Luka needs help

[BobW]

Hi my name is Bob.We have a little 20 week old female rottei called Luka; she has always been a fussy eater,but she seamed to devolope normaly and is full of life.but after her last C5 vaccination on the 24/5/06 Her eating began to get worse,we noticed that the first part of her stools were very black or dark green.then followed by normal colour.we took her to the vet where they found that she was slightly enemic;(sorry about the spelling) and her calcium is slightly raised,the problem remained and we sent a stool sample away for testing , these results are yet to come back.

during this time Luka devolped a limp in her back leg we returned to the vets where one of them sedaited her to test the knee joint and decided to operate on her to repair the ligament the following week, while we were waiting she became lame in the front leg we went back to the vet again where another vet took her for the whole day,he looked at all 12 of her wait carring joints and found 6 of them were sore,he found that there was no need to do the operation as he felt that the joint was no worse than the other one.he looked at the xrays and found that she has a condition called HYPERTROPHIC OSTEODYSTROPHY. he started her on antibiotics for her belly problem until the results of that test comes back.he asked us to keep her as quiet as we can , he gave us a calcium supplement for her because she is not eating very well. she is happy shiney runs around like a normal pup,and her wait is on target with all of her brothers and sisters, she appers hungry but wont eat, unless we follow her and hand feed her,she eats small amounts often of soft meat,could you please tell me if any of you are haveing similar problems could you give us some advice on how to help her, and if you have any ideas on the outcomes of this illnes , thanks you for your fourm it is nice to here from other rottie lovers

[BobW]

Hi it is just Bob again, The results of Lukas test on her stool sample have returned , they have shown nothing new but she looks to be improveing, the blood in her stools appear to be decreasing. Luka is still limping but not as bad

As far as her eating goes,she hasnt improved at all,I know that hand feeding is not ideal but i am worried about starving out a puppy while they are growing out. We have tried cooked and raw meat,veges, paster heaps of different types of dog food both tined and dry, but she dosnt get excited about eny of it, if enybody has any ideas i would be very greatfull.

thanks heaps Bob.

[gore]

Calcium supplements are not good for HOD (HYPERTROPHIC OSTEODYSTROPHY), this condition is related to colcium deposits so you dont want any more calcium...She needs to eat well (not too much), feed her by hand if you have to, and rest. Probabaly she is in pain and thats why is not eating well, aspirin is recommended to reduce the inflamations and pain but you dont want to give aspirin for a long period of time. Glucosamine suppliments seem to work (something like Flexicose) Some say vitamin C is good others say is very bad.

http://www.dogstuff.info/hypertrophi...y_lanting.html

"TREATMENT OF HOD

Penicillin, streptomycin, sulfa, and other antibiotics, and a host of analgesics (“pain killers”) such as aspirin preparations, Mediprin™, and others have been administered with no reliable beneficial or conclusive results. Steroids and other medications were given to no avail as far as the primary lesion was concerned. Because of spontaneous remissions and unforeseen worsening or relapses, the success or value of any treatment will continue to be elusive. Remission and drug use are probably coincidental in almost all cases. As in the case of panosteitis, it appears that in most cases the dog will get better whether or not it is treated at all, and regardless of diet except for the harmful addition of calcium, vitamin D, and possibly vitamin C. Some owners reported apparent improvement with one choice one time, and then did not repeat their success the next time. It may be wisest to treat symptoms conservatively and assume we have another self-limiting disorder in HOD-afflicted dogs, with TLC (tender loving care) and patience the best tools at your disposal.

The difference in this conservative management approach to HOD compared to panosteitis is that the complications in HOD may be very serious. The dog may not die from the HOD itself, whatever the cause may prove to be. This is similar to the situation in human medicine wherein the patient does not die of the AIDS virus directly but of the complications it brings on, such as cancer or disorders in the lung, heart, and other organs and systems. Therefore, medical management of HOD should be directed toward halting the diarrhea, lowering the fever, getting rid of parasites, and relieving whatever pain you can. Symptomatic treatment might make the difference between losing your dog and saving him, but death is such a rare consequence that the owner is cautioned not to go overboard on treatment. Don’t try to eliminate all symptoms, in other words, or the remedy might be worse than the disease. At present, the only generally recognized treatment prescribed is purely symptomatic: relief of pain through buffered aspirin or sometimes corticosteroids. Some few of the many owners I have corresponded with have been positive that if they had not treated the symptoms such as appetite loss, diarrhea, etc., they would have lost their pups. Most people who have studied this disorder agree that the best you can do is give the dog rest, aspirin if the dog is obviously in pain, and a diet not excessive in protein or energy. In the worst cases, the dog might have to be force-fed or given fluid therapy to prevent dehydration, and other symptom-oriented treatments."

[BobW]

Thanks very much for your advice we really appreciate it,
Reguards Bob

[BobW]

thanks every one for your support, Luka now seams to have turned the corner,she is now eating normaly,the science diet has got her intrested in eating again but it was raw chicken that became the food that she ate the he most through the illness,she still has a slight limp on that front right paw and she needs the ocassional dose of asprin for pain,thanks again, Bob.

[nkh219]

My little boy, Rex (5 months old) was diagnosed with HOD about 3 weeks ago. He is starting to get better, but his eating suffered as well. I found a lady who breeds Great Danes (it is most common in this breed) who has studied this disease for a long time (she is in Texas), and she sent me to the vet that she uses who has treated this disease many times (most vets have never actually seen an HOD case, it is very rare), luckily I am in Texas also. And they have found a "miracle" antibiotic that cures HOD. No one knows why it works, but it does! When we went to see the vet, Rex wouldn't walk, was crying in pain, and his joints in his front legs were swollen, now a week later- no more pain!! The only bad thing I have to say about the antibiotic is it is very strong, and caused Rex to get very nauseous. So he is also on an anti-nausea. The name of the antiobiotic is Chloramphenicol also can be called Chloramycetin. It works!!! So, if your sweet girl does not continue to improve, I would definitely use this! There is a lot of information about the drug online. Good Luck!! And also remember that HOD is a self-limiting disease, and once it runs its course it is gone forever!

[Lola B Marie]

Our Lola is full of health issues and the bottom line is at 17 months she gets hand fed. The only time that she gets food excited is when i make what the vet calls my magic formula. Take chicken broth, canned or home made . Try and find one with little or no onion. Onion needs to be one of the last ingredients on the can. Take dark meat chicken with no skins diced carrots a few garlic cloves and a package of frozen string beans. Bring to a boil then simmer until the chicken falls off the bones and the veggies are soft. Remove all bones and squash chicken and veggies into a paste. Add cooked brown rice, some sticky white rice and some cooked sweet potato which is optional. Mush all together add some broth and form into balls. I skim the soup so she doesn't get too much fat. Lola is 110 lbs solid muscle. I feed her a few chicken balls for lunch and the rest for dinner. She also gets a few jars of babyfood lamb. Gerber makes one with broth no gravy and no onion. She also gets a hard boiled egg no shell. I know some feed shells here but she does not like them. The balls are easy to feed any time. You can nuke them for a few seconds to get them warm. You can make a giant batch and freeze. When ever any of my friends' dogs get sick or don't eat, I bring the balls. My vet has taken some to feed in the hospital as well. Lola is on meds for her stomach problems and this has really helped her. She can not return to dog food ever . I hope this will help your girl. Please try it.