My dog Daisy turned the ripe old age of 14 in November, much to my great joy. We had a rough summer that began in June when she tested positive for Lyme Disease. What was worse, she had tested positive the previous June; however, the veterinarian never informed me of that test result. He had said he would only call me if there was something wrong. So when I never heard from him, I thought that “no news was good news.â€Â  Needless to say, I was furious with the vet’s careless oversight and switched to another veterinarian within the same practice. Unfortunately, Daisy had the infection in her system for a whole year before she began treatment with doxycycline. But I remained hopeful.
I have been much happier with our new vet because he took time to explain Daisy’s health issues so that I understood them, and he made sound recommendations that were not rooted in how much money he could make for the practice. In addition to the Lyme, Daisy’s blood test revealed that her blood platelet count was unusually low, around 84,000. A follow-up test a week later showed they had dropped to 58,000. The normal range is between 200,000 and 500,000. After a bone marrow aspirate revealed Daisy did not have leukemia, our new vet diagnosed Daisy with Immune-Mediated Thrombocytopenia, also called Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP), a disease that destroys existing blood platelets and hinders the development of new platelets. Platelets help stop bleeding by forming clots. Basically, Daisy’s immune system got confused (likely because of the Lyme Disease) and started attacking her blood platelets.
Daisy was placed on a twice daily dose of 20 mg of prednizone, which she remained on for three months. Each month during the summer, I took her for a platelet check. And each blood test showed that her blood platelet count had recovered and was in the normal range. What concerned me, however, was that Daisy had dropped a lot of weight over the summer. Once a solid 40 pounds, she had dropped to 34 pounds by late July. I began feeding her three cups of kibble a day, as opposed to her regular 2 cups. Being on the prednizone made her hungry, so she happily ate her third meal. She was also very thirsty, and I had to replenish her water bowl more frequently. But slowly, she began to put the weight back on.
In September, we began to wean her off the prednizone. She went down to 10 mg twice a day, then 10 mg once a day throughout October, then 5 mg a day in November, to 5 mg every other day in December. Each month, I brought her in for a blood platelet check. And each month, Daisy’s platelet count remained steady. She was in remission, and by December, Daisy weighed a healthy 43 pounds! She is now off the prednizone completely, and her most recent blood platelet test result (1/12) showed that her platelet count is in the normal range. I’ll probably have her checked again in one month to be safe. God willing, Daisy and I will have many more months together; perhaps she’ll see her 15th birthday?
As an elderly dog, Daisy sleeps a lot more now. She doesn’t hear as well as she used to–I have to be careful not to startle her. Her teeth are in bad shape, and her breath is consistently foul, but it doesn’t bother me that much. She has stiffness in her hips and is reluctant to jump up onto the couch or into the backseat of the car. I am sure that her bout with Lyme Disease and the Thrombocytopenia has taken a toll on her joints. But she’s happy and here, and for that I am thankful.
If I could offer one piece of advice to pet owners, it is this: ALWAYS have your vet call you with your pet’s blood test results, even if all is well. A “no news is good news†practice leaves too much room for error. And if you don’t hear from your vet, be sure to give them a follow-up call. The old saying is true: the squeaky wheel gets the oil.
