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Mele is a 4 1/2 year old female Leopard Catahloula. We brought her home from our local animal rescue 3 years ago and she immediately stole our hearts, has never given us a moment of trouble and up until yesterday (4/3/21) was the picture of health. She stopped eating, quickly became very lethargic with high fever. After two visits to two different vets in 24 hours, Mele has been diagnosed with an aggressive form of auto-immune disease (IMHA) that is attacking & destroying her red blood cells. This has left her anemic & sickly . She has been hospitalized and is being treated since early yesterday. Her condition has continued to decline overnight and we are told that if it does not improve in the next 24 hours, a series of very expensive blood transfusions may be required to get her stable. So far, we have spent over $2500 just for diagnostic tests and one overnight at the animal hospital. It's looking like she will require hospitalization for several more days at a minimum, along with long term care and maintenance should she survive this initial episode. Mele is an important member of our family and so very affectionate and loving. The thought of not getting her the best treatment available is out of the question until we run out of options and she begins to suffer. Continuing her treatment is very expensive and we are prepared to go the distance on our own. If you have ever loved a dog, then you know how heart-broken and frightened we are at this moment. We could use a little help in trying to save our four-legged angel's life. We know she would lay down her life for us.
UPDATE 4/5/2021:
Mele was released from the hospital this morning around 10:30am, grateful be be reunited with her family and sans "cone of shame" and the catheter jammed into her foreleg. Her condition is stable but her Red Blood Cell count is still well in the anemic range. Her heart rate is strong and her breathing is unlabored. She's happy and affectionate as always but still very tired and lethargic as her blood is not circulating the optimal amounts of oxygen to her cells. She is prescribed a large arsenal of immune-suppressant steroids along with a battery of GI support medications. She just greedily lapped up her evening medications (well disguised in bits of lunch meat), is drinking and urinating an almost clear yellow stream, far better than the dark brown urine she had at the time of admission. After her meds were down, she managed to eat a couple of cupfuls of boiled, shredded chicken with rice and so far, it has all stayed down. She will require ongoing medication, perhaps for the rest of her life, along with regular blood exams every 2-3 days for the foreseeable future. All that said, we are grateful that no transfusions or other drastic life support measures are required, at least for today. One day at a time with this wretched disease... an illness completely new to me and baffling to many of the other pet owners who suffer with this condition. The expenses continue to mount but your generosity and words of encouragement have gotten us through this time of panic and fear. Some of you that have contributed, I know well. Others I have never met. Mele, Beth and I want to send our love and gratitude to each and every one of you. Blessings to all of Mele's angels!
Update 4/8/21:
Mele has been home from the vets since Monday morning... a full 4 days now. During that time, she had has good and bad moments. She is on an arsenal of medications, including steroids to suppress her immune system and lots of GI support medications to fight off the nasty effects to her digestive system caused by the steroids. Today, she had her first blood test since leaving the animal hospital on Monday. Her Red Blood Cell count had dropped from 25 to 22 since she was discharged. A normal range would be in the mod-40's to mid-50's. Were she to slip into the range of 16-18, she would need an emergency transfusion to restore fresh RBC's. Her urine is now a clear yellow again, a good sign that her body is not attacking the red blood cells voraciously and turning the urine a dark brown as it was at the time she was admitted on Saturday morning.She's been eating well.... a "soft" diet of boiled chicken and rice. Yesteday, small amounts of mashed peas and carrots were added and she seemed to enjoy them. She is still very weak and lethargic compared to before the onset of the disease but has moments of "perkiness" and activity, mostly in the evenings. I am waiting for a conversation with her vet about the whether or not they thing she may have "regenerative" IMHA (Immune Mediated Hemolytic Anemia) where her bone marrow is still generating her own red blood cells. The real test for this is a bone marrow biopsy, a painful and intrusive procedure that I'm not sure I have the heart to put her through. The vet seems encouraged that she's holding stable at the moment. Her next blood work is scheduled for next Monday morning. Until then all we can do is hope for the best, keep her comfortable and pray that she remains at least "stable" and doesn't slip further in her Red Blood Cell count. We cannot thank all of you enough for the words of support and generosity you have shown our sweet girl. Thank you Angels!
UPDATE 4/5/2021:
Mele was released from the hospital this morning around 10:30am, grateful be be reunited with her family and sans "cone of shame" and the catheter jammed into her foreleg. Her condition is stable but her Red Blood Cell count is still well in the anemic range. Her heart rate is strong and her breathing is unlabored. She's happy and affectionate as always but still very tired and lethargic as her blood is not circulating the optimal amounts of oxygen to her cells. She is prescribed a large arsenal of immune-suppressant steroids along with a battery of GI support medications. She just greedily lapped up her evening medications (well disguised in bits of lunch meat), is drinking and urinating an almost clear yellow stream, far better than the dark brown urine she had at the time of admission. After her meds were down, she managed to eat a couple of cupfuls of boiled, shredded chicken with rice and so far, it has all stayed down. She will require ongoing medication, perhaps for the rest of her life, along with regular blood exams every 2-3 days for the foreseeable future. All that said, we are grateful that no transfusions or other drastic life support measures are required, at least for today. One day at a time with this wretched disease... an illness completely new to me and baffling to many of the other pet owners who suffer with this condition. The expenses continue to mount but your generosity and words of encouragement have gotten us through this time of panic and fear. Some of you that have contributed, I know well. Others I have never met. Mele, Beth and I want to send our love and gratitude to each and every one of you. Blessings to all of Mele's angels!
Update 4/8/21:
Mele has been home from the vets since Monday morning... a full 4 days now. During that time, she had has good and bad moments. She is on an arsenal of medications, including steroids to suppress her immune system and lots of GI support medications to fight off the nasty effects to her digestive system caused by the steroids. Today, she had her first blood test since leaving the animal hospital on Monday. Her Red Blood Cell count had dropped from 25 to 22 since she was discharged. A normal range would be in the mod-40's to mid-50's. Were she to slip into the range of 16-18, she would need an emergency transfusion to restore fresh RBC's. Her urine is now a clear yellow again, a good sign that her body is not attacking the red blood cells voraciously and turning the urine a dark brown as it was at the time she was admitted on Saturday morning.She's been eating well.... a "soft" diet of boiled chicken and rice. Yesteday, small amounts of mashed peas and carrots were added and she seemed to enjoy them. She is still very weak and lethargic compared to before the onset of the disease but has moments of "perkiness" and activity, mostly in the evenings. I am waiting for a conversation with her vet about the whether or not they thing she may have "regenerative" IMHA (Immune Mediated Hemolytic Anemia) where her bone marrow is still generating her own red blood cells. The real test for this is a bone marrow biopsy, a painful and intrusive procedure that I'm not sure I have the heart to put her through. The vet seems encouraged that she's holding stable at the moment. Her next blood work is scheduled for next Monday morning. Until then all we can do is hope for the best, keep her comfortable and pray that she remains at least "stable" and doesn't slip further in her Red Blood Cell count. We cannot thank all of you enough for the words of support and generosity you have shown our sweet girl. Thank you Angels!