Desperate for information!

[Tammie]

UPDATE ON RILEY! 

Went for our weekly checkup.  His HCT is 45.3%, RBC is 5.78% and platelets are 445.  We have been on only 5 mg Prednisone BID, 50 MG Cyclosporin BID, 20 mg Pepcid, Denamarin (large) once a day, and 20g florasomething for his stools and also to help his liver.  So,  I guess its looking up for us.  We go back again next week, she is going to try to cut the meds again!   Yahoo!  Riley is actually playing tug of war with this brother and jumping onto the porch now.  I am so grateful for this website or I would have given up hope!!  Thanks you guys!

[Penel CIMDA moderator]

I'm so pleased for you, this is all great news.  Happy days. 

[shawkyelisabeth]

Great news Tamie, Riley will be a success story like many CIMDA dogs!  Happy for you that things have turned out so well, keep on going...
Good luck and best of times with your fur baby..
Elisabeth with Cecil and her late soulmate Stella

[Jo CIMDA]

Fantastic news.  It is such a long slog and you have to have patience like you have never had before, but it has paid off!

Well done

Jo

[Tammie]

I was watching a video on my phone with Riley running as fast as lightning through my field.  It made me sad because I dont know if we will ever get back there again.  Do you think it is to early for physical rehab?

[Jo CIMDA]

I was watching a video on my phone with Riley running as fast as lightning through my field.  It made me sad because I dont know if we will ever get back there again.  Do you think it is to early for physical rehab?

Don't be sad Tammy.  Riley will get back to his old self but you have to give him time.  The drugs take their toll but as you slowly reduce them he will return to his previously fit and active self.  As the presence of drugs in his body diminish his body will repair itself without any specific rehab and at the right pace for him.  Let him do this naturally and when he is off medication altogether you can step up the exercise.  As a result of the drugs his body, especially his muscles and ligaments, have been through a lot.  In a few months time you will see such a difference.

Jo

[Tammie]

That is awesome.  Thanks for the reassurance.

[shawkyelisabeth]

Riley will do well and be back to his normal self,just give him time and be patient.
Good luck!
Elisabeth

[Tammie]

Last Tuesday, we had an awesome checkup.  Riley's balance and energy levels are fantastic! RBC 6.3, HCT 47.9%,  Plateletes 401 - which dropped from 426 but still in the normal range, WBC up to 15.03 from 10.23 but still in the normal range.  I expressed some concernes to my vet about the WBC going up and platelets falling a little but she said it was all still in the normal range and that we really needed to wean off meds now.  Dropped the Atopica to 25mg BID and Pred to 10 mg every other day- 5mg in am and 5mg in pm.  Had an awesome weekend- it was beautiful outside.  Riley played with the kids all day and was even back to his normal "herding" self by biting trying to get the other dog's feet while running.  He rolled a couple of times due to him running too fast and not quite having all of his muscles back.  Everything seemed to be normal, though.  Let him out this morning to go potty and when he came back in, I noticed the other two border collies sniffing his nose.  Well, I thought he may have gotten into some chips that the kids may have spilled in the yard and that the other dogs were smelling the chips on him.  Turns out that he has a steady dripping of blood in his left nostril.  My husband has rushed him to the vet this morning for a complete look over.  I am SOOOO worried!  I wish my baby was all well again!

[Jo CIMDA]

How disappointing Tammie, but it may not be a relapse.  It is more common for blood to come from both nostrils if a dog has IMTP and not just one of them.  I'm sure they will do blood tests and you will know soon.  Try to stay positive.

Jo

[Tammie]

The vet is keeping him.  They said they see a growth in his left nostril.  They are going to sedate him and examine the swelling and knot inside his left nostril.  If it is a growth, they will biopsy it.   Oh my.....I am sick to my stomach!

Could this possibly be pemphigus?  Could this be the cause of this AIHA and IMTP?

OK Just found out it is a small pea sized nodule on close to the opening of the nose.  Bleeding is not coming from higher up.  It is biopsied and they are sending us home with anti biotics.  Hopefully its a side effect of the AIHA or something.  I dont know. Im lost at this point.

Just read a bunch of info on the oh so dependable internet and by the pictures found, it looks like it could be SLE.  Are all of these things related?  What do you suggest at this point?  I am feeding the highest quality food that I can right now (Orijen- $77.00 for a 28 lb bag), using milk thistle to help his liver get cleaned out, rubbing organic cold pressed coconut oil on his sores on his elbows and his REALLY dry cracked nose.  Any advice at this point would be helpful.  Is the prognosis for SLE as good as he had progressed to this point?  I am totally overwhelmed right now.

[Jo CIMDA]

Hi Tammie

Don't panic.  I know it is very difficult not to jump to the worst conclusion but if he has SLE he would be unwell in other ways.  Pemphigus would be showing differently too. If it was an AI problem it is more likely he would have several lumps and lesions etc. The small growth may be nothing, so wait for the results to come back. 

Jo

[gschellinger]

Best wishes Tammi. Keep us updated.
gail

[shawkyelisabeth]

Hi Tamie, Most probably the nose bleeding is just a little blip.. My Stella had the same bleeding only from one nostril during her pred treatment, we could not find any plausible cause for it  and were very worried and it went away all by itself..maybe it is some kind of a side effect..
Keeping fingers and paws crossed that there is good news..
All the best
Elisabeth

[Tammie]

Im trying my best but his left nostril all of the sudden had a small red bump at the end on the inside.  What is really freaking me out is that the very beginning of all of this was Uveitis in the eye on the same side, which led her to a CBC and she hinted it may be an autoimmune problem even though he had not "crashed" yet.  Last year we went in for a "reverse sneeze" in October.  Then bloody mucus a few weeks ago and the Dr looked at the same eye and said it was unrelated but it was conjunctivitis.  Now this.   It all has me so worried that I believe I need meds.  He is acting fine and like I posted before, his bloodwork is all back in the normal range now except for the EOS whatever that is. If it were cancer, wouldnt the WBC count be way up?  HELP!!!!