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On 22 June, Jody writes:
Lizzy is continuing to do well and is eating like a champ. She wants to play . . . so keeping her calm & quiet is a challenge. I'm waiting for a call back from A&M as they called me this evening to tell me they talked to the manufacturer of the immiticide that Lizzy received, but unfortunately I missed the call. Will be very interesting to see what they have learned.
Lizzy at home with her new "poodle cut" |
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And the next day:
The doctors at A&M were able to speak with the manufacturer of the immiticide which is used in the injections for heartworm treatment.
They have had reports of HEG (bloody diarrhea/vomiting) one-to-two weeks following treatment, but it is not directly related to the immiticide, but the death of the worms. So it appears that Lizzy's problems developed as a secondary complication to the death of the worms.
The arrhythmia is a possible side effect also, but much less common.
The elevated liver enzyme could be related to either the death of the worms cutting off the blood supply to the liver, or occasionally worms actually in the liver itself (but not common). They feel that the increased liver enzyme was secondary to the HEG. The immiticide is metabolized within 72 hours, so they feel that anything beyond that point is a result of the death of the worms.
It is possible the same complications could occur with a second treatment and they cannot make the risk go away, they can only try to prevent it from happening again. The vet at the immiticide company shared suggestions with Dr. Achen at A&M. I think we are all in agreement at this time that we will continue giving Lizzy Heartgard for continued treatment of the heartworms. We will discuss this more fully at A&M when she returns there next month for her follow-up.
I have also learned that heartworms actually live in the pulmonary artery that carries blood from the heart to the lungs, by the time we see a heart full of heartworms they are at the end stage called "cava syndrome", in which the worms travel back into the heart and at that point, they can only be removed by surgery. The Heartworm Society site mentioned previously is an excellent source of information regarding heartworms.
Calm? Quiet? THIS is as calm & quiet as I get!
Lizzy will be going to my regular vet in a few weeks for an EKG & blood work, we're all hoping things will continue to improve for her and she will be able to run & play & chase birds again very soon.
Thank you, Jody, & Kris &
Becky Preston writes:
Lizzie!s vet bills are at $3661.49 as of now and she will need follow-up care to make sure that her heart has stabilized. We have raised $1421.00 through everyone's generous donations and have some hot & heavy bidding going on on eBay for an Airedale Pillow!! We cannot tell you how much we appreciate the outpouring of love for Lizzie. We do plan to have a couple more items available via raffle and eBay to help bridge the gap between donations and her actual bills, so don't forget her!!
CONTINUE WITH THE SAGA OF
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