My goodness, I am behind in updating! I'm sorry, fair readers. Wishing you and your pups a wonderful New Year!
Reo is doing very well - I will post her latest bloodwork soon. We had another EI-1 panel done at the end of the year, as well as blood chemistry and CBC. Her blood chemistry was quite notable, with liver values and cholesterol number actually going down since her last test (yay!). Hormone levels are stable, with only slight changes up or down over time.
Currently her only health "problem" is a potential issue with collapsing trachea. She's always had issues aspirating water when she drinks, but now she's been sneezing/reverse sneezing/coughing at random times. We have her on a course of Clavamox to make sure it's not a simple upper respiratory infection, but so far I haven't noticed any changes.
The thing that makes me think it is NOT collapsing trachea is because she is not affected when she is walking or exercising. Sort of strange...
ANYWAY!!!
My primary reason for writing this post is to alert you all to a new Facebook group that we have created for SARDS dog owners, or those interested in the disease. It is called SARDS Dogs United, and you can request to join us here: SARDS Dogs United
We hope this will be an easy way to keep in touch with other SARDS owners. Now that Yahoo has changed its groups format, it is less user-friendly. Feedback welcomed! :)
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.
Hello what kind of teatment did you guys used that helped your dog
ReplyDeleteYou can read about our successes on this blog with a combination of Dr. Plechner's and Caroline Levin's protocols, and more details from other approaches in the Facebook group. Please join us!
ReplyDelete