Brief Update & Pictures

It's been over a week without an update, so I thought it was about time. Coby is doing very well right now. He is now only on the Prednisone once daily & so far, so good! He's also gained almost a pound during this past month, putting him at alittle over 7 pounds. He's more energetic & overall seems more interested in playing with his toys & us! He seems to be himself.

Lab Results

On Monday, Coby went in for his first round of lab work since starting Dr Sisson's GME protocol. It was 10 days after starting the new medications - including the high dose of Prednisone. The results came back today & even though some were out of range & concerning to myself, according to Dr Sisson, the labs were normal (actually milder than usual changes) expected from Prednisone therapy.

Out of range labs:
WBC 18.4 - high (normal 4.0-15.5)
RBC 4.5 - low (normal 4.8-9.3)
HGB 10.3 - low (normal 12.1-20.3)
HCT 31 - low (normal 36-60)
Neutrophils 15456 - high (normal 2060-10600)
Monocytes 1104 - high (normal 0-840)
Creatinine 0.4 - low (normal 0.5-1.6)
BUN 14 - normal (normal 6-31)
BUN/Creatinine Ratio 35 - high (normal 4-27)
Amylase 248 - low (normal 290-1125)

We continue therapy as planned. More labs to be drawn June 28th.

Partial Seizure?

Coby may have had a partial seizure this afternoon, but we are not sure.

Out of the blue, he just started trembling - his head & upper body. He was shaking as if he was extremely cold or scared, but neither of the 2 could have been the reason though. I put my hand on top of his head....nothing but trembling....I was so scared & in tears all over again. He would tremble for about 5 seconds, then stop, then tremble again for another 5 seconds, then stop....this repeated for at least 15-20 minutes. Then....he was fine...no more trembles.

I emailed our neurologist right away & of course, as amazing as he is, he responded within the hour. He said he can't be sure but it could have been a partial seizure....we have to wait & see if it happens again. He also wants us to videotape it if it happens again. Our video camera is ready!!!

Tomorrow Coby goes to the vet for some more blood work. It's been 10 days since starting his new medication protocol with Dr. Sisson. I guess we're looking to see how his body is responding to all the meds....to make sure his liver, kidneys & whatever else is doing ok! Will let you know how things turn out!!!

Good news, Sad news, Good news!

Good news first! Dr. Sisson says that Coby is in remission!!! Because Coby is walking and balancing with no problem and there are no obvious neurological deficits (that I can see), we can now say Coby IS in remission! :-)

Sad news - Coby will no longer be able to go back to Doggie Daycare! He has been going every Tuesday & Thursday since he was a puppy. He loved it there & had a blast every time. He was only nice to the dogs at daycare - he typically doesn't get along with other dogs outside of daycare. I think he has "little dog syndrome". Unfortunately, with the GME, Coby will not be able to get vaccinated for anything except Rabies for the rest of his life. The DHLP/PV vaccine because it is a modified live virus, commonly causes a GME relapse. The Rabies is a killed virus & does not cause a problem. With the inability to be vaccinated and the rules of daycare to be up to date with vaccinations, Coby will no longer be able to go back. That breaks my heart....I know he loved it there!

One last bit of good news....
We have been successful with our website - in just one week we have received $1000 in donations! I continue to kindly ask for your support - please pass on our story to all your friends & family.....pass on our website links....spread the word to all those pet lovers you know!!