My Boy Has Hurt His Leg

[Lab_Rat]

Hi Erny - have just done an update (have been nightshifting for a couple of days!)......You poor things! Still no closer to an answer. I feel your frustration . I also understand your happiness that his pancreas is ok, and your disappointment at not finding anything yet!

Hang in there, as you probably know its a long and winding road to get the bottom of these things sometimes! Your Vitamin B theory sounds interesting.

I dont want to upset, but do you mind me asking what ailed Kal??

Well big hugs to you and Mandela, Erny. Hope something comes to light very soon for you both.

Rat

[Erny]

I dont want to upset, but do you mind me asking what ailed Kal??

I appreciate that you're interested enough to ask, LabRat. Kal's was a very long and winding road extending over a few years, but the diagnosis (after finally finding Vet's to take notice of what I had been saying) and her ultimate demise ended up being a tumour on the adrenal gland. I had hoped that it might have been Cushings or Addisons as even though those diseases are not pretty and are not ones we'd usually wish for, there would have been things I could have done for her and which would have at the very least purchased us more time together. In her instance there was a chance of removing the tumor although the surgery (which would require a team of surgeons) carried with it a fairly high mortality rate. But if it had succeeded, she would have been cured. Unfortunately, about 4 days prior to the scheduled surgery (she had to be on a certain medication for a minimum of 3 weeks before the surgery which is why it couldn't be performed earlier, although we knew it was a case of 'the sooner the better') she began having Grand Mal seizures. The assessment then was that her brain had become affected. Surgery was therefore cancelled and I knew it was a matter of palitive care but that I would have to make the ultimate and final decision on her behalf at some stage soon into the future, and before the tumour on her adrenal gland caused it to rupture, which would have proven a ghastly death if allowed. So I chose a time (during which she was progessively deteriorating) that perhaps wasn't as long as I could have given her, but in the absence of a crystal ball, didn't want to risk the alternative. She's my heart dog and her sweetness and innocence is sadly missed.

Mind you, with Mandela I don't get much time to reflect on Kal's sweetness and innocence. By comparison, he is the ultimate "Mr. Crash and Bash" with his enthusiasm and over zealous ways . And I love him too, for that .

Edited May 21, 2009 by Erny

[Lab_Rat]

Hmmm...sorry you had to go through all that just for me .

However, sounds just like my two chalk & cheese!!! Miekah - who had osteosarcoma in her front right leg that resulted in amputation - was like an angel. The very best first ridgie! Wheras Zola is like you describe Mandela, crash & bash. She is definitely the devils spawn .............And not without her "problems" either!!

Ahh, the things we go through having our wonderful dogs

Thanks for sharing, I know how hard it is to retell the story. I still get weepy telling Miekahs story although its almost four years since she left us!

Thinking of you,

Rat

[Cosmolo]

Maybe way off the mark and don't want to cause any offence or upset- but is it possible there is something in your yard or area (heavy metal toxicity for instance) that could have caused both Kal and Mandela's problems?

[Kelly_Louise]

I remember following Kal's story, and shedding a number of tears.

Funny how a dog can touch us through their humans, and bring a tear from a stranger.

Im hoping that you find a conclusion to your gut feeling on Mandela soon. Sounds like you have a very understanding, and thorough vet. I too am always theorizing about Chloe and all her numerous issues - her specialist must roll his eyes when he sees an email from me, but he does encourage me to discuss ANYTHING we notice or feel concerned about - it's the only way to help them get a more accurate understanding and diagnosis. And who knows them best? When we have that gut instinct that not all is well, we are usually right.

Hugs to the very handsome Mandela!!

[Erny]

Maybe way off the mark and don't want to cause any offence or upset- but is it possible there is something in your yard or area (heavy metal toxicity for instance) that could have caused both Kal and Mandela's problems?

Mandela's litter brother, who doesn't live in my area, is throwing almost the same symptoms. So whilst it is a thought, I'm thinking this is not the case.

Part of the reason I had bloods drawn for thyroid & autoimmune function and had them analysed by Dr. Dodds was because I've often thought back about Kal and wondered if perhaps thyroid dysfunction was the originating cause for her condition. It is just something that I now would never know and I wish I'd known back then what I know now, so I could have ruled it out (or in, and done something about it sooner). In Mandela's case, thryoid levels are "excellent" and auto-immune shows up good.

Edited May 21, 2009 by Erny

[Tru Borders]

Good news about the Pancreas results being negative Erny!! But yeah, double edged sword huh Ya poor bugger.... I cant imagine how frustrating it must be not knowing.

Glad that Mandela is Ok, so to speak. I just hope you get an answer soon paws crossed.

[rijbiz]

Hi Erny

Glad to hear you've ruled out the pancreas, at least its a step ....

Hopefully you get to the bottom of it soon.

Cheers Denise

[oonga]

Hey Erny,

I know if there were any major changes you would have updated us but any updates at all on Mandela and the new things you were researching etc...?

Give the boy a hug from me!!

[Erny]

Hi Oonga. It's all a bit up and down at the moment. And changes from one to another (ie good to not so good) seem to be able to occur within the same day or even, as occurs with the hives, within the hour.

His coat looks all patchy at the moment as the last bout of hives erupted, have scabbed and the coat has dropped out with the scabs. He still has hives but because he was so covered with them the last time, I can't tell whether they are a new bout of hives or whether they came up when the other ones were still very apparent. One way or the other, whilst there's still a lot of them they seem smaller in size and not as many. He still has some hives which have erupted, scabbed, but not dropped off yet.

I don't know yet. But I will say that his care and attention to his health issues has been time consuming. I'm just chugging along with his Allerblend diet and helping him as best as I can with the other of the symptomatic conditions. We're at the 3 week mark now. Five weeks to go. The hope is that it will detox his system. ETA: And Dr. Bruce has been great in that he's been responding to my emails which report of different changes/symptoms, and giving me tips on what to do/how to help. This has removed a good deal of the stress I otherwise would have been feeling along the way.

And on a completely different note ..... something weird is happening with my computer. I received a repeat of all the emails I have received over the past week. This has only just happened. I've been through and deleted them all. Now I see, as I type here, that they are all coming back in again. I don't know if this is some sort of virus or whether there is a server glitch or what ?????

ETA: OMG! I deleted all the messages again (even deleted them from the deleted box, for the 2nd time), and now they are coming back in for the third time!

Turning off and running my virus scans.

Edited June 8, 2009 by Erny

[oonga]

oh poor Mandela with his hives

Hopefully it is his system cleaning itself and detoxifying!!

Any change with his bowels and how is he eating?

It must be very frustrating and sad for you to be going through this :D

goodness that is very weird indeed about your repeated emails

[Cosmolo]

Poor Mandela. Its awful to have a dog with such bad hives- Georgie used to get them until we changed her diet, obviously its not that simple for Mandela

[Lablover]

Hope Mandela is feeling better.

Are the vets sure he is not suffering from a type of autoimmune disease?

[Erny]

Thanks LL. I'm still holding my breath. It's weird - sometimes I think the hives are disappearing. Then I think that maybe there's a fresh lot, but they are smaller. Then I wonder whether they are going away without becoming large and erupting, and me hoping that his system is working its way through them. Sometimes I'm surprised by how many of them there are, but then get confused because maybe it was the lighting on his coat that plays tricks with what I see and more particularly, what I don't. Of course, the fact that his coat is a bit on the patchy side because of the last lot of hives erupting doesn't help. But some lustre has returned to his coat, so that's a good thing. Whether it lasts is another.

I've wondered about the auto immune deficiency as well. When I had the thryoid tests done OS, I also had the "Thyroglobulin Auto Antibody" test done, and that proved negative. It is already on my agenda to double check with either Dr. Bruce or Dr. Jean Dodds as to whether that's the test that would conclude auto-immune issues or not (at the same time feeling a bit 'dumb' that I don't know and may have completely missed the mark) and will do so at my next opportunity.

Does anyone else know, and if the Thyroglobulin Auto Antibody test is not the one, which test would be required to confirm/rule-out auto-immune disease?

He's lively, bright-eyed and still filled with a zest for life (albeit stopping to itch here and there). Has put on some weight but not as much as the amount of food I'm feeding him would expect to. And as we're only just past 3 weeks on this current diet, there is still (reflecting on past pattern) the strong possibility that he will lose it again. By his posturing, I still feel that there is a degree of discomfort for him, but there are some days where he is great and other days less so. I'm hoping that over the next few weeks I will see less and less of the latter. I'm hopeful, but still unsure of where all of this will lead.

Mandela is one year old today . Mandela and hoping for many more of them filled with good health and your continued joy for life .

Edited June 11, 2009 by Erny

[ari.g]

Happy Birthday Mandela!

[Staranais]

Happy birthday Mandela

[oonga]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MANDELA!!!!

Hope your year is filled with lots of fun and games..... and a little bit of work too

[Erny]

Thanks everyone. I'm about to celebrate Mandela's birthday by taking him out for a good walk and run. Of course, that's a 'normal' for Mandela, but what can you do when it's a birthday for him every day of his life? .

I've passed on your birthday wishes ..... of course, he's heard "blah, blah, blah, blah Mandela". Except for Oonga's mention of "work" which for him DOES mean fun and play . At the end of the day and after his walk/run, he will receive his Allerblend birthday cake . As I said - it's a birthday EVERY day for him :rofl:.

[harper]

Happy Birthday Mandela!!!!

[Erny]

Thank you also, Penski .

I took Mandela out. We did a power walk and then a romp around the park. To anyone watching, he would have appeared happy and energetic. To me, he was happy, but a tad quieter than usual - he tired more easily and didn't do the zoomies as intensely and for as long as he would normally do when feeling the freedom of space. When we returned he sat whilst I removed his lead (normal) and I gave him the release signal. Normally he tears down the hallway so fast, heading for the laundry where he knows I'll pick up his bowl and start preparing his dinner, that I almost expect my carpet to start ripping up. He cantered down with some speed, but not in the top gear he gives and which indicates to me he's on the 'up'. As I said ..... I'm holding my breath and hoping this isn't a 'down' sign. It happens like this. I'm hopeful though, and thinking positive regardless of the fact that I'm aware of negative 'signs'. He is looking a little thinner again tonight, but as a friend who came over has suggested, it is around now that I should expect another growth spurt. That, and the fact that I've increased his exercise and that it is winter, might be contributing to what I'm seeing and with any luck it may be that I just need to increase his meal portions (even though I'm already feeding more than what one might expect he should need). I'm pleased to report that my friend, who sees Mandela off and on, has noticed the increase in his muscle tone - something that in the not so distant past I've had trouble building, so that's a good sign.

One other thing I've noticed in the more recent times though (I make the note here in case I forget it) is that when he stretches, there is a 'crackling' in one or other of his joints. I made a mental note of it only, at first, and put it to the back of my mind, but it has happened a few times. And in the past week, I've noticed the same in his jaw joint when he yawns. I don't know if this is relevant to anything. I hark back to the chiro saying "this is almost like acidosis". I don't know if joints cracking is a sign of that or not. I'll make a point of putting this to Dr. Bruce and asking him about it next time I communicate with him.

Edited June 11, 2009 by Erny