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Please help !!!! Please

Published on: May 01, 2024 • By: Hashking69686 · In Forum: Dogs
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Hashking69686
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May 01, 2024 at 08:24pm
Species: Dog Age: 2.5 years Sex/Neuter status: Male, not neutered Breed: Labrador/German Shepherd Mix Body weight: 28 kg History: Puppy Strangles in November 2021. Tick Fever in June 2022 (detected through nose bleed) and again in April 2024. Clinical signs: No fever, mild lethargy, limping, swelling in one front limb only. Swelling is intermittent. Initially resolved after drainage but recurred or was incompletely resolved. Duration: Limp first noticed in February, resolved after two days, recurred in March (resolved within two weeks), and again in April (ongoing). General location: South Asia. Unusual tick activity noted in early March. Links to test results, vet reports, X-rays etc. Hello Everyone, I urgently need your help as I'm currently out of the country, and my dog, Babuu, has been experiencing health issues. Initially, he was diagnosed with a tick-borne disease, although the specific type couldn't be determined due to limited testing availability. The diagnosis was made based on significantly low platelet counts (around 15000/μL) in his bloodwork. Babuu had recently donated blood to another dog, which had also been diagnosed with tick fever. Although his condition improved following treatment, he experienced a few episodes of epistaxis (nosebleeds), which the vet attributed to the hot climate and his high energy levels. However, on April 21st, my caretaker informed me that Babbu had developed a limp and swelling in his front limb, similar to previous instances in February and March, which had resolved on their own. During the first instance, I took him to the vet, who suggested X-rays, but before I could schedule an appointment, the symptoms resolved. The vet attributed it to strain. When the symptoms recurred this time, along with considerable swelling, the vet suggested it might be due to an insect bite or sting and prescribed painkillers and anti-inflammatory medication. After two nights of apparent discomfort, during which Babo attempted to scratch his face with both front limbs, I consulted another vet who visited my home and suspected lymphedema due to tick fever or an insect bite/sting. The vet drained the fluid, and his limp improved. However, on April 29th, the limp recurred, prompting another visit to the primary vet, who recommended X-rays. The X-rays revealed early signs of arthritis in one joint, and the primary vet prescribed glucosamine, meloxicam, and a calcium supplement. My caretaker was dissatisfied with the primary vet's handling of the situation, especially as no physical examination was performed during the recent visit. Concerned, I sought a second opinion from the vet who had previously drained the swelling, and he suggested lymphedema due to tick fever or an insect bite/sting, recommending steroids for treatment. I'm now faced with conflicting opinions based on the same diagnostics. Neither vet has considered the possibility of bone cancer. With the recent onset of swelling, the primary vet did not perform a physical examination, prompting me to seek a second opinion. I've attached the X-rays and recent bloodwork, which show platelet levels within the normal range but elevated lymphocyte counts. I'm deeply concerned about his well-being. He's been a cherished member of our family since birth, overcoming challenges such as puppy strangles at five weeks old. I'm unsure whether to pursue a third opinion, especially as my primary vet may be displeased with my consultation with another vet. Should I seek further advice? Do the X-rays indicate any signs of tumour or bone cancer? Thank you for any guidance you can provide during this difficult time. Other important information : Dogs are usually on either bravado/ nexgaurd. Currently, they are not on anything, as I am still waiting on the meds to be delivered. There are a lot of fake products around where I am, so it is going to be another week or so. During this time I have been regularly having blood work done on all my dogs, every 3-4 days, the primary vet has seen all the test results and did not show any concerns except that he wanted me to extend the anti-biotics given for another week this was based on the results done on the 24th of April as platelets had failed once again after significant improvement. The most recent results show significant improvement, in platelet count. My caretaker is highly trustworthy and he really takes care of the dogs, he rushed my other dog to the hospital because she had a 107 fever and this was because of an abscess that had developed which the primary vet did not take seriously. He only suggested cold therapy.  The abscess had ruptured we contacted him, he said to just let it drain. My caretaker and I decided to monitor her and he texted me at 2 am his time that the dog developed a significant fever 106. Plus it reached 107 but treatment was given at the primary vet and antibiotics were prescribed after drainage of the abscess. No fever or anything. I live on a farm, no other animals just a few birds and dogs. Dogs are free and Babbu is a fan of jumping and chasing wildlife. He can easily jump over 4-5 feet.   My vet is highly experienced, they run a shelter and see several dogs. I am a private client and a donor i.ee i pay for treatments.
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Liz Buchanan BVSc MRCVS
Keymaster
May 02, 2024 at 07:59pm
Hello - this sounds to be a confusing case, already involving more than one vet.  I wonder about your expectations of your vet;  it is uncommon to take a complex case to the vets a single time, perhaps receive some symptomatic treatment and then have them make a full recovery.  I certainly rarely get this from my doctors - and I can tell my doctor far more presicely (than my dog can tell the vet), what is wrong! More likely, the vet will start to rule out common conditions with simple treatments or to propose some tests.  For example, they might examine the dog, radiograph, take the temperature and possibly even joint samples to help to rule out different kinds of arthritis;  they might judge the response to trial treatments.  However, if your vet tries something and the patient is then taken to a different vet for the check-up, vet number two might not know enough to learn from what vet one has done;  when vet number one doesn't hear from you again, they may simply assume that your dog got better and that whatever they did, worked.   For this reason, it makes a lot of sense to build a trusting relationship with one vet.  Perhaps return to the one that you felt you could talk to best, and work with them to establish a list of problems (symptoms) eg shifting lameness, started DATE, got better DATE, recurred DATE, drugs were given (when) etc.   High temperature .... (who took this, how? DATE) and so on.   I am unclear about you saying there is no fever, because 107 sounds like a high temperature (Temperature / fever / pyrexia - all mean the same) to me.  Once your vet has the history and symptoms straight, they can start to work out whether they need to know any more to rule out emergencies, or whether to arrange further tests (now or later) or whether they'd like to trial treat.   It is important to establish from your vet, 1) the problem list 2) the urgency 3) whether they are going to treat now, test more, wait or a combination of these things.   Discussions and voicing concerns or explaining perceived inconsistenies to your vet should help to build up trust between you, in order that you can work together to get to the bottom of them problem.    Another good line of questioning goes:  based on the symptoms, what could it be?   Are there urgent things we need to do or rule out fast?  If not, what do we need to do next?   Wishing you all the very best of luck.
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