September 17, 2003 - Occult heartworm test= Negative. No oral heartworm preventative given
October 4, 2003 - 10:00 AM ProHeart 6 injection, sub-Q 1.1cc.
2:00 PM vomiting, diarrhea, and twitching, slight seizure activity.
Went home with new owner.
October 5, 2003 - Seemed to feel fine, but "felt warm."
October 6, 2003 - 3:30AM, 5:45AM and 9:00AM, seizures, mostly centered around face and mouth.
New "adoptive" owner didn't want a sick dog and took him to vet. (thus returning him to me/ARF and I took over from there)
Rx= Phenobarbital 97.2mg bid 5cc Loperimide bid for soft stool
Blood chemistry= all within normal ranges
Hematology= Low white cells, Low Hermaticrit
October 7, 2003 - Seemed to feel good, eating well, no seizures
October 8, 2003 - No noticeable changes most of the day, late that evening, he seemed to be a little wobbly.
October 9, 2003 - Lethargic, severely weak and wobbly, Will not eat.
Temp= 103.2
Hematology=Normal
White cells, Low
Hermaticrit, Low red cells,
Low Platelets.
Rx= Prednisone 60Mg bid
October 10, 2003 - Still weak and wobbly, has a hard time rising to stand and feet slip out from under him often. Back end sways as if weak in rear. Won't eat kibble, will eat small amounts of liver.
October 11, 2003 - No noticeable difference in how he feels. Very weak and lethargic. Won't eat kibble, will eat small amounts of liver, hamburger and rice.
Hematology= High white cells
Low Hermaticrit,
Low platelets, red cells back into normal range.
Chemistry was all normal except AMYL was low
October 12, 2003 - Four seizures in this 24 hr period. Otherwise, no real changes in behavior.
October 13, 2003 - Very skinny and weak, he has lost almost 10 pounds. Still refuses most food. Will eat chicken liver, cream of wheat and plain active yogurt. He is lethargic, just lays on the floor and sleeps.
Hematology= High white cells,
Low hermaticrit, Low platelets (87)
Rx= Doxycycline 100Mg bid Cimetidine 200mg tid
October 14, 2003 - He ate about ½ cup of Kibble today. No real changes in how he feels.
October 15, 2003 - May be feeling a little better.
Hematology= White cells still high,
Hermaticrit still low, Platelets up a little, but still low.
Rx=reduce Prednisone down to 40Mg bid
October 16, 2003 - Improving. He is eating much better, but very little kibble, mostly home cooked food. More alert and "perky." Then 2 seizures in the afternoon/evening
.
October 17, 2003 - Continues to improve. Eating more kibble. He seems to feel better, a little stronger and he has the slightest little spring in his step.
October 18, 2003 - Seemed to do well today. Ate in the AM and again in the evening. Not regular amount, but at least he ate. Gets tired easily, but generally in good spirits.
Reduce prednisone to 20mg bid
October 19, 2003 - Bad Day.
7:30AM neurologic activity, seizures, his face is twitching severely, chewing motions in his mouth, snapping his teeth together, slobbering profusely, his nose is twitching side to side.
RX normal dose of phenobarb plus ½ tablet
8:30 ½ tablet
9:30 another ½ tablet before the activity stopped around 1:00pm.
1:00PM he ate a small amount, drank a little water and urinated.
5:30 the twitching started again. Gave him Phenobarb,Temp is 104.4
RX 400Ml Plasmalyte sub-Q without any changes.
9:00 Temp still 104.4, tummy feels full, gums look pink.
October 20, 2003- Better today. He is tired, but eating.
Temp is 103.3
October 24, 2003 - No real changes. He seems to feel better, likes to go outside. But he never wags or raises his tail, it just hangs down.
Temp. 101.9.
October 25, 2003 - No real changes. Eats well. Needs to urinate about every hour.
October 26, 2003 - Seems to be gaining weight. Still boney, but better. Still weak and wobbly, but better.
October 27, 2003 - In good spirits today. But still has droopy tail, not a "happy tail." Enjoying the cool weather
October 28, 2003 - Reduce Prednisone to 30mg bid, and phenobarb to 25mg bid
October 29, 2003 - No changes
October 30, 2003 - seems to feel better. Gaining weight, not normal but better
Hematology = WBC high,
LYM low, Hermatocrit 30.9% low,
Red cells low 5.11.
November 5, 2003 - Voo-Doo appears to be doing better lately
November 7, 2003 - Voo-Doo has a strange "deer in the headlights" look today. By evening, he was stumbling and fell down the back steps. Acts like he is drunk. Very weak, veers off to one side when walking, falls over easily.
November 8, 2003 - Spent the day at the vet.
Hematolgy: White cells high,
LYM low,
Hermatocrit low 30.0%,
Red cells low 4.86
Hemoglobin LOW 11.1.
Pupils are dilated and almost non-reactive to light, often stumbles, falls easily.
November 9, 2003 - Pupils still dilated and almost non reactive. Can't stand up without falling over, disoriented, We had him down to 25mg phenobarb, for the last week or so, now discontinue phenobarb. Try to taper off Prednisone, reduce to 20mg bid ( have been giving 30mg bid) and reduce slowly from there. Monitor body temp. 101.1 at 6:00pm
November 10, 2003 - No real changes from yesterday. Temp 101.3 at 8:00 am. Unable to walk unassisted, falls down and is unable to get back up. He is like a turtle on his back. Appetite slightly decreased. Seems dazed and confused. Pupils still dilated and slow to react
November 11, 2003 - Temp 101.7 at 6:00 am. No eat or drink since last evening. Was unable or unwilling to get up this morning. Once I wrestled him out of his crate and carried him outside, he was very wobbly. Fell down a couple of times trying to urinate, normal stool. Pupils still dilated and wild looking, can not really tell if he sees well or at all. Took him to Vet for the day and night. He ate in the afternoon.
November 12, 2003 - Temp 101.8 Vomited at vet's about 7:20 am. Took him to Vet Assoc. and left him there until they call. He did not eat all day, but ate some liver/cereal for me that night. Blood work normal. Ft. Dodge agreed to pay for "diagnostic tests" only. Started back on Prednisone 50mg bid, Doxycycline 250mg bid, and Pepcid 20mg bid.
November 13, 2003 - Stayed at Vet Assoc. Did not eat, but then ate hamburger and rice for me about 6:00pm. No change in his behavior. Still ataxic, confused, uncoordinated, unable to walk unassisted.
November 14, 2003 - Stayed at Vet Assoc. Did not eat anything all day or night. X-ray of abdomen revealed no tumors. Liver function normal, blood work normal. No change in behavior.
November 15, 2003 - Stayed at Vet Assoc until afternoon. Did not eat anything all day or night. Seems less able to walk than on Thursday. Dazed, stares into space. Brought hm home about 3:00pm. Seems incoherent, lays in floor with rear legs extended forward and neck/head extended up and back.
November 16, 2003 - Got Meds at 7:00am and vomited at 8:00 am. Force fed 3oz cream of chicken soup. He is drinking water often, but seems to have a hard time getting it in his mouth. Not able to control his movements and get his mouth into the bowl. He ate about 6 good bites of hamburger and rice at 1:00pm. When I take him outside, he really has a hard time getting his feet under him, they stick out at weird angles, and knuckle under when I place them under him. His movements and the way he contorts his body are much like that of a brain injured person. No more eating for the rest of the day.
November 17, 2003 - No eating this am. No real changes in any behavior. Going to Vet Assoc.
November 18, 2003 - Brought home around 10:00 am. He seems to feel a little better. Force fed A/D food am and pm. He ate a few bites of hamburger and rice about 1:00 pm and 11:00pm.
November 19, 2003 - Not much change in overall behavior. No eat in am, force fed A/D, he ate about 1 cup of hamburger and rice about 6:00. Not able to walk much on his own, still very wobbly and lists to his left. Walks sideways like a spider. Eyes still dilated and he looks dazed and confused. Normal stool.
November 20, 2003 - Stayed at the vet today. Vet said she felt like he was "better." Force fed A/D and gave 1 liter sub-Q fluids.
November 21, 2003 - Went to pick Voo-Doo up from vet, I said he looked worse, and doctor agreed. But he did eat when I gave him some hamburger/rice/canned food. Vet talked to doctor at Fort.Dodge Animal Health. He agreed to pay for Voo-Doo to go to Oklahoma State University. Have appt for Monday at 10:45. Voo-Doo had the worst seizure ever at 3:00 pm., right after I spoke to vet and FDA. It was severe and lasted for a least three - four minutes. I feel like there is no light at the end of the tunnel. He ate a can of food. I am not sure, but I think he cannot see. He does not step up or down from the porch, like he does not see the step. He has recently had trouble w/ith the steps, but always acted as if he could see the step. Now he trips over it, like he cannot see it. When we go out, he usually leads me to places in the yard that he wants to be, today he just walks aimlessly, in circles, into the flowerbed, tripping over things, if I let go of his harness he falls almost immediately.
November 22, 2003 - Did not want to eat, force fed a/d. Seems to be resting better today, not as overstimulated as he appeared yesterday. Calm. Less able to walk than yesterday, marked difference in his willingness or ability to walk compared to Thursday. He cannot walk at all on the hardwood floors, rear feet go out in opposite directions, but even outside, his rear end just flops all around, feet knuckle under easily. If I let go of his harness, his rear end spins around and pulls his front down, he will make almost a complete circle before falling all the way down and laying flat on the ground. Force fed in afternoon and evening.
November 23, 2003 - He rested well most of the night. When he walks outside now, his front feet seem to be getting weak and wobbly like the rear have been, until now his front feet and legs seemed fairly normal, but today the front feet knuckle under easily too. Will not eat at 7:00am, force fed. Fairly severe seizure at 11:45am, lasted about 2 minutes. Another seizure about 2:30, about the same as before. He ate about 3 bites of canned food at 3:30. Ate very well at 6:00. Ate well again at Midnight.
November 24, 2003 - Only up 3 times during night. Going to OSU today.
Later: VooDoo did not come home from OSU. They are going to keep him over night, running tests, Then tomorrow, they will euthanize him and run more tests.
November 25, 2003 - The doctors at OSU told me that they heard a heart murmur in Voo-Doo, this is a new development, Voo-Doo's heart has not had a murmur before now. The ultrasound detected a "mitral valve prolapse." They told me that his resting bile acids were double the normal range, this would indicate liver damage, but his bile acids were checked just 2 wks ago, and were normal, so he has developed liver damage in the last 2 weeks.
