Another Finn Update

Epi4Dogs Foundation Inc.’s mission is the advancement of science and education relating to EPI (Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency), yielding useful insights and positive outcomes in better managing EPI in dogs and cats. Our goals are to support and/or collaborate with veterinary EPI research and researchers, and to promote EPI awareness by educating the general public, pet owners, pet organizations, rescue and shelter organizations, veterinary schools and veterinarians.
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Olesia711
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Re: Another Finn Update

Post by Olesia711 » 27 Sep 2018, 23:29

Oh that is wonderful news that the clot is gone..... paws and fingers crossed the the remaining reports will bring more good news.

Please keep us updated!!!!
Olesia, was owned by Izzy, a 35lb Spanish Water Dog (SWD), Diagnosed at 1.5 years old - TLI results 1.. Izzy passed away on February 13, 2020 at 15 years old. She lived with EPI for 13+1/2 years. It was because of Izzy that Epi4Dogs was started... she was the inspiration. May her legacy of helping others with EPI continue for as long as needed.........

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worriedparents
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Re: Another Finn Update

Post by worriedparents » 16 Oct 2018, 18:25

Hi, the Internist wants to keep him on the meds for another month to see if they help the thickened walls.

Now we are into a new problem. ALLERGIES by the looks of things. This morning we took him to the emerg clinic because we woke up and his eyelids were swollen, plus he had a runny nose. He was pawing at his face a few days ago which he has done once in a while in the past, but nothing really came of it before. The vet suspects an environmental allergy. There was another dog in there at the same time and they were similar. I login and see another allergy post right near the top of the page too. Is this common in the fall?

UGH. I love my dog but he is driving me crazy today. The poor guy is have such a rough time with this. The vet gave him a shot of Benadryl and that helped the swollen eyelids. I read on the other thread that is can cause dementia in humans. :o They didn't want to give him a steroid because of the Xraltro and it may interact and steroid have a risk of clots. They are hoping the Benedryl with kick in soon and help him, if not he'll need the steroid.

This afternoon he is shaking his head a lot and can't get comfortable and settle down. His ears have some patchy redness around the opening that wasn't there this morning. He's panting and whining and barking and following me everywhere. Wants to go and lay down outside often, which is not like him (he usually hates it outside) but it's cooler out there. I gave him some more Benadryl (suppose to give every 8 hours for 3 days). Thankfully it makes him sleepy but only gave him about 2 hours peace and it all starts again.

Anyone have any ideas that may help him? Holistic, topical anything? I was wondering about apple cider vinegar. Thanks
Adopted Finn 4 years ago. He's 7 maybe 8 years old? Reoccurring diarrhea, picky eater and loss of appetite from day 1. Low B12 causing hind-end weakness in July 2017. B12 injections didn't help his appetite, diarrhea or energy like we thought they should have. I found this wonderful forum and learned about EPI, which he doesn’t have, and SIBO/SID which he does have. On Tylosin and B12 pills with intrinsic factor long-term. Blood clot in his left femoral artery in July 2018, which Clopidogrel and Xareltro helped clear up, also long-term. Latest problems since fall 2018 are food sensitivities and (misdiagnosed) UTI causing incontinence.

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worriedparents
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Re: Another Finn Update

Post by worriedparents » 16 Oct 2018, 18:43

It reminds me of when he got B12 injections and likely caused an allergic reaction and another reason we switched to the pills because he would do this same out of sorts behavior. Hope it's not med or diet based.
Adopted Finn 4 years ago. He's 7 maybe 8 years old? Reoccurring diarrhea, picky eater and loss of appetite from day 1. Low B12 causing hind-end weakness in July 2017. B12 injections didn't help his appetite, diarrhea or energy like we thought they should have. I found this wonderful forum and learned about EPI, which he doesn’t have, and SIBO/SID which he does have. On Tylosin and B12 pills with intrinsic factor long-term. Blood clot in his left femoral artery in July 2018, which Clopidogrel and Xareltro helped clear up, also long-term. Latest problems since fall 2018 are food sensitivities and (misdiagnosed) UTI causing incontinence.

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Olesia711
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Re: Another Finn Update

Post by Olesia711 » 17 Oct 2018, 10:11

Oh dear... if his eyelids are swollen..... along with everything else..... he sure is allergic to something.

Can you call the vet and "ask" if maybe giving Apoquel would be appropriate in his case due to his medical issues, since the vet doesn't want to change anything else just yet????
Olesia, was owned by Izzy, a 35lb Spanish Water Dog (SWD), Diagnosed at 1.5 years old - TLI results 1.. Izzy passed away on February 13, 2020 at 15 years old. She lived with EPI for 13+1/2 years. It was because of Izzy that Epi4Dogs was started... she was the inspiration. May her legacy of helping others with EPI continue for as long as needed.........

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Madelon
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Re: Another Finn Update

Post by Madelon » 17 Oct 2018, 12:56

Yes the fall can be dreadful for allergies in dogs. My boy is allergic to everything in the environment - literally and so many foods I can't even list them.

With regard to Benadryl, I would ask your vet about Zyrtec instead as Benadryl crosses the blood brain barrier and has been linked to dementia in humans. My boy gets 2 Zyrtec a day Spring through Fall.

Shaking the head and redness that you can see in the ears sounds just like my boy when he first started with allergies. I would have the vet check for an infection - be sure to have it cultured so you use the exact right antibiotics if there is an infection. Once the infection is clear you can use Zymox to help keep them clean and prevent infections. Since I started using Zymox he has not had an infection in 3yrs. I believe there are quite a few of us that use Zymox.

Just to be sure - have you made a recent food change?

Hope you and your sweetie get some relief soon.
Madelon, owned by DOC. DOC dx EPI 5/2015 = TLI < .4, B12 406; Folate >24. DOC taught me so much and together we battled and overcame EPI, food sensitivies, environmental allergies but we lost the cancer battle. DOC was dx with hemangiosarcoma 5/2022 and crossed the rainbow bridge July 24, 2022. He is and always will be the love of my life, my soulmate, my heart dog.

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worriedparents
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Re: Another Finn Update

Post by worriedparents » 17 Oct 2018, 15:31

Long night with very little sleep. He's so uncomfortable. The Benadryl is not working anyway. His ears are much worse than they were last night, red/raw and he will not stop shaking his head. Afraid he'll get a hematoma. When we got to the vet and he finally laid down, we noticed red patchy skin on his groin area and hot spots here and there. He's not biting or licking or pawing or scratching at anything though.

Our vet called it a hypersensitivity and wanted to change to Reactine. I just gave him some and it acted a lot quicker to settle him down and rest. He only got a couple hours peace on the Benadryl so I hope this lasts longer too. We got drops for his ears. Didn't appear to be infected (honestly can't remember what our vet said about them), but the drops should help the itching and I think he talked about the drops as antibiotic too. It's his ears that are his primary symptom at the moment but spreading to other areas.

He mentioned Apoquel and wanted to talk to the manufacturer about possible drug interactions. Just called and said it should be ok short-term. Really hope these are going to bring him some relief soon.

He vomited this morning a bit of tripe (which was a new brand) we'd given him to take the Benadryl with, a few hours after eating it but ate it last night and was ok. We didn't feed him his breakfast before the appointment so not sure if the vomiting was just a one-time thing. He's not really interested in food. His got a lot of anxiety happening so that could be why too.

We haven't changed his diet, but he's gets primarily chicken, carrot and sweet potato and cheese to take the meds. All are high on allergy lists. Finn has had odd behavior before and he gets so out of sorts at times but we didn't know what was happening. It may have been in the spring. It lasts a few days or a bit longer and then went away. Now I wonder if it's been allergies or hypersensitivity to something (possibly food) for a while, and he just didn't present with severe symptoms like his is now. And he was a dog that had all kinds of GI problems when we did change his food at all, before Tylosin, and that's what led us here to the EPI info. We hate seeing him so upset.
Adopted Finn 4 years ago. He's 7 maybe 8 years old? Reoccurring diarrhea, picky eater and loss of appetite from day 1. Low B12 causing hind-end weakness in July 2017. B12 injections didn't help his appetite, diarrhea or energy like we thought they should have. I found this wonderful forum and learned about EPI, which he doesn’t have, and SIBO/SID which he does have. On Tylosin and B12 pills with intrinsic factor long-term. Blood clot in his left femoral artery in July 2018, which Clopidogrel and Xareltro helped clear up, also long-term. Latest problems since fall 2018 are food sensitivities and (misdiagnosed) UTI causing incontinence.

Barb
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Re: Another Finn Update

Post by Barb » 17 Oct 2018, 17:11

I'm so sorry Finn (and you!) are having all these issues. Fall is a terrible time for allergies in the Northeast. I mowed the lawn today and all I did was sneeze. And I don't have allergies.....that I know of.

I hope the new meds help. Please let us know how Finn is.

Barb

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Olesia711
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Re: Another Finn Update

Post by Olesia711 » 17 Oct 2018, 20:18

i am so so sorry... sounds like both you and Finn had a horrible night.... hopefully the new meds and the withdrawal from the one drug will help.... AND... glad to hear that your vet checked with the company that mfg Apoquel.... and that it sounds like it would be okay to give Finn.

Apoquel had worked very well for us and i hope, if you do decide to have Finn try it, i hope that it give him much needed relief.

PLEASE do keep us posted!
Olesia, was owned by Izzy, a 35lb Spanish Water Dog (SWD), Diagnosed at 1.5 years old - TLI results 1.. Izzy passed away on February 13, 2020 at 15 years old. She lived with EPI for 13+1/2 years. It was because of Izzy that Epi4Dogs was started... she was the inspiration. May her legacy of helping others with EPI continue for as long as needed.........

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worriedparents
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Re: Another Finn Update

Post by worriedparents » 17 Oct 2018, 20:43

He slept 5 hours straight after the Reactine dose and didn't even get a full dose because I found a pill on the floor under him. His jowls hide medication so well. He wanted to eat and that's why he woke up for me, so that's good. I opted to give him turkey instead of chicken and he's had that before without a problem so I hope he will be ok with that.

He got up to greet my husband when he got home, which is also good. Now he's resting quietly again. It's a big change from earlier, and he's only shaken his head once. Whew.

So the Benedryl either didn't help at all and his symptoms got worse or he had a reaction to it specifically. I'm thinking it made him much worse and glad we didn't take the advice to ride it out and keep going for another day with it. Our vet said he's had another dog react poorly to it. Allergic to allergy medication? Yeah, leave it to Finn.

I was going to give him the Apoquel tonight but I think I'll wait and see how he is by the morning, so we can watch his reaction better. I've not seen improvement (skin/ear wise) with just the Reactine alone but it's too soon to know, but very little head shaking is awesome. Then we'll have to see what actually can start to clear this up.

I'll let you know how it's going. We really appreciate the support.
Adopted Finn 4 years ago. He's 7 maybe 8 years old? Reoccurring diarrhea, picky eater and loss of appetite from day 1. Low B12 causing hind-end weakness in July 2017. B12 injections didn't help his appetite, diarrhea or energy like we thought they should have. I found this wonderful forum and learned about EPI, which he doesn’t have, and SIBO/SID which he does have. On Tylosin and B12 pills with intrinsic factor long-term. Blood clot in his left femoral artery in July 2018, which Clopidogrel and Xareltro helped clear up, also long-term. Latest problems since fall 2018 are food sensitivities and (misdiagnosed) UTI causing incontinence.

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Olesia711
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Posts: 3858
Location: North Carolina
Country: United States
State: North Carolina
Pet name: Izzy
My name: olesia

Re: Another Finn Update

Post by Olesia711 » 17 Oct 2018, 22:20

It is so hard when they have a reaction to something.... it seems to happen either on a Sunday or during night time when the vets office is closed... and all you can do it sit and fret.... like you and many others.... been there / done that :(

Glad to hear that is "sounds" like things are calming down for Finn... and i personally think that you made a very wise decision to wait until tomorrow to "try" the Apoquel..... one thing at a time.... AND.... give during the daytime... when you know you can get a-hold of the vet if needed.

Please continue to keep us updated...........

Now... hoping you have a very uneventful and peaceful evening!!!

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Olesia, was owned by Izzy, a 35lb Spanish Water Dog (SWD), Diagnosed at 1.5 years old - TLI results 1.. Izzy passed away on February 13, 2020 at 15 years old. She lived with EPI for 13+1/2 years. It was because of Izzy that Epi4Dogs was started... she was the inspiration. May her legacy of helping others with EPI continue for as long as needed.........

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