Nov 11, 2009

X-Rays

X-rays are all normal. No issues with the back or hips. Her knees look good. No signs of arthritis. Her internal organs look normal. At this point Dr. Johnson believes that it is muscle related to her back legs. She has no problem with her front legs. We are starting her on an anti-inflammatory (Rimadyl) today. If this is the issue, we should see improvement within 24 to 48 hours. I'll be watching her closely for any type of reaction to the Rimadyl and checking in with Dr. Johnson.

The good news: Lucie's ears are doing much better! The bumps are mostly gone and right now there is skin falling off where the bumps were which was expected. It is possible that Lucie's muscle issues with her back legs could the remnants of the Vasculitis. We will just have to wait and see. I believe that is the hardest part.

I was mistaken on the tick panel. It is a very reliable test so we can rule out the following: Lyme, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and Anaplasma Phagocytophilum. There is an auto-immune test that can be done but it is not reliable. I was confusing the two. This has been a lot for me to absorb in such a short period of time.

I am very thankful for Dr. Johnson! There is no other vet that I trust as much as him. He has always been there for all of our dogs and you can truly see that he loves them as much as we do. He is leaving no stone unturned in trying to help her. Dr. Johnson recently moved to a new office and all of their staff is just so sweet and nice to work with!


(No, that's not Lucie. I was too focused on Lucie at the appointment today to even think about taking pictures, but I promise I will.)


I had a request to share her blood tests. They are all normal. I use this blog as a reference point to so it is good to have all the info in one spot.






I gave Lucie her first Rimadyl at 10:45 a.m. after she has eaten something so she was not taking it on an empty stomach. She has been sleeping since.  My hope is that we will see improvement from the Rimadyl soon.

It is a beautiful fall day here in Texas! After some lunch I am going to take Addie out for some playtime at a local park. She has a lot of energy to use up since she has not had her buddy to run and play with. Ron will be keeping an eye on Lucie while we are out.  Hailey is snuggling with her right now.

14 comments:

  1. That is great news!! I sure hope this clears it up fast! Lucie is such a trooper and I'm sure she knows you are all doing everything you can for her! Big Hugs to Lucie and slobbery kisses to Mom, Dad and Dr. Johnson for all their hard work!

    Licks,
    Kylie

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  2. I'm so thankful for the positive xray results!
    Hoping to see some quick improvement with the Rimadyl. We are all thinking of you. I just know we're on the road to recovery with sweet Lucie!!!!

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  3. It is great to hear all the good things that the tests are revealing. We hope the Rimadyl helps and Miss Lucie is back to her wonderful self soon.

    woos, the OP Pack

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  4. We had a black Lab who died in 2006 at the age of 15. For the last three years of her life she was on numerous meds for helping her quality of life, including Rymadil. It made a huge difference in Brandy's comfort when getting up and down from different positions. We got all our meds from petscriptions.com as the prices were much better than directly from the vet. I hope the Rymadil works for Lucie and gets some relief soon.

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  5. That is good news! Bear takes Rimadyl. It made a new dog out of him! Hope it works as well for Lucie.

    Kisses,
    Emma Rose

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  6. w00fs, me sure hopes it helps..

    b safe,
    ~rocky~

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  7. Well that all sounds like great news. What did the Doc think of the echinachea?

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  8. Tank woo fur the pupdate!

    We'll keep the paws khrossed improvement khontinues!

    Hugz&Khysses,
    Khyra

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  9. Well, that is pawsome news!!

    (((hugs)) and kisses to Lucie from her friends
    Oskar, Schatzi & Xena

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  10. How old is Lucie again? When Starr was a puppy she had some severe growing pains and stopped using her back legs and lost all her muscle mass. Just wondering if maybe it could be something similar?

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  11. Hang in there Lucie!!!

    Thought and Prayer Smileys!
    Dory

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  12. I am still purring my hardest for Lucie. Hopefully she feels better soon.

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  13. Our paws remain crossed for you, Lucie! We hope Rimadyl is the answer!

    Love ya lots
    Maggie and Mitch

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  14. We are very interested because my cousin, Cesar, a white german shep. is having the same symptoms minus the earbumps. His parents took him to a holistic vet and were very happy with the visit. We will learn more this weekend. If there is anything that might help we will pass it along.

    love & wags,
    River

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