Vote for Coby at:
http://animal.discovery.com/the-spot/battle-breeds/canine-swimmers/
Coby had another CBC done this afternoon. We will find out the results tomorrow. I'm hoping for a neutrophil count of at least 5,000! Fingers & paws crossed!
Monday, May 23, 2011
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Coby's first Saturday at home this month!!
FINALLY - after almost 2 weeks of hospitalizations this month & over $5000 spent, Coby is home!!!
Here is a brief summary of what happened from Thursday to today:
Thursday morning Coby had another CBC done. His neutrophils had increased to 1900 from Wednesday. He had a Neupogen injection both Wednesday & Thursday, but no more unless needed. I flew out to Boston & went to Angell Animal Medical Center to get Coby! I met with Dr. Sisson for some time to review Coby's medications & discharge instructions. Coby's meds included: Meropenem (injectable antibiotic), cholesttyramine (liquid used to remove all the leflunomide from his body) & Keppra (seizure medication) - all given 3 times a day. Dr. Sisson switched Coby's seizure medications - he really doesn't really thinks he needs an anticonvulsant because Coby has not once had a seizure since his intitial GME symptoms - the few he had were probably because of the GME/inflammation. I think we will taper the keprra down eventually & maybe d/c it all together. He thinks there is a 10-20% chance of him having a seizure without the meds, so he seems fairly confident Coby doesn't need that either! I was also given the vial of Neupogen just in case Coby needs another dose once we are back in Milwaukee. I was worried about taking all these meds & needles in the airport & thru security. Coby looked crazy with his legs & belly shaved, but he definitely looked much better than the day he was admitted. He was excited to see me & ready to get back home. After a 1 week stay at Angell, it cost $2000, plus an additional $600 for the airfare = $2600. (That does not include the weeks worth of hospital stays in Wisconsin the week prior). Below is a picture of Coby & Dr. Sisson.
Friday morning we flew back to Milwaukee. No big problems at the airport, but my carry on bag did get carefully examined. As soon as we got home, Coby was playing with Olive (the cat). He was obviously feeling much better than the week prior. That afternoon Coby had another CBC done at our local vet. Coby did fine with the medications, he ate well & enjoyed sleeping in our bed again. 
This morning my local vet called with the CBC results. Coby's neutrophils are up to 3400!! The neutrophil response is very good. The platelets and anemia (red cells) are also slightly increased. We will do another CBC on Monday. Everything looks great for now. All 3 of his bone marrow lines seem to be recovering nicely according to Dr. Sisson. Coby appears to be back to his usual playful, yet aggressive self. It's so great to have him home & on the road to recovery. It's highly unlikely Coby was suffer a GME relapse at this point. His bone marrow is obviously damaged, but it is recovering right now - we don't know how long it will be for Coby to have a "normal" CBC, it could take weeks or months or years...but the bone marrow is recovering & Coby is doing great!!
Here is a brief summary of what happened from Thursday to today:
Thursday morning Coby had another CBC done. His neutrophils had increased to 1900 from Wednesday. He had a Neupogen injection both Wednesday & Thursday, but no more unless needed. I flew out to Boston & went to Angell Animal Medical Center to get Coby! I met with Dr. Sisson for some time to review Coby's medications & discharge instructions. Coby's meds included: Meropenem (injectable antibiotic), cholesttyramine (liquid used to remove all the leflunomide from his body) & Keppra (seizure medication) - all given 3 times a day. Dr. Sisson switched Coby's seizure medications - he really doesn't really thinks he needs an anticonvulsant because Coby has not once had a seizure since his intitial GME symptoms - the few he had were probably because of the GME/inflammation. I think we will taper the keprra down eventually & maybe d/c it all together. He thinks there is a 10-20% chance of him having a seizure without the meds, so he seems fairly confident Coby doesn't need that either! I was also given the vial of Neupogen just in case Coby needs another dose once we are back in Milwaukee. I was worried about taking all these meds & needles in the airport & thru security. Coby looked crazy with his legs & belly shaved, but he definitely looked much better than the day he was admitted. He was excited to see me & ready to get back home. After a 1 week stay at Angell, it cost $2000, plus an additional $600 for the airfare = $2600. (That does not include the weeks worth of hospital stays in Wisconsin the week prior). Below is a picture of Coby & Dr. Sisson.
Friday morning we flew back to Milwaukee. No big problems at the airport, but my carry on bag did get carefully examined. As soon as we got home, Coby was playing with Olive (the cat). He was obviously feeling much better than the week prior. That afternoon Coby had another CBC done at our local vet. Coby did fine with the medications, he ate well & enjoyed sleeping in our bed again. This morning my local vet called with the CBC results. Coby's neutrophils are up to 3400!! The neutrophil response is very good. The platelets and anemia (red cells) are also slightly increased. We will do another CBC on Monday. Everything looks great for now. All 3 of his bone marrow lines seem to be recovering nicely according to Dr. Sisson. Coby appears to be back to his usual playful, yet aggressive self. It's so great to have him home & on the road to recovery. It's highly unlikely Coby was suffer a GME relapse at this point. His bone marrow is obviously damaged, but it is recovering right now - we don't know how long it will be for Coby to have a "normal" CBC, it could take weeks or months or years...but the bone marrow is recovering & Coby is doing great!!
Friday, May 20, 2011
Coby is Home
Coby is fnally back home with us in Milwaukee. I will update the blog tomorrow - I'm too exhausted right now, but wanted to give the good news.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Wednesday’s Update:
According to Dr. Sisson Coby looks great today! He is jumping around, wanting to play with people, pulling on the leash to go outside and trying to attack every dog he sees with his tail high up in the air. He is eating like crazy & up to 7.3 lbs. He was only 6.6 lbs. upon admission.
A CBC was done today & unfortunately it was not exactly what we had hoped for. Coby’s neutrophils have dropped from 1400 to 600. Coby had not been receiving the Neupogen for the past 3 days, so with this decrease in neutrophils it is apparent his bone marrow isn’t making enough cells on his own (or something like that – it is difficult to follow Dr. Sisson on the phone half of the time b/c he talks so fast & half of it I don’t understand). We will have to restart the Neupogen for an unknown period of time, but hopefully not too long b/c too much can cause even more & worse problems. He gave Coby a shot this morning & will repeat a CBC tomorrow. The good thing is Coby’s neutrophils did not plummet back to zero, so his body is doing something, but not as quick as we hoped.
Dr. Sisson said Coby is ready to come home despite what the CBC looks like. I will just need to give the Neupogen shot & repeat CBC’s over the next several weeks. Of course I wanted to make sure he didn’t need to stay there – I told him I’d come next week. He said not to waste the money on hospital bills when they are doing the exact same thing I can do here at home. Coby’s on antibiotics, his temp has been fine, his infection has cleared up, & he’s eating well. Coby is still getting a medication to remove some of the chemo that is left in his body & since Coby is no longer receiving chemo, he should not have GI problems & he should not get any infection. So…Dr. Sisson said Coby can come home!
Of course I am still nervous & worried especially with Dr. Sisson being so far away. Coby’s not out of the woods yet, so he still needs your positive support & prayers. The bone marrow will recover – it is just a matter of time. It could be years before Coby has a “normal” CBC, but Dr. Sisson thinks Coby will be just fine!!
I fly out tomorrow morning & will meet with Dr. Sisson at 6pm. At that time I will be able to get a better understanding of what’s going on & what my future rollercoaster ride will look like once back in MKE! Thankfully Kathy will help transport me & we can crash on her couch tomorrow night. Then we’ll be flying back to MKE bright & early at 6:30 am!! I am so excited to have Coby FINALLY coming home after almost an entire month of hospitalizations & sickness. Praying he only continues to get better & can life a happy, healthy normal doggie life!
A CBC was done today & unfortunately it was not exactly what we had hoped for. Coby’s neutrophils have dropped from 1400 to 600. Coby had not been receiving the Neupogen for the past 3 days, so with this decrease in neutrophils it is apparent his bone marrow isn’t making enough cells on his own (or something like that – it is difficult to follow Dr. Sisson on the phone half of the time b/c he talks so fast & half of it I don’t understand). We will have to restart the Neupogen for an unknown period of time, but hopefully not too long b/c too much can cause even more & worse problems. He gave Coby a shot this morning & will repeat a CBC tomorrow. The good thing is Coby’s neutrophils did not plummet back to zero, so his body is doing something, but not as quick as we hoped.
Dr. Sisson said Coby is ready to come home despite what the CBC looks like. I will just need to give the Neupogen shot & repeat CBC’s over the next several weeks. Of course I wanted to make sure he didn’t need to stay there – I told him I’d come next week. He said not to waste the money on hospital bills when they are doing the exact same thing I can do here at home. Coby’s on antibiotics, his temp has been fine, his infection has cleared up, & he’s eating well. Coby is still getting a medication to remove some of the chemo that is left in his body & since Coby is no longer receiving chemo, he should not have GI problems & he should not get any infection. So…Dr. Sisson said Coby can come home!
Of course I am still nervous & worried especially with Dr. Sisson being so far away. Coby’s not out of the woods yet, so he still needs your positive support & prayers. The bone marrow will recover – it is just a matter of time. It could be years before Coby has a “normal” CBC, but Dr. Sisson thinks Coby will be just fine!!
I fly out tomorrow morning & will meet with Dr. Sisson at 6pm. At that time I will be able to get a better understanding of what’s going on & what my future rollercoaster ride will look like once back in MKE! Thankfully Kathy will help transport me & we can crash on her couch tomorrow night. Then we’ll be flying back to MKE bright & early at 6:30 am!! I am so excited to have Coby FINALLY coming home after almost an entire month of hospitalizations & sickness. Praying he only continues to get better & can life a happy, healthy normal doggie life!
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Tuesday Update
This morning: According to Dr. Sisson Coby looks great. He has "definitely turned a corner". He ate all his food this AM & wanted more. He was barking at dogs that
walk by his cage & pawing at the bars for people to let him out. Coby is much
"livelier". He's interested in everything outside & has perked up. The CBC will
be tomorrow AM & Dr Sisson said he would "be surprised" if the CBC is not good.
Coby should be able to come home Thursday if it's normal.
This afternoon: He remains very active today and had a second full meal already eating everything right away. He is also barking and growling at other dogs on the leash now. "He is starting to become a little spitfire like you described" according to Dr. Sisson.
walk by his cage & pawing at the bars for people to let him out. Coby is much
"livelier". He's interested in everything outside & has perked up. The CBC will
be tomorrow AM & Dr Sisson said he would "be surprised" if the CBC is not good.
Coby should be able to come home Thursday if it's normal.
This afternoon: He remains very active today and had a second full meal already eating everything right away. He is also barking and growling at other dogs on the leash now. "He is starting to become a little spitfire like you described" according to Dr. Sisson.
Monday, May 16, 2011
Monday's Update
Here’s today’s scoop on Coby:
Dr. Sisson called this afternoon & apparently he did a CBC today on Coby (he was going to wait until Tuesday, so I’m not sure why he changed his mind). The WBC’s were normal & the neutrophils were up to 1,400 (600 more than yesterday). Coby can come home if they are over 1,000, but because we live so far away, Dr. Sisson wants to repeat a CBC on Wednesday. The neupogen was given for the past 3 days to help stimulate the production of neutrophils – Coby did not have any today & will not have any tomorrow. If the neutrophils are the same or increasing, Coby could possibly come home Thursday or Friday. However, if they are decreasing then Coby will receive more neupogen & continue his stay at Angell. Dr. Sisson stopped one of Coby’s antibiotics today – Coby is still on the clavamox & Meropenem (injectable antibiotic). Interestingly Coby’s platelets decreased & were low (mid-range of low value). Dr. Sisson believes the stress of the flight likely caused Coby’s spleen to contract & release stored platelets in response to temporary increases in blood epinephrine. The RBC’s are also low. Coby obviously has damaged bone marrow, scarring & may take months to fully recover. Bone marrow in animals always recovers if managed & support is being provided – thus, Coby’s will recover, it’s just a matter of time! So, it is a waiting game. Hopefully we get good news Wednesday morning so I can book a flight that night & pick him up Thursday. I’m missing my little boy so much, but I’m glad to hear he is getting the proper care he needs & getting better!
Dr. Sisson called this afternoon & apparently he did a CBC today on Coby (he was going to wait until Tuesday, so I’m not sure why he changed his mind). The WBC’s were normal & the neutrophils were up to 1,400 (600 more than yesterday). Coby can come home if they are over 1,000, but because we live so far away, Dr. Sisson wants to repeat a CBC on Wednesday. The neupogen was given for the past 3 days to help stimulate the production of neutrophils – Coby did not have any today & will not have any tomorrow. If the neutrophils are the same or increasing, Coby could possibly come home Thursday or Friday. However, if they are decreasing then Coby will receive more neupogen & continue his stay at Angell. Dr. Sisson stopped one of Coby’s antibiotics today – Coby is still on the clavamox & Meropenem (injectable antibiotic). Interestingly Coby’s platelets decreased & were low (mid-range of low value). Dr. Sisson believes the stress of the flight likely caused Coby’s spleen to contract & release stored platelets in response to temporary increases in blood epinephrine. The RBC’s are also low. Coby obviously has damaged bone marrow, scarring & may take months to fully recover. Bone marrow in animals always recovers if managed & support is being provided – thus, Coby’s will recover, it’s just a matter of time! So, it is a waiting game. Hopefully we get good news Wednesday morning so I can book a flight that night & pick him up Thursday. I’m missing my little boy so much, but I’m glad to hear he is getting the proper care he needs & getting better!
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Sunday Update
After an entire day of waiting, I gave in & emailed Dr Sisson to see if he had any updates on Coby. I knew they were doing a CBC today, so I knew he would have an update eventually. About 5 minutes after my email he called.
Coby is doing very well. His neutrophils are up tp 800 & band neutrophils 200. Coby's temp was normal at 6am & this afternoon was actually slightly under the norm. So, obviously the new antibiotic & neupogen are working. Dr. Sisson said today will be the last day for the neupogen. He will repeat a CBC in about 2 days. The neutrophil goal is 3000 before sending Coby home. If I lived there, he'd probably send Coby home tomorrow, but he wants to make sure Coby is well before coming back to WI. Dr Sisson also plans to stop the metronidazole today since Coby has formed stool. He's not eating the best, but that is b/c he is picky. Dr Sisson hand feeds him (LOL) & Coby will eat just enough to get what he needs. Dr Sisson asked if Coby was a picky eater & I said of course, that is why I cook for him (I know he's a busy man & probably didn't remember). Hopefully the clavamox will be the next antibiotic d/c'd if Coby's temp remains normal. The goal is 3000+ neutrophils, no temperature & only 1 antibiotic needed (which are the injectable ones that were started when he arrived in Boston - I can't remember the name). Basically, I will have to give injectable antibiotics when Coby is home - not sure for how long. Dr Sisson hopes to have Coby ready to come home around Thursday - which is horrible looking at the price of airfare!!! LOL Friday is bad too. So, maybe if we get lucky or I can figure something out knowing he will for sure be ready Thursday, maybe I can fly in Wednesday which is much cheaper & leave Thursday or Friday at the latest. I may need some help again!!!
Chance of relapse are very low Dr Sisson stated...again. Coby's "allergies" are not evident to Dr Sisson right now while off the atopica, so we don't know if he will need that or not either. Hopefully not!!
In addition, Dr Sisson went on to discuss Coby & his behavior/temperment which I found astonishing. Dr Sisson said Coby has the personality of a "big dog" which he likes - very chill, not a snippy barky needy high strung "little dog". He said Coby is very smart, adapted & observant. Coby "goes with the flow" & understands the people there are helping him to get better. He's not mad, depressed or afraid. He is very obedient with Dr Sisson apparently. He recognizes him right away, will sit by his side & not leave him. Coby let a couple kids pet him & has acted fine around other dogs...which is NOT like Coby AT ALL. He is aggressive & will bite, but with Dr Sisson, he's a totally different dog. Dr Sisson is like the dog whisperer in Boston. LOL Dr Sisson said to me "someone MUST have trained this dog, he didn't learn this all on his own" - referring to just sitting at his side, going right into the kennel, etc. That was my husband's doing & Coby is much more obedient with him. Just the way Dr Sisson talked about Coby & his personality was amazing - Coby has adjusted fine, loves Dr Sisson & is being well behaved! I was impressed.
Coby is doing very well. His neutrophils are up tp 800 & band neutrophils 200. Coby's temp was normal at 6am & this afternoon was actually slightly under the norm. So, obviously the new antibiotic & neupogen are working. Dr. Sisson said today will be the last day for the neupogen. He will repeat a CBC in about 2 days. The neutrophil goal is 3000 before sending Coby home. If I lived there, he'd probably send Coby home tomorrow, but he wants to make sure Coby is well before coming back to WI. Dr Sisson also plans to stop the metronidazole today since Coby has formed stool. He's not eating the best, but that is b/c he is picky. Dr Sisson hand feeds him (LOL) & Coby will eat just enough to get what he needs. Dr Sisson asked if Coby was a picky eater & I said of course, that is why I cook for him (I know he's a busy man & probably didn't remember). Hopefully the clavamox will be the next antibiotic d/c'd if Coby's temp remains normal. The goal is 3000+ neutrophils, no temperature & only 1 antibiotic needed (which are the injectable ones that were started when he arrived in Boston - I can't remember the name). Basically, I will have to give injectable antibiotics when Coby is home - not sure for how long. Dr Sisson hopes to have Coby ready to come home around Thursday - which is horrible looking at the price of airfare!!! LOL Friday is bad too. So, maybe if we get lucky or I can figure something out knowing he will for sure be ready Thursday, maybe I can fly in Wednesday which is much cheaper & leave Thursday or Friday at the latest. I may need some help again!!!
Chance of relapse are very low Dr Sisson stated...again. Coby's "allergies" are not evident to Dr Sisson right now while off the atopica, so we don't know if he will need that or not either. Hopefully not!!
In addition, Dr Sisson went on to discuss Coby & his behavior/temperment which I found astonishing. Dr Sisson said Coby has the personality of a "big dog" which he likes - very chill, not a snippy barky needy high strung "little dog". He said Coby is very smart, adapted & observant. Coby "goes with the flow" & understands the people there are helping him to get better. He's not mad, depressed or afraid. He is very obedient with Dr Sisson apparently. He recognizes him right away, will sit by his side & not leave him. Coby let a couple kids pet him & has acted fine around other dogs...which is NOT like Coby AT ALL. He is aggressive & will bite, but with Dr Sisson, he's a totally different dog. Dr Sisson is like the dog whisperer in Boston. LOL Dr Sisson said to me "someone MUST have trained this dog, he didn't learn this all on his own" - referring to just sitting at his side, going right into the kennel, etc. That was my husband's doing & Coby is much more obedient with him. Just the way Dr Sisson talked about Coby & his personality was amazing - Coby has adjusted fine, loves Dr Sisson & is being well behaved! I was impressed.
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