OT: Veterinarian successes

As you folks know, we have been having problems with our pal Chino(long haired shepherd purebred) had a sebaceous cyst surgically removed, and was doing really good up until the tick bit him.We use frontline, and spray for ticks,however, it didn"t help Chino. We"ve had him to our local Vets for all kinds of tests, and he still is weak,but alert.He is not in pain,but we can"t get a leg up on the darned thing.Our local vet suggested if no progress is present we should take him to Blue Pearl Veterinary Clinic, in Blaine,Mn. We leave tomorrow for a appointment scheduled at 10:30 AM.
We will not be able to leave Chino as he suffers from extreme Separation Anxiety. We got that problem solved,I think. Have any of you fellows used Blue Pearl Vet clinic, and if you have,what is your opinion on their services? I sure would like to hear from you concerning this Blue Pearl Vet,as they are located all over the US,and are supposed to be the best,or so we"re told.

I sure don"t want to lose our pal,and any thoughts and prayers would be appreciated.He is a great pal .
Regards,
LOU

Did the Vet say the dog was suffering from Lyme disease or something the tick may have given him? Ticks are extremely bad this year in Michigan,don"t know if they are that bad in Wisconsin.
I don"t know anythig about the Blue Pearl Vet Clinic,..but if he is sending you there,your dog"s problem must be serious enough for a specialist to look at or maybe he doesn"t have the lab test equipment to pinpoint what exactly the problem is.
Good luck and you are in our prayers. I too have a dog and I know how a member of the family they become and it is hard when they are sick.

I don't know of Blue Pearl....but thoughts and prayers sent for your furry friend. Hope it all works out for you guys. Furry family members are as much a member of the family as can be. In fact, I often like them more!

Leo,
Thank you for your kind reply.
Chino's blood tests show Ehrlichia,but there must be something else going on, according to the vet.Blood work,urinalysis,and a host of other tests, shows no significant damage to organs,but no progress with his disease,getting better.She said "she is out of her realm of knowledge,concerning Chinos condition" so recommended this specialist for further testing and treatment. I sure do hope they can find it, as he is one of a kind and too young to be put down. We've had Shepherds live long lives at 13- 15 years old.Again I thank you for your kind reply.
Regards,
LOU

Sparktrician,
Thank you for prayers.

I agree with you, furry friends are better than some people,as if the furry friends don't like you, you know it. No subterfuge.

He is truly a gentle giant with a big heart.
Regards,
LOU

I looked up your Vet"s diagnosis of your dog and it is transmitted most likely from the tick bite. Tetracycline,Doxycycline, or Predisone are the treatments of choice according to the information provided on the web site. If your dog is in the early stages of the disease,improvement can occur within a few days. If he has had the disease longer,(Don"t know when he was actually biten by the tick) it will take longer to get the disease out of his blood cells.
Again, you are in our prayers and I hope they have caught this in time to give your pet a quick and full recovery.

Leo' THANK YOU AND THOSE WHO RESPONDED!!! It appears the tick is responsible for this illness, however there may, and I say may foster some other type of illness. Sure don't wish this on any other pooch or human beings. I understand it can affect humans also. Sure hope this never transpires. Will head out in the morning to Blaine Mn, Got to help any way we can and hopefully the specialist can pin point whats ailing our Pal. Again Thanks. Warmest regards LOU.

If all else fails, you may want to check with the Vet School at the Univ. of Wi. in Madison. They aren't cheap but have all the latest equipment and up to date knowledge.

Lou - I agree with glen below. I have had dogs as well as cattle and horses to the Kansas State University Animal Vet facilities. They are the very best and will keep you informed as to progress. At least at KSU Vet they will assign a qualified student (not first year but seasoned student) to your animal and it will get care, guaranteed. Also, there will be a teacher/professor who will be in charge. Just a thought and you should do what you think is best. Also, as Glen said, it is not cheap, but not a lot higher than regular vet services. The only thing is, Kansas State is a Vet College so it is a strong part of their agenda. I'm not sure on Wi College. Just another option. I am extremely confident and at ease when I take animals to KSU knowing everything that can be done will be. Good luck - Bob

I gotta agree with this post about the K-State vet school. My son will be going to K-State in a year and his major will to be a vet. I've toured the facilities several times and it is top-notch. Also, I believe they are only one of two places in the entire U.S. that can test for rabies. I've also toured another vet school (which will remain nameless here) and there is no comparison.

glen,
Thank you for the reply, I will make sure I will keep your response in mind.I do appreciate it.Trying to find out what it is,how to treat it, what is the prognosis, is more than a little concerning to us, to say the least. We will try to get him back up to his healthy self.The site for Blue pearl says, it has an in house lab,all the latest equip,and so forth.If they find it our family would be so greatful as he is a very special friend to us and at only 8, is too young to go thru this.

Again Glen your post is truly appreciated and will be kept in mind,I do thank you.
Regards,
LOU

Gambles,
Thank you.

I am glad our local vet has reached the point of saying I don't know enough and have reached my level of expertise.So here is a place that it better equiped and more knowledgable than I am. It is very rare to find someone who will admit their level of expertise, especially when it concerns peoples family or animals.

I will keep my hopes up,pray it all works out for the best,but as long as he's not in pain,and can make a recovery,I will try for him.

Again thank you for the reply.
Regards,
LOU

Bobl,
Thank you for taking the time to reply.

The hard part is always second guessing our pups recovery. Some web answers says it may take up to 4 weeks to recover, some say days, since he is a pure shepherd, according to the vet and web, they are the most susceptible to this disease,along with doberman pinchers.

I would hate to wait too long and lose him for lack of treatment due to any other missed diagnosis,a failure on my part, as we asked for him.So if we can get a better answer and tests, treatment options,to further hasten his recovery of this nasty disease,or maybe a combination of diseases, would be to his and our benefit.
I just want a definite answer to his problem or problems.I am not one to wait until it fails to act on it, catch it early,and have a better recovery.

Before the surgery, Chino was very healthy and energetic, after the surgery he was healing fine,scar healed up great, and 1 week later this hits, found 3 ticks on his right side and removed those,within 6 days swelling started with fever. Vet treated him with Clavamox& Baytril, within 1 week swelling went down to nothing.Less than 3 weeks later swelling fever,loss appetite,lethargy comes back. Son requested outside lab test for tick born diseases and Ehrlichia shows up in it.Been on Minocycline,for 5 days, got vomiting, changed with stomach pills and Doxy been on that for 2 going on 3 weeks and slight improvement.Just want him back to usual self.

Madison college is another option,but over a 5 hour drive for us, we're located way north, however, if this don't work out, to HE11 with the drive, we'll do it anyway.

Thank you again for taking the time to post a helpful reply.
Regards,
LOU

Lou, if going to Madison is too far, and you are already in Blaine, how about the U of M? They do great things with small animals, and if you are 5 hours from Madison, then St. Paul can't be that far

John,
Thank you for the idea.
We do have an appointment with BluePearl tomorrow,and if they don't work out,your helpful idea will be followed thru.I hear from they are very good people at Bluepearl,but the proof is in the pudding or so they say.We hope it is for Chinos sake and ours.If not we will find out how U of M is for treatment.
Again I want to thank you for your time in helping us,and it is appreciated.
Regards,
LOU

Hello Lou,
My husband brought this to my attention and thought maybe I could give you some input. We"ve had a lot of experience with dogs, with lyme, heartworm and other conditions. I think that it may help to give him a supplement to help with his over taxed system. With all antibiotics and other meds. he"s had with the operation and ticks.
I give these Nzymes to all our dogs. I have a black lab that was depressed, loosing weight, problem with urinating. She was all hunched over and couldn"t walk one day this past Feb. After trips to the vet and bloodwork ekg. ultrasound. They found nothing wrong. But had her on antibiotics a couple times. We really thought we had to put her down. I thought what do we have to loose by trying these after I heard good things from a friend. I started her on them and it may sound unbelievable but she is in awesome health now. Like being 5 yrs younger. (shes 13yrs) Look on the internet under Nzymes, read the info maybe it will help, small price to pay, if you need more info you can email me to explain what I did.
I wish you the best,
Donna