With Regard (con't)

Queen Charlotte Veronica, as a pup

Charlotte, our pack's first female.
We were driving down a dirt road in central Texas when out from an overgrown creek bank popped Charlotte, a furless, barely weened pup. We stopped the car, Charlotte disappered into the brush, reappearing with her brother Jake. They smiled and hopped into our lives. Over the next 8 yrs she took charge, even becoming Office Girl rarely missing a day of work beside me.

Immune Mediated Joint Disease, possibly SLE.
The day before Charlotte had been running, investigating and playing. That Monday, she would not walk or eat. She had a fever of 104 and was following me more closely than usual, almost desperately.

Charlotte was initially diagnosed as anemic with a low platelet count and urinary tract infection, and she was given a broad-spectrum antibiotic. By the next morning her fever climbed to 106 and a urine culture was taken. She was dehydrated, so fluids were given subcutaneously (under her skin). Charlotte began to stumble on her back legs when attempting to walk. Attributed to weakness, this incoordination was not defined as evidence of seizure. Her fever rose to 107 and we rushed her to a specialist who suspected Tick-Bourne Disease (TBD) or Leptospirosis. Accordingly she was given doxycycline, a rough antibiotic.

TBDs can cause undulating fevers. Doxycycline can cause strictures in the esophagus, so we force fed her. We had PCR tests ran for TBDs and other parasites. A PCR test actually sees if a parasite’s DNA is present within the dog’s blood. All cultures and tests, ultrasounds & x-rays were within normal parameters. Finally, a Joint Tap was taken from each of Charlotte’s elbows/knees. She was diagnosed with Immune Mediated Polyarthritis (IMP).

IMP occurs when the body attacks its own joints. Perhaps a past infection that settled in the joints, or an allergic reaction to a penicillin-based medication, sent the immune system into overdrive. If caught early, Prednisone and certain other immunosuppressive drugs can manage the hostile immune system, extending the dog’s life. Unfortunately, we were too late?

Charlotte took Predinsone for 3 days. She could eat again, walk outside to potty. We thought she was on the road to recovery…. Then she started licking her nose making a smacking sound with her mouth. This is a sign of impending seizure. Her breathing became labored and her eyes sunk slightly into their sockets all within a seconds. We were on the road to the ER when she seized and passed away.

Charlotte & Jake

Immediate causes of death? She still had a hidden infection that the immune-suppressing Prednisone allowed to flourish? The Prednisone’s side effect of water retention hindered her lungs from breathing or a now weakened heart from pumping? Was the IMP in reality full-blown SLE, dog Lupus? (She had developed mouth ulcers.) In such a case, her immune system would not be halted from attacking her organs including her central nervous system.

Something seemingly simple can be devastating. An important point I won’t forget: have cultures taken before starting antibiotics. An antibiotic can mask findings in subsequent tests. Growing and defining Charlotte’s initial infection, if present, might not have saved her. But it would possibly have saved her from suffering through unnecessary medication side effects.