boy has HE gotten headstrong! *grin*
 
He looks quite a bit better than he did when he came home last weekend so I feel a bit better this time.  He's doing a lot of panting -- which seems to be the pred -- that in fact it's 100 or better and HUMID as heck -- none of us can hardly get a breath here today!  Stay in the AIR!!!(conditioning that is).
 
We have an appt up there July 9th (a week from Tuesday) when he'll see Dr G (the 'regular' vet) and Dr. Xie and the acupuncture people as well (and will get acupuncture then).  He's still on the heavy steroids (and they won't think of changing them until he truly not only 'stabilizes' but the blood climbs back up on its own and holds there for a while), but Dr. Xie has increased his blood tonic/blood builders (to stimulate that very end -- to get the blood back where it should be and keep it 'moving' properly).
 
I contacted Monica Segal last night -- I've known her for years but I want to make sure I get her wisdom about the IMHA and make sure I do the home-cooking right for this and stay on track with the other two as well.
 
Thanks folks -- You guys have been the best and I think EVERYONE up there (*and* Billy) enjoyed the emails!!  He sure was popular -- he had people stopping us in the halls this morning to say goodbye!!!!  Mr. Popular at the Small Animal Hospital!

Whew - I feel so good to know he's home.  I know he's not out of the woods, but I just personally feel better that he's with you all.  I think the world of Monica too, and having her input on the diet has got to give you some comfort.  I know what you mean about the heat, although we don't have the humidity (ugh!).  Seems like a good weekend to rent movies and stay inside where it's cool.  I'm guessing that you and David are pretty darn tired, so I hope you have a nice restful weekend.