Dog with low blood platelet count

[PaulR]

@Dr. Jeff, @Dr. Christina, @Dr. Sara My dog Rush, a sweet 12 year old Pitbull, has been hospitalized since Saturday night with a very low blood platelet count which we need to correct before we can treat his neurological condition that is giving him a “dual engine gate and pain in his neck”. Do you have any knowledge and recommendations for improving his blood platelet count with natural type remedies or supplements? Rush is at a very good specialized care facility but I’m reasonably sure that the specialist caring for him is only trained in Western medicine, not natural holistic medicine so that is the reason I’m reaching out to you. Please let me know if you have any recommendations and or possible supplements that may help.

Details of his condition include:
8,000 blood platelet level
All other bloodwork looks normal
Ultrasound and x-ray showed no sign of cancer but bone cancer has not been ruled out.

In order to try and stimulate platelet production the specialist is giving Rush:
Dexamethasone SP(Dexium)4mg
Mycophenolate 500mg tabs
Doxycycline 100mg tablet

Rush has had a reoccurring condition over the last several years where his nose gets raw and scabs over and gets raw again along with a lip fold infection. My regular vet had him on antibiotics a year or so ago and just recently and mentioned it could be a auto immune disorder so possibly that could be the cause of the low blood platelets, maybe?

Rush also had a tick on him for at least a few days several months ago and the specialist said it could be caused by a tick borne disease.

If you can offer any advice that would compliment what our specialist is doing that would be greatly, and I mean greatly appreciated! His daily blood work results from this morning should be available any minute now.

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Welcome to HA! Paul and I'm so sorry to hear about Rush's recent health challenges. How's he seem to be feeling in the hospital at this time? Is he eating? Are you able to visit or see him via video?

You're right that there are lots of holistic and homeopathic recommendations that we can make, but in order to decide which is best and what to do, it is important to put his platelet count (which is only one isolated symptom) in context.

For example, how was his BEAM (Behavior, Energy, Appetite, Mood), or other symptoms, before Saturday? How did you know that he was sick on Fri-Sat.?

Has he had any other challenges in the past year, or is he in good shape otherwise?

What does he ordinarily eat?

Is he on any medications or had any recent vet visits or vaccinations?

Can you get a copy of his blood tests when he was first seen at the ER? If so, it would be helpful to upload it to this forum thread to give us additional context.

Also, you may want to take a look at the additional questions in the forum posting guide (which is at the top of the home page of the forum).

Please let us know when you are able.

 

[aruna]

Hi @PaulR, if you could add more details about your dog, that would be great!
Here is the guide you can follow when describing Rush's situation:

 

[PaulR]

Welcome to HA! Paul and I'm so sorry to hear about Rush's recent health challenges. How's he seem to be feeling in the hospital at this time? Is he eating? Are you able to visit or see him via video?

You're right that there are lots of holistic and homeopathic recommendations that we can make, but in order to decide which is best and what to do, it is important to put his platelet count (which is only one isolated symptom) in context.

For example, how was his BEAM (Behavior, Energy, Appetite, Mood), or other symptoms, before Saturday? How did you know that he was sick on Fri-Sat.?

Has he had any other challenges in the past year, or is he in good shape otherwise?

What does he ordinarily eat?

Is he on any medications or had any recent vet visits or vaccinations?

Can you get a copy of his blood tests when he was first seen at the ER? If so, it would be helpful to upload it to this forum thread to give us additional context.

Also, you may want to take a look at the additional questions in the forum posting guide (which is at the top of the home page of the forum).

Please let us know when you are able.

Good morning Dr. Jeff and thank you for taking the time to respond. I received Rush's first blood work he had done at the specialist / hospital on Monday 3/1 and you can view it below. Rush's beam has been great and even now he continues to eat regularly and is going to the bathroom outside with lifting assistance. Leading up to Saturday 2/27 Rush's hind legs have been getting weaker / fatiguing rather quickly enough so that he struggles to make it around the block and this began late last fall / early winter I would say. My regular vet diagnosed the problem to be neurological and possibly Spondylosis Deformans but DID NOT do Xrays. Over the last 2-3 weeks leading up to last Saturday Rush developed a "dual engine gate". He would take choppy baby steps with his front legs while his rear legs remained weak with a longer stride that pushed off to the side kind of like a ice skater. He fell down last Thursday afternoon 2/25 and by 8pm he didn't want to get up so I slept on the floor with him and took him to my regular vet on Friday afternoon 2/26 at which point Rush could barely walk. That vet prescribed Vetprofen 150mg per day along with Methocarbamol 500mg every 8 hours. Rush continued to eat regularly with NO vomiting but his condition worsened through Saturday until he would yelp in pain when trying to lift his head. I took him to Blue Pearl Specialist / Emergency around midnight on Saturday where he has been ever since. They tried a different oral pain med first (not sure what) and that didn't make Rush comfortable so they switched him to injectable Opiates which appear to be making him comfortable. He is also on a steroid I believe. This is what the hospital is currently giving him for his pain and to try and stimulate platelet production or at least to try and get Rush's body to stop destroying his platelets:

Dexamethasone SP(Dexium)4mg/mlInj(perml)
Mycophenolate 500 mg tablet
Doxycycline 100 mg Tablet

So from Saturday till Monday the hospital was focused on treating Rush for his neurological pain / condition which their neurologist pinpointed to the base of his neck based on his "dual engine gate". Rush was scheduled for a MRI on Monday but after this blood work was done on Monday the primary focus turned to his low platelet condition. We are not sure if the neurological condition is being caused by the low platelet condition / internal bleeding or if Rush has a bad disc or maybe a tumor on his spinal cord. The MRI will tell us that after we get his platelet count up. Rush did have some blood in his stool early last week and since he is at the hospital he has had blood in his stool consistently.

We are visiting with Rush every day for an hour or two and while I'm there I feed him one of the home cooked meals that I prepared and supplied the vet with. For the last several years we have been home cooking his meals which consist of white rice, boiled bonelss chicken thighs, blueberries, 100% pumpkin, cottage cheese and a joint supplement and lately a multi vitamin from Wuffes. For treats he gets Stella & Chewy's freeze dried organ pieces as well as raw baby carrots. A few months ago we replaced the white rice with Stella and Chewy's chicken based kibble with a freeze dried raw coating.

The only other conditions that Rush has is that about 5 years ago Rush tore his ACL and Blue Pearl fixed it with the TPLO procedure so he does have a plate and screws in his left hind leg. Also over the last several years Rush has developed lip fold infections to the point that his lip folds will bleed and at the same time the sides of his nose will get raw and scab over. Not the entire nose, just appears to be where the clear discharge comes out of his nostrils. My regular vet treated him twice with antibiotics and Prednisone for that condition and that cleared it up and it stayed cleared up for about a year the first time the drugs were used which was a couple years ago. The last time that treatment was given was a couple months ago and it cleared up but immediately came back. Rush also had a tick on him for several days last fall which we noticed after it got good n fat. The specialist said that sometimes low platelets can be caused by antibiotics or a tick borne disease. The other suspected causes are a auto immune condition or bone cancer but the ultrasound and xrays that were done on Rush Monday didn't show any signs of cancer thankfully.

I adopted Rush 10 years ago when he was about 2. I'm sure that Rush was vaccinated before I adopted him and I think my vet vaccinated him when I first took ownership but soon after that I learned of the dangers of over-vaccination so Rush hasn't had any vaccines in about 7 years and he also isn't on any flea, tick or heart worm meds. I consider them all to be toxic to my boy. I did reach out to the Pet Health and Nutrition Center and they recommended the following supplements which I plan to start Rush on today unless you say otherwise.

IMHA Package for Dogs and Cats

IMHA protocol using natural remedies for dogs and cats developed by a certified Master Herbalist with The Pet Health and Nutrition Center - a leader in the natural pet marketplace.

www.pethealthandnutritioncenter.com

Rush is a neutered male Pitbull and my best friend. I really hope that you can recommend a protocol that will help to restore his health. Please let me know if you have any further questions and what you might recommend. I look forward to hearing from you and anyone else that can offer constructive advice. Thank you!

 

[PaulR]

Here is a video of Rush yesterday during our visit 3/3/21.

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Hey Paul, the video didn't upload. Would you try again?

I won't post too much right now, but yes, the Pet Health and Nutrition supplements all sound great.

Coupon code = resp10 will get you do 10% off anything you purchase.

 

[PaulR]

Hey Paul, the video didn't upload. Would you try again?

I won't post too much right now, but yes, the Pet Health and Nutrition supplements all sound great.

Coupon code = resp10 will get you do 10% off anything you purchase.

 

[PaulR]

As of this morning 3/6 Rush continues to eat and drink regularly and we take him out every couple hours to urinate which he does on his own with just a little help with supporting his body weight. Also, this morning he had a couple good consistency bowel movements outside at about 8am that appeared to be blood free. We did give him one 600mg Gabapentin at about 2am because I thought he may have been in pain because he would shiver for a second or two and then be calm for a few seconds and then shiver again but I'm noticing a pattern that when he needs to go outside to urinate he starts that shivering deal and then after he urinates and lays back down he is calm.
So far I have only added the raw beef liver to his home cooked diet along with ChlorOxygen. I am considering adding the rest of the supplements in the picture but not sure if I should. Rush's BEAM is good and right now my primary goal is to raise his blood platelet count. Rush is currently on 4-5 prescription meds which are listed in the attached picture. Has anyone else had any luck raising a low platelet count and if so what worked for you? Thank you.

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Great to hear that Rush is home and doing better!

Yes, I have had many patients with low platelets or red cells (or very high white blood cell counts) improve while under homeopathic stimulation of hematopoiesis (blood cell production) and healing.

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Hey Paul-

How's Rush doing?

 

[GinnyW]

Wishing Rush strength and calm! The combination of powerhouse foods, good supplements, and homeopathic remedies should work. There are many remedies which could be helpful here, so I am convinced we will see progress. We're rooting for you guys...

 

[PaulR]

Rush is still doing well although not walking any better. We are giving him 2 weeks to recover and see if his nerve problem improves and he hopefully walks better. At that time the neurologist will re-evaluate. Currently we are feeding Rush 3 times daily a fresh food diet. Each meal consists of 2 ounces cooked chicken, 2 ounces cooked beef liver, 2 cooked eggs, a blueberry and kale mixture, canned pumpkin, a little apple cider vinegar and the following supplements from The Pet Health and Nutrition center:

Daily multi vitamin, Nerve Tonic, Myelin Sheath, Immune Balance, F3, ChlorOxygen, Nordic Naturals Omega 3 fish oil.

Rush is also on the following meds prescribed by the Blue Pearl specialist:
Prednisone 30mg every 12 hours
Doxycycline 200mg every 12 hours
Mycophenolate 500mg every 12 hours
I only have enough meds to last Rush until this Friday night 3/19.

Rush has been eating good until last night when he turned his nose up at his food with all the additives in it. I cooked up a couple eggs with just the diced up cooked chicken and beef liver in it. He wouldn't eat that out of his bowl but did eat it when I hand fed it to him. This morning Rush was reluctant to eat the mixture with the blueberry / kale in it but did eat a little egg / banana treat my GF made. This afternoon Rush ate the different natural treats that my GF baked which included blueberries, kale, probably eggs and oat flour (I think). Rush did eat dinner tonight when I fed him his dinner ingredients separately. By feeding separately I discovered that Rush doesn't like the multi vitamin powder, apple cider vinegar or the lemon flavored fish oil. Last night I was concerned about jaundice but today not so much. My GF said the whites of his eyes look a little yellow and I noticed the tips of his ears and his belly looking a little discolored but I can't tell if its yellow because I'm kinda colorblind or maybe it was the lighting last night. Today in the daylight he didn't look yellow. I made a video but its too large of a file to upload here. I'll try emailing it. Rush is also getting a weaker in the legs I think and I'm concerned about muscle atrophy as he appears to be loosing muscle mass in his legs rather quickly and his nerve condition does not appear to be improving as of yet. He is also experiencing some incontinence but only if we go longer than 2 hours between bathroom breaks. Our specialist says that is probably due to the Prednisone and the increased water intake. I contacted the local specialist today to discuss my concerns and left a message but haven't heard back as of yet. I did find a aqua therapy pool for Rush right near my house so I plan to take him there to get some excercise. They are also trained in dog message and therapy I believe.

Dr. Jeff, could the Prednisone be causing the rapid muscle loss? Are there natural supplements that can replace some or all of the prescription meds so we can get Rush off of at least the Prednisone soon? I just booked our 3 hour appointment with you for 3/24 at 10am. Thank you.

 

[PaulR]

Rush had another blood test yesterday 3/18 and a check up and while Rush's blood platelet count is great at 300,000
his liver numbers are not good. He is in liver failure. I have attached a copy of his blood work and doctors notes. The doctor said he
wants to get Rush off the prednisone as quick as possible because
that’s hard on the liver but he’s also concerned about the copper
in the ChlorOxygen. He said that could be a double whammy. They
prescribed Denamarin 850mg per day for liver support but I’m
wondering what natural options I can include as well in order to give Rush the best chance possible for survival. Any help would be much appreciated! I do plan to order these liver support supplements today. Thank you.

Products

www.pethealthandnutritioncenter.com

 

[PaulR]

Hey Paul-

How's Rush doing?

Not good. Please read my comments that I added in the last couple days including Rush's blood work #'s from yesterday 3/18. I'm guessing that you haven't seen them yet. Thank you!

 

[PaulR]

I just ordered a bunch of supplements from Maria over at PHANC for delivery tomorrow.

Dr. Jeff, do you think that the Prednisone, mycophenolate and doxycycline are the cause of his liver problem. Do you agree and do you think its ok to stop all of them or maybe continue phasing out the Prednisone over the next 7 days as the specialist suggested and discontinue the other two drugs? I feel like we have to move fast and use all the tools available to us in order to save Rush from complete liver failure. Please advise and thank you!
Paul

 

[PaulR]

Also, Rush hasn't pooped in 3 days and I'm wondering if its because his liver may not be producing bile possibly. Should I be feeding Rush anything special to help him poop? If he's bound up should he receive a enema? Should I just wait longer to see if he poops? Do you have any recommendations?

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Dr. Jeff, could the Prednisone be causing the rapid muscle loss?

Yes.

Dr. Jeff, do you think that the Prednisone, mycophenolate and doxycycline are the cause of his liver problem.

Probably, but the actual source depends upon his susceptibility to the medications.

Do you agree and do you think its ok to stop all of them or maybe continue phasing out the Prednisone over the next 7 days as the specialist suggested and discontinue the other two drugs?

Yes, especially about weaning the high dose pred.

I'm very glad to see that this weaning process has already started. I look forward to his getting stronger and stronger as the dose gets lower and lower!

Regarding his infrequent pooping, is he straining to defecate or trying to go out at all?

The infrequent stools are related to the quantity of food he is consuming and his body using most of the food he eats.

The Dr. Dodds liver diet that you sent is OK for now. Eventually tho he will need more raw meat and vitality to heal fully.

Dr. Strombeck (the "father" of veterinary gastroenterology) also has a fresh feeding book that has other diets for specific health challenges.

Diet and Hepatic Disease

 

[PaulR]

Regarding his infrequent pooping, is he straining to defecate or trying to go out at all?

Rush wasn't even trying to poop. After 4 days of no pooping Rush pooped! I was so happy, lol. He has pooped again so now I'm not worried about that.

Would it hurt to continue the Immune Balance supplement from PHANC? Blue Pearl specialist thinks that Rush’s immune system is attacking his platelets so I’m concerned that since I discontinued the Mycophenolate 500mg Immune suppressant that Rush’s platelet count will drop again.

The attached picture was taken this Sunday afternoon. We received the liver support supplements from PHANC yesterday around noon. Rush has been taking all the supplements and eating like a champ. Rush is also peeing and pooping just fine with major asistance except today he wet the bed three times when he was laying outside in the sunshine on the front lawn with us. That was concerning but also interesting because the other two times he wet the bed was about two weeks ago when he was laying outside in the sun. Maybe the warm sun and the outside smells relax him to the point he urinates?

Best case scenario when could his liver improve to the point that I see some signs that it is improving? A couple days or would it take longer before the yellow in his skin and eyes dissipates?

Rush is still very weak and needs two people to assist him to get up and take bathroom breaks. Sometimes Rush makes a good effort to walk requiring only little assistance but most of the time we have to help him a lot especially when climbing the two steps leading to the lawn. Rush was in a lot of pain 3 weeks ago from I THINK whatever is causing his nerve problem. The specialist put Rush on pain meds while hospitalized and then the Prednisone which they said is a anti-inflammatory and also the reason they say that they were able to discontinue the pain meds after one week. I’m concerned that the nerve pain will come back with us phasing out the Prednisone since we still haven’t figured out why Rush is having so much trouble walking with his weak legs and “dual engine gate”. What might we do to help keep any inflammation that Rush may have under control?

 

[Dr. Jeff]

1. Not IMHO.

2. His liver should be regenerating right now but you may not see any outward signs for days to weeks depending on his vitality and ability to heal.

3. The icterus (jaundice) can take a few weeks to resolve fully. However, you can sometimes see changes in a few days.

4. Your continuing to maximize Rush's Happiness and sniffing, feeding fresh and vital food, and supporting him using integrative medicine will help modulate harmful inflammation so his body (liver, platelets, neuro system, etc.) can heal.

 

[GinnyW]

You might find it somewhat helpful to do a little massage when you're hanging out with him. In particular, gently work your way down his spine with a finger on either side of the vertebrae. A very light touch, and just maintaining the contact for a few seconds, will stimulate a lot of energy points for his internal organs, liver, bladder, stomach, and further down for his low back and rear limbs. I like to think it reminds the body that we are watching and caring