Penny Update (ITP Recovery)

[Halli's Mom]

Wow. It's been 7 months. Penny is FINALLY off all Prednisone and Cyclosporine and getting somewhat back to normal. Of course she needs to lose weight (thank you, prednisone). But since being off the Pred 3 weeks ago, she's put herself on a diet and has lost about 8 lbs. She has about 15 to do, so we can certainly achieve this with her not trying to steal every bit of food she can possibly find to eat.

She went for her final CBC on Friday, and they came back with something a bit alarming, however. They said while her platelets are fine, her Hematocrit ratio is 35.5 (normal is 37) and that's a bit concerning. They want to rerun the test to make sure there was no error, otherwise, I'm not sure what the prognosis is for that. Research I've done says it means she's slightly anemic, which could be a problem with the kidneys or the HCT indicates a potential liver issue ( HCT or Packed Cell Volume (PCV) - Provides information on the amount of red blood cells (RBC) present in the blood. Decreased levels means anemia from hemorrhage, parasites, nutritional deficiencies or chronic disease process, such as liver disease, cancer, etc. . Increased levels are often seen in dehydration)

Anyone else have a dog survive ITP (Immune-Mediated Thrombocytopenia) and have issues with the HCT? [we believe Penny's ITP was caused by a reaction to the Distemper vaccination]

Oh, and did I mention that now she is off the pred and cyclosporine, her allergies have kicked back in full swing....seeing allergist again tomorrow....anyone know if going back on the allergy shots will cause an issue???

 

[victoria1140]

congratulations on the weight loss, we are still having difficulty shifting Beau's weight he gained from steroids though I may switch him from Orijen to see if this helps as he is only on 400g a day and the weight still doesn't shift

Beau has a teaspoon of local honey daily for his allergies.

good luck with the specialist

 

[padkins]

:hugs:

 

[BoundlessNewfs]

So glad to hear that she's doing well.

With the anemia, our vet put Lucy on a supplement called "Red Cell". Bought it at the Tractor Supply store, in a gallon jug, for about $20. Lucy had been anemic for the better part of a year, and nothing changed that, until I gave her the "Red Cell" (about a tablespoon, once a day, in a meal). After 6 weeks, we rechecked, and she was no longer anemic.

 

[Halli's Mom]

Retest shows new HCT is 38. Vet said her allergy issues could be causing some of the issues.