Canine Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (AIHA & IMHA) - Standard Poodle newly Diagnosed with IMHA

Hi Everyone Well add me to the list of people who have a very special friend with IMHA. Mercedes, (a standard poodle bitch) is just 16 months old and like so many of your dogs, she was healthy, and vibrant one day,--- and 24 hours later, she was lethargic and off her food. Fortunately, I know my dogs well,I recognised immediately that something was amiss, and had her to the vet within 24 hours of these symptoms appearing. Although there was no outward signs of illness, (other than lethargy and lack of appetite) we did notice her gums were pale. I thought perhaps we had a virus or mild bacterial infection going on, so we did bloodtests. You can imagine my surprise when they came back(24 hours later) with a PVC of 27 and the bloodwork revealed IMHA. (we also did a follow-up Coombs test). On return to the vet clinic, with only 24 hours elapsing since the last bloodtest, we discovered her PVC had dropped to 17! She was given dexamethadone by IV and put on 35mg of predisone twice daily. She began to eat and drink almost immediately and seemed to perk up a little as well. After one week, we did a follow-up bloodtest and the PVC had only increased 1%. At least we had not gone "backwards", but the WBcell count had risen so that told us the immune system was not fully suppressed. So we have added azothiaprine once daily. Although Mercedes is eating well and has perked up considerably, she is still lethargic (for her). She does seem to be holding her own, all things considered but bloodtests on Wednesday should tell the tale (it will be 2 weeks since diagnosis.) When Mercedes was diagnosed I immediately began researching on the internet. I found this site about one week after her diagnosis. I just wanted everyone to know, that this site gave me a huge amount of "comfort and hope". I no longer felt alone, and I gleaned a huge amount of information reading about all of your experiences with this awful disease! So thank you to all of you who have shared so much, and have been so supportive to so many of us, in our hour of need. I will continue to monitor your site and I will report back to you on Thursday, when I get the results of Mercedes latest blood test. I know we are not "out of the woods" yet, but I am "hopeful" for a full recovery! Thank you once again, for sharing so generously!!! Maureen

Maureen Southern Interior

Maureen, I am so sorry you had the need to find this site, but glad you did. I also hope you have found the Meisha's Hope website, created by Joanne Dickson: http://www.cloudnet.com/~jdickson/newhope.htm Go to the success stories and you will see, that indeed, there is hope for Mercedes! As you said, you are not out of the woods, you have a rocky road ahead of you. As Joanne always says, dogs CAN and DO recover! It sounds like you caught it early and that your vet is experienced. How much does Mercedes weigh, and is she getting something to protect her stomach from the medications? Celebrate the small successes! 1% up is better than 1% down. When you see the vet on Thursday, ask if they could check Mercedes's thyroid levels. My poodle had no signs of hypothiroidism before his illness, but his levels got down quite low and we gave him supplements. This can also kick start the blood building. Make sure you give Mercedes low fat food, preferably no grain. Many people here put their dogs on Dr. Dodds liver cleansing diet. Fatty foods could give her pancriatitis. http://www.canine-epilepsy.com/Liver%20cleansing%20diet.htm All the harsh medications are hard on the liver and this sure helps. Make sure you get printouts of all the lab reports. When that was suggested to me I was questioning it. Especially since those numbers did not make much sense to me. Believe me, you will become an expert in no time and it is helpful to have it all documented. Make sure Mercedes has always clean water available. I am sure you have already noticed that she needs to pee lots too. That is a side effect of the prednisone. Stay positive and give that special girl a hug from me! Best wishes, Brigitte & the poodle boys

Brigitte Vancouver Island BC Canada

Maureen, I'm sorry to hear that Mercedes has IMHA. My dog, also a standard poodle, was diagnosed at age 3 in May 2008. He has had some ups and downs, however has been a survivor. Today we celebrate his 5th birthday! His initial diagnosis was with IMHA with a PCV of 20. He has had two relapses, and diagnosed with ITP. Each relapse appears to be seasonal as he had one in April 2009, and then again this year in March. The ITP, thankfully, has responded quickly to treatment each time. Although we tried the azathioprine with the prednisone intially, he had so much liver damage from the pred that the aza just made this worse. We have had great success with Cyclosporine (Atopica). He is also on "Holistic Select" a food free from wheat, soy and artificial preservatives. I feel very fortunate to have found this site and really credit it with helping Alex to survive.We wish you and Mercedes many healthy happy years together. Chris & Alex

Chris Pa

Maureen, I am glad you found this board. It is hard enough to deal with this disease but to find a place where people truly understand what you are going through helps a bunch. Hopefully Mercedes next test will show further improvement. Keeping you both in my thoughts and prayers. Penny

Penny Lytle Creek Calif

Dear Maureen, I am so sorry to hear about this scary diagnosis for Mercedes. You are most definitely not alone, this forum is a great place for advice and support. I don't know how I would have got through my Millie's diagnosis without the people here. You can ask your vet about the presence of spherocytes in Mercedes' blood work. These are damaged red blood cells in circulation that indicate the immune destruction of red blood cells is occurring. When these are no longer present, we can say that the destruction is stopped. Elevated white cell counts could also indicate an infection. I did not get a rise in Millie's PCV until about 4 weeks after diagnosis. Just be patient, look at the clinical signs as well to get an idea of how Mercedes is going. It's so easy just to get hung up on the numbers. You got Mercedes in to the vet in good time - a PCV of 27 is not so bad! I first got Millie in to the vet at PCV 36, but unfortunately they did not diagnose her then. 2 days later, her PCV at dropped to 14 and we had a big fight on our hands. Keep us posted on Mercedes progress, All the very best, Sam & Millie.

Samantha Geelong

Maureen, you have great advise above. Just wanted to let you know that Merecedes is in my thoughts and prayers. Sending some good vet vibes for tomorrow. Johnny & Tessy

Johnny

Maureen, since you are from BC, I would be interested where you got Mercedes. Could you write to me privately? Thanks, Brigitte & the poodle boys

Brigitte BC Canada

Hi Everyone, Thank you so much for all your advise and support. I am happy to report that Mercedes is improving!! Her PVC is up to 25 as of yesterday----I know it is only up 7 from last week, but it looks like the meds have kicked in. She even has "pink" gums! Yeah!! White blood cells have not increased and liver looks pretty good considering the high dose steroids she is on. So all in all, we got pretty darn good news this afternoon. The plan is to continue to monitor her blood and keep her meds at the same level for the next 3 weeks. If all goes well, we will then begin to decrease the "Imuran", and then the prednisone. Mercedes still tires quickly (she's still pretty anemic) but is beginning to show interest in playing with the other dogs (I have 3 standard poodles) She would like to engage in a game of fetch, but we are attempting to keep her as quiet as possible. The tail is now "up" again and wagging----surely another good sign. So now, my question to all of you, who have had much more experience with IMHA, is:--- Does this trend usually continue, or am I getting to optimistic??? How many of you have had a dog that looked like he had turned the corner, only to have him go downhill again?? I would be interested to know what the "Norm" is, once recovery begins. Thanks for any input. Maureen

Maureen Southern Interior

Maureen, I am so happy to hear these good news from you! Great to hear Mercedes has her tail up and even wants to play. I can imagine how hard it is to keep her quiet, but you are right to do so. Please, please be optimistic!!! Stay positive and celebrate the small improvements. Every dog responds differently, sometimes there are bumps in the road like infections or PCV going down a bit. But you can deal with these problems when they arise. Read as many of the success stories on the Meisha's Hope site as you can. There are some Standard Poodles on there too. Make sure Mercedes is on a high quality food and maybe start putting her on some supplements. Milkthistle, iron, folic acid, Vitamin B12. These things can make a difference. Best wishes, Brigitte & the poodle boys

Brigitte BC Canada

I am so very HAPPY to read that Mercedes is getting better. To be honest with you I am not sure if there is a norm, but as long as her PCV is going up and she is showing some signs of improvement I would be very optimistic. Just be careful that her med's are not reduced to soon. Thanks for the update. Cheryl & Ginger

Cheryl & Ginger pineville pa

Dear Maureen, I am very happy to hear Mercedes is improving. I have 2 standard poodles, one 13 years old and one 2 years old. My 2-year old, Tootsie, collapsed with Evans Syndrome (low red blood cells and low platelets) last May when she was 18 months old and almost had to have a blood transfusion. She spent a few days in the animal hospital and was given prednisone and immuran. She was very sick for a few weeks with recurrent bladder infections and did not return to her usual self for four months. She had bald spots and did some shedding for a while but she now has her beautiful coat of fur back and you would never know that she had been so sick. She was taken off the meds very slowly. She started out with 80 mg of prednisone a day and now, after 10 months, is down to 2.5 mg every third day. She was started on 3/4 of a tablet of imuran every other day and this has not yet been reduced. She has a medicine reduction every 6 weeks. My vet expects to eventually have her off all meds. I don't think I could have made it through all of this without the help of Meisha's web site and the wonderful, helpful people on this site. Barb and Tootsie

Barb Ohio

Hi Barb, Thank you for sharing the story of your Standard Poodle. It is very encouraging to hear she is doing well and now on very low dose steroid therapy, (compared to 80mg!) Mercedes is currently on 70mg of pred. per day. I had the Imuran compounded into a syrup as I felt that cutting her pill into 3/4's would not always be a very accurate measurement. I have read many storys of dogs with bladder infections on the discussion board. I am assuming our dogs are susceptable to this type of infection because their immune systems have been depressed. I was surprised to read that it has taken 10 months to lower the prednisone doseage for your dog. I was under the impression (perhaps mistakenly??) that after a month, providing Mercedes continued to respond well, and her numbers were good, that she would be slowly weaned,---- and that process would take up to 3 months. As for the coat,---Mercedes was in full "show coat" and preparing to enter the conformation ring next month, when she was stricken with this horrible disease. I too, noticed that her coat was coming out in "comb-fulls"! I have since, cut her down, as she obviously will not be shown or bred! I just want her to be comfortable, and she is not up to long periods on the grooming table. She is still losing a lot of hair from ears and topknot (the only place it is long) and I do wonder if it is the prednisone. I suppose it could just be, because she has been very sick. Anyway, thanks for the input---if you think of anything else that I might find useful, please let me know. Maureen and Mercedes

Maureen Southern Interior

Hi Bridgette I actually responded to your first posting, but I see now that I needed to "sign in" first! I wondered why it didn't appear on the sight!! LOL! I am "very" technically challenged!! Anyway, Mercedes is on a very high quality organic chicken, fruit and vegetable dog food. It is grain free, no soy, no additives/preservatives etc. For the first couple of weeks her appetite was very depressed, so I cooked fresh chicken for her and fed that along with the broth twice daily. She did not lose any weight and ate that quite willingly. As of Monday, I began introducing her kibble and feeding less chicken. She is now back on her regular diet and eating well. I asked my vet about her thyroid and he had the pathologist check. He felt it was okay, for now. As for the other supplements you recommended. What form and doseage would those be given in? Would there be any danger of any of the supplements "triggering" her immune system again?? I have been very reluctant to give her anything she has not had before, since I have no idea what got this all started in the first place. Any further info on supplements would be appreciated. Maureen and Mercedes

Maureen JSouthern Interior

TO ALL WHO HAVE RESPONDED WITH ADVICE, INFORMATION, WELL WISHES, PRAYERS AND STORYS OF HOPE AND SUCCESS,-----MERCEDES AND I "THANK YOU", SO VERY VERY MUCH!!! You have made the past few days much easier for myself and my family! Maureen and Mercedes

Maureen Southern Interior

Maureen, of course you will have to check with your vet before giving any supplements. We started to give Milkthistle in tincture form fairly early. This helps to support the liver. An other liver support would be Zentonil (expensive but worth it) I hope that Mercedes is also on a stomach protectant. Seeing that she is feeling pretty good I imagine she is. A lot of people here give petinic. It is available on line. Dr. Dodds recommended that it could also be given as seperate doses. For Kahlu (60lbs) it was 5 mg folic acid, 250mg B12 and 200mg iron. We eventually cut the iron back to 100mg. These supplements are not supporting her immune system, that needs to be suppressed, but support the blood building. For UTIs you could start to sprinkle cranberry extract onto her food. If it does not help it will certainly not hurt. Best wishes, Brigitte & the poodle boys

Brigitte BC Canada

Hi Bridgette I did ask the vet about something for her stomach. He said if she was just on prednisone he would consider it. He seemed to think it may interfere with the Imuran somehow. Said if we needed it he would consult with the pharmacist. I will ask again, as I don't need any further complications. Was your dog on both pred. and Imuran (aka: azathiopine)? Did you get the milkthistle thru a health food store or a pharmacy?? Mercedes is only 18kg so how would I figure out how much to give her? Where did you get all of your info for supplements etc?? I just have soooo many questions, I know. Any help is appreciated! Maureen

Maureen Southern Interior B.C. Canada

Maureen, Stomach protection is a must! I would put her on something rather sooner than later. Kahlu was on prednisone and azathioprene. It takes quite a bit of juggling to get the stomach protected without interfering with the other medications, but it can be done! I had a day planner and wrote everything down to the minute. If you give the stomach protectant, Kahlu was on Sucralfate, 2 hours before or after the pred & aza you are fine. A lot of dogs develop ulcers with the high doses of pred and azathioprene is certainly not harmless on the stomach either. You are not supposed to touch the azathioprene pills without gloves, so can you imagine what it does to the stomach? Kahlu was also on an antacid and a second stomach protection (raniditin I believe)for a while. The sucralfate is very inexpensive, the pills are huge, but it is definetly worth it. There is an other possibly even better product that people in the states use, the name escapes me right now, sorry. It has also been mentioned to use slippery elm bark. Johnny would be the expert for that one. If your vet is not sure about sucralfate, by all means get him to consult with the pharmasist! I got the milkthistle through the vet. It was not cheap but a $50 bottle lasted 6 weeks. You can not really overdose on Milkthistle. For a while i used a cheaper product from the health food store. They were capsules that i opened and sprinkled the powder over the food. If you get it at the health food store, make sure it contains sylimarin. Zentonil also contains sylimarin and is a very good product. Ask the vet for it, it will be good for Mercedeses liver. The info for supplements came from Dr. Dodds and this forum. All VERY knowledgeable people. I know this can all be overwhelming, all consuming. Please ask away, vent and keep us posted how Mercedes is doing. There is always somebody here who had the same or a similar experience and can help or advise. Best wishes from, Brigitte & the poodle boys

Brigitte BC Canada

Maureen, I'm with Brigitte regarding stomach protectants. Wait too long and you'll be having to deal with an ulcerated stomach, which will cause a whole array of secondary problems for you that you really don't want. There's several options for you to use. Preferrably I like prilosec (omeprazole) but others here have used pepcid and sucralfate...which would be fine. If you go the sucralfate route then just be carefull of the timing so yoyu don't affect absorption issues. The slippery elm would work but this may be better for *existing* stomach issues. With the elm cocktail you'd have to make some up every 3-4 days cause the acidopholous dies after that and it loses its effectiveness. So, yeah...prilosec would be my choice but this is up to you. Milk Thistle. Again, if I were you I'd look for the grounded powdered seed. I know online you can order it from http://www.leavesandroots.com/herbmno.html for VERY VERY cheap. Under $15 for a 12oz bag of the powdered seed. That's a big bag! This is where I get it but you may be able to call around the local health stores. One of them should carry it. Silybum marianum (milk thistle) seed powder is what you ask for. WHY...cause this is the most natural you can get without starting to get into the refined phama grade thistle...which is alright but just not for me and MUCH MUCH more expensive. The caps you buy are generally more expensive so you may want to avoid these. Although you could use them while you wait for an order to come in. Dosage...with the powdered milk thistle I always start at a low dose and work up from that. Mercedes is basically the same weight as Tessy and I started her with 1/2 teaspoon daily and worked her up to 2 teaspoons daily over a weeks span. So I give her now 1 teaspoon in the morn and 1 in the evening. At higher doses it can help protect the kidneys to a degree. Which will lead me to the urinary track. I use a cranberry extract for Tessy because I learned the hard way the importance of this when Tessy started having recurring UTI's. Over here in Nova Scotia I found a product in the local pet store called Cranimals. http://www.cranimal.com/ Not sure if this is available to you there or not but it works really well and also has tonnes of other goodies in it! Again, any cranberry extract or even unsweetened natural dried cranberries could work. Pet Tinic. Look online or call around and see if you can find some of this. This aids in hematopoiesis (blood making) in the bone marrow by supplying the proper micronutrients needed (iron, B vitamins, folic acid). Thyroid. Have a FULL thyroid panel done...not just the T4. Even if the numbers are within normal range low dose thyroxine is known to support hematopoiesis also. Dr. Dodds highly recommends this and everyone here knows how smart a lady she is! THERE IS NO DANGER OF THESE SUPPLEMENTS TRIGGERING HER IMMUNE SYSTEM! It sounds like Mercedes is heading in the right direction. All this stuff will help her on the way. 25% is a great climb in the crit! Do you ask for copies of all bloodwork? My thoughts and prayers are with you both. Johnny & Tessy

Johnny

Dear Maureen, I forgot to mention that Tootsie has been on Famitodine to protect her stomach for the last 10 months, from the very beginning of treatment. She has been on the meds so long because it took several months before there were no spherocites (damaged blood cells) in her blood. My vet has successfully treated this disease in his practice so I have been doing everything he says and hoping for the best. You and Mercedes are in our prayers. Barb and Tootsie

Barb Ohio

Hi Bridgette, Johnny, and Barb Thank you ALL so much for your advice and guidance. I appreciate it more than you will ever know!!! I did, in fact, go in to the vet clinic today and ask for copies of all of Mercedes files to date. The vet currently on her case, was off today, but I intend to go in to see him on Monday, armed with your letters, and ask for something for her stomach. Hopefully we will not have any "stomach issues", before then!!! My vet is young but open minded and has only dealt with one case of IMHA and that was in Veterinary School. That particular patient was euthanized at the owners request---not treated. So, he, like me, is a neophyte when it comes to all of the ins and outs of treating IMHA. He is going by the book, (and I know he has been researching), but there is nothing like first hand knowlege, as far as I'm concerned. Since there also seems to be an issue with urinary tract infections, I think the cranberry extract is a great idea too,----an ounce of prevention, and all that!! I will let you know how it goes on Monday. Thanks again for all of your help! Maureen and Mercedes

Maureen Southern Interior

Maureen...just a quick word of advise regarding meds and prices. Remember that you can usually get most meds at a local drugstore for a fraction of the price. I used to get Tessy's stomach protectants though the vet without realizing I could get the exact same thing for 1/3 the price at the drugstore! Just have them call it in and ask for numerous refills that way you don't have to go through them each time you need a refill. Good luck, Johnny & Tessy

Johnny

Hey Johnny, Yes, I did know that, but thank you. I have had a dog that required ongoing medical treatment and learned very quickly that you pay twice as much for a prescription from the vet. The other thing I learned is that most pharmacys can compound a drug for about half the cost of the "name" brands. Walmarts druggist are excellent at compounding, (ie that is where I got Mercedes azathiapine done up in a syrup). Also, I had a dog that required "Florinef" in the past, and Walmart can compound it for about half the price. I agree, when it is a long-term medical problem, it does pay to have the vet call a long term presciption in to the drug store. I would advise everyone to look into compounding as well, and not buying "brand names". I noticed in reading some of the old "posts" that you are very knowlegeable in analysing the numbers from the lab results. If I posted some of Mercedes, could you help me in understanding them a little better?? I would really like to understand, more fully, what the bloodtests are telling us. It would certainly be useful when conferring with the vet. As the old saying goes, "knowlege is power"!! Maureen

Maureen Southern Interior

I can try to interpret and help you to understand the numbers if you want to post them. I've actually learned most of what I know about the numbers from Patrice on here. She's the real expert IMO. I feel like I'm an apprentice or something...LOL. But yeah, I used to stare at Tessy's results for hours searching answers and what everything meant. I've still tonnes of learning to go but I understand the basics plus some...at least I think. Med costs...I learned that the hard way and lost lots of money before I finally realised how to get them cheap!!!! I guess it was a hard way for me to learn! My thoughts and prayers are with Mercedes. Johnny & Tessy

Johnny

Hi Johnny,(also Patrice, if you are "out there"!!) lol! Here are the latest bloodwork numbers from April 14th. We will not be drawing blood again, until April 30th. Do you think that is too long between checks?? The vet felt that as long as she continued to improve it would be okay. I have included complete results, including the pathologists comments. Anyway here goes: HEMATOLOGY: WCB 25.9 H Down compared to last week RBC 3.09 L Up " " " HGB 78.90 L Up " " " HCT 0.247 L Up " " " MCV 79.9 H Up " " " MCH 25.5 (normal) MCHC 320 L RDW 16.1 (normal) Platelet Count 220 (normal) DIFFERENTIAL: % ABS PMNS 82 21.24 H Down compared to last week Lymph 1 0.26 L Down " " " Monos 17 4.40 H Down " " " NRBC 8 (NORMAL) CHEMISTRY: Chemistry Profile Glucose, serum 4.8 BUN 6.4 Creatinine 84.1 BUN/Creatinine Ratio 76 Phosphorous 2.00 Calcium 2.53 Sodium 147 Potassium 4.6 Na/K 32 Total Protein 66 Albumin 36.6 Globulin 29 Albumin/Globulin ratio 1.3 Bilirubin, Total 2 ALP 762 H ALT 914 H GGT 65 H CHLORIDE 103 L carbon Dioxide 24.9 Anion Gap 24 H CPK 134 Osm,Calc 293 Comments:Await path review of blood film, anemia still apparent and is regenerative, liver enzymes consistent with therapy. Dr. Sally Lester There are still low numbers of spherocytes present but these are declining and the appearance of schistocytes in circulation is usually a good indication that the mononuclear phagocyte system is being effectively suppressed. The anemia is regenerative and has improved significantly in the last week. The leukogram my reflect stress/meds and/or non-specific marrow stimulation. Dr. Jim Bilenduke Thanks in advance for any input you may have! Maureen

Maureen Southern Interior BC

Maureen, I think these hematologic numbers are all looking alright for now. A lower MCHC is normal with this disease and you likely won't see this in the normal range until the crit (HCT) rises to the mid to high 30's. The MCV can tell you several things. The most likely would be a vitamin deficiency. Not iron, but the B vitamins and folic acid. If there was an iron deficiency you'd likely see the hemoglobin concentration increased also. I say vitamin deficiency because the MCV is rising and not lowering with regenerative anemia present. Could this be an absorption issue? I don't know but it's possible. Have you been giving a hemotinic/blood builder like pet tinic? If not do so....it'll probably help LOTS. What you are seeing is called macrocytic anemia. Likely caused by more immature red blood cells in circulation. A vitamin deficiency is only my opinion and I could be wrong remember. Normally a high PMNS (neutrophil) and monocyte count would lead one to think there's inflamation or infection present but given the fact they are going down leads one to think it *could* be drug related or disease related or even stress related (neutrophils). Only you and the doctor would be able to tell for certain if in fact it is infection or something inflamatory. I'd explore this further with the doctor if I were you because the monocytes are fairly high. If this were me I would not be overly worried but I WOULD keep my eyes on these numbers at the next draw. The lymphocytes are right where you want them...and then some! Hopefully this means that the drugs are working and suppressing the immune system sufficiently. Usually for proper suppression it's good to have the lymph counts to at least a third the normal level (0.1-0.5??). The likelyness of spherocytes being seen will go down due to this and you'll see this probably within the next week or two. Again...hopefully. The liver values on the chemistry panel would have me concerned. If this were me I'd be asking the vet for Denamarin to use. This is a detoxifier and will/should help the liver. I'd also use milk thistle powder along with this. There are other options to treat the liver but the denamarin would likely be your best bet for now. I'd be getting this first thing in the morning and starting it. Liver toxicity is not a good thing and can even cause neuro problems if chemicals shunt to the brain. You could also switch to a liver cleansing diet if you'd like. Several of us here use this diet and it works extremely well and is packed with nutrients! Brigitte mentioned it to you above. Here's the link again....Dr. Dodds recommends this also... http://www.canine-epilepsy.com/Liver%20cleansing%20diet.htm I'm going to have to look up the Anion Gap and chloride. I know they are related somehow but can't for the likes of me remember...sorry. My main focus would be getting a hemotinic/blood builder started and also denamarin or another suitable liver detoxer. If you can't get denamarin just let us know and we'll give you other options. Just call the vet to see if they have denamarin first. Good luck and keep us posted. I hope this all helped you...I'm still in the learning process so I may not be totally correct remember. Prayers and best wishes for Mercedes. Johnny & Tessy

Johnny

Hi Johnny, Sorry it has taken me so long to acknowlege your response. Sometimes "life" just gets in the way. My goodness, you really are a wealth of knowlege!! Thank you so much for all of that. The only sad part is the "reason" you have become such an expert. Sadly, I am getting to know, way more about IMHA, than I want to, as well. Mercedes continues to look quite good----wants to run in the yard,---- chasing birds again! LOL!! Good to see she is coming around to her old self but I know I must keep her quiet---not always easy when you live on a farm, and she has two other dogs who are more than willing (and able) to play with her. I try to put her out alone, for this reason, but she is not happy about it! Hope all is going well for you and Tessy too. I will stay in touch. Thank you again, for your excellent explanation of the numbers I sent---very enlightening. Talk soon. Maureen

Maureen BC Canada

This thread was discussed between 12/04/2010 and 20/04/2010

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