Response to doxy can be fairly fast, or more gradual. If you see any kind of response, I would encourage 4-6 weeks of treatment.

That blood test is fairly recent, wondering if you have a copy there. I would want to double check the RBC and platelets to see if they are at the lower end of the normal range (just checking for coinfections). Sometimes some of the absolute counts on the white blood cells (often monocytes) can be a bit skewed on the blood too.

In an older dog, I bet the T4 is fairly accurate.

The doxy can also act as an anti-inflammatory, possible helping that pinched nerve. Maybe that pinched nerve is compromised from the lyme too. All sorts of things that we will probably have no real ansers to!

I know what you mean about never knowing for sure about everything. I've been wondering if the reaction I saw on Saturday afternoon with the knuckling may have been a combination of a pinched nerve and the Lyme. I haven't seen her knuckling since Saturday and she hasn't been doing a lot of running like she was Saturday morning.

I don't have a copy of her blood work from March. I don't usually ask for a copy since I have enough trouble keeping track of paperwork . But the vet and I went over the whole report one day when I had Caleb in for a quick check up. I really don't recall him pointing out anything as being at a high or low end except for the T4 on the thyroid. But, again, that was a couple of months ago and I may not be remembering correctly. My vet is pretty good at pointing out everything he thinks we should keep an eye on.

I have to admit - both my DH and I have been commenting on the fact that she has been somewhat lethargic for a month or so. And someitmes you just can't be sure it's because they're getting older and slowing down or if something is wrong. I try to do the best I can to be observant and get her checked if anything is out of the ordinary. But when it kind of sneaks up slowly, it can be missed.

Johanna, so glad that you are keeping such a close eye on Aodhan. It seems a good sign that she really hasn't knuckled over since Saturday. Will you re-do the thyroid panel, perhaps? It isn't easy to know if things are just a dog gently aging or the slow onset of something new. Aodhan and Caleb have the best love and care with you and your DH. Grimmi and I are sending you all positive, healing vibes! Especially to dear Aodhan!

It sounds though like you're on your way to figuring *something* out though! I hate the "being patient" part

Yes, one of the things when she was in Monday was to re-check thyroid.
In fact, I talked to her vet this afternoon and he had results, but apparently when they sent the request in they sent it for a "post pill thyroid". Someone in the office got confused and thought she was on medication for it. He's going to check and see if they sent it in with the right request but it showed up on my bill wrong.
Don't know if it's going to make a difference in the results. The T4 was 1.1 back in March and the result they got from Monday was 1.4. If this result is correct, it seems that thyroid is OK and maybe she's been feeling lousy because of the Lyme.

The post-pill thyroid will only affect what they charge you, it's the same test with the same reading.

Certainly is moving in the wrong direction if it's low thyroid! If you added any supplements with Kelp in it, that can also mask a thyroid problem. BUT, if it's not the thyroid, good to eliminate one thing!

I'm really glad that the test caught the lyme. Now the tricky part is determining adequate treatment!

She gets a maintenance dose of Springtime Longevity, which does have kelp in it. But she's been on that for well over a year now and we haven't changed the dose. Given the time she's been on it, would that be a concern?

If it really is a correct value, I glad we've eliminated one thing and can really focus on the other things.

I don't worry about the kelp if it's low in the ingredient list. Some of these supplements have kelp in the first couple of spots on the list, and that always concerns me a bit. I think the Longevity has it in the middle of the list?

There are lots of anecdotal reports on the tick list of thyroid problems along with the tick disease. Sometimes the thyroid resolves with tick treatment, sometimes it doesn't. I think I would just plan on keeping an eye on the thyroid for awhile. It's very likely it's winding down, but just not there yet. I had to wait and watch with Indy's thyroid - it took a couple years (I knew it was dying!) and I think I tested every 6 months. But I have had to run regular blood tests on her all her life.

If you can swing the cost, I would pursue the C6. With lyme, we are fortunate to have that measure of treatment. I think LJsMom would probably agree that it's been beneficial?

We probably will pursue the C6. Being an chemist, I like the fact that there's something that actually can be monitored instead od treating and then just guessing as to whether it was an effective treatment. The cost can't be worse than her x-rays and Caleb's tooth extraction.

ETA: If my math is right, I think she gets roughly 32 mg of kelp in the maintenance dose of Longevity. It's actually almost at the bottom of the list.

I don't know about the dosage of kelp, of course some of that would depend on how much is in her food. It doesn't sound like a whole lot for a big dog though. In a younger dog I would be more concerned about autoimmune stuff and kelp masking, etc. In a senior, the kelp would be more supportive of a thyroid that is just getting old.

When indy was going hypo, I added kelp and it did keep her levels up higher, and they dropped when I stopped the supplement. But she is a smaller dog (35 lbs) and was getting a capsule a day, whatever that amounted to.

Most definitely would LJsMom agree!

Thanks for chiming in Joanne!

Still have to talk to the vet, but Aodhán was a bit livelier when I got home from work today. I think she's feeling a little better.

That is great news!

Yay!! Johanna, this is great to hear! We love you, Aodhan!

Response to doxy is pretty rapid. Resolution of the symptoms though is different than from the bugs, if that makes sense.

I'm so glad that she is feeling better, it's such a relief to see them get back to their norm!

I understand what you're saying about recovery from the bugs.

I remember years back when I had a bad case of pneumonia. Doctor put me on anitbiotics that made me feel better in a day. Still had to take them for a week to insure recovery.

Continuing to send good thoughts to your sweet girl Aodhan. Grimmi and I are wishing her a good response to the meds, and real improvements in how she is feeling.

Thanks to all.

Aodhán says she appreciates all the well wishes.

I don't think that the leg weakness is all from the Lyme - although it may be contributing to the problem. But I don't want to overwhelm her right now either. I think I'm going to wait on pursuing the chiro and acupuncture until after we're sure she's over the Lyme disease.

These bugs can affect the nervous system. With both mine, chiro treatment went well with the abx treatment, but of course every dog is an individual case. I'm just so glad that she is responding well