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”.
M. Sullivan Photography 