Billy's "adventuring" again *sigh*

You got that in one ... zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz ... when the Alpha of all Alphas made ME the comment was "This one will NOT be a morning person ... but someone has to keep track of things in the wee hours!"

I'm glad that Billy's home. Have a great Fourth of July weekend.

Callie, I'm glad that Billy is improving. Candles burning here and prayers being sent your way. 

So glad he's home.  Continuing good vibes from across the pond.
 
Kate

Welcome Home Billy!!!  I can't imagine how overwhelmed you are with the long drive home, the heat, and seeing your whole family again.  I know you had lots of special new friends at the hospital, but now the rest of your recovery will be aided by the tons of love and affection you'll get in your own surroundings.  I know you've become very used to "story hour" with Eric and the other staff in Gainesville.  Don't worry, Mom & Dad will still read to you.  In fact, since it's so hot outside and you all need some rest, you can find your favorite comfy spots to stretch out and just read with the A/C keeping you cool.  A big hug for you and a good ear rub and scratch under the chin!
 
Callie - as someone who is also allergic to mornings, I can only imagine how exhausted you are.  I think you'll have a nice weekend inside where it's cool, with things to read, movies to watch, music to listen to, and lots of Rockin' Raspberry to eat!  And for sure, NO alarm clock tomorrow morning.  Everyone needs to sleep in tomorrow!  I'm so glad to hear Billy's home and looking better than last week.  Keeping my good thoughts and prayers going out to you for more strength for all of you each day.  <<<>>>

Yay, BILLY!!! Welcome home, spoiled boy[] Only two weeks before you get to see Eric, again. Let's keep it two *whole* weeks, k?

Welcome back Billy!  I know you liked it up in Gainesville but Mommy prefers you with her so lets keep it to quick appointments in Gainesville and long loving times with Mommy!

He's still really fragile but mentally better than before -- I think he's pretty crashed tonight -- but I'm hoping what I see will sustain.  The big concern (and prayers and good thots would be so appreciated in this) that his body begins to really produce ENOUGH red blood cells to recover, and that the body will leave them alone and stop targeting them.
 
It took me a full hour tonight just to sort his meds and get them put up for the coming week.  I use those 7-day pill caddys (one for AM and one for PM) for most of it, and then the cyclosporine (which even in it's packaging and the fact that two 100 mg pills and one 50 mg pill make up "one dose is a royal pain in the tush!!) has to stay in it's silly little blister packs but at least I grouped 250 mg together and put them in a small baggie to save my sanity in the mornings and evenings.
 
Maybe I'm a victim of old-timers (but I don't think so here *grin*) but when you've got 3 dogs wanting fed, in varying stages of OH BOY BREAKFAST, and the phone rings or something -- trying to figure out "did I give him that one or hadn't I yet?" is just plain BEYOND me.  So once a week I group them so it's abundantly clear what's what  at the moment.  Then I know I'm not running out of something.  But gosh -- it's a ton of stuff.  It's a darned good thing he likes ricotta cheese!!!
 
*grin*  But it boggles my mind the things I wind up spending time on ... and I wonder why the dishes don't get done?? LOL.  But yeah -- it's 11:30 and I'm about to turn into a pumpkin .. yep ... ME, the nighowl!!
 
Thanks folks. 

I have a hard enough time with my dogs sups--in the morning each gets a multivitamin, a fish oil and an EsterC.  KayCee also gets 1 SynoviG3 chew and oneGluco/MSM.  Buck also gets 2 Gluco/MSM. one B copmplex, one cranberry and 1 1/2 thyroid.
 
At night they each get an additional fish oil and Buck gets an additional Gluco/MSM and 1 1/2 thyroid.  I have a 3 compartment spoon caddy that I divvy up their sups in the morning.  And since I take some of the same ones as they do, mine (multivitimin, 2 Gluco/MSM, fish oil, EsterC, cranberry, B complex, 2 fiber and a Garlique, I am divvying them up for me.  AND when hubby is home, he takes the ones where and leaves his in his rig.  So i divvy up for him, but add his blood pressure pill and his acid reflux pill (we keep a supply here as well as in rig. I was so glad when Buck finished his antibiotics for kidney infection as that was 2 more added pills in the morning and two at night.
 
I am praying that Billy's body decides the red cells are NOT the enemy and stops killing them.  Hunter's body killed much fast than could be made.  But it does sound like Billy is doing pretty good and I hope it continues.

Sandra -- go to Wal-mart in the pharmacy section -- they have a BUNCH of these little pill thingamys - get two of each color for each of you!  IT WORKS.  They're cheap -- like $1.50 each and they come in different colors and styles -- just get an AM and PM of each color for each dog and there are a couple of styles that are AM/PM in one case.  It saves TON of time (and sanity). 
 
See that's what was happening last week -- Billy's red blood cells were dying MUCH faster than they were appearing and they found early this week it was 'because' the IMHA was attacking in the bone marrow.  Poor Hunter couldn't keep the meds down -- and it took like almost 2 full weeks for Billy's body to build up enough cyclosporin IN the body to reach a level where the immune system said 'oh really?  ok -- I can stop now'. 
 
They almost did the bone marrow draw last week -- and that wouldn't have told them THIS (because he wasn't on cyclosporin then).  They didn't release him this week until they were sure his body *was* manufacturing red blood cells fast enough AND that the baby red blood cells were actually making it all the way into the blood in the body and not just dying in the bone marrow like before. 
 
Even 3 years ago no way could we have afforded this kind of testing.  And, in fact, it was simply that we got a small windfall literally the day before this all happened, or we couldn't have done this either.   This snagged all my nice Christmas bonus AND all of that adn the rest we could suck up -- but had we not had him at the University where they have kajillions of tests he wouldn't have responded to this.  I suspect, and no one has done studies on this, that somehow buffy coat cockers are far more prone to IMHA zooming into the bone marrow.  In most dogs it only attacks in the bloodstream and the steroids get the body to get with the program faster.  It's ONLY because Billy is such a little piggie (and he'll eat even when he's not feeling well simply because this dog has the mindset that food's gonna make EVERYTHING better!!  He's battled the bulge ever since I've had him and this time it saved his life).
 
I wish they would test deeper with IMHA and figure out how to get the cyclosporin into the body in the desired concentration FASTER -- like with injections or something (gee, don't I sound like a research vet? Not)  IN order to make this treatable on a broader scale they need to make the treatment do-able for dogs like Hunter. 
 
And honestly we still don't know that Billy's on target -- so much depends on whether or not his blood WILL stay now.  They took away the stomach protectant (the sucrylfate) because it was interfering with his absorption of the steroids.   That scares me to pieces because it pushes his risk up. 
 
At this point they don't even want us to test his hematacrit every day simply because every time they draw blood there's the potential for a tiny blood clot to form INSIDE the blood vessel, break off and become a bigger one that will kill him.  The risk of the stroke is still as big as the risk that his body might not overcome the anemia sufficiently. 
 
sorry, for most of you this is more information than you need -- but IMHA is SO huge right now -- they're seeing many new cases every week.  In Billy's case it was triggered either by the exposure to the tick disease or for no reason other than he's a buffy coat cocker (over 1/3 of all dogs who GET IMHA are cockers and most of the deaths ARE cockers because they respond so poorly).  In Hunter's case, he got IMHA because of the ProHeart 6 that weakened him (and Sandra, I think, has been told why that happened).  But vaccines, drugs, other major infections, thyroid problems, etc. all can cause IMHA.  In fact, they're pretty much saying now that anything can cause IMHA. 
 
It's so sad that the survival rate for this is SO poor.  It's like the survival rate for heartworm disease *used* to be.  15-20 years ago IF your dog got hw disease they died.   My old vet, who was on the research and development team for ivermectin 20 years ago, used to tell me stories that he'd walk in and have 30 dogs to treat that day and he'd often lose ALL 30. 
 
My point is that as time goes on they'll figure out how to treat this IMHA too, but it's a nasty one when so many dogs, EVEN ones like Hunter who were treated fast, can't make it. 
 
My heart so grieves for Sandra -- but she's taught me so much about this stuff.  Thank you again Sandra -- you've helped Billy with what you've told me.  And I know Hunter is up there on Rainbow Bridge wagging his tail.  Thanks Hunter -- you're one of my heros just like your Mom.

Gee Callie, you have me crying.  A hero I am not.  I am just a dog lover who doesn't want to see another dog go thru what my Hunter did.  If I had my way, every dog would to be at least 20 and be healthy that entire time and just peacefully of old age in their sleep.
 
I had never heard of AIHA before Hunter was diagnosed.  A few times my Mom became anemic and had to take some drugs that also included B complex.  When I was told Hunter had AIHA, I just assumed it was like Mom's and in a few weeks of blood building he would be fine.  But when I got to the hospital, the look on my vet's face told me it was very serious--it was the same look he had when he saw my Irish Setter come in dragging his leg (limping on Friday, thought it was arhtritis acting up, dragging the leg Monday) and that turned out to be bone cancer.
 
After leaving there I went to our little library and had them show me how to find something on the computer and I was shocked and very disheartened by what I read.  And as it turns out, rightfully so.
 
One of the hardest things to do is be honest with someone whose dog has AIHA, yet not discourage them.  YOU have done your research, that is clear, and you know the ins and outs of the horrible disease.  I remember back last Fall I think it was, one from England came asking.  Her German Shepherd, Molly had been diagnosed with it 3-4 weeks earlier (apparently she was diagnosed about a month after getting all her vax).  The lady was wanting information from people who had dealth with it.  I knew the odds are not good.  I told her Hunter;'s story and I also said I believed if the Proheart had caused the AIHA, or only damaged the liver, he could have the battle, but coudln't beat them both.  I wanted to keep her hopes alive as it is so important that you keep upbeat for your dog, at least in front of him.  I would laught and act normal with Hunter, then go sit in the car and cry.  I told her about Mia (the buff cocker) and Cletus (the beagle) winning.  Sadly a couple of weeks later Miss Molly did die.
 
You want them to be prepared, but at the same time you want them to keep hope as there is truly always hope (on that AIHA group, some are celebrating 1 to 3 years of not even being on meds.)
 
I donate regularly to Meisha's Hope Fund at the Morris Animal Foundation.  Meisha was Joanne Dickson's mix breed that developed AIHA at age 3 or 4, but ended up going into remission (after a few set bacs at first) and living another 9 years I think it was.  Joanne set this fund up and works with the MAF and every penny goes into research on AIHA.  Hopefully they will find a faster, better cure, or even better, a way to prevent it.  They do know which breeds are more rpone to it, cockers being one, irish Setters being another.  Goldens have not been listed on any list I have seen, but my vet has lost three goldens, the last about 2 months ago.  There was one that died about 6 months after Hunter and proheart is suspect in her death.

They took away the stomach protectant (the sucrylfate) because it was interfering with his absorption of the steroids.

That stuff is so awesome, too. What are you using, instead? Lots of yummy chamomile? Is there something else?

They said the Pepcid was ok.  So I'm using that.  I'm also going to give him slippery elm during the week while I"m at work (which may make diarreha worse but better than a sore tummy). 
 
So far his stomach seems to be holding -- if I have to use any big time anti-nausea, there is a Plum Flower brand Chinese herbal called "Curing Pills" that I've used many times in the past.  I'll order some when I do my Morningstar order next time. 
 
"Slippy elm" (as Dr. D calls it *grin*) is good stuff.  But I don't want to inhibit the absorption of the steroids right now -- we'll see. 
 
I brought home watermelon and of course Billy's CONVINCED **that** surely must be medicinal and GREAT for him!
 
Sandra -- just remember, lady -- no one ever "tries" to be a hero.  If you TRY you ain't one!!  But a hero is just the person who does the right thing even when it's hard.
 
You will never know how much your story of Mia (the buffy cocker) did for me THAT particular day.  And how often I've thot of her.  Just that one simple statement helped me SO very much!! 
 
Yeah, lady -- you ARE a hero.  One of MINE!! *grin*

Curing pills, huh?

I've gotta learn more about the Chinese herbals. They just sound so different from "regular" herbs. We have a few kinds at work. One is called "clear the heat" and it gives you higher heat tolerance. It works! It's so weird....

Cheryl Schwartz's book "Four Paws Five Directions" is a good primer to help you understand. 
 
"heat" is inflammation -- not external heat like the weather.  I'm not gonna even try to explain it -- I'm far too much the novice.  *grin*