M. Sullivan Photography

October 20, 2012 M. Sullivan Photography Daphne, Photos

On The Road To Recovery

Daphne visited the vet on Thursday. After a quick exam that included a check of her temperature and a fine needle aspiration of one of her lymph nodes, the vet determined that she does not have an infection. All we know is that something triggered her immune system to go into overdrive. She is a dog with a very “reactive” immune system. The vet put her back on prednisone – twice a day for three days. Over the next few weeks her dose will continue to be tapered off. Our hope is to get her down to one half a tablet every other day. If we can’t keep her healthy at a low dose or wean her off completely, our next step is to try a drug called Atopica. It has fewer side effects, but will cost significantly more than prednisone. After just a day of prednisone, she was acting like her old self yesterday. The kids played with her in the backyard and were tired out before she was.

Here’s to a healthy fall. Fingers crossed!

October 16, 2012 M. Sullivan Photography Daphne, Photos

Under The Weather

In early March, our 8-year-old boxer, Daphne, began having issues with swollen lymph nodes, swelling in her muzzle, lack of appetite and low energy. She visited the vet on a number of occasions, was prescribed antibiotics for Lymes disease, allergy medicine and prednisone. She had a few relapses during the spring and early summer, but by the end of July she was off all medications and was doing well. Her energy level and appetite had fully returned and she was back to her normal, playful self. Early in September, she had a relapse. We don’t know if it was triggered by outdoor allergens, auto-immune issues or something completely different. She broke out with hives/bumps all over her body that eventually crusted up and have since gone away. She is still left with low energy, swelling in her lymph nodes and has a diminished appetite. We put her back on prednisone which has helped with the swelling and appetite, but as soon as we try to taper back the dose, her symptoms return. We don’t know the cause or the solution to her health issues, but will take another trip to the vet to see if they have any answers. Here’s Daphne last week looking “under the weather”.