Friday, February 26, 2010
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Day to day.....
Bella is still improving a bit each day. She is showing more signs of her normal personality each day-barking or growling at noises, enjoying eating cereal, grazing at her food bowl throughout the day, and of course nudging everything in sight including her water bowl.
Still sleeps a lot due to med's, but she seems to be responding to the med's well. Some signs of her illness are still present-circling, less ocular focus, and apathetic. But it is hard at this point to deterine how much of this is illness related and how much is med's related.
Just keep praying for this little pup! She is a fighter!!!!!
ps-if you have a dog, please research Canine GME and know the symptoms. This is a relatively unknown disease to most pet owners, but very serious, and the 3rd ranked disease in dogs. There is no vaccine!!!, and vaccinations may be the cause!!!
If your dog has symptoms, and your "local vet" is clueless, get a referral to Auburn Veterinary School. Your local vet doesn't have the equipment of expertise to diagnose this! Early detection is the key if you are going to get this disease into remission.
Good day,
Chuck and Amy
Still sleeps a lot due to med's, but she seems to be responding to the med's well. Some signs of her illness are still present-circling, less ocular focus, and apathetic. But it is hard at this point to deterine how much of this is illness related and how much is med's related.
Just keep praying for this little pup! She is a fighter!!!!!
ps-if you have a dog, please research Canine GME and know the symptoms. This is a relatively unknown disease to most pet owners, but very serious, and the 3rd ranked disease in dogs. There is no vaccine!!!, and vaccinations may be the cause!!!
If your dog has symptoms, and your "local vet" is clueless, get a referral to Auburn Veterinary School. Your local vet doesn't have the equipment of expertise to diagnose this! Early detection is the key if you are going to get this disease into remission.
Good day,
Chuck and Amy
Monday, January 25, 2010
Another step forward
Today was another day of some improvement for Bella. She actually wanted to run (trot) across the yard, and she actually barked. She's still tired but is spending more time awake and a bit more alert.
We had to go get some more blood taken. Her poor veins are blown-out after the past 2 weeks being used as a pin-cushion. Hence, taking some blood was no easy chore. She had an awful time with that, so I had to get her some chic fil a nuggets to help her through her emotional pain. I think she forgot the whole incident.....
They are going to determine from her bloodwork if her med's need to be increased. Just pray they don't. She is so small and that's really a lot of drugs.
Keep prayin for this little baby,
Chuck and Amy
We had to go get some more blood taken. Her poor veins are blown-out after the past 2 weeks being used as a pin-cushion. Hence, taking some blood was no easy chore. She had an awful time with that, so I had to get her some chic fil a nuggets to help her through her emotional pain. I think she forgot the whole incident.....
They are going to determine from her bloodwork if her med's need to be increased. Just pray they don't. She is so small and that's really a lot of drugs.
Keep prayin for this little baby,
Chuck and Amy
Sunday, January 24, 2010
More attentive and Bright-eyed
Bella is having a pretty good day. She's still eating well, and has actually eaten some dry dog food now. She is drinking water well too. Her energy level is a bit higher today, and she seems to be opening her eyes wider. She actually gets very excited when its "treat" time for all the dogs. She jumped up the 2 steps at the back door on her own, which tells us her vision is getting better. her "awake" periods are longer each day, but the Keppra (anti-seizure med) still makes her pretty tired.....most of the time.
We have to take her to the vet tomorrow for some quick bloodwork. We are hoping the stress on her is minimal. please continue to pray for the "cutest dog ever".
It is a miracle that she is alive today. And we believe her improvement continues. Thank you to all of you who are praying for this little dog. Being only 4 years old, we believe it just wasn't her time to go.
We will continue to keep everyone updated.
Chuck and Amy
We have to take her to the vet tomorrow for some quick bloodwork. We are hoping the stress on her is minimal. please continue to pray for the "cutest dog ever".
It is a miracle that she is alive today. And we believe her improvement continues. Thank you to all of you who are praying for this little dog. Being only 4 years old, we believe it just wasn't her time to go.
We will continue to keep everyone updated.
Chuck and Amy
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Bella Update
"on the way home"Bella slept at home last night. She slept most of the night and only got up once to potty. The cyclosporine and Keppra(autoimmune drug and seizure drug) keep her pretty tired. And she is sleeping ALOT. But that is a normal side effect of the med's. We are just glad she is home.
She has some bruising form the EEG, and all the other procedures this week. But no biggie! She is eating well and drinking lots of water (prednisone side effect).
We have to go to the vet on Monday to draw some blood twice during the day to check cyclosporine levels. Then they may adjust her drugs up or down.
While she is not completely out of the woods yet, she is making considerable improvements. Thank you everyone for continuing to pray for this little pup.
Chuck and Amy
Friday, January 22, 2010
Bella Home
Hey everybody. Bella came home today. She is on lots of med's, but at least she's here. It is an immuno-mediated disease. She seems to be responding to med's. She is very tired due to a traumatic week. Her vision is a bit blurry, but she can see. Just keep praying for her recovery. They said if se continues to respond to med's she will continue to get better.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Bella may be coming home Friday!!!!
We just got out afternoon update form Auburn. Bella is a little better today (that's 3 days of improvement). Less pacing. Less drawing of neck. They said some of her facial features have come back. She is frail as you can probably imagine, but she is eating well. We are going to Auburn otmorrow at 11:00am to see her. If she does good tonight, she may be able to come home with us.
She has completely migrated off of IV meds and is on oral meds. Thanks for all of your prayers. We are believing that this immuno-mediated disorder is completely healed. A little meds for a while is no biggie.
We will update again tomorrow.
She has completely migrated off of IV meds and is on oral meds. Thanks for all of your prayers. We are believing that this immuno-mediated disorder is completely healed. A little meds for a while is no biggie.
We will update again tomorrow.
Update on Bella.....1-21-2010
So I decided to just blog this stuff so I wouldn't have to repeat it so many times. I will keep this page updated 1 - 2 times a day so anyone interested will know what is going on.
Brief History:
Bella sick for a week.... eventually taken to Auburn University. After MRI, and CSF tap (spinal fluid tap) she has been diagnosed with an Auto Immune Disorder. She has some inflamation on the brain because her body is basically attacking itself. This is idiopathic (cause unknown) and most likely genetic. It is not something she caught from another dog, tick, or flea. It's just there.
They have started her on Steroid treatment, she is on anti-seizure meds, and they also started a drug specifically for auto-immune diseases. This drug should turn her immune system down so it stops attacking her body.
Most dogs respond well to medication, and we are praying she continues to respond well. The drugs are pretty fast acting, and you usually know how well they are going to work within a few days. So we are just waiting.
*************She rested much better through the night last night at Auburn. She ate well. There are still some signs of neurological trauma, but they are slowly decreasing. She is still pacing some, and still drawing her head to the left. These are normal signs of neurological problems. The good news is they seem to be better this morning. In summary, we have been a little bit better everyday this week. She is following people with her eyes better and actually following them around in the yard some.
Please continue to pray for little Bella. Pray that she continues to respond well to the med's and will be home with us soon.
Thanks,
Chuck and Amy
Brief History:
Bella sick for a week.... eventually taken to Auburn University. After MRI, and CSF tap (spinal fluid tap) she has been diagnosed with an Auto Immune Disorder. She has some inflamation on the brain because her body is basically attacking itself. This is idiopathic (cause unknown) and most likely genetic. It is not something she caught from another dog, tick, or flea. It's just there.
They have started her on Steroid treatment, she is on anti-seizure meds, and they also started a drug specifically for auto-immune diseases. This drug should turn her immune system down so it stops attacking her body.
Most dogs respond well to medication, and we are praying she continues to respond well. The drugs are pretty fast acting, and you usually know how well they are going to work within a few days. So we are just waiting.
*************She rested much better through the night last night at Auburn. She ate well. There are still some signs of neurological trauma, but they are slowly decreasing. She is still pacing some, and still drawing her head to the left. These are normal signs of neurological problems. The good news is they seem to be better this morning. In summary, we have been a little bit better everyday this week. She is following people with her eyes better and actually following them around in the yard some.
Please continue to pray for little Bella. Pray that she continues to respond well to the med's and will be home with us soon.
Thanks,
Chuck and Amy
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