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My girl is sick... again.

I am so sorry your baby is so sick. with my gsp pup that has had Gi issues we found that gluten free made a huge difference. have had major issues with keeping weight on him,diarrhea and his hair was very thin and hard. when doing a bland diet i use to use rice. however after talking to the vet he suggested potatoes instead of the rice as it seems to stick better than the rice. I am not sure if you have had her tested for lyme disease,but that comes to mind as does west nile. I really hope she gets better soon give her love from me and my Derringer. I know how hard it is to see our babies in pain and unwell.
 
Is her Red cell count normal?

The low white cell count is alarming. A low white cell count can cause her not to fight an infection. But to find the cause of the low count. Could be anything from an autoimmune disorder, genetic disorders in some breeds which I don't think Dobes are one of them, cancer, bone marrow issue and even a toxic drug like some antibiotics, chemo drugs, some fever meds.
They do a parvo test on her?
Canine Infectious Hepatitis test?
Sepsis?
Ehrlichia? A Tick born disease?


Have you had more blood work done?
They need to be analyzing the numbers and different types of white and red blood cells that are present to help identify the issue.

How do her gums look? Just lift her upper lip up and look. Don't open her mouth then lift her lip.


Maybe a second opinion from another vet.
 
Welp.. Miesha peed brown this morning and is now limping on her front right leg (seems to be her elbow).
Brought her in this AM - pulled a good amount of blood and starting with superchem/cbc/ua. (will add on tests as the bloods come in.)
Did a cysto and luckily the urine was more dilute from the tap.. the pee was highly concentrated earlier likely because of dehydration and holding it overnight.
Will get part of bloods back later today and the rest tomorrow.
I will say that after she got back from the Vet she perked up, ate some, drank some, pooped finally and came in the house without my having to carry her.... which is good because i threw out my back again today getting her to the hospital and back and am currently stuck on the couch with her!!!!:facepalm:

Is her Red cell count normal?

The low white cell count is alarming. A low white cell count can cause her not to fight an infection. But to find the cause of the low count. Could be anything from an autoimmune disorder, genetic disorders in some breeds which I don't think Dobes are one of them, cancer, bone marrow issue and even a toxic drug like some antibiotics, chemo drugs, some fever meds.
They do a parvo test on her?
Canine Infectious Hepatitis test?
Sepsis?
Ehrlichia? A Tick born disease?


Have you had more blood work done?
They need to be analyzing the numbers and different types of white and red blood cells that are present to help identify the issue.

How do her gums look? Just lift her upper lip up and look. Don't open her mouth then lift her lip.


Maybe a second opinion from another vet.

Her first fever incident (10/4) we did in-house chem/cbc and 4dx which were all normal with WBCs on just below normal. Of course it is possible there is some other weird tickborne thing that isnt covered with the 4dx going on but with her lack of exposure and the area we live it seems unlikely.
With in-house labwork you always have to take the abnormal results with a grain of salt so the WBC counts weren't a red flag at the time. We will know more definitively tomorrow what direction to head. So far we are keeping her on the Doxy and have taken her off the rimadyl just in case it is something like autoimmune and she has to go on steroids.
Been monitoring and there hasn't been any changes in her gums, she has had good capillary refill as well.

Thank you all for thinking about her and all your well wishes!! It means the world. Will update as info comes in.
:ty:xoxo
 
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Welp.. Miesha peed brown this morning and is now limping on her front right leg (seems to be her elbow).
Brought her in this AM - pulled a good amount of blood and starting with superchem/cbc/ua. (will add on tests as the bloods come in.)
Did a cysto and luckily the urine was more dilute from the tap.. the pee was highly concentrated earlier likely because of dehydration and holding it overnight.
Will get part of bloods back later today and the rest tomorrow.
I will say that after she got back from the Vet she perked up, ate some, drank some, pooped finally and came in the house without my having to carry her.... which is good because i threw out my back again today getting her to the hospital and back and am currently stuck on the couch with her!!!!:facepalm:



Her first fever incident (10/4) we did in-house chem/cbc and 4dx which were all normal with WBCs on just below normal. Of course it is possible there is some other weird tickborne thing that isnt covered with the 4dx going on but with her lack of exposure and the area we live it seems unlikely.
With in-house labwork you always have to take the abnormal results with a grain of salt so the WBC counts weren't a red flag at the time. We will know more definitively tomorrow what direction to head. So far we are keeping her on the Doxy and have taken her off the rimadyl just in case it is something like autoimmune and she has to go on steroids.
Been monitoring and there hasn't been any changes in her gums, she has had good capillary refill as well.

Thank you all for thinking about her and all your well wishes!! It means the world. Will update as info comes in.
:ty:xoxo

Couldn't think of any thing else. Keep us updated.
See if you can make bone broth. This will keep her hydrated and has lots of great nutritional benefits. Keeping her from dehydration is very important.
The best is to make it yourself. Try and use Organic Apple Cidar Vinegar like Braggs.
 
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Bloods/UA are back and they are kinda wacky. Leaning toward tickborne or immune-mediated. Starting with adding on a Tick Serology to r/o. Signs/symptoms point to ehrlichia or anaplasmosis [or maybe co-infection]. She was tested during her first fever but tickborne illness can show clinical signs before antibodies are measurable. GRRR.
If tickborne is r/o then Doc wants to do a joint tap to test for Immune-mediated poly arthritis. I have to revisit with him about other possibly applicable IM diseases.
She is doing a little better with her movement - she was able to get up and down the back steps and attempted to chase a motorcycle.... which was good in that she is showing more of her old self and would have been extremely amusing if it weren't so sad. The girl looked like a newly born Deer trying to move on its weak, gangly legs... right out of the movie Bambi.
Her fever was back up to 103.8 [from 99.5 yesterday] and back to diarrhea. Fun Times.
Will update as i hear. Xoxo
 
Bloods/UA are back and they are kinda wacky. Leaning toward tickborne or immune-mediated. Starting with adding on a Tick Serology to r/o. Signs/symptoms point to ehrlichia or anaplasmosis [or maybe co-infection]. She was tested during her first fever but tickborne illness can show clinical signs before antibodies are measurable. GRRR.
If tickborne is r/o then Doc wants to do a joint tap to test for Immune-mediated poly arthritis. I have to revisit with him about other possibly applicable IM diseases.
She is doing a little better with her movement - she was able to get up and down the back steps and attempted to chase a motorcycle.... which was good in that she is showing more of her old self and would have been extremely amusing if it weren't so sad. The girl looked like a newly born Deer trying to move on its weak, gangly legs... right out of the movie Bambi.
Her fever was back up to 103.8 [from 99.5 yesterday] and back to diarrhea. Fun Times.
Will update as i hear. Xoxo

Glad she is doing somewhat better. Also glad trying to get to the cause.
Slippery Elm and Bentonite Clay can help with the diarrhea. Run it by your vet.
Keep trying to get good nutrition in her.

One other question. Was she recently vaccinated or when was the last and which vaccination?
 
I hope you get some results back soon so she can get on the mend. It sucks so much for them to be sick and they can't tell you what's wrong. Both of you get lots of rest and keep your spirits up. ***more positive thoughts***
 
So we have ruled out Tickborne illness as a cause. Her tick serology came back negative on all counts. At this point i knew as much because she hasn't responded at all to the doxy - yesterday and today she has been back up to 105+ fever and cant walk.
She is going in tomorrow for a joint tap to determine if it is a immune mediated disease. The test will also culture the synovial fluid to see if it is perhaps a joint specific bacteria causing all the trouble.
Going theory is immune-mediated polyarthritis... but I really think that it might be systemic lupus erythematosus. We haven't done a serological test for that, but she fits many of the criteria. She is having a lot of those tremors with her fever again too. [ps- excuse me in my PJs... i've been mostly laid up with her since i pulled my back out]
I have to say, this is horrific. My heart is breaking watching her endure this.
 
Oh Prushanks I am sooo sorry she is dealing with this. My heart is breaking for you. Please know she is in my prayers for a fast and quick recovery! I am so distraught. Please Lord give them the answers they need to heal this baby girl. Amen
 
So we have ruled out Tickborne illness as a cause. Her tick serology came back negative on all counts. At this point i knew as much because she hasn't responded at all to the doxy - yesterday and today she has been back up to 105+ fever and cant walk.
She is going in tomorrow for a joint tap to determine if it is a immune mediated disease. The test will also culture the synovial fluid to see if it is perhaps a joint specific bacteria causing all the trouble.
Going theory is immune-mediated polyarthritis... but I really think that it might be systemic lupus erythematosus. We haven't done a serological test for that, but she fits many of the criteria. She is having a lot of those tremors with her fever again too. [ps- excuse me in my PJs... i've been mostly laid up with her since i pulled my back out]
I have to say, this is horrific. My heart is breaking watching her endure this.
This made me cry. I'm so sorry for your beautiful girl. Will be prayin hard for you and her. I hope she gets better soon ! I'm typing through the tears. We're here for you :(
 
Oh, so sorry to learn the problem is continuing. Your back being hurt has just got to make things much harder. Miesha feels your loving care. Dogs are so tough. I wonder if she is enjoying all the pampering.
 
:(
Poor girl.

Just thinking out loud, have they tested for Giardia? She sounds like she's displaying several possible symptoms, although tremors are not from what I read symptoms.

Hoping to see a big turn around soon.
 

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