08/03/11 - Today marks Reo's 19th week of treatment for the Levin/Plechner protocols! Nearly 5 months - woo hoo!
We went to see Dr. O today, to get some blood drawn for another EI-1 panel. In light of all of the great progress Reo has made, I am very curious to see the results!
Dr. O also thought Reo could see (without any coaxing/questions from me). Reo was walking all around the exam room, weaving in and out of the chair legs with no issues. She also looked up at Dr. O, and tracked him as he moved his head from side to side.
I feel pretty giddy at this point, to have three separate veterinarians give me the indication that Reo has some degree of functional vision!
I emailed Caroline Levin in regards, and she encouraged me to make some videos of Reo if I could. Previously, Dr. C suggested that I test Reo with a cotton ball (no sound, no smell). I tried to get some good videos of her, but I only got the two feeble attempts below.
Reo cotton ball video #1
Reo cotton ball video #2
Even though these aren't the most professional videos, Reo could not do any degree of tracking like this a couple of months ago, so it is great improvement!
In March 2011, our Miniature Pinscher, Reo, suddenly went blind and was diagnosed with SARDS (Sudden Acquired Retinal Degeneration Syndrome). We were given no hope for vision recovery, but through research, perseverance, love, tears, and a lot of luck, we brought our dog back from a serious illness, and restored some functional vision in about 5 months! This is our story, our journey...and we hope that by sharing our story, we can help other dogs diagnosed with SARDS!
BLOG DISCLAIMER
**DISCLAIMER** Please note: I am not a veterinarian, and the purpose of this blog is solely to educate, provide resources, and share Reo's story. In this blog, I will present research and information on the theories of SARDS to which I subscribe, along with my own narrative. If you think your dog may have SARDS, or adrenal exhaustion/Plechner Syndrome, please seek veterinary care right away!
If you are just beginning your SARDS education, I suggest you start with the blog post from August 22, 2011 entitled "SARDS Resources". If you'd like to know our trials, tribulations, and joys from the beginning, start with "But first...Reo!" and click chronologically on from there.
If you would like to read my suggestions as to how I would approach treatment for a newly-diagnosed dog, check the November 16, 2011 post "If I had another SARDS dog" (and then read my blog more fully for appropriate context).
Though we have decided to suspend Reo's retinal protection supplements in September 2012 (see September 16, 2012 post "Decision for Reo") due to the fact that she had very little remaining vision, I am still strongly supportive of our treatment approach, and know that it changed Reo's health and longevity in a positive way. Feel free to comment and ask me any questions - I am happy to help if I can!
Update: Reo became an angel on October 21, 2014. She had a profound kidney infection, causing acute kidney failure, and she was unable to recover. The contributing factors to her decline are covered in my February 16, 2015 blog post "Farewell to Reo".
Though I do not regularly update this blog any longer, much of the information is still relevant (though some of the links may be out of date). Feel free to join the conversation at "SARDS Dogs United" on Facebook.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
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