You're right Ruth, the side effects are so difficult to deal with, on top of such a difficult disease process.

I have some tick herbs here. I might try that route. He's so intolerant though.

I might try pulsing the antibiotics. It's day 5 off of abx that he crashes, so he will be okay for a few days.

I did make a follow-up appt with the internal med guy for Wed, that was before the nosebleed, which I think was part inside this time.

just right about now....

Oh Lisa I wish there was an easy answer

Would it be worth talking to a chemist (pharmacist) armed with a list of all the different meds/herbs etc Max has been taking? Just to see if something jumps out to them?

Instead of crating Max tomorrow, can you block him into the kitchen or bathroom where there is no carpet perhaps?

I am keeping you both firmly in my thoughts

Lisa,

Please take care of one doctor's appointment at a time. With your deep knowledge of Max, you will leave him at home safely. I guess you'll be away several hours, but no more than that.

Besides, maybe you can brainstorm with your mother.

Drive carefully,
MJ

Wish there was more we could do for you and Max- been thinking about you two!

Lisa, I am so sorry!
I would also want to confirm with a chemist how all of the drugs, natural and not, interact.

Beyond that, it's a shot in the dark, but have you ruled out resistant bacteria to doxy? It seems that the dixy could just be holding the bacteria at bay, but not really doing anything to fight it. On drug.com, there is a short list of bacteria resistant to doxy.

Escherichia coli
Klebsiella species
Enterobacter aerogenes
Shigella species
Acinetobacter species
Bacteroides species

I wish I could do more to help your boy!

Not what I wanted to read about. I think the idea of just blocking off an area sounds good. Are you able to do that?

Wanted to stop by and let you know you are both still in our thoughts.

Give Max a kiss on that handsome head of his from me, and here's a to you from me.

I think yesterday the nose opened up because he likes to "nose around" in the dirt out in the yard. I didn't even think about the possibility of him aggravating the nose bleeding at the time

I took a chance today and left him out, and no bleeding when I got home (whew! huge relief!). I was gone about 5 hours, and a bit nervous, and always glad when I come home and find him alive and at the door, and even better today with no blood

I am pretty confident that this is not a reaction between medications. I believe that it's either his reaction to the particular meds (if that distinction makes sense), or a reaction of the disease process once the meds hit it.

Michael, I think you are probably right. I was looking the other day, and the type of bacteria that is able to create endotoxins, which are so damaging, and are emitted when bacteria are killed, seem to be primarily Gram negative (?), and those aren't covered by doxy. The internal med guy mentioned that "these guys" often get some nasty strains of E. Coli (which makes me think of UConnGsd's Wolfie). I know that his head stuff seems to only respond to things like Cipro or Azithromycin. My hope is that he doesn't need doxy in addition to whatever, he doesn't do so well without doxy, but maybe it's just because we haven't hit the right combination. I will be sure to talk about this list with the internal med guy on Wed!





I wasn't going to comment on this, but I've thought about this several times a day, and it's given me such a chuckle each time....Mom is at that point in her life where she just doesn't want to think much anymore, and my dogs to her are more of annoyance than anything, so I am just enjoying this comment. It would have been nice though!

Tonight is training. Either tonight, or next week is the last week. For him, it's pretty low key, since we ask so little of him. I will take him tonight, let him get some fresh air. Each week I'm nervous for a different reason...I am really really really really really really really really really (yes, really!) hoping that we can turn some corner at some point!

Roll on Wednesday

*SUPER HUGS* to you, Lisa. I hope you can find answers for poor Max soon.

Thanks guys.

He had a great time at training tonight. I had to force him to stay within his limitations, which was much better than last week. Funny how that works...

At least he had a good day. Just a hint of blood, he was in a good mood, and now he's crashed

Here's hoping he has another good day tomorrow!

Is this after you pretty much stopped everything apart from the pred?

I'm thinking of you and Max this morning and hope things get better for both of you real soon.

Hope Max has a good day today. Sending positive thoughts for him from CT.

I guess we'll see what today brings.

Bianca, yes, I think the abx make him feel crappy. BUT, as he struggled to breath last night, it's pretty clear that the abx are his only hope.

I just have to minimize that bleeding and protect his veins somehow. He felt better on the aggressive doxy dose, but that bleeding...other than that one herb, which is on order and I'm almost out of, I'm not sure what else I can do.

Hopefully something will be clear in the next few days. Back on everything right now, I can't let the infection get a stronger hold.

Lisa, I wish I had some great advice. The only advice I have is to really watch the timing of the ABX and when he eats. To keep Lakota's 12 hour ABX schedule I give him pretty good size snack at bed time. I just cheat his breakfast and supper a little so he gets a good cup of food with the ABX at bed time. If I don't do that he doesn't want to eat in the morning.

Is today a Vit C injection day? I forget.

Lisa,

If it's any help at all, there is a huge cohort of people with deep concern and deep support for you both.

take care,
Mary Jane

It does help Mary Jane, maybe one of the few things that is keeping me from going absolutely nuts right about now.

I know what protocol I would like to have him on. Unfortunately, I guess it just doesn't work that way.

Val, yes, it's infusion day. Week 3. Hopefully soon we will start seeing some direct benefit. She said often you don't see it until the 2, 3rd, or 4th time. I'm a big believer that it should help something on some level.

The timing of the abx, I'm thinking I need an extra meal of snack in here somewhere to time these better. Good point.

Lisa, it has taken me years to figure out the timing thing. Some times we just can't see past the Schedule. You feed 2 times a day, then try to schedule the meds. Most of the time it doesn't work unless you are just giving one med, with multiple things then it is, doesn't bother the tummy, bothers the crap out of the tummy, needs to be take in between ABX. Oh the fun.