Update On Lady - LADY IS GONE.....

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Originally Posted by WELOVESPUPPIES

Dear Lord,

I know you listen to all our prayers, right now we are asking that you lay a healing hand on Lady. Help the vet to remove the tumor completely without any complications. Heal her body fast and allow her to be cancer free. We will never know Lady's whole past but now she has a chance at a wonderful future. We pray all these things in Jesus' name. AMEN

GIANT ((HUGS)) for LADY.

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Amen. Thank you so much for that wonderful prayer.

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Originally Posted by Daisy and Delilah

Still praying as hard as I can here in Florida. Please let us know as soon as you can how she is, Tracy. Bless You :)

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Thank you so much D & D.

I just came home from dropping Lady off at the vet. Her surgery is scheduled for 1pm. The vet assistant said Dr. Whalen will call me any time after 3pm. He will then go over all her blood work with me and everything else. We are up to $350.00 in donations towards her account, and D & D is sending $50.00 more....thank you so much. The balance is now $483.50. I have contacted Pit Bull Rescue Central and they are going to try to help as well as the Chicagoland Bully Breed. They are working on helping us too, since I pulled Lady and the pups because they had no room. I will post an update after I hear from the vet. Thank you for all your prayers and support.

:( Oh the poor thing! :(
She sure did a great job staying healthy as long as her puppies needed her!
:( Now it's her turn to take care of herself and get healthy so she can see her pups find wonderful Fur-Ever homes!!!
LES.... :(

I would like to donate money, could you please give me the name and Phone # to your vet??
Thanks!

Ditto!

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Originally Posted by Brody's Mum

Count me in! Got another pay day coming up...

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Yupper

Thank you everybody. I will PM everybody that has requested the vet's info. You guys are wonderful.

I just got off the phone with the vet. Lady is out of surgery, there were no complications, and she is waking up. Her blood work came back and she is severely anemic. Her blood count was 16 where it should be at least 36. Upon opening her up, they expected to find internal bleeding, a large tumor, and an enlarged spleen. They found her spleen enormously enlarge, but no tumor. There was no internal bleeding either. Therefore, the Dr. is sure it is not cancer. So, now we are trying to find out why she is so anemic and what to do to make her better. Dr. thinks one of two things. One: she was so full of parasites and now that she is being treated her blood count will go up. Two: she has something called Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia. Here is what I found about the disease:

Autoimmune hemolytic anemia
Anemia is a clinical sign, not a disease, and is defined as a decrease in the number of red blood cells (RBCs) or the amount of hemoglobin, resulting in a decrease in the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood. Anemia can be caused by blood loss, decreased production of new RBCs, or an increase in the rate of their destruction, known as hemolytic anemia.

In hemolytic anemia, the RBCs become "defective" in the eyes of the immune system by acquiring markers on the cell surface that are recognized as "non-self."These markers can be true autoantibodies, as in primary AIHA, or can be secondary to drugs, infectious disease, cancer, blood parasites, or heavy metals. Levamisole, certain antibiotics, Dilantin (phenytoin), lead, and zinc have all been implicated as potential causes of hemolytic anemia.

When the spleen and the rest of the immune system is working to rid the body of old, diseased, or damaged RBCs, it is doing its job appropriately. When a large percentage of cells are affected, and they are removed faster then they can be replaced, AIHA results and the animal shows external signs of the disease.

The clinical signs of AIHA are usually gradual and progressive, but occasionally an apparently healthy pet suddenly collapses in an acute hemolytic crisis. The signs are usually related to lack of oxygen: weakness, lethargy, anorexia, and an increase in the heart rate and respirations. Heart murmurs and pale mucous membranes (gums, eyelids, etc.) may also be present. More severe cases also have a fever and "icterus" (jaundice), a yellow discoloration of the gums, eyes, and skin. This is due to a buildup of bilirubin, one of the breakdown products of hemoglobin.

The diagnosis is usually made on these clinical signs as well as a CBC documenting anemia, often with misshapen or abnormally-clumped RBCs. A Coomb's test may be done to confirm the diagnosis. Corticosteroids are the primary drugs used to treat any autoimmune disease. Very high immunosuppressive doses are used initially to induce a remission, and then the dose is very slowly tapered over many weeks or months to a low maintenance dose. Most affected dogs must be kept on steroids the rest of their lives and are susceptible to relapses.

If steroids alone are insufficient, more potent immunosuppressive drugs such as Cytoxan (cyclophosphamide) or Imuran (azathioprine) may be added. These chemotherapeutics are very effective, but the dog must be monitored closely for side effects, including a decreased white blood count.

Splenectomy, the surgical removal of the spleen, has also been recommended for nonresponsive cases. This benefits the dog in two ways: less antibodies are made against the RBCs, and the primary organ responsible for their destruction is removed. An animal can live quite normally without a spleen.

Blood transfusions are rarely used. Adding foreign protein can actually intensify the crisis state, increase the amount of bilirubin and other breakdown products the liver must process, and suppress the bone marrow's natural response to anemia. In a life-threatening anemia, cross-matched blood may be transfused along with immunosuppressive therapy.

So our next steps are to get the Coombs test done and hope her blood count goes up. Please pray for Lady, though it is not cancer, it is still very serious. Thank you everybody.

Oh, boy! Let's hope her anemia is due to parasitic infections and not to autoimmune HA. Reachoutrescue I'll mail you a check tonight so it will go out in the a.m. mail. Give her a skritch for me when you see her again.

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Originally Posted by cassiesmom

Oh, boy! Let's hope her anemia is due to parasitic infections and not to autoimmune HA. Reachoutrescue I'll mail you a check tonight so it will go out in the a.m. mail. Give her a skritch for me when you see her again.

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That is what the vet and I are hoping for. Thank you so much Cassiesmom. I am going to visit her tomorrow, the vet said to not come in today, just to let her rest. Hopefully, if her blood count goes up and she eats, she can come home tomorrow anyway. I will definetly give her a lot of pets for you!!

REachoutrescue, I have another question for you. On your Web site there is a Paypal button. I am a 100% Paypal novice. Does your organization incur a fee to process Paypal transactions? I can either Paypal or send you a check, but I don't want you to pay a fee to receive the donation. It doesn't seem right to me that they would charge a 501C3 eligible organization transaction fees to receive donations, but then again, I'm not the person in charge of Paypal. Over and out for now. Hugs and prayers.

I am so glad there's hope for her, Tracy!!! I am, again, no medical expert, but I think this sounds a bit better. Poor thing has been neglected and mistreated for so long, no wonder she's not well. Thank goodness it's not cancer. It sounds like you have a great vet too. I just have a feeling that this pretty girl is going to be okay!! I've been thinking about you guys all day. Thank God for people like you. I can't say it enough!! :) GET WELL SWEET GIRL!!! :)

Yippee!
Great News!

Lets keep our paws crossed that her being anemic has everything to do with her worms!!!

I'll call the vet today with my donation.

{hugs} to you and Lady!!

Have sent donation via Paypal - good luck little Lady :D

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Originally Posted by Brody's Mum

Have sent donation via Paypal - good luck little Lady :D

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THANK YOU SO MUCH!!

I just called to check on Lady. Dr. Fisher is in the office today and she just got in when I called, so she gave me the medical terms that were on file from last night. Lady ate and drank on her own last night. Dr. Whalen gave her a steroid shot last night as well. They did another blood test before they went home, and her blood count was at 25...which is great. Dr. Fisher is hoping that it turns out to be just because of the parasites. Everybody at the vet's office is just in love with Lady, they all said she is a sweet as ever and in good spirits. She may be coming home today. Dr. Fisher will call me after they do another blood test, around 1pm or so. Let's just hope she is okay. I am feeling alot better now.

I am not sure where we are finacially because they had just opened when I called, Dr. Fisher said she will let me know when I talk to her this afternoon. I know last night we were close to $400.00. I will post an update after I talk to the vet. Lots of prayers please!! Thanks PT, you guys are awesome!

sending some positive healing energy your way Lady :D

Let's have another PT miracle!! If it's parasites, she will have a great chance. I'm so happy her blood count is up so much today and she ate on her own!! YIPEEEEEEE!!! I'm just ecstatic!! GET WELL LADY!!!!

Great news!!!