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Permalink Reply by Linda on April 22, 2016 at 11:07pm

I am so sorry to hear that Becca is having another attack.  I hope the meds work quickly and the clinic can find exactly the cause and find a treatment.

Max had Lyme and other than showing a mild positive to blood tests even after treatment he had no other problems.  Tho I have often wondered if it didn't some affect on him with the IVDD in his neck, the DM and the lymphnoma.

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Permalink Reply by Holly on May 5, 2016 at 1:21am

I am so sorry to hear Becca has been having ongoing pain and difficulty. Sully just saw the vet last week and was declared in excellent health. She has been fine all along until tonight. I am not sure exactly what to expect with Lyme Disease but the monthly medicine seems to keep the ticks off her so I have never had to remove one, except from myself. Still, tonight she began to whine loudly, scream almost, when I moved her or picked her up. She does not like to be picked up, but I did pick her up because she refused to get up to go out, which is not unusual, but crying when she is moved is very unusual. She is a drama queen who can make a nail clipping sound like an amputation, but she can be distracted from carrying on when it is an imaginary horror. This time she really seems to react with certain movements that involve being picked up. She has not fallen or exercised much at all. The only thing I can think of is an illness or toxin since it literally came on in a matter of hours. I will call the vet in the AM but she is sleeping soundly now so I will wait, but I was hoping someone might have some suggestions or even words of support. Not sure why, but this feels really scary to me. Maybe because she has been healthy all along and I was just lucky. The sound of her in pain is hard to bear. Thanks!! Sorry. I usurped Becca's post. I will move it.

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Permalink Reply by Holly on May 6, 2016 at 10:00am

I hope Becca is feeling better. Is she being bitten repeatedly, or is a past attack recurring? So sorry she has to deal with that. If you are having trouble keeping her from getting bitten you may want to consider Nexgaurd monthly. I have not seen any ticks attach to Sully since I switched from Frontline. The ticks still bite me though. Hate those damn things!!

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Permalink Reply by Marcie on May 6, 2016 at 8:52pm

The theory is that she is having flares connected to past episodes. She was feeling better after three days of antibiotics. Now we are trying to figure out how to keep it from happening. Both her regular vet and chiropractor have been researching. Her vet called me tonight to check in. He has contacted someone at Cornell for help.

Next Thursday she has an appointment with a vet who has a reputation for knowing Lyme. I'm hoping to get some more answers. There's a type of arthritis connected to Lyme. I'm worried she's showing some signs of that.

Nexguard scares me. A dog in our agility class almost died after taking it last year. I'm using Actvyl and garlic essence. I've found four deer ticks so far, none attached. I'm also going to treat her fenced area with diatematious earth.

The cost of all this is worrisome. I have a "vet" account instead of insurance. I think I'm going to have more put into it each paycheck.

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Permalink Reply by Linda on May 6, 2016 at 10:55pm

I know there is a type of arthritis for humans so it stands to reason it would affect dogs also.  I don't like the Nexguard or any of the other oral stuff for fleas and ticks.  I have not heard good things about them in the reviews.

Continued prayers that they can find a solution to her flare ups and something to help if she does have arthritis.  Ask about acupuncture if it would help the arthritis discomfort.  I saw what it did for Max and his neck.  Because dogs don't know any better when you see a drastic improvement you know it's working.  I now use it for back pain, arthritis and neuropathy in my feet from spinal surgery.  I never would have tried it if it hadn't been for Max.

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Permalink Reply by Holly on May 7, 2016 at 2:13am

It may be common knowledge, but it wasn't to me. They make soft neck collars to support dogs necks temporarily if they need to have them immobilized. The problem that I just took Sully yo the vet for was .a neck injury. No idea when or how she got it, but it resulted in a pinched nerve that made her shoulders and legs very sore to move certain ways. She was only limping slightly, but I didn't notice, until the vet mentioned it that she was not moving her neck ot head. She had a steroid shot and is now on anti-inflammatory medicine. I really thought it was some type of tick-Bourne disease. She is on total bed rest, no problem for my lazy butt dog, but I already see improvement. Any chance Becca has a similar, minor injury. Just hope on my part maybe, but the vet said it is a common injury, particular in low-riding, not so tiny dogs. Hope Becca is better already!

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Permalink Reply by Marcie on May 12, 2016 at 3:06pm

Becca had her appointment today. I was impressed. The vet examined her and talked "Lyme". We were there for about an hour. He thinks she does have chronic Lyme. While this isn't a good thing, I'm glad to have been given answers and information. Becca will always be prone to flares and should be treated with Doxycycline when they happen. The immune boosters that her breeder and chiropractor suggested won't hurt, but might not help either. He did say to avoid prednisone due to the immunity issues. A friend has suggested working with a homeopathic vet in the area. I think I'll make an appointment with her to explore the immune boosters.

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