Vet visit

We just got home from Lily's 3 week check-up. All her blood levels look great (yay!). So, they took her down from 5mg of prednisone a day to 3.5mg. That's a big jump from the original dose of 10mg a day back in July. She also got another B-12 shot today, they seem to be helping her and giving her more energy. As long as they keep helping her we will keep getting them once a month. Due to the lack of fat in her diet her skin is starting to get really dry and irritating her. We had her Vet order her this medication called Essential 6 Spot-on. It's a topical ointment (it goes on just like Frontline) that contains loads of vitamins and omega 3 fatty acids. This is safe for her because she's not actually ingesting the fats. It's also suppose to help the hair as well, and she needs it. Before she got sick she had beautiful hair, and now it's really thin and she stays cold quite a bit because of it. I have absolutely nothing to complain about this week. Lily has been such a trooper. And, I'm so overly excited that I get to spend at least one more Christmas with her. Back in July I was wondering if she would make to December.  Here she is as spunky as ever! :) She's already been trying to sneak in her stocking...

Merry Christmas all!

Love,

Lily's Mom & Little Lil

Milestones.

This disease can make dogs feel extremely weak. Even though Lily is in remission she still lost alot of muscle. She doesn't really play anymore...at all. But, this week has been different. For the first time in a long time I'm seeing the littler girl I used to know. She's excited for me to get her up in the morning, and begs me to play with her. Last night when I got home from work she pawed at my legs and jumped up and down until I picked her up. This may not sound like a big step to anyone else - but for her it's HUGE! I guess she's finally feeling like herself again, and days like yesterday make me remember why we fight this fight. There is a light at the end of the tunnel!

Lily's Mom & Lil booger

Update

Lily has been doing extremely well, we're so proud of her! It's turning a lot colder here, so she's mostly staying cuddled up on the couch with whoever will cuddle with her. :) She's enjoying her new food, eating it like a champ. She's also feeling more like a morning person! She's started whining and barking for someone to come get her out of her crate at dawn EVERYDAY! Lily has to stay in a crate because we are terrified she is going to fall and hurt herself while were not home/asleep. Since she has lost so much muscle mass she's a little unsteady at times. Lily also got her first treat since diagnosis this past Sunday. Since sweet potatoes have no fat, it's something she can tolerate. Needless to say, she thoroughly enjoyed them. :)  She's still taking 5mg of Prednisone everyday. But, we're hoping to get that down again. She goes in for another check-up next Tuesday. So, let's hope all her numbers stay up!

Scarfing 'em down!

Until next time,

Lily's Mom & Little Lil

Lily's progress

It's been quite a while since I've updated the blog. We've had a couple of set backs. Last month Lily started throwing up, so we rushed her into the Vet. It turns out she had pancreatitis and a substance called chyle on her belly. To read more about chyle click here. It generally develops in the chest, but it can also be in the abdomen. Her internal medicine Vet at the University of Tennessee seemed to think the reason she was developing chyle was because the food she was on (Purina HA) was too high in fat for her. So, her recommendation was to switch her food to Royal Canin Low Fat. A diet change is always tricky for dogs with this disease. But, as it turned out the food change has went surprisingly well.  We have had normal albumin levels since October (YAY!), which means Lily is officially in REMISSION! Most dogs that can achieve stability will lead a relatively normal life. As side from the medication, Prednisone, Carafate, and Pepcid.  The diet is still extremely important and very strict.

The issue that Lily is having now is the loss of muscle. When a dog looses as much protein, especially albumin, their body starts drawing protein from other sources in the body. Mainly the muscle. So, now poor Lily can no longer jump. She can't jump on the couch, chair, and she can't go up and down steps anymore. Other than that she's your normal, happy little girl. At our Vet visit last week we decided to give her a B-12 shot. It has given her a lot of energy. So I think we're going to keep doing it every week. We're also down to 5mg of pred a day (instead of 10mg). We go back to the Vet in 2 weeks to re-check blood levels and if they are still within normal range we will go down more on the pred again. :)

This is a recent picture of Lily, taken on Halloween. 

Bleeding Ulcer

Lily developed a bleeding ulcer from the Prednisone. She started vomiting one afternoon, and it was all dried blood. We were so scared and didn't know if this was from the "L" or the Prednisone. After the visit to our Vet the next day we found out she did indeed have an ulcer, along with her liver enzymes (ALT) being elevated. She got sent home with a medicine called Carfate to coat her stomach before meals and before her medicine. She also got some antibiotics. Since then she has been back to the Vet and her ALT is within normal range. They also took her down from 10mg a day to 5mg a day. Her weight also stayed the same at 6 lbs. In two weeks her dosage is going to be taken down again.

I'm still in awe over how Lily has adjusted to this disease. Never once since diagnosis has she acted like she was ill. She plays, runs, jumps, and she's all around happy. Which gives me lots of hope that she will pull through.

Lily's sisters

Lily is one of three dogs we have. We have had Lily since May of last year, she was 9 months old when we got her. Lily is a very mischievous dog, she loves to get into everything (especially when your not looking).

Emma is a 3 year old Collie/Aussie mix. We adopted her 2 years ago this September. She loves to play, fetch, swim and run. She of course is very energetic so she loves getting out of the house to go anywhere. Emma suffers from Pancreatitis on and off. Other than that she's a healthy dog.

Lola is a 4 year old Pug. We got her as a puppy, she turned 4 this month. She is a couch potato. She doesn't move from the couch unless you make her.

Lola

Emma

The beginning

Monday, July 25th is when our nightmare started. After getting Lily up I noticed her belly looked bloated. After studying her for a few minutes I decided to call the Vet. After speaking to them they decided it was best to bring her in. The first thing they did was run a blood panel. The results were terrifying. Her albumin (a major protein) was dangerously low, along with her calcium, cholesterol, globulin, liver enzymes and her wbc was high. Because of her breed, age, and the elevated liver enzymes the Vet suspected that she had a liver shunt. She went on to explain that the protein loss could only come from a few places in the body. That included liver, kidneys, and more rarely GI tract & intestines. She stayed overnight for a test that would show how her liver was functioning. The next day the results came back completely normal. The next step was to test her kidneys. Again they took a sample, and we waited for the results. The next day that test too came back normal. That was the worst day for me. I couldn't understand what was wrong with my dog and why they couldn't figure it out. Meanwhile Lily was getting sicker and I had myself convinced she was going to die before they found a diagnosis. The Vet told me she was going to call a specialist at the University of Tennessee Vet hospital.


Two hours later Dr. H (the Vet) called back. She said the specialist thought Lily had Intestinal
Lymphangiectasia (from now on I will refer to it as "L"). They wanted us to come in the very next day for an ultrasound and biopsy to confirm diagnosis. We left early the next morning. We get there and the Vet's start telling me all of the risks of the biopsy. The biopsy is suppose to be relatively safe because it's done with a scope. But, since Lily's albumin levels were so low, and her belly had so much fluid built up, it put her in the high risk category.  After hearing all of the risks of the surgery I decided against it. We did however go ahead with the ultrasound and more blood work. The results of the ultrasound were consistent with "L".
Canine Lymphangiectasia causes Lily to lose a major protein called albumin. The intestines are actually leaking these nutrients instead of absorbing them. Albumin is responsible for also keeping water in the blood stream. When the albumin level gets this low in the body it causes the blood vessels to burst and leak out the water into the belly in Lily's case. It can also leak into the chest.
Lily didn't present with chronic diarrhea or vomiting which is why it took them a little longer to find a diagnosis. A lot of dogs do present like Lily, but most of them have all 3 symptoms.

There is no cure for "L". The treatment is with diet and steroids. Steroids are used because the underlying cause of "L" is inflammation in the intestines. Steroids get rid of the inflammation. The food has to be very low in fat, and high is high quality and easily digestible protein. Lily is eating Purina HA food, and is currently taking 5mg of Prednisone twice a day.

I won't lie and say that the past month has been easy. It's been hell. Lily is so young, she won't even be 2 until November. It's very hard to except that your dog is never going to be normal, and has a very short life span. No one can say how long any given dog with "L" will live. It's all up to the dog. Some respond well to treatment and some don't. Two different Vet's have told me two different things. One told me Lily had a year, they other told me less than that. I try to be optimistic, but at the same time I am realistic. I know Lily will probably never live to see 5 years of age. BUT, the main thing is for me to enjoy Lily for the time she is here. Make her life as enjoyable and comfortable as possible. At first all I could do is cry, and feel pity for Lily. Now, we are fighting. Fighting for Lily's life.

Progress:

Lily goes in next Friday for another Albumin check. Last week it was 1.3 (2.2 is normal low end). Since then 90% of the fluid is gone from her belly. Which means her levels are rising! After her levels get back to normal range they will slowly start taking her down on the Prednisone. She may never completely be off of it, only time will tell.

Lily about a month before she got sick. 

Lily the day she first went the Vet. Notice how her belly looks very full.

The day she came home from her ultrasound. Again, you can see how full her belly is. 

Taken last night. I think this picture is so cute. She's eating, but she looks viscous. Notice how much the fluid on her belly has went away.