Update: 11/10/2013 Note/Clarification/Disclaimer: We will be bringing Yuki to the vet or emergency services as soon as we deem it necessary. Not being able to afford these things is not going to change the fact that we will do what we have to. The point of this whole post and exercise is to try to crowd-source some information so that we are not so completely in the dark, and so that we reduce the chances of anymore unnecessary vet visits that do not get us closer to a solution. We are trying to arm ourselves with information here, so that when we do lay down more money, it gets something done. Up and Down and Up AgainWe need a little help here. I have been frantically searching for information online about experiences with Doxycyline use for dogs, and I am finding very few first-hand accounts. But let me back up. So we were told that with Doxycycline that Yuki would show improvement in as few as 24 hours, if she did in fact have a tick-borne disease. This did happen. After giving her the Doxy, she was at 90% the next morning! It was amazing, and we thought we had come much closer to finding the problem and a good treatment. However, a few days after treatment, she took a little nose-dive, but then she came back! And now she is slumping again. The SymptomsOn bad days, this is what it looks like:
Here, Have a Super Scientific Accurate GraphI tried to give a fairly accurate picture of what her ups and downs like were before Doxycycline, for about 10 days, and how in the week after treatment (that big yellow star) she is still having ups and downs, except the ups are much much better, and the downs are not quite as bad as they were before treatment. Okay, yes, this giant nerd made an excel graph to illustrate the relative health of her dog. Moving right along. Share Your Story! Please!So it looks like the Doxycycline is helping, but it also looks like whatever is causing her pain and discomfort and, well, Hell, is still having an effect. I want to believe that this is just going to be how it is for the next 30 days until the antibiotic course is completed.
Here is the big problem. I can't find anything online that either supports this theory, or shuts it down. I need stories from other dog owners, or the opinion of a vet, because mine can't be reached and the last time I brought this up she wanted me to bring her in for another examination, which to be perfectly honest, we can't afford. Oh, do you want to know why? I'll tell you. Doxycycline used to be $4 for a week's prescription. Now it is $50. Feel free to do the math. I am just thanking my lucky stars that it is not in a shortage anymore, which was apparently the case just a few months ago. Anyway, what I really really want so that I can sleep at night, and not feel like the worst guardian in the entire world, is for some other dog owner out there to tell me that they have gone through the Doxycycline treatment with their dog, and seen the same thing, or something similar. SO PLEASE. Leave a comment. Shoot me an email. I want to put this damn worry to bed and go back to sharing happy stories about Yuki, but that is awfully hard to do when I look at her and feel sick to my stomach wondering if this drug is doing the right thing or not. Have you noticed ups and downs with Doxycyline treatment for tick-borne diseases? How long was the treatment prescribed for? What happened after the treatment was finished? We want to hear your story. Temporarily on HoldSo obviously things have been a little rough with the puppy over the past few weeks. Okay, past two months. It seems we may finally be getting to the root of the problem, though. We have been going to the vet, monitoring progress, heading back to the vet, and generally just worrying ourselves sick. Needless to say this whole thing doesn't make for much inspiration when it comes to the web comic, and it doesn't make for very cheerful pictures, either. Never-mind that we are up to our eyeballs in other work around here, but that is another story. In any case, we've got our fingers crossed that improvement keeps coming, everything calms down, and The Yuki Report can continue very soon. Puppy Progress ReportWe seem to be fairly sure of two things.
Tips If You Have a Sick Dog, or Cat, or Anything
Stay Tuned! |