# Luna's in the hospital



## Tagrenine (Aug 20, 2019)

What was the platelet count?


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## eeerrrmmm1 (Apr 15, 2018)

Slightly low but I don't remember exactly.


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## eeerrrmmm1 (Apr 15, 2018)

Vet just called and said temp is at 104.9 and her demeanor has changed, she's trying to get up and out of her crate and is even eating the canned Urgent Care food.

I asked her to do a test for anaplasmosis although I do understand tick borne illness tests are notoriously unreliable (false negatives are common). I'm just wondering if she had an adverse reaction to the Cerenia and the GI stuff was completely unrelated. Of course, I did ask that they only give her Ondansetron from now on because I know she tolerates that well. Either way, I guess she's going in the right direction so that's heartening.


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

I'd have xrays done - ultrasound if you can.

It may simply be gastroenteritis - especially if she's feeling better already. But for peace of mind...


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## eeerrrmmm1 (Apr 15, 2018)

Oh, geez! I'm sorry! I forgot to say the x-rays were negative. Gas but nothing suspicious thankfully! They did them when we brought her back in at 4pm.


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## Tagrenine (Aug 20, 2019)

There are a variety of ways to test for tickborne illness, such as PCR. 
I also would recommend xrays, but I’m glad to hear she’s doing better!
Some tick born diseases present with lameness, lymphocytopenia, thrombocytopenia. 
I hope they’re able to bring her fever down further, but it sounds like the vet has done well.


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## eeerrrmmm1 (Apr 15, 2018)

Tagrenine said:


> There are a variety of ways to test for tickborne illness, such as PCR.
> I also would recommend xrays, but I’m glad to hear she’s doing better!
> Some tick born diseases present with lameness, lymphocytopenia, thrombocytopenia.
> I hope they’re able to bring her fever down further, but it sounds like the vet has done well.


Yeah, exactly! My confusion mainly stems from the fact that I just don't think of GI symptoms as being the first primary symptoms of a tick borne illness, you know? Admittedly, I don't know squat about tick borne illnesses in dogs so there's that. I googled anaplasmosis of course and did see vomiting and diarrhea as potential symptoms but the vet sounded like she wasn't really expecting to see GI symptoms as primary symptom of anaplasmosis either. She was really like look, this is Connecticut (TONS of ticks - I've had Lyme), it's a warm March, this is when I see tick borne illness start to spike and she has a high fever so Doxy it is. I trust her, I think she's a good vet with long solid experience (her dad was a vet too so she was basically born to do this lol) but it does feel a bit unsettling that we're treating based solely on the fever - or at least it feels that way. But again, she's going in the right direction so far, so I think I just need to trust in my vet.

Oh, also important to note - apparently anaplasmosis can be transmitted in just 6 hours so Nexguard doesn't work fast enough to protect against it.


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## cwag (Apr 25, 2017)

No helpful advice but I sure am sorry Luna's having these issues. Hope she's feeling tons better in the morning.


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## Tagrenine (Aug 20, 2019)

eeerrrmmm1 said:


> Yeah, exactly! My confusion mainly stems from the fact that I just don't think of GI symptoms as being the first primary symptoms of a tick borne illness, you know? Admittedly, I don't know squat about tick borne illnesses in dogs so there's that. I googled anaplasmosis of course and did see vomiting and diarrhea as potential symptoms but the vet sounded like she wasn't really expecting to see GI symptoms as primary symptom of anaplasmosis either. She was really like look, this is Connecticut (TONS of ticks - I've had Lyme), it's a warm March, this is when I see tick borne illness start to spike and she has a high fever so Doxy it is. I trust her, I think she's a good vet with long solid experience (her dad was a vet too so she was basically born to do this lol) but it does feel a bit unsettling that we're treating based solely on the fever - or at least it feels that way. But again, she's going in the right direction so far, so I think I just need to trust in my vet.
> 
> Oh, also important to note - apparently anaplasmosis can be transmitted in just 6 hours so Nexguard doesn't work fast enough to protect against it.


Of course! You live in a high risk area, so your vet may have seen all of this before and doesn’t want you to do the testing unless necessary, because if I recall, it can be quite expensive to test for tickborne diseases.


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## eeerrrmmm1 (Apr 15, 2018)

cwag said:


> No helpful advice but I sure am sorry Luna's having these issues. Hope she's feeling tons better in the morning.


Thank you! If it is anaplasmosis the turn around should be quick so here's hoping!


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## OscarsDad (Dec 20, 2017)

Oh Geez, what unsettling news. I can feel your anxiety! Nothing to add other than I am thinking about you and Luna and wishing her a speedy recovery.


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## eeerrrmmm1 (Apr 15, 2018)

OscarsDad said:


> Oh Geez, what unsettling news. I can feel your anxiety! Nothing to add other than I am thinking about you and Luna and wishing her a speedy recovery.


Thank you. It's really terrible having to leave them at the vet! I don't think I've ever had to leave her before. Even when she got spayed she came home the same night. I'm just trying not to think about her reaction to wearing a cone collar at night in her crate when she was spayed (she just stood up panting for a full 45 minutes before I finally broke and took it off her). They have to keep the IV fluids going to help get her temp down so there was no choice.


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## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

Sending good thoughts for Luna, sorry you're going through this.


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## OscarsDad (Dec 20, 2017)

eeerrrmmm1 said:


> Thank you. It's really terrible having to leave them at the vet! I don't think I've ever had to leave her before. Even when she got spayed she came home the same night. I'm just trying not to think about her reaction to wearing a cone collar at night in her crate when she was spayed (she just stood up panting for a full 45 minutes before I finally broke and took it off her). They have to keep the IV fluids going to help get her temp down so there was no choice.


I wonder what the vet would say if you asked to stay with her?


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## eeerrrmmm1 (Apr 15, 2018)

Tagrenine said:


> Of course! You live in a high risk area, so your vet may have seen all of this before and doesn’t want you to do the testing unless necessary, because if I recall, it can be quite expensive to test for tickborne diseases.


Yes, that's probably true. She did say sometimes it can be seen on microscope and she was going to take a look at a blood smear.


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## eeerrrmmm1 (Apr 15, 2018)

OscarsDad said:


> I wonder what the vet would say if you asked to stay with her?


She wouldn't be surprised. Lol. But I don't think she'd let me do it for potential liability reasons. Prob would've said no if I offered to get an IV pump from work and run it at home.. but I might ask if something like this ever happens again. 

The vet did say that every time someone approached her where she was lying with her IV in the surgery room, her little tail would go thump thump. She's such a good sweet girl.


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## DblTrblGolden2 (Aug 22, 2018)

So sorry your both going through this. Hopefully tomorrow morning you will get a great report and bring her home.


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## GoldenDude (Nov 5, 2016)

I’m so sorry yall are going through this! Hoping for a full and speedy recovery.


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## gdgli (Aug 24, 2011)

Sorry to hear all of this. Wishing for the best.


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## aesthetic (Apr 23, 2015)

I hope she feels better soon!


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## dbrown (Nov 13, 2018)

Sending good thoughts to you and Luna. What a sweet girl, getting an IV and still wagging her tail.


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## Paradox1998 (Oct 14, 2019)

So sorry to hear this. I hope everything resolves itself soon.


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## swishywagga (Nov 13, 2012)

Sending good thoughts to Luna, I hope she's better soon!.


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## diane0905 (Aug 20, 2010)

Prayers for Luna. I'm sorry she's sick. My first thought was maybe pancreatitis, but I see she tested negative for it. I hope they are able to figure out what is going on soon.


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## Sholt (Jun 20, 2019)

I am so sorry to read about Luna. That is so scary and I am sending prayers hoping she makes a full recovery soon.


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## cwag (Apr 25, 2017)

Any word this morning on how your baby is doing?


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## Ffcmm (May 4, 2016)

how is she doing today, I hope she is feeling better!


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## eeerrrmmm1 (Apr 15, 2018)

Thank you for all of the well wishes, I really appreciate it. Luna’s temp was 103.9 this morning so better than last night but still not gone. She’s still on IV fluids and an NSAID to try to get that fever down. The vet said she was panting this morning so she gave her buprenorphine, which I really wish she’d given to her last night so she could settle down and sleep and get better. I told her last night I didn’t think the NSAID alone was enough to help w/ her pain since she was clearly walking hunched and super slow and panting. I just don’t understand prescribers sometimes ?. She did say she looked nice and relaxed after buprenorphine so that’s good. She’s suppose to call me again around noon.. so I’m staring at my phone. I work in healthcare so this week is insane.


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## eeerrrmmm1 (Apr 15, 2018)

Does anyone think there’s a possibility that a linear obstruction could be missed on x-ray? I would expect her WBC to be elevated tho so I guess that’s unlikely.. I just can’t stop worrying about worst case scenarios.


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## Tagrenine (Aug 20, 2019)

Linear obstruction as in strings or rope toy type of obstructions?

Those are easily missed on xray, but they usually have pretty severe consequences. Did they run additional tests for infectious disease? Maybe consider a barium study?


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## eeerrrmmm1 (Apr 15, 2018)

Alright, I couldn’t wait so I called & the vet said when she gave her the buprenorphine this morning, Luna relaxed & took a nap & her temp went down to 102 something but when it wore off and she woke up her temp went back up to 103 something. So fluids still running. She kept most of her canned urgent care down but did throw up a couple times (mostly water), vet administered Ondansetron. She had a soft serve stool & then a bit of mucusy diarrhea. So now we wait to see if her temp goes back down.


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## eeerrrmmm1 (Apr 15, 2018)

Tagrenine said:


> Linear obstruction as in strings or rope toy type of obstructions?
> 
> Those are easily missed on xray, but they usually have pretty severe consequences. Did they run additional tests for infectious disease? Maybe consider a barium study?


I asked her if she thought it maybe she had a linear obstruction but she said she typically sees the intestines bunched up on x-ray with a linear obstruction & of course you’d expect to see an elevated WBC if she’s already spiking a high fever from sepsis due to a perforation.

I’m just anxious and hate not knowing what’s causing this. I guess the good news is, her fever has gone down and she has kept some breakfast down so far.


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## OscarsDad (Dec 20, 2017)

Oh boy. I do appreciate the updates. Thinking of you.


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## Tagrenine (Aug 20, 2019)

eeerrrmmm1 said:


> I asked her if she thought it maybe she had a linear obstruction but she said she typically sees the intestines bunched up on x-ray with a linear obstruction & of course you’d expect to see an elevated WBC if she’s already spiking a high fever from sepsis due to a perforation.
> 
> I’m just anxious and hate not knowing what’s causing this. I guess the good news is, her fever has gone down and she has kept some breakfast down so far.


Well at least her temp is slowly coming down to normal! I’m glad your vet is keeping her on fluids and treating to the best of their ability. In our case, string obstruction usually shows up as bunched up intestine or a lot of gas. But if she’s passing stool without blood and has no sign of infection other than fever, she probably doesn’t have an obstruction. 
Have they run anymore blood to see anymore change in values?


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## DblTrblGolden2 (Aug 22, 2018)

Thinking of you. Thanks for the updates.


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## eeerrrmmm1 (Apr 15, 2018)

Tagrenine said:


> Have they run anymore blood to see anymore change in values?


Yes, I asked them to redo a CBC today and they did. WBC is now elevated, kidney/liver function still looks good. Unfortunately her fever went back up to 104.5 during the trial of slowing her IV fluids. So they added IV Ampicillin which I'm happy about because apparently they were only doing PO Doxy before and there's really not enough of an improvement to think that the Doxy is treating the problem IMO (if it actually is an infection). The vet mentioned that they kind of lost their window to do a blood culture because now she's got 2 antibiotics on board, I think they didn't do a blood culture yesterday because her WBC wasn't elevated at that point. I'm really hoping the Ampicillin gets whatever this is and we see a big turn around tomorrow.


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## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

I hope the Ampicillin does the job and you see a huge improvement in her. 

Sending good thoughts.....


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## eeerrrmmm1 (Apr 15, 2018)

CAROLINA MOM said:


> I hope the Ampicillin does the job and you see a huge improvement in her.
> 
> Sending good thoughts.....


Thank you. I was heartbroken when I couldn't bring her home tonight. Kind of lost it at the vet.  Those poor people think I'm crazy but she's my baby.


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## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

eeerrrmmm1 said:


> Thank you. I was heartbroken when I couldn't bring her home tonight. Kind of lost it at the vet.  Those poor people think I'm crazy but she's my baby.


I get it, I'm sure they understand more than you realize too.


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## cwag (Apr 25, 2017)

Oh, I'm sorry she's not back home tonight. Anyone who has loved a dog would understand your being upset.


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## JulesAK (Jun 6, 2010)

I am so sorry. I sure hope she takes a turn for the better soon!
Jules


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## Ivyacres (Jun 3, 2011)

I'm sorry she's been so sick but hopefully she's starting to get better.


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## cwag (Apr 25, 2017)

Any news today?


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

Oh my goodness, this sounds so awful. I'm so sorry you're both going through this. I really hope they can figure this out and get that fever down. Poor lovie. It must be killing you not to be with her. I'm sending positive thoughts that today is the turnaround day for the better.


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## DblTrblGolden2 (Aug 22, 2018)

Don't feel bad about crying. I am known to be a pretty level headed pragmatic realist in daily life. I completely loose it every time something is off with Duke. I fell apart at the vet the day they gave us his last diagnosis. Not like I teared up, like full out ugly can't talk kind of crying. It was so bad that both owners of the practice, the horse specialist, and two vet techs came in to promise me they would research his issues and give me the best answers they could. I've known all of them for years personally and professionally. I think I caught them all off guard. There is just something with Duke that throws all that level headedness right out the window. I've had Golden's with cancer and handled it better. This guy just has the key to my heart and apparently the key to the waterworks. Even I think it's ridiculous that I tear up when trying to go over his symptoms, but I can't stop it from happening. 

Praying for better news for you today!


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## eeerrrmmm1 (Apr 15, 2018)

Thank you everyone. We finally saw her today, I didnt yesterday because I felt like I couldn’t leave her and i was so upset I felt like it would be worse to see her. It felt so good to see her! She cry/grunted when she saw us ? and buried her face in us and wiggled her butt nonstop and licked our faces. I get teary just thinking about it now and I’m the harda** at work so it’s weird. Anyway fever still at 103.5ish, waxing & waning. On the good side - she’s keeping food & water down & her poop is pretty formed! But shes getting Zofran (Ondansetron) & metoclopramide. If it’s an infection I would expect to see a solid improvement in the fever situation from either the ampicillin or doxycycline by tomorrow.. maybe Friday at the latest since the ampicillin was just started yesterday. If that doesn’t happen we are going to need to look at other possibilities, autoimmune or cancer. Just found out gastrointestinal lymphoma is a thing. Kind of want to vomit myself honestly. I read that there’s a hospital in NC that does bone marrow transplants for some types of lymphoma. But I’m getting ahead of everything obviously. I’m just worried about worst case and looking for some comfort of course. But I’m sure it’s most likely just some nasty infection and her fever will resolve tomorrow.


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## OscarsDad (Dec 20, 2017)

I'm rooting for the infection ( as odd as that might sound). Sounds like you are doing everything you possible can. Thoughts are with you...


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## Deborus12 (Nov 5, 2017)

Thinking about you and Luna. Hoping for a full recovery for your beautiful girl.


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## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

Glad you were able to see her. 
I too hope it's just an infection, sending good thoughts for her. 
Take care of yourself too, she needs you.


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## Grluvr (Mar 7, 2020)

From the details u have offered I would really consider looking into Autoimmune Polyarthritis. Best wishes


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## Sholt (Jun 20, 2019)

Hugs to Luna and her humans.❤ Hope she recovers quickly!


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## eeerrrmmm1 (Apr 15, 2018)

Grluvr said:


> From the details u have offered I would really consider looking into Autoimmune Polyarthritis. Best wishes


That is something the vet mentioned as on the list of possibilities but I haven't seen evidence of joint inflammation (I'm assuming you'd see general lameness?) and the only time her walking was strange was when she was walking with a hunched back (I think indicating severe abdominal pain given the vomiting and diarrhea) and her fever turned out to be 106 at that point. Her walking has been normal since then from what I saw this afternoon and from the vet's report. Thank you for the input though! Let me know if you're aware of GI related symptoms w/ Autoimmune Polyarthritis.. between Luna's illness and the coronavirus situation at work I've been researching so much I definitely may have missed stuff.

Editing update - I found more information on immune-mediated polyarthritis and apparently some dogs present with fever, vomiting and diarrhea and do not have signs of lameness or joint inflammation so this is definitely still on the list of potential diagnoses! Thank you!!!


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## eeerrrmmm1 (Apr 15, 2018)

The evening update is not encouraging. The vet called 10 min before they closed and said that her appetite was good, she's keeping the food down (again still on Ondansetron & Metoclopramide) and her stools are formed, but her fever had spiked again this afternoon to 105 so she's not 100% comfortable continuing to care for her since they are not a 24 hour hospital and we don't know what her temp is at night. She'd just given her Buprenorphine so she was relaxed and sleeping, her temp was 104 at last check. She said she felt like she was stable except for the waxing and waning fever. I wish I had said hold right there, I'm coming to get her and transferring her to a 24 hour vet tonight. Instead I said "I guess it's too late to transfer". That was stupid. I shouldn't have been thinking about potentially inconveniencing the vet or staff or anyone else - so please let that be a lesson for everyone else! If you think you might regret it at all tell the vet to wait! She could've called me earlier to tell me her fever went back up to 105 today! 

It's tough when it's happening because you're overwhelmed trying to process the information that she's not really getting better and we don't really know what's going on.. but when in doubt just opt for the safer option. I made the wrong call. I'm never going to forgive myself if she's not ok tonight. It was a stupid call. I realized it was stupid right after I hung up with the vet and tried calling back but it went right to the automated answering that didn't even allow for a message so my husband and I jumped in the car and drove down there as fast as possible but they had already left. 

I'm going to bring her to a 24 hour vet tomorrow morning. Maybe we'll get really lucky and her fever will break and not come back.


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## Grluvr (Mar 7, 2020)

what was her temp today?


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## eeerrrmmm1 (Apr 15, 2018)

Grluvr said:


> what was her temp today?


It was as low as 102.9 and as high as 105.


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## Montysmom (May 14, 2018)

Praying your dear Luna has a full recovery. I can’t imagine right now how difficult this is.


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## eeerrrmmm1 (Apr 15, 2018)

Montysmom said:


> Praying your dear Luna has a full recovery. I can’t imagine right now how difficult this is.


Thank you. I really appreciate all the kind words from this forum. I know you guys understand how much we love Luna.


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## OscarsDad (Dec 20, 2017)

We absolutely do!


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## Grluvr (Mar 7, 2020)

She is not responding to antibiotics or NSAIDS I think it is time for steroids (autoimmune) Please consider this!!! Best wishes


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## eeerrrmmm1 (Apr 15, 2018)

Grluvr said:


> She is not responding to antibiotics or NSAIDS I think it is time for steroids (autoimmune) Please consider this!!! Best wishes


Yes, thank you. I've done more research on your suggestion of Immune Mediated Polyarthritis and I do see that some dogs present w/ GI symptoms and do not have any apparent lameness or joint inflammation so IMPA is very high on the list of possible diagnoses. I need to talk to the vet but it sounds like it's diagnosed through ruling out other conditions and testing synovial joint fluid aspirate for inflammation markers. We can't administer steroids until an oddball fungal infection has been ruled out because steroid administration could be lethal if it turned out to be fungal (that's really unlikely of course).

She has improved with the vomiting, diarrhea and eating. I do wonder if her vomiting and refusal to eat would return if the Ondansetron and Metoclopramide were removed. She's not being given anything for diarrhea and that has improved so I think that's a really good sign. 

Good news so far - vet tech said her temp was 102.3 this morning! Best reading we've gotten in 4 days!


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## DblTrblGolden2 (Aug 22, 2018)

So glad her temp is down this morning. My situation is different, but I wanted to let you know that Duke is on metoclopramide 10 mg 3 times a day and he will not eat or keep anything down without it. He has MegaE so I'm not sure how much is the medication and his condition vs. what the medication would do on a dog without his condition. So glad her temp is down for you though.


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

This must be so hard. Everytime I read her fever is spiking or up again, my heart just sinks for you. It's so hard just not knowing what is going on. I hope she continues to improve today.


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## Deborus12 (Nov 5, 2017)

Please keep us posted when you can. We are tuning into the forum several times a day and thinking of you and Luna.


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## eeerrrmmm1 (Apr 15, 2018)

Luna is home!!!! Her fever has not gone above 103 today so the vet agreed that I could do a trial monitoring at home just in case her spiking fevers are due to stress. I read that some dogs can have a fever up to 105 from stress. I'm going to be monitoring her temp every 2 hours and if she shows any signs of distress or the temp gets to 103.9, I will immediately take her to the 24 hr vet we were going to transfer her to before I decided to do a home trial. Of course we're continuing her Doxycycline and the IV Ampicillin got changed to oral Amoxicillin. I'm not going to try to wean her off the anti-nausea meds for a day or two.

I'm *so* relieved that she's home right now and I'm really hopeful that her temp will stay down and this will have been a nasty infection that was either slow to respond to antibiotics or was viral. Crossing fingers!


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## OscarsDad (Dec 20, 2017)

YIPPEE! So pleased that you are sounding hopeful! We and Oskie send rubs, hugs, pets, and wishes that Luna recovers quickly!


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## Sholt (Jun 20, 2019)

Yea Luna and all the humans working so hard to help you get well! I know how hard it is to leave them and how good it is just to have them home.?


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## Deborus12 (Nov 5, 2017)

Your heart must be singing! So happy for you.


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## eeerrrmmm1 (Apr 15, 2018)

OscarsDad said:


> YIPPEE! So pleased that you are sounding hopeful! We and Oskie send rubs, hugs, pets, and wishes that Luna recovers quickly!


Yes! I'm so happy just to have her home. It's like a weight has been lifted off my chest. It's clear that she's still not feeling well, she's resting on the couch now but her last two temps have been 102.3 and 102.2. She's eating eagerly but of course I can only do a small amount of canned ID mixed w/ a little dry ID. 

She is being hypervigilant which I think is evidence that she found staying at the vet a bit traumatic. I had surgery once and my husband says I kept waking up in the anesthesia recovery room asking to leave and then I would pass out, wake up and ask to leave again - lol. As soon as I could keep my head up I insisted on going to the bathroom which they wouldn't let me do without an aide and I made her sit there with me running the sink water and drinking tea until I peed because they wouldn't let me leave without peeing. I'm pretty sure Luna feels the same way. She's much sweeter about it than me lol but I feel like if I can possibly keep her home, it's what's best for her. As long as her temp remains below 103.9 / she's keeping her meds/water/food down.


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## Ffcmm (May 4, 2016)

so glad she is home & on the mend!


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

So glad to see she is home with you. That will immediately start to make her feel better, even as her illness may take a little longer. What a relief. I know I always felt just gutted when my last dog was in the hospital, as she was during the last two months of her life. I hope she continues to improve.


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## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

So glad Luna is home, prayers she continues to improve.


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## eeerrrmmm1 (Apr 15, 2018)

Thank you everyone for the well wishes. Luna's fever hasn't returned so far. She did vomit a little in the afternoon but it was mostly just a little water. A bit concerning because she's still getting two different anti-nausea meds. She is keeping her food down and eager to eat so that's good. I wish I knew if her nausea is a continuation of symptoms or due to the antibiotics.. might have to keep her on the anti-nausea meds throughout the whole antibiotic regimen. 

She's been fever free for 24 hours so I'm going to try to withdraw the NSAID (Meloxicam) and watch her temp overnight to make sure it doesn't rise again. Crossing fingers!


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## Maggie'sVoice (Apr 4, 2018)

I've been watching all along and glad to see her home with you! It's also possible that the antibiotics just weren't effective and the infection/virus just had to run it's course and Luna is through the woods.


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## gdgli (Aug 24, 2011)

I am wishing for the best.


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## DblTrblGolden2 (Aug 22, 2018)

Hoping for the best! Thank you for keeping us updated!


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## OscarsDad (Dec 20, 2017)

eeerrrmmm1 said:


> Thank you everyone for the well wishes. Luna's fever hasn't returned so far. She did vomit a little in the afternoon but it was mostly just a little water. A bit concerning because she's still getting two different anti-nausea meds. She is keeping her food down and eager to eat so that's good. I wish I knew if her nausea is a continuation of symptoms or due to the antibiotics.. might have to keep her on the anti-nausea meds throughout the whole antibiotic regimen.
> 
> She's been fever free for 24 hours so I'm going to try to withdraw the NSAID (Meloxicam) and watch her temp overnight to make sure it doesn't rise again. Crossing fingers!
> 
> View attachment 871124


Aw how peaceful. Happy Luna is in her very own bed.


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## LynnC (Nov 14, 2015)

Just reading through this post now and I’m so sorry for what your sweet Luna has been going through. Very scary but sounds like she’s on the road to recovery. Sweet picture of her all snuggly in her bed ❤


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## Ginams (Jan 20, 2015)

She looks so comfy in her own bed. Hoping for lots of rest and continued improvements for both of you.


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## Maggie'sVoice (Apr 4, 2018)

Luna is happy to be home. Sleeping soundly is the sign of a dog with no stress. Mission accomplished!


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## diane0905 (Aug 20, 2010)

I'm so glad Luna is home and doing better.


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## dbrown (Nov 13, 2018)

So happy to see her snuggled up in her bed. Sending healing thoughts your way.


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## debbie624 (Aug 10, 2018)

I'm just reading up on your post. I am so sorry that you and Luna are going through this. I remember one of my dogs, a terrier mix, years ago, had to be hospitalized a couple of times for pneumonia and it was so scary. I am glad to see that Luna is resting at home comfortably with you. Sending prayers her way for a speedy recovery.


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## Ivyacres (Jun 3, 2011)

I'm so glad Luna is home and doing well. Please know that we are keeping you in our thoughts and praying for a full recovery.


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

No fever is gooood. So happy to read that. I'm sure you are, but have you been feeding the very bland IB wet dog food? They love it, but it is easy on their system, easy to digest.


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## eeerrrmmm1 (Apr 15, 2018)

Sweet Girl said:


> No fever is gooood. So happy to read that. I'm sure you are, but have you been feeding the very bland IB wet dog food? They love it, but it is easy on their system, easy to digest.


Yes, I'm so relieved that her temp has finally stayed down! She's getting the wet ID and she seems to be very happy with it. I spoke with her vet yesterday and upped her Ondansetron to 3 times a day (from 2) and that's made a difference. She's hasn't vomited or showed signs of nausea since the increase. However, she hasn't pooped today. Could be the Ondansetron increase but she's on a low dose (only 4mg) so I don't know. Trying to decide if I should take her to the E-Vet this evening if she doesn't poop or wait till tomorrow morning and see what happens.. I know it's not obstruction since she just had X-Rays and an ultrasound so I'll probably wait until tomorrow morning as long as she has no other symptoms.


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## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

Great to hear her temp is staying down............. 

With all the meds and being stressed from being at the Vet clinic, her system may just need some time to get back on track. But your her momma....... you know your girl better than me.


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## OscarsDad (Dec 20, 2017)

Sorry I missed your last update. So glad that things are moving in a positive direction.


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## JulesAK (Jun 6, 2010)

Prayers she will continue to improve. Such a sweet girl.
Jules


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## eeerrrmmm1 (Apr 15, 2018)

CAROLINA MOM said:


> Great to hear her temp is staying down.............
> 
> With all the meds and being stressed from being at the Vet clinic, her system may just need some time to get back on track. But your her momma....... you know your girl better than me.


You're completely right lol. I'm just nervous. She pooped late last night and this morning so everything is fine.


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## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

Certainly nothing wrong with that, it's very normal too. 

Yay, great to hear things are moving along for her.


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

Glad the no pooping resolved itself. I figured it was probably the readjustment around the meds. Hope she just continues to improve now. What a mystery. They never really figured out what was wrong, did they? Do they just assume there was an infection somewhere?


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## eeerrrmmm1 (Apr 15, 2018)

Sweet Girl said:


> Glad the no pooping resolved itself. I figured it was probably the readjustment around the meds. Hope she just continues to improve now. What a mystery. They never really figured out what was wrong, did they? Do they just assume there was an infection somewhere?


No, we didn't get a definite diagnosis. The primary vet felt that based on her experience, and given that we live close to Lyme where the lovely tick disease got its name, the time of year and the fact that it was an exceptionally mild winter - it was anaplasmosis. 

She did do a 4Dx test which tests for heartworm, lyme, ehrilichia, and anaplasmosis. It came back negative but apparently all of the available tests for anaplasmosis (including PCR) are all highly dependent upon the stage the infection is in when tested. False negatives are common. What threw us off was that she spiked a fever of 105 on day 3 of treatment with Doxycycline - with cooling IV fluids running! And that her original primary symptoms were vomiting, anorexia and diarrhea. Apparently, anaplasmosis can cause all of those things but the vet said that you typically see high fever with signs of lameness and anorexia. Anyway, after she came home, my husband and I were talking and realized that for the last week or so before hospitalization we had noticed that Luna was licking her legs more frequently (potentially indicating some joint/muscle soreness) and did appear very subtly stiff while catching balls so we're leaning towards the primary vet was right and it was anaplasmosis.

This weekend we declared war on the ticks and used a leaf blower and rakes to clear the leaf litter in the wooded section of the fenced in yard. We also bought a bunch of natural(ish) tick killer (Wondercide outdoor pest control) and plan to spray the hell out of the entire fenced in area. I won't let Luna out there for a few days after we spray to be on the safe side. 

We've been keeping her on leash during all trips outside so she can't go into the wooded areas and we've been checking and getting any found ticks off of her. Still my husband called me this morning to tell me that he found an attached tick on Luna's chest. It was dead but appparently some diseases can be transmitted before Nexguard kills them. I can't wait to spray the yard at this point. We just need the spray cannisters to get here.


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## cwag (Apr 25, 2017)

eeerrrmmm1 said:


> Still my husband called me this morning to tell me that he found an attached tick on Luna's chest. It was dead but appparently some diseases can be transmitted before Nexguard kills them. QUOTE]
> 
> That's disturbing.


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## eeerrrmmm1 (Apr 15, 2018)

cwag said:


> That's disturbing.


Yeah, I've read some more information and found that transmission times for some tick borne illnesses can be highly variable depending on the circumstances - for example:

"Two additional points need to be considered. The first is that experimental work has shown that an interrupted feeding nymph tick will seek another blood meal. Pathogen activation has already occurred during initial tick feeding and transmission time is more rapid upon reattachment to a new host. The risk of this phenomenon occurring in the natural situation is not clear. A second consideration is that manipulation of a feeding tick during human efforts to detach the tick could increase the risk of pathogen injection. " https://michvma.org/resources/Documents/MVC/2017 Proceedings/alleman 01.pdf

So if you happen to be very unlucky, a tick could transmit a disease before the usually expected attachment times.


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## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

eeerrrmmm1 said:


> Yeah, I've read some more information and found that transmission times for some tick borne illnesses can be highly variable depending on the circumstances - for example:
> 
> "Two additional points need to be considered. The first is that experimental work has shown that an interrupted feeding nymph tick will seek another blood meal. Pathogen activation has already occurred during initial tick feeding and transmission time is more rapid upon reattachment to a new host. The risk of this phenomenon occurring in the natural situation is not clear. A second consideration is that manipulation of a feeding tick during human efforts to detach the tick could increase the risk of pathogen injection. " https://michvma.org/resources/Documents/MVC/2017 Proceedings/alleman 01.pdf
> 
> So if you happen to be very unlucky, a tick could transmit a disease before the usually expected attachment times.


I hate ticks, after reading this I hate them even more.......


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## debbie624 (Aug 10, 2018)

Wondering what the solution is? Does Frontline kill ticks before transmission? I have used Wondercide to spray my yard but I think you have to keep spraying if it ends up raining. I think, not sure how often. I have used the Wondercide pet spray too that you spray directly on the dog and that seems to work well. That and All Zoo which applies like Frontline along the back but it is essential oils. I love warmer weather but I dread tick/flea season bc I hate the idea of chemicals but am fearful of tick born disease.


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

It definitely does sound like your vet's instinct is right, from everything you said. Ugh, I hate ticks. FWIW, I have had good luck with Advantix II - it actually repels the ticks so that it helps to prevent them from biting in the first place (and if they do bite, it works like any other tick prevention). Hope this helps - but maybe you have already been through Advantix and it no longer works in your area. Anyway, hope the worst of this is by you!


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## Montysmom (May 14, 2018)

eeerrrmmm1 said:


> No, we didn't get a definite diagnosis. The primary vet felt that based on her experience, and given that we live close to Lyme where the lovely tick disease got its name, the time of year and the fact that it was an exceptionally mild winter - it was anaplasmosis.
> 
> She did do a 4Dx test which tests for heartworm, lyme, ehrilichia, and anaplasmosis. It came back negative but apparently all of the available tests for anaplasmosis (including PCR) are all highly dependent upon the stage the infection is in when tested. False negatives are common. What threw us off was that she spiked a fever of 105 on day 3 of treatment with Doxycycline - with cooling IV fluids running! And that her original primary symptoms were vomiting, anorexia and diarrhea. Apparently, anaplasmosis can cause all of those things but the vet said that you typically see high fever with signs of lameness and anorexia. Anyway, after she came home, my husband and I were talking and realized that for the last week or so before hospitalization we had noticed that Luna was licking her legs more frequently (potentially indicating some joint/muscle soreness) and did appear very subtly stiff while catching balls so we're leaning towards the primary vet was right and it was anaplasmosis.
> 
> ...


So glad Luna is doing better. You have reminded us all of the importance of safeguarding against ticks. I have piles of leaves to clear out and will try the pest control mentioned. Thanks again and hope you can rest a bit easier. With the warm winter we will all have to be mindful.


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## Brodys Rockies (Jan 8, 2019)

My goodness! Just seeing this situation and thread. After reading through all you have been through, I was so concerned I would be reading a sad update by page 5. I was so happy to hear that Luna is home and doing better. Whew! I know this has had you on the edge of your seat for the past several days. So thankful Luna is doing better.


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## eeerrrmmm1 (Apr 15, 2018)

debbie624 said:


> Wondering what the solution is? Does Frontline kill ticks before transmission? I have used Wondercide to spray my yard but I think you have to keep spraying if it ends up raining. I think, not sure how often. I have used the Wondercide pet spray too that you spray directly on the dog and that seems to work well. That and All Zoo which applies like Frontline along the back but it is essential oils. I love warmer weather but I dread tick/flea season bc I hate the idea of chemicals but am fearful of tick born disease.


I'm not sure there is a solution. From what I've read it sounds like Nexguard will probably protect against most potential instances of tick borne infection with a kill time somewhere between 8-48 hours for ticks (Frontline's kill time is within 48 hours). It depends on whether or not the tick starts its bloodmeal right away (if it does the kill time will be faster) and whether or not the tick has recently fed on something else (infection transmission time will be shortened if it has). 
Wondercide says to apply twice within the first 2-10 days and then reapply every 30-45 days or after a heavy rain.


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## eeerrrmmm1 (Apr 15, 2018)

Sweet Girl said:


> It definitely does sound like your vet's instinct is right, from everything you said. Ugh, I hate ticks. FWIW, I have had good luck with Advantix II - it actually repels the ticks so that it helps to prevent them from biting in the first place (and if they do bite, it works like any other tick prevention). Hope this helps - but maybe you have already been through Advantix and it no longer works in your area. Anyway, hope the worst of this is by you!


Thank you! I'll check w/ our vet to see if Advantix II has been effective in our area recently.


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