Popped by the clinic for Choya to get her bloodwork done, a titer test (CAV, CPV and CDV), and renewed her leptospirosis annual vaccine. I told the doctor that I was going to hedge on her titer results, which were exactly what I expected. They returned excellent. She still has plenty of antibodies against canine parvovirus, distemper, and adenovirus. She doesn't need additional shots.
I decided against the bordetella vaccine for her this year. The supplier for the clinic changed their methods of administration. Instead of one jab on the body, they now do one oral injection into the gums and oral medication after. Choya doesn't go to daycare or boarding. She doesn't even go to dog parks or dog parties, cafes, etc. I'm also picky about which dogs she associate with. I think she is fine without it this year. I'll think about the bordetella vaccine next year.
I had a minor heart-drop moment when her first round of bloodwork returned a super low platelet count. In short, I was like, 'How? No way.' Choya has no clinical symptoms — no rashes, no inexplicable bruising on the body, nothing on the belly or ears, no blood in urine, stools or anywhere. Her gums are pink and aside from mild gingivitis, she has no bleeding from the gums either. She clotted fine after the blood draw. The likelihood of this happening is low. Even the possibility of tick fever is low, unless she has an auto-immune issue that only just deteriorated. It'd be a mad bingo if we actually coincidentally caught it today before she crashed or bled out.
The doctor was like, ‘we should start her on a low dosage of steroids immediately to arrest the plummeting level of platelets.’ I was like, NO. I wasn't in denial. But this diagnosis and course of treatment/medication would be on the assumption that we trusted this bloodwork. I asked for a second round of bloodwork since we had to do a tick fever panel confirmation, as well as an ultrasound of her spleen. The doctor thought it was prudent to do so too.
At this juncture, may I just point out how important it is to build a solid working relationship with your dog's doctor. There must be trust between us — professionalism and thorough on the doctor's part, and there must be no panic on my end. I absolutely trust Choya's doctor, but I also have faith in my own research and education, as well as my analysis because I am the pawrent, and I'm not dumb.
I surprised myself by how calm I was while listening to what the doctor had to say, and maintaining doubt without being delusional or in denial. I went straight into 'academic' mode. 20 minutes later, the doctor returned with the second round of results that showed Choya's platelet count as her normal-but-on-the-low side.
It was a false positive. WHAT THE.
Yes. That was it. Choya always has a lower than normal/average platelet count. I know it from the historical analysis of all her bloodwork. This is why I made the plunge to study, keep with the research, and keep her diet clean and rich in Vitamin D, C, B12 and iron.
The poor Smol Girl got jabbed thrice. Twice for blood draw in her legs, and once for the vaccine at the shoulder blade. She was such a brave little soul. She endured it all without screaming and minor squirming. We do cooperative care training, but who knows her mood for the day, plus she is also affected by the other floofs hospitalized in the clinic. Kept her quiet after her jabs, but she seemed to have minor reactions to the vaccine. In fact, nothing worrying that I could discern. No fever, no hallucination. Just minor spacing out that she adjusted by having a loooong nap before dinner. So I guess if she has one vaccine, she does okay, but not if there're two vaccines going in, and definitely not that crazy 4-in-1 shot some floofs take.
No comments:
Post a Comment