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Low platelet count in shih tzu
My dog was diagnosed with ehrlichiosis three weeks ago. She was given doxycycline. In addition, she has fungal infection on her skin and have yet to be tested for mange. Vet didn't think it was necessary at the time to test her for mange since she tested positive for fungal infections.
She has pale gums, not the usual salmon pink gums. I worry about her platelet count, but she hasn't shown any signs of bleeding such as nosebleed, bloody urine or bloody stool. Vet say she might need transfusion if her platelet count hasn't increased at the end of ther treatment for ehrlichiosis.
Are there any natural ways/food to increase her platelet count? Thanks.
She has pale gums, not the usual salmon pink gums. I worry about her platelet count, but she hasn't shown any signs of bleeding such as nosebleed, bloody urine or bloody stool. Vet say she might need transfusion if her platelet count hasn't increased at the end of ther treatment for ehrlichiosis.
Are there any natural ways/food to increase her platelet count? Thanks.
My dog has gotten over her ehrlichiosis. She also contracted a fungal infection on her skin so we had to shave her back. She was given an antifungal cream and now her skin is almost back to normal.
We had a blood test taken on her after her bout with ehrlichiosis. Platelet count came back high as well as her ALT levels. Vet said it could be due to her taking so many medicines, especially antibiotics.
We had another test taken about a month after. Tests showed her ALT levels are ok, but now she has low glucose levels. Vet says her test results were 18, out of the normal 60. I worry about the cause of this. Other than that, she's behaving ok. She's eating and is very active and playful.
We had a blood test taken on her after her bout with ehrlichiosis. Platelet count came back high as well as her ALT levels. Vet said it could be due to her taking so many medicines, especially antibiotics.
We had another test taken about a month after. Tests showed her ALT levels are ok, but now she has low glucose levels. Vet says her test results were 18, out of the normal 60. I worry about the cause of this. Other than that, she's behaving ok. She's eating and is very active and playful.
Ehrlichiosis has three phases. The acute phase, the subclinical phase and the chronic phase.
In the acute phase, lowered peripheral blood cell counts are one of the symptoms due to suppressed bone marrow. It's important to get a handle on the disease during this phase because if it gets to the chronic phase, it CAN be fatal. Pale gums go along with the lowered blood cell counts, however this is usually not seen until the chronic phase. Has she only recently shown signs of having ehrlichiosis or has she had ongoing problems that finally led them to diagnose this? I am asking only because I am hoping that she didn't get through the other two phases unnoticed and manage to slide into the chronic phase before being diagnosed.
What symptoms did she have that led you to take her to the vet in the first place? The second phase, or subclinical phase, has no outward signs, so if she only just recently presented with the symptoms that showed you that something was wrong, then you are probably OK. The symptoms of the acute stage (and she can have one or all of these) are fever, petechiae (red or purplish spots on her skin indicating hemorrhage), vasculitis, lymphadenopathy (enlarged lymph nodes), edema in the legs and runny nose and eyes. The chronic stage is marked by very low blood cell counts, bacterial infections, lameness, kidney disease, pale gums, polydipsia and polyurea (drinking lots of water and peeing a lot), and even opththalmic problems.
If she is severely anemic a blood transfusion can be done. If she is mildly anemic (with pale gums she is probably more than mildly anemic) I would give her a good multi vitamin with iron and add a lot of things to her diet that contain iron. Organ meats (liver is popular and easy to prepare) are very high in iron. I would also add spinach to her diet. Spinach is probably the highest iron-containing veggie. Carrots also contain iron and are fun for them to crunch on and a lot healthier than rawhide. Carrots also contain lots of other vitamins that would be helpful to her at this time.
feed them raw, not cooked. I would make a special mixture for her by putting the liver, spinach and carrots in a blender and pulsing it a few times to mix it all together. This way the liver will cover the veggies and disguise them so that she is less likely to push them out of the way, although my guy LOVES his veggies and readily eats them!
Please keep us updated on how she is doing. Poor little girl! I hope she is feeling better very soon and that she is able to make a complete recovery from his horrible disease!
Ghilly
In the acute phase, lowered peripheral blood cell counts are one of the symptoms due to suppressed bone marrow. It's important to get a handle on the disease during this phase because if it gets to the chronic phase, it CAN be fatal. Pale gums go along with the lowered blood cell counts, however this is usually not seen until the chronic phase. Has she only recently shown signs of having ehrlichiosis or has she had ongoing problems that finally led them to diagnose this? I am asking only because I am hoping that she didn't get through the other two phases unnoticed and manage to slide into the chronic phase before being diagnosed.
What symptoms did she have that led you to take her to the vet in the first place? The second phase, or subclinical phase, has no outward signs, so if she only just recently presented with the symptoms that showed you that something was wrong, then you are probably OK. The symptoms of the acute stage (and she can have one or all of these) are fever, petechiae (red or purplish spots on her skin indicating hemorrhage), vasculitis, lymphadenopathy (enlarged lymph nodes), edema in the legs and runny nose and eyes. The chronic stage is marked by very low blood cell counts, bacterial infections, lameness, kidney disease, pale gums, polydipsia and polyurea (drinking lots of water and peeing a lot), and even opththalmic problems.
If she is severely anemic a blood transfusion can be done. If she is mildly anemic (with pale gums she is probably more than mildly anemic) I would give her a good multi vitamin with iron and add a lot of things to her diet that contain iron. Organ meats (liver is popular and easy to prepare) are very high in iron. I would also add spinach to her diet. Spinach is probably the highest iron-containing veggie. Carrots also contain iron and are fun for them to crunch on and a lot healthier than rawhide. Carrots also contain lots of other vitamins that would be helpful to her at this time.
feed them raw, not cooked. I would make a special mixture for her by putting the liver, spinach and carrots in a blender and pulsing it a few times to mix it all together. This way the liver will cover the veggies and disguise them so that she is less likely to push them out of the way, although my guy LOVES his veggies and readily eats them!
Please keep us updated on how she is doing. Poor little girl! I hope she is feeling better very soon and that she is able to make a complete recovery from his horrible disease!
Ghilly
COMMUNITY LEADER
Is the Ehrlichiosis tick-bite related? Did her treatment for that come to an end, or is she still being treated with Doxycycline?
Ehrlichiosis does cause low platelets. It could be any treatment did not "get on top of" the infection. -or hasn't done yet. If her Doxycycline treatment stopped, she may need further antibiotic treatment. If her platelet count is dangerously low, in the vet's opinion, she may need blood transfusion.
Also it's important to know if the low platelets are caused definitely by the Ehrlichiosis or whether they are auto-immune (the body's immune defences attacking the body's own cells) Because the treatment would be different.
In addition, do keep a careful watch for skin bruising, tiny reddened spots on the skin, red spots in her eyes....and of course, as you mentioned, her pale gums.
How often does she see the vet? If it's been a few days and you have noticed any or all of these symptoms since the last visit, then do take her back as soon as possible.
I have just been researching to see if I can find mention of any foods that might help to increase low platelets in dgs. So far I haven't found anything relating specifically to dogs. Hopefully someone else here may have some ideas, otherwise I'll look again later.
Ehrlichiosis does cause low platelets. It could be any treatment did not "get on top of" the infection. -or hasn't done yet. If her Doxycycline treatment stopped, she may need further antibiotic treatment. If her platelet count is dangerously low, in the vet's opinion, she may need blood transfusion.
Also it's important to know if the low platelets are caused definitely by the Ehrlichiosis or whether they are auto-immune (the body's immune defences attacking the body's own cells) Because the treatment would be different.
In addition, do keep a careful watch for skin bruising, tiny reddened spots on the skin, red spots in her eyes....and of course, as you mentioned, her pale gums.
How often does she see the vet? If it's been a few days and you have noticed any or all of these symptoms since the last visit, then do take her back as soon as possible.
I have just been researching to see if I can find mention of any foods that might help to increase low platelets in dgs. So far I haven't found anything relating specifically to dogs. Hopefully someone else here may have some ideas, otherwise I'll look again later.
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