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BoxerMad  10:02:05 Fri May 20 2011 Offline 1150 posts Admin   Mood Now:  Reply |
We had to take Busta to the vets on Monday - Over the weekend i noticed a lump under his neck and then he started limping also.
The vet thought that the lump was probably a swollen lymph gland due to an infection and the limping was inflammation of one of his joints. He often gets a bit stiff after he has been for a long run, but once he sleeps it off is fine again so we were never too concerned before. He was given antibiotics and an anti inflammatory injection and then further antibioics to continue at home. He seemed to go through stages, seeming a bit better and then a bit worse again. We had to take him back yesterday, and by then he was limping worse, but due to a different leg. The lump under his neck had gone right down. We are still not sure what the problem is, he has been given another type of antibioic used for bone problems and more rimadyl. Since leaving the vets yesterday, the swelling has now moved to another leg. His back leg is now fine, one front leg is really swollen and the other one is less swollen but still a bit painful. He is still eating his food, but we have to take it to him along with water as he wont make any effort to go get it himself. I feel so bad for him as he just looks so uncomfortable and miserable. Our vet is hoping that the antibioics and anti inflammatories will start to clear up the problem, however if there is no change or he gets worse, then they will have to start blood tests / x-rays etc next week. Time for another call to our insurance company for a claim form i think! They must really hate us!!!
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SashasMum  10:22:35 Fri May 20 2011 Offline 4352 posts Admin  Mood Now:  Reply |
Oh no, poor Busta! What a nightmare for you, hope it's nothing horrible Caroline. I always worry more if they are off their food, like kids, that's when you know they aren't faking it!
What antibiotics is he on, has he been on that one before? Tizzy can't take one of them because it upsets her tummy a lot and rimadyl can make them very sleepy and lethargic too sometimes xx
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HARIBOH 17:57:47 Fri May 20 2011 Offline 278 posts Boxer Addict   Mood Now:  Reply |
Oh get well soon Busta....
It seems to be never ending with our dogs just now...fingers crossed he starts to perk up once the meds are in his system. Shona x
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jilldemo 18:55:30 Fri May 20 2011 Offline 2067 posts Admin  Mood Now:  Reply |
Wishing Busta all the best. He deserves it, along with the good life he has found with your family.
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BoxerMad 07:37:12 Sat May 21 2011 Offline 1150 posts Admin Mood Now: Reply |
Thank you - Busta seems much happier this morning.
We had to take him back to the vets again yesterday afternoon, he was seeming to get worse. Not responding to anything and had started going off his food. He was also finding it really difficult to walk even just a few steps. He wouldn't even lift his head when we called his name. He was given another two injections and the vet took some blood, we have to go back today, hopefully he will have some of the results by then. Last night Brendan and i had a small barbeque, just the two of us and i think Busta felt as though he was missing out by being indoors. I helped him off the settee and he came for a wander outside. He then went back in, ate his whole bowl of food that he had turned his nose up at earlier and then came back out the garden with us - from that point on he just seemed to improve more and more. By the time i went to bed, he was giving kisses, wagging his tail and even trying to bark (he seems to have lost his voice - poor thing) This morning he still needed Brendan to carry him down the stairs, but he is walking a bit easier and seems so much happier. We are back at the vets at midday - so hopefully find out a bit more then.
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Polo123  11:11:55 Sat May 21 2011 Offline 1568 posts Mod  Mood Now: Reply |
Aw, poor Busta, it's awful to see them suffering, especially as they can't tell us what's wrong
 hope he's soon feeling much better 
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Katiesnowflake  00:08:54 Sun May 22 2011 Offline 2202 posts Admin Mood Now:  Reply |
Any news Caroline? Katie had a bad week too
 Hugs from us xx
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BoxerMad 07:37:43 Sun May 22 2011 Offline 1150 posts Admin Mood Now: Reply |
Hi Helen, I'm sorry to hear Katie has had a bad week. It really doesn't seem to be a good time for any of us at the moment. I hope Katie is okay?
Took Busta back to the vets yesterday and his blood results were back. His kidneys seem fine, however a lot of the results linked to liver issues were quite high. Our vet explained that although this could mean a problem with his liver, it is more likely that it is due to an infection or a severe allergic reaction so this is what he is being treated for at the moment. There isn't much real change in Busta himself and he does seem to be going off any type of food now too. I can get him to eat a small amount by actually putting it in his mouth as he will then swallow it, but he won't make any effort himself. He did perk up on Friday after he was given a corticosteroid injection and ate his normal sized meal. Our vet gave us another injection to give him ourselves this morning which we have just done (they only last 48 hours), so i am hoping that in a few hours he may perk up again as he did on Friday and i may be able to get him interested in some food again. The swelling on one of his front legs has gone down, but the other one is still quite swollen and he is still plodding around like a little old man (He will only get up when we make him, apart from that he just lies there). It is so horrible to see him in this way. I have a feeling our vet would have admitted him to the hospital already, but he knows we are not too keen on that as it is where we lost both Tia and Kirei. We only live about a mile away and they are open 24 hours so if he gets any worse we can get him there very quickly. He is still on a course of antibiotics, this is the second type he has had and he was also given a shot of penicillian yesterday. He is still drinking plenty (when i take the water to him) and has not had any vomiting or diarrhea at all. It is all very weird. He has to go back again tomorrow morning - We just want him better. It has been a week now since this all started and we still don't know what the problem is.
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Katiesnowflake 00:49:03 Mon May 23 2011 Offline 2202 posts Admin Mood Now: Reply |
What an awful worry for you. He does sound to be uncomfortable somewhere, poor boy. Its such a worry and you feel so helpless not being able to do anything for them.
Does your vet know what could have caused the infection? I suppose he would need to do more tests. Let us know what happens when you see the vet again. Will send healing thoughts to the boy. He wouldnt have Spondylosis? Rosie had that and it made her very reluctant to move - its something that some Boxers appear to take Busta is so special - big hugs from us I will do an update on Katie on another thread as I dont want to hyjack your thread
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sandyc 02:52:39 Mon May 23 2011 Offline 966 posts Boxer Maniac   Reply |
Keeping Busta in my thoughts and prayers.Sure hope the vet can figure this out!
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BoxerMad 19:03:35 Mon May 23 2011 Offline 1150 posts Admin Mood Now: Reply |
Brendan took Busta back to the vets this morning, he had lost another 1kg in weight and his temperature was up. Our vet kept him in to give him some fluids through a drip and took some more blood. He also gave him some stronger pain relief.
I had to go back to work today, so was unable to go with Brendan, but the vet called me around 1pm and said that he was going to have to admit Busta to the veterinary hospital. The antibiotics he has been on are not working and he is not getting any better. He has a very high white blood cell count which following todays blood test has increased since Saturday, which along with his other symptoms points towards Systemic inflammatory response syndrome where his immune system is basically reacting badly towards an infection and 'has gone a bit crazy' in his words! It is an inflammatory state which affects the whole body. This evening he was transfered to the veterinary hospital which is actually closer to my house than our own vets surgery and i saw another vet there. I had to go on my own as Brendan had to go off to work himself. The vet pretty much confirmed what our vet had said and they are going to look into each individual problem - he will have x-rays on his shoulders / legs, a closer inspection of his throat (he has been swallowing in a gulping sort of way and seems to have lost his voice), they are going to do some blood cultures to look for any signs of septis and he will be put on a drip of antibioics and fluids overnight. The vet also pointed out a bruise on his elbow, which he said was a cause for concern because it can indicate clotting issues. Busta really is a very poorly boy right now. Brendan and I hate any of our dogs going into the hospital as it is where we unfortunately lost both Tia and Kirei, so for us there is always the worry of taking our dogs in and them not coming home again. Brendan and i were talking about this earlier and agreed that it is just because; to us the hospital is what we use for emergencies, whereas we use the smaller veterinary surgery for routine stuff and smaller problems, so the probability of something going wrong is much higher at the veterinary hospital. Still doesn't make us feel any better though, especially as Busta is so poorly and we still do not know for sure what the problem is. I am not expecting to hear from the vets again tonight unless there are any problems. They will call me tomorrow once they have done some more tests - hopefully they will be able to tell us a bit more then. I can't believe the problems we have had so far this year with the dogs - Henry's diagnosis was only a few months ago and now Busta being as sick as he is - We certainly are due just a little bit of good luck soon 
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HARIBOH 19:37:25 Mon May 23 2011 Offline 278 posts Boxer Addict Mood Now: Reply |
Poor Busta and poor you.... you must be distraught at the moment...especially not knowing whats wrong with and what you can do to help him.
Stay strong...stay positive ... im sure hes going to be fine ... in fact im positive hes going to be fine Shona x
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Katiesnowflake 21:12:01 Mon May 23 2011 Offline 2202 posts Admin Mood Now: Reply |
Oh the poor poor baby, horrible for him and for you. I hate leaving them into the vets too although sometimes it is the only way to go
I will be thinking of him and will send some absent healing again this evening across to him. Hugs to you all xx
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Polo123 19:53:27 Tue May 24 2011 Offline 1568 posts Mod Mood Now: Reply |
I really feel for you all, you've really been through it recently
 hopefully things start looking up pretty soon
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BoxerMad 20:27:36 Tue May 24 2011 Offline 1150 posts Admin Mood Now: Reply |
Thank you all for your kind comments.
Not much more to report today. I spoke to the vet earlier today and he did say that Busta's temperature had gone down a bit which is a good sign, they are still waiting on a lot of test results which they should have back tomorrow. Today they have done x-rays, taken fluid from his sore joints to be tested, blood cultures and more blood and urine tests. I am going to go and see him tomorrow after work, just praying that there is some improvement - no matter how small. We need our boy home!!
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Katiesnowflake 22:44:55 Tue May 24 2011 Offline 2202 posts Admin Mood Now: Reply |
Hugs xx
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sandyc 15:55:10 Wed May 25 2011 Offline 966 posts Boxer Maniac Reply |
Keeping Busta in my thoughts and prayers.
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BoxerMad 18:34:14 Wed May 25 2011 Offline 1150 posts Admin Mood Now: Reply |
We went to see Busta today, he still looks so poorly.
We took some food with us, to try to tempt him to eat, but he wasn't interested in anything. I tried rubbing a little on his gums so that he would get the taste, but he just spat out whatever i put in his mouth - it was heartbreaking. They are still waiting on most of the test results - the x-rays were all okay and shows there is no major erosion of the joints. They have taken fluid from his joints to be tested, expecting the results back this evening for that and still waiting on the blood cultures to check for septis. One good thing though is that his temperature is back down to normal, so hopefully he is starting to respond to the antibiotics. They also did a scan today of his organs to check for any abnormalities ,as they are still unable to confirm what the problem is they are looking at all possibilities and there is a chance that the inflammation may be a secondary problem - i haven't heard anything back about this yet and the vet did say he would contact me if there was anything to report so i am hoping that no news is good news! He thinks the most likely problem is Idiopathic Immune-Mediated Polyarthritis which is similiar to rheumatoid athritis, but non erosive. But until they receive the results back from the fluids from his joints they can't be sure. I am really hoping for an actual diagnosis soon, at least then they can start to treat the actual problem. He explained today, that until they know what the problem is, they are limited on the types of medication they can use because some medications could actually work against him. Our insurance company must be cursing us - we only signed up with them at the end of December and have already claimed the full £4000 for Henry and Busta's bill is already around £2000 due to all the tests that have been carried out - all in 5 months!!! We only pay £42 per month for all three of them - But then that is why we buy insurance to get us through the bad times I am hoping tomorrow will bring us some more news - our vet is confident that they will know what is wrong once they receive the rest of these results back - they are running out of tests they can do
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Polo123 19:19:28 Wed May 25 2011 Offline 1568 posts Mod Mood Now: Reply |
fingers crossed for some good news
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HARIBOH 20:15:08 Wed May 25 2011 Offline 278 posts Boxer Addict Mood Now: Reply |
I have just read up on Idiopathic Immune-Mediated Polyarthritis, I have heard of humans getting something similar where their immune sytem attacked the joints after them getting a virus and the lady in question recovered fully.
Perhaps because he already had a temperature caused by something else ie a virus this could be very similar. At the bottom of the report i read was that all dogs recovered well after starting treatment...so im crossing my fingers that this is what is wrong with Busta and it started with a virus and the treatment clears it up quickly once started. I think its wonderful that you have only just taken out the insurance and are using it to the max.....how much have you spent on insurance like buildings and contents and never needed to claim anything, which reminds me i really need to get it sorted for Marley...Keasha's problems should have taught me the lesson...ALWAYS HAVE PET INSURANCE lol cos hers would have cost me a fortune if i hadnt had it....still would have paid it thought  Shona x
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BoxerMad 20:40:59 Wed May 25 2011 Offline 1150 posts Admin Mood Now: Reply |
Thanks Shona
My sister was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis just a few months ago and looking back on all the symptoms she has had, they are very similar to Busta's. The Rheumatoid arthiritis has already been ruled out with him as there is no visible damage to his joints, but Idiopathic Immune Mediated Polyarthiritis is practically the same thing without the erosion of the bones ( so the better option if you look at it like that). I also read that it is very rare for them to find the initial cause of the problem and this was what my sister was told - it is usually due to the way your body responds to an infection, it basically sends your immune system a bit crazy and causes it to start to attack itself. If this is the problem with him it does look very hopeful and like you said can be recovered from well. When talking to the vet I asked him what would happen if this was the case and he said he may have to remain on medication, he may be able to come off it after a while or it may be used intermittently when he has a flare up, every case is different, but whatever happens it can be controlled. Fingers crossed for a proper diagnosis tomorrow. My dog treat cupboard in my kitchen is slowly turning into a dog medicine cupboard - feeding times are getting longer and longer due to all the pills I have to dish out!!!
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sandyc 00:35:56 Thu May 26 2011 Offline 966 posts Boxer Maniac Reply |
I just so hope they can get a diagnoses and get poor Busta sorted out!Keeping the thoughts and prayers going!
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Katiesnowflake 00:57:33 Thu May 26 2011 Offline 2202 posts Admin Mood Now: Reply |
Keeping you all in our hearts and prayers. xx
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BoxerMad 19:01:11 Thu May 26 2011 Offline 1150 posts Admin Mood Now: Reply |
Our vet today had some better news - nearly all of Busta's test results have come back clear, a scan to look for tumours on his organs, his x-rays show no damage to his bones, blood and urine tests are normal apart from a high white blood cell count but the fluid from his joints is indicating towards the Idiopathic Immune-mediated Polyarthiritis - they are still waiting on some of the culture results but they have enough information now that they can start him on some medication
 They will be starting him on corticosteroids which will initially be injections, but once he has improved will be given in tablet form. The vet also said that he had managed to get up on his feet all by himself a few times today - he hasn't been able to do this for over a week, so he must be improving already. I am hoping that he will be back home in two to three days once he is settled on the steroids. I am going to bake some of his favourite dog treats this evening (Liver sausage & cottage cheese oatcakes - sound disgusting but he loves them) and go to see him again tomorrow afternoon - I am a much happier girlie today
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sandyc 19:27:22 Thu May 26 2011 Offline 966 posts Boxer Maniac Reply |
Thank goodness!Now,he will improve on meds and will be on the road to recovery!So glad to hear he's doing better!
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HARIBOH 21:44:57 Thu May 26 2011 Offline 278 posts Boxer Addict Mood Now: Reply |
Excellent news...especially with him getting up on his feet..
Please send me your address when you get him home ... im coming to steal him lol.... hes such a stunning dog <3 Shona x
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jilldemo 00:41:05 Fri May 27 2011 Offline 2067 posts Admin Mood Now: Reply |
Great news on Busta. Hope he is home soon.
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BoxerMad 09:35:58 Fri May 27 2011 Offline 1150 posts Admin Mood Now: Reply |
Thanks everyone - Made his treats for him, got to wait until 3pm to be able to go visit him - Can't wait!!
Shona - that really made me chuckle! You are more than welcome to come for a visit but as for stealing him - NO WAY, HE IS ALL MINE!!!!! Lol
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Polo123 19:08:05 Fri May 27 2011 Offline 1568 posts Mod Mood Now: Reply |
aw that's fantastic news, hopefully he'll soon be back home and running rings round you all
 as to the home made treats I think you should post the recipe, I've never heard of doggy treat recipes before 
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BoxerMad 21:56:47 Fri May 27 2011 Offline 1150 posts Admin Mood Now: Reply |
Went to see Busta again this afternoon, he seems so much better than he was on Wednesday, a lot more responsive and he can now sit down and stand up on his own. He is still not eating, couldn't even tempt him with my home made treats. I think it is partly because he is still on a drip for fluids and the vet said he is not really drinking much himself, he has always been one to drink loads of water before and after eating and I think once they take him off the fluids he will start drinking and become more interested in eating again. If all goes well he could hopefully be home on Sunday or Monday. I really hope so - we are missing him so much.
Linda, I have a whole recipe book of doggie treats, I only paid £2.99 for it from Sainsburys. Well worth it too! I will post some of the recipes over the weekend - my three love the treats I make, Henry was sniffing at the oven door as they were cooking today!
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