holly

[Jo CIMDA]

We dont realy want her in season again jo
As that was what happened before she got ill
And she had urinary infection,vaginal infection
Season for a month
Then false pregnancy
Then 6 weeks later collapsed with immune breakdown
Thats why i was wondering if at the 2.5 mg dose of pred if her body was becoming hormonal
wondered if that caused this again
But more lukely to be the kennel.cough triggering it isnt it :-(x

Hi Christine

Hormones are a major trigger factor too.  In an ideal situation when Holly is in remission it would be best to spay her.  I have known other dogs in remission with AI disease to  be spayed and it has worked out well but none of us like putting our dog through an operation so it is a very big decision and one that has to be carefully considered. Micro surgery can be used these days and that is much less an ordeal than major abdominal surgery.

If Holly continues to have high temperatures and it is as a result of a relapse of her AI disease then eventually her bloods will show a decline.  I can understand why your vet doesn't want to put her on immunosuppressive doses of preds without reasonable proof that she is having a relapse.

Fingers crossed

jo

[Indiana]

You are so right. When Indy was first really unwell it did actually make me ill and I couldn't eat and felt sick most of the time. I do hope you are OK and that you get Holly on track soon.
I learned a hard lesson with insurance with my first GSD. She was insured but on a limited amount and she had just about every illness known to the GSD, and they have a LOT !  Makes me wonder why I keep having them, but if you love the breed you love the breed, warts and all

[christina]

Hi
Unfortunately Jo,holly has got mitral valve heart disease ,quite substantial.
I found out a month after I got her last year in march
I was told she would prob go into heart failure in a month or two or within 4 months
She isnt in heart failure yet thank god
But it means I cant spey her.
But the good news is that after upping pred to 5 mg from 2.5mg and placing her on 2 antibiotics eventually her temperature came down after a month
Now,after 6 weeks still on 5 mg pred and one antibiotic
So shes coping at the moment !!:-) x

[Jo CIMDA]

Hi Christina

That is good news.  Do try to eventually get Holly on to a low, every other day dose of pred instead of keeping her on daily pred.  It will be better for her long term.

Thanks for the update.

Jo

[christina]

Thanks Jo
Oh holly has started the hacking cough again tonight
Have made an apointment for my vet Wednesday but may have to see another vet tommorow.
Receptionist said could be a return of the kennel cough or her heart disease causing it.
Only recently we dropped her antibiotics from two to one,and her tummy heating up,sometimes gulping as if she feels sick
But now intermittent cough
Shes still eating ok and playing but tired
Is,it common for dogs with immune mediated disease to have recurring problems with things like kennel cough?
I think quite possibly it never went away but was subdued with antibiotics
Poor holly
Shes,a lovely girl yet she goes through an awful lot,she isnt even 3 yet
Cx

[Jo CIMDA]

Hi Christina

Holly should be over kennel cough by now, and I thought it was a bit like the flu virus and once you have had it you should be immune until a new strain of the virus is in circulation - I may be wrong so if anyone knows more please let us know.  If a dog is on preds then they are more likely to pick up infections. Can she eat and drink ok, or does she have trouble keeping food down?  If she has been on preds for a while she may have a stomach ulcer or just inflammation, so best ask your vet.

Hope she is feeling better soon.
Jo

[christina]

Thanks Jo
Shes eating and drinking ok
Burning up in the tummy but she has,had colitis since she got immune mediated disease
Been on pred since last summer
We did try cut to 2.5 mg immediately she got kennel cough
Now stay 5 mg for now
Oh ideally 2.5 every second day be good
But she really went downhill when try to.drop it
Receptionist said kennel cough can come back
But she does have substantial heart disease shes leaking from both atriums
Its not fair,shes a gorgeous springer spaniel ,very bubbly,sweet wee soul!
Just taking it easy shes resting a lot
See how she goes x

[Jo CIMDA]

Hi christina

Has Holly been on a gastroprotectant since starting pred?  If not then have a chat with your vet about using something like ranitidine.  It may calm her tummy down.

Jo

[christina]

Hi there
Im  besides myself with worry
Holly was ill last night moaned a bit,dripping wet nose and seemed uncomfortable
I thought maybe colitis playing up or heat making her feel sick as she gulped a bit
But today she seemed better
Then when we went out to the close she went bottom stairs and ate something
I went and looked and there were raisins dropped there
To my horror when I phoned vet she said bring her in straight away she needs to go on an iv drip to try stop kidney failure and get blood test
So my poor girl is in hospital tonight
Please please think of her n wish her well
Love Christina x

[christina]

Vet says first blood test showed quite high kidney levels ,then they flushed the kidneys out overnight and are taking another blood sample this morn to see the levels!:-(
Holly is so unlucky I didnt expect to find poison at the bottom of my stairs :-(
I couldnt sleep much worrying about my girl :-(
X

[Jo CIMDA]

Oh Christina, this is such a blow but you did the right thing and the vets will do all they can. I hope we hear better news from you today.

Fingers crossed for Holly.

Jo

[shawkyelisabeth]

Christina , we are thinking of you and Holly and hope everything will turn out well.
Fingers and paws crossed
Elisabeth

[christina]

Thanks Jo and Elizabeth
Im glad to say second blood test kidney levels more healthy and I got to take holly home
Delighted!!!!:-)
But today she peed herself,was sick,feels sick though quite bright in other ways
But im.worried abd drinking a lot
Im so sad and stressed
Though happy shes here
I told my neighbours abd asked maybe their child drop them
Thing is they were on brown carpet and I wouldnt o seen them if she hadnt ate them
Now she has peed herself 2 other times as well before this
Im worried she ate them days before when she was peeing
So I scoured the tenement stairs and back court
No raisins I could see
But get this...
When we came home from hospital and went our to back court for holly to pee...another raisin where baby buggy placed
I grabbed it in time
It feels so unsafe raisins getting droped
Im seeing how she goes
Im writing down all her symptoms for vet
I hope her system settles down
My god she has immune mediated disease,colitis,possible lyme,

[christina]

She has substantial mitral valve disease,leaking out both atriums
She CANT have kidney problems too
My poor girl gotta be ok with this :-(
Shes not even 3
I am sad but glad shes here and home
But I DO WORRY
I love her very very much
So sad vet said a German shepherd died with 7 raisins only
How terrible
X

[gschellinger]

What a stressful thing to have to look for poison like that. Who would even think about raisins being dropped? I have never thought about that. And yet, with all the kids running around with those handy little boxes of raisins, who knows where they may be. We live near an elementary school. Everytime I walk my dog by the school she sniffs a lot in the grass. I see other things dropped on the sidewalk and grass. Things the kids have with them in baggies, like candy etc. It never occurred to me there could be raisins there. I'm on lookout for all such obvious stuff. But with raisins, who would see one in the dirt? A dog would! For a while in our neighborhood someone was throwing out cooked chicken bones on the boulevards. I couldn't understand why I was seeing so many of them in different locations. Do people sit in their cars eating take-out chicken and tossing the bones out the window? Didn't make any sense to me. Lola could smell one a block aways and zoom in w/o me knowing what she was up to. Lucky I am fast and she always let me fish things out of her mouth, being a pit bull and all. So she never actually swallowed one. But it was her dream to do so.

Keeping all things crossed and hoping to hear Holly is improving. She has been through so much. You take very good care of her.
gail