My four year old cocker spaniel Lucy has been “off” for about two years. Stiff, unsocial (though not anti-social, she’s a sweetheart), doesn’t want to do stuff, just acting like she didn’t feel well. She’s been to the vet multiple times – back trouble? Nope. Tick fever? Nope.
About Christmas time this year, she started losing weight at an alarming rate. Back to the vet, who noted that her glands were swollen. Based on her condition, he thought she might have some sort of cancer. Cue the full-body X-rays – no tumors or masses. So then she was referred to the specialty vet who said based on her symptoms he thought she had lupus. Multiple biopsies and joint taps, the diagnosis is confirmed. She has lupus. (!)
So now she’s on Prednisone and an immuno-suppressant. And an acid-reducer to combat the effects of the drugs. And high-calorie food to try to get some weight back on her.
Not incidentally, the process of getting her diagnosed cost over $2000, not including medications. And she never does a dish, she never even runs the vacuum around. It’s a good thing for her she’s so cute.
So – anyone have any experience with an animal with a chronic disease like lupus? I don’t want to make light of her situation. The vet was very honest that it will likely significantly limit her lifespan – and that’s if the medication regimen works, which it may not. If it doesn’t work . . . well, best not to think of that until I have to.
So very sorry to hear that your Lucy isn’t well. : (
Even though my dog, unlike yours, is relatively old (I tell people he’s 12, but I really haven’t a clue exactly how old he is), it is still upsetting to see him feeling crappy. My guy has never been definitively diagnosed, but he has a number of problems, including a really screwed up digestive tract and severe arthritis (which his bad digestive tract prohibits him taking Deramax for). Like your dog, he is also prednisone and an acid reducer – Prilosec, in his case. The good news about prednisone is that although it is by no means good for dogs (or anyone else) to be on it, it does tend to make them feel much more cheerful and perky in general, so your dog may start looking a bit peppier soon. I’ve never seen a dog get nasty or nutsy on prednisone, as many people do, and I’ve had several of them take it. Just in case your vet doesn’t warn you, be aware that prednisone side effects can include increased thirst and increased urination, to the point where your dog may start having accidents in the house if she can’t get out often enough. Please try to find a way to accommodate this by keeping plenty of water handy and getting her out at least every four hours if at all possible. If she starts peeing on the floor, it is NOT her fault, nor is it a sign of her underlying disease. My dog has been on pred since July or August of '08, and when the side effects get out of hand, I taper him down for a while to give his body a break, then bump him back up when it is obvious that his knees are getting too painful. No matter what happens, please do not ever stop giving Lucy her prednisone without asking her vet first and tapering her down very carefully. Her life depends on it. If your vet has Lucy on Pepcid and you find that it isn’t doing the trick, ask about Prilosec. Pepcid did nothing for my dog, but Prilosec helps him a lot. (I’m assuming you would have to cut the pills, as your dog is just a wee lass.)
Most of all, don’t lose heart! At least you have something you can try, and aren’t still groping in the dark. If you are lucky, your dog will get relief from her meds and you will find yourself able to enjoy those times when she is feeling better. Take one day at a time, and just smile because you have her, and because she was lucky enough to end up with someone who loves her and spent the time and money needed to try to help her. Many people would have given up and either let her die or had her put down. (I got my younger dog, Scooby, because the jerk that had him didn’t feel like spending $600 to have his mast cell tumor removed and was literally leading him in to the pound to have him euthanized even though he was only two years old! If I had happened to pull in to the parking lot ten minutes later than I did, he would be dead.)
It isn’t much comfort for you, but try to remember that dogs don’t know how much time they are “entitled to.” Give her as much love and fun as you can, and you will feel better no matter what the outcome.
I don’t have any advice for lupus, just sympathy for both of you.
My Bouncer dog has had exocrine pancreatic insufficiency and masseter muscle myositis for about the past 8 years. The pancreatic insufficiency we manage with a (rather expensive) food supplement that enable him to digest his food. We let him carry a little extra weight (not much, because he’s got bad hips too) just to have a cushion in case he has any problems. Before we found out what was wrong with him, he lost an ALARMING amount of weight. He looked almost as bad as those dogs you see on Animal Cops, but it was just because he wasn’t digesting his food properly, and our vet couldn’t figure out what was wrong.
The myositis has resulted in him losing muscle in his jaws. His myositis is chronic, and he probably has some jaw pain from time to time, based on the way he moves his jaws. He can’t chew anything that’s hard, but he can catch a ball and eat soft foods fine.
We were able to hunt around on the internet and find a supplement for Bouncer for considerably less than it would have cost from our vets. That helps, but it’s still expensive, and he’ll be on it as long as he lives.
That’s probably the worst thing about chronic disease. It’s expensive, you have to take your dog to the vet more often, and you worry about them more. If you can afford to do what you need to do, and you can stand the worry, you’ll be ok.
Lucky for us, Bouncer is arguably the sweetest dog in 5 states, so I’ll keep him.
