Sick Pei

[badboyz]

So glad you have an answer. Let us know what you find out about it and treatment.

[Paula-]

I'm sorry peibe

My friend's kelpie has lupus, but I think it's cutaneous/discoid lupus. I can ask - she's had her boy on treatment for a number of years.

[monsterpup]

I'm sorry I hope someone has some info for you.

[PeiLuvR]

I have HEALTH class 2moro and i am going to be asking my teachers all about the Systemic Lupus ! As i am studying animal technology hopefully i can learn something and let you know what info i find. Its just so devastating when our best friends get sick like this and we feel so helpless because they can't tell us exactly where it hurts THINKING OF U AND JEWEL :rolleyes:

[PeiLuvR]

Lupus... (Latin) word for Wolf.

Lupus a chronic autoimmune disease, which causes inflammation of the joints, also affecting the skin, blood,and kidneys.

I've been looking on an international shar-pei site that i haven't been on in ages but i did a search on their forum for Lupus. A few cases of peoples pei having Lupus showed up, i think both the discoid (sun damaging one) and the one Jewel has.

Here is a link for the forum with Lupus being discussed http://www.sharpeiforums.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=search_tng&d=results&record=2454329-061139-R7TA

http://www.sharpeiforums.com

Not sure if i am supposed to put other forum links on here :rolleyes: If it doesn't work maybe just cut and paste into the search engine.

Here is a picture of a pei with Lupus sores (Not sure if i should really do this either) Kei Li is only 3 !

And the discussion in the forum :

The spots you see on Kei's nose are actually sores that have developed due to her as yet undiagnosed auto immune disorder. We have an appointment with a specialist on July 30th, but until then, she's blistering, scabbing up and then starting the process all over again. Her face, hind legs and abdomen are the only parts affected so far.

My vet seems to think it will turn out to be lupus or pemphigus and after the research I've done, I'm inclined to agree with him. Treatment will probably be steroids, which I just hate to use. Not sure what we'll do if that's the case. Her quality of life is all that matters to me. I will not have her suffer for even a minute.

Edited August 16, 2007 by PeiLuvR

[peibe]

Thanks for your thoughts everyone

Jewel Lupus is internal, so her "sores" are on the inside, much harder to treat

I am reading up as much as I can, thanks for that search PeiLuvR

[he'smyhero]

I don't know anything about lupus but I hope it is managable if not treatable. Goodluck to you both I hope things start looking better soon. Please keep us posted on her progress.

[Flaves]

My mum has Lupus.

Send Wolf girl a PM, she has a clue about Lupus.

I am really sorry Peibe.

it can also affect her brain, liver, kidneys, joints, heart etc.

Mum is using traditional medicine and more natural medicines to get it under control.

In humans they use methotrexate to control the symptoms adn prednisilone.

Not sure about in dogs though.

Not sure if you can try acupuncture, or massage, my mum is using both to help control it and also reflexology but i don;t think you can do that for a dog.

Good luck, i hope you can get her treatment sorted.

[PeiLuvR]

Peibe it will be a huge injustice to shar-pei if u can no longer rescue Poor Jewel. Its just not fair.

Have u checked out Dr. Vidts website ? I've used that site a couple of times to look up pei issues.

http://www.drjwv.com

I'm researching for u and really hoping for a gr8 treatment and good outcome.

[PeiLuvR]

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) most commonly affects joints, muscle, skin, blood, and/or kidneys. The condition tends to wax and wane, so your dog will have periods of remission and of flare-up. The kinds of problems you may notice include shifting lameness (ie varies depending on which joint is affected at any time), weakness and pale gums (due to anemia), and/or increased drinking and urination (kidney disease). The face and the feet are the areas of the skin most often affected, with ulcers and loss of pigment on the nose, and ulceration and thickening of the footpads.

Diagnosis is challenging. (In fact it is sometimes called, "the great imitator"). Once suspected, diagnosis is confirmed by specific blood tests and biopsy for examination by a veterinary pathologist. Diagnosis is based on signs of multisystem involvement (most commonly anemia, thrombocytopenia, glomerulonephritis, polyarthritis, nasal and footpad dermatitis, fever of undetermined origin), a positive antinuclear antibody test, and histopathologic and immunopathologic evaluation.

The clinical signs associated with SLE in dogs include :

Anaemia - due to haemolysis of red blood cells *

Coagulopathy due to thrombocytopenia

Fever *

Recurrent shifting lameness associated with a polyarthritis - seen in 75% of cases *

Recurrent shifting lameness associated with a polymyositis

Lymphadenopathy

Myocarditis and pericarditis

Neurological signs including seizures, psychoses and polyneuropathies

Oral ulcers *

Pneumonitis or pleuritis

Polydipsia and polyuria with proteinuria due to glomerulonephritis *

Skin lesions including alopecia, cellulitis, crusting, erythema, furunculosis, panniculitis, seborrhoea, ulcers (mucocutaneous junctions and footpads), scar formation -50% of cases * The lesions can affect the face, ears , limbs, and body

Splenomegaly

Thyroiditis

Treatment for SLE generally requires relatively high doses of steroids in combination with chemotherapy. In general, dogs with joint, muscle, or skin disease seem to respond better to medication, and have longer periods of remission, than those with severe blood or kidney problems. Unfortunately, many dogs with SLE die or are euthanized within a year of diagnosis, either due to the disease itself, the inability to control it, and/or unacceptable drug reactions In other dogs, the disease can be well-controlled with medication for several years.

Treatment for SLE must be individualized for each dog, generally starting with large doses of systemic glucocorticoids.

Some Treatments of SLE include :

Corticosteroids - prednisone, prednisolone, methylprednisolone

Other immunomodulating drugs eg azathioprine, chlorambucil - sometimes in combination with corticosteroids.

Levamisole - has been beneficial in some canine cases - 2.5mg/kg every 48 hours

Aspirin has been beneficial in some canine cases

Splenectomy

Management of secondary disease eg renal failure

Although the mode of inheritance is not known for either cutaneous or systemic lupus erythematosus, these conditions run in families.

Still looking for more info. Trying to find natural treatments too.

[peibe]

It is a scary disease, although it has been picked up very early thanks to the wonderful E-Coli bug she got 3 weeks ago

Jewel starts treatment on Monday which has been recommended by a Sydney specialist my vet spoke to

She is going on Steroids and having Chemo, there are other treatments aswell but at the moment it is still a blur

She will be fine, I might not have her for the 5 years I hoped but we still have a few years left

Thanks for all your research PeiLuvr

[zacpud]

Peibe, I sincerely hope that all goes well with Jewels treatment. It will be a hard slog for both of you.