Yorkie has ALT level of 680+ and Dehydrated... Help please!

[Madraga]

Hi, thanks so much for the reply KJC. And no worries, I'm not offended by any of your suggestions.

For the 1st suggestion, my maids don't have uniforms. THey usually wear tshirts and short pants. Pretty much what I wear around the house. Physically, the only difference I see is that I'm fair-skinned compared to my maids and i'm fatter than them. I'm Chinese so I look completely different.

As for the smell, when we got her the first few days, we noticed that she responded to the maids' commands, like calling her; i don't think she knows any commands other than her name. She knows NO though I've noticed. She would follow them around, when we call her she wouldn't come near us. When I walk her she seem to go near other maids and drivers in the subdivision. Not to sound racist myself, but we noticed she responded to Filipinos more than Chinese. My parents decided to return her coz apparently we can't change who we are for her. We will smell different coz we're a different race. My brother and I voted against returning her coz we were worried she won't be treated with the love and affection that she needs, given her medical condition and demeanor (which at the time we didn't know yet). I went to see a behaviour specialist and he told me to leash her so she goes where i go and understand that I'm the master. So i did that. It was easier at the time coz I was studying for my exams the whole month. He also said our smells probably has nothing to do with it, but it's just that they played with her the first day and gave her a bath and fed her so she thinks they are the masters. So I told the maids not to play with her just yet and to ignore her for the most part.

2nd week, I tried to reintroduce her to the maids by allowing them to play with her, but I continued to feed her and give her walks. I gave her baths too. The only thing I didn't do was give her the meds since I couldn't do it. (but i do that now too) She slowly came around and would follow me around and she'd come to me when I call her. Sometimes the maids would call her and she'd ignore them, then I'd call her, she'll come to me. So I saw great improvement. My parents were convinced I had a chance to correct her.

3rd week she got really dehydrated and since she was given those shots in 1 day, she got really sick. I took her to the vet and left her there for 2 nights. I went to visit her alone after the 1st night and I'd sit with her and pet her and make her feel comfortable. This warmed her to me even more. We wanted to bring her home after the 1st night but the vet suggested we didn't associate our home to treatments given her circumstances. So we again left her there, when I visited I had my 2 brothers and 1 of my maids with me whom she adored; I noticed though she followed me around more than her, so my brothers told me she probably trusts me more than the maid coz she probably sees her as just a playmate. When I picked her up 2nd day and brought her home, we saw some great improvements. She was so excited when she got home, she can't stop wagging her tail. She couldn't stop playing with me and the maids. All 4 of us were playing and she'd still respond to me. She slowly showed her personality, she wasn't afraid to pee or poop in front of us. She wasn't afraid to play in front of us, she likes destroying pillows and chewing on items that are hard. She doesn't destroy furniture though which is a good thing. She became so active and would jump and run when we're playing. She likes to lick my hand and pretend to bite but not really to hard, I think it's called mouthing? She became bold too so she'd bark at guests, sometimes she'd bite if they forget she's around and came too close to her. I never raised my voice but no matter how much i tell her to stop though, she never really listens. She became territorial at first and would bark at my mom if she lies or sits on the couch where she first saw me sleep. My mom always ignored her and told her to shush. I think my mistake was I babied her too much and allowed her to slowly show her personality without correcting her, coz basically I was gaining her trust and I was afraid to lose it by being a disciplinarian. I didn't want her to fear me.

Then last night happened (week 4), it's frustrating coz i've come this far and controlled myself but when i saw her look at me with those crazy eyes, i thought she probably lost her mind and was about to attack me. I was all alone in my room and sitting on the floor a few feet away from her, there was no way I could defend myself if she suddenly jumped at me. My dad told me if she'd bite me she probably wouldn't have tried to bark and just bite me so I shouldn't have freaked out. I showed her my weakness and my anger so now she's confused. My maids have ignored her all day today so she had no choice but to stick with me but I know she was yearning for them to save her or at least pet her and play with her. I allowed it at 1 point and it was really heartbreaking to see, she was giving her the kind of excitement and affection she was giving me before last night. Only this time when I try to play with her it's like I'm punishing her.

So I'm at a loss, my dad says that maybe I should be the one to ignore her and let the maids handle her for now. But wouldn't I be giving her what she want in doing this? I know I should still be the one to feed her and give her the meds, but if I allow the maids to play with her and spend all day with her, wouldn't that make her drift apart? Coz to begin with, she doesn't want to spend time with me anymore so she'll never notice that I'm ignoring her. She's afraid of thunderstorms and when it started she started squeezing herself next to me coz the maids were busy and well, they were ignoring her. I would only give her a reassuring nudge here and there but not baby her the way I used to coz I think it's not beneficial to both of us.

So far, when the maids are not around she follows me coz she has no choice, she's afraid to be left alone in the house coz it's scarier for her. But when all 3 of us are around, I'm back in the discard pile, she'd pick the maids over me again. I'm back in day 1 i think, but not as bad coz she follows me around, but I'm still back there and having to work for it again. Does this mean I can't leave the house all day again coz I have to babysit her and make her feel my presence?

So sorry guys, I'm really really new to this. I love dogs and I had a pet pug when I was little but pugs are resilient and never fearful, at least mine wasn't so I dunno what to do here and only depend on what all of you suggest. I follow them all and try them with her.

To update you guys, I dunno if this is related. I fed her twice today and every time she finished her food. I put lots in there too. She usually never finishes and would test me and see if I'd beg her to finish it and hand feed her or give her what she wants. So I dunno if she's afraid not to finish or if she's just hungry.

[Madraga]

Oh, and yeah to answer your question... I didn't cover my mouth when I yawned. I was all alone so I didn't know it would scare her like that.

[kjc]

It appears her attachment to your maids is just familiarity, going to what and who she feels is more normal to her. You have made great strides with her, and I feel you will get there again.

I am serious about the showing of teeth, as it happened with my dog. If you have a tennis racket to keep near you just to block her if she tries to bite, you could start teaching her about human smiling and showing teeth, but talk her through it. Offer her treats when she is non reactive, work a few minutes at a time and end on a good note. Always tell her 'Good Dog!' when she does what you expect. It's really going to take time, and this is just a temporary set back.

When she licks you when you come home, praise her alot. Reward any good behavior you see.

How does she react if you wear sunglasses? She won't be able to see your eyes and won't know if you're looking at her or not. This may be good or bad, but maybe worth trying.

She seems to have felt threatened by you, so she's avoiding your stare. Only look at her for a second then look away, to show her you are not trying to threaten her. As she becomes more accepting, increase the time you actually look at her. Like glance at her, then look away, then glance again, and look away. Don't try to hold a gaze with her.

I also would not approach her while she is sleeping, until you can trust her more. Maybe never. My male will attack if he is woken up abruptly. Bite first, see who it is second. So I am sure to gently wake him up before I do anything else to him.

Also, I would wear a Tshirt to bed and all day for 2-3 days, then put it in her bed. This will make her become familiar with your scent and should ease her anxiety a bit.

Always eat before you feed her. Masters eat first, so this could help reinforce this idea in her mind.

If you choose to let her be with the maids, I think it might be best if you were there too. I don't think it will really hurt your relationship, maybe make it a reward for something she does right. I would limit the time though if possible. There is no reason she can't learn to accept you as she does the maids, it will just take time and consistancy.

If it all becomes too much or things get worse, maybe see if the favorite maid would want to care for her. I'm assuming the maids are live-in (?) That way you could still oversee her care and know she is being treated properly. And maybe rescue a buddy for her that doesn't come with as much baggage...

I still do think you have a good chance of bonding with her. My male took eight months before he would finally trust me completely, and bond with me, but I don't think he had anywhere near the issues your little one has. I almost gave up on him, I thought he was just a non-licking, disinterested type of Yorkie. But then the day came when he finally kissed me on the cheek! I cried I was so happy! I said 'So you do have a tongue in there!'
Now, I can't get him to stop! (Be careful what you wish for)

I adopted a Himalayan cat 2 years ago from the Humane Society. He had lived with us a few weeks before my Mother in Law came to visit. He tolerated me, but when he saw her, he ran and jumped on her lap to be petted. Never did that with me, and still hasn't. I feel bad keeping him, (I just love him to bits) but he seems so at home with her I almost feel cruel keeping him! She's not in a position to keep a cat, but I wonder what I would do if she was. He has since started to warm up to me, but it's still nothing like how he reacts to her. I'm so jealous!

[Madraga]

Thanks again KJC. I did what you suggested and allowed her to play with the maids while I'm around. I have set a time for her to play which is an hour before feeding time. And yeah, they do live with us. I just don't want her to feel attached to them coz once they leave... she might not recover.

She used to do lots of stretches and stuff that's so cute but now it's not as much I think she's still on "red alert", but she did allow me to rub her belly again. I didn't look at her while i was doing this and I just kept telling her she was a good girl.

She's started being picky with her food again. So maybe she's going back to normal or I'm back to square one. Hahaha. She's been eating lots lately so we've all been extremely happy. One thing though, she's not jumping on the couch when I'm there and she's not giving me more licks than before. She also doesn't run to me as she does with the maids.

She hasn't tried to bark at me or growl or bite. So I don't think I'll be needing the tennis racket. She also didn't sleep in my room last night and I think I'll let her sleep in my brother's room again tonight. So I can give her some space. I seem to remind her of that night when I'm on the bed and on the couch. It may be because I had her sleeping in my room right after the incident and didn't allow her to remain downstairs. I still do feeding, she gets all excited when I'm doing her meal, but when she sees it. She turns away and eats maybe a spoonful. She's on a special diet of rice and egg only coz of her liver problem. So she has to eat that for a month.

Thanks again for all your suggestions and I'll try them. I did think of sunglasses too. I'll try that and see if she'll freak out if I'm wearing one. I noticed she hates it when I'm carrying an umbrella. and she gets jumpy when we walk outside so when we're outside, i'm just carrying her.

[Madraga]

Good News!!

My dog went to the vet yesterday and had another blood test to see how her liver is doing...
ALT is 37, it went down from 675 to 37 in just a couple of weeks.
She's not anemic, no problems with her rbc and wbc count. They did a blood smear and there were no larvae. So she still has heartworm but it's just adult heartworm.

She's gained a bit of weight too.

THe only thing we did was change her diet and fed her rice with soft boiled egg and vegetable oil. So far so good, fingers crossed.

[kjc]

Great news! Did they schedule when to treat her for the adult heartworms?

[Madraga]

Originally Posted by kjc

Great news! Did they schedule when to treat her for the adult heartworms?

No they didn't. They said to wait till next year. After her hospitalization, I think the vet realized that she's a bit on the frail side. Even though things appear normal, her body processes things differently and she ends up getting sick. So they said to just wait and see. They're kinda weary of giving her immiticide coz they feel that her liver won't be able to handle it. They've given me the option of just allowing the adult heartworms to die on their own.

She's been coughing more recently, and the vet said it's probably the larvae dying and getting clogged. So they said to give her lots of rest and not to excite her too much. I've noticed that whenever I give her doxycycline her coughing is minimized. So I dunno if I should be giving her doxycycline all the time though. I'd have to ask the vet about that....but it does help though. The doxycycline stops the coughing even if she plays all day.

[kjc]

Why was she put on Doxycycline? That's a very strong antibiotic, and you need to give that as prescribed until the medication is finished. It should never be given 'as needed' the danger being whatever bacteria she has will become resistant to it and she will remain sick. I guess it may have been given for her cough/runny nose, but you really need to give it to her for the entire corse of treatment to clear the bacteria in her system.

Also I believe she was given the new vaccine for 6 month prevention of Heartworm... when her ALT skyrocketed? Pro...something...I'll look it up...

[kjc]

General info I found:

On ProHeart 6:
Pfizer Animal Health Dogs Health Management

Immiticide to rid dogs of adult Heartworms is not best choice of treatment for some dogs.

Original slow kill method is being revamped.

Adult Heartworms can live around 5 years.

Combination therapy with Ivermectin (monthly) and Doxycycline (kills a bacteria in the Adult Heartworm, weakening them) appears to be the new treatment, but not yet approved for use in the US (?). I believe this protocol may clear Adult Heartworms from the dog's system within 36 months.(?)

Heartworms can live in the lungs. There is not likely any protocol using ProHeart 6 and anything else in curing an Adult Heartworm infection, as it is intended as a preventative and is marketed as such.

As your dog was given the ProHeart Vaccine, I think your vet may be leary of giving her anything else between now and at least 6 months. Did they give your dog Ivermectin injections also? (I think I remember you stated that)

Are you giving a monthly Heartworm preventative now? If yes...what kind? And how did they tell you to give the Doxycycline?

What tests were done to determine the extent of Heartworm infection in your dog?

How well does she tolerate exercise? Has she ever coughed up blood?

Did you find a new vet since she first got her vaccines and got sick?

[Madraga]

Hi KJC, sorry for the late reply. I have a new vet now, but I still went to the old vet when they asked me to go back for a check up after her hospitalization. That's how we found out that her ALT levels are back to the normal range. The 2 vets have differing approaches. The old vet said I could start giving her normal food, like chicken and stuff. But the new vet asked me to still continue the rice diet to protect her liver. Since we noticed more coughing, especially after she plays, the new vet told me to continue her Doxycycline meds. And whenever I give her the doxycycline meds her cough is minimized. I dunno why the old vet gave her doxycycline but i think they mentioned that it helps get rid of bacteria and stuff. I read about the doxycyline and ivermectin combination and it is done, I just can't remember the purpose.

So far, the only treatment she's had for her heartworm is Proheart, which the old vet told me was ivermectin. the new vet, however, said it's not ivermectin but a derivative of ivermectin. They did a blood smear a couple of weeks ago, and as I have posted, it was free from larvae infestation. So they're hoping that the Proheart has killed all the baby worms. The first time they did the blood smear, we saw those microfilariae moving about. It was only a little drop. So the vet said she probably has stage 3 heartworm, basing it on the blood smear alone. So we did the Proheart treatment that day. Then she got sick... after that we waited a week or so then tested her again, her alt is back to normal and no more microfilariae. She's also not anemic so her blood work is really good. I just noticed the coughing and the old and new vet said the same thing, that it's probably the microfilariae dying off. So they just said to not stress her too much. They didn't use the heartworm test kit. I don't know why. I did mention about ultra sounds, x-rays etc but they just did blood tests. THe new vet can't do anymore tests coz after the Proheart injection, he said the tests will not be accurate anymore.

She can take exercise pretty well. She gets excited and runs around and jumps and stuff. I have to literally carry her to stop her from doing all these activities coz I don't want her to start coughing. So far her coughing is on and off. I've noticed that she coughs more when I've stopped doxycyline for 3-4 days. She doesn't cough blood though. It's just little coughs, like she's about to throw up.

I was wondering if you've heard of Frontline Plus for ticks and fleas. I wanted to give her that for preventive measures but still have to ask the vet. I just want to know first-hand experience on the treatment so I'd know if it'll be too toxic for her or not.

Thanks again.

[kjc]

So glad to hear from you, I was worried with all the bad weather you all are getting there...

At this point, I would ask the vet to decide which flea preventative would be best for her... maybe suggest using one that the dose can be adjusted for her exact weight... most Yorkies are under 10 pounds and most products dose up to 20 pounds... so maybe a half dose would work for her. ProHeart is a 6 month Heartworm preventative, and I'm not too familiar with it enough to suggest exactly what to use... only to proceed with caution.

Keeping you, your little one, and your family in my prayers...

[kjc]

Please post if you can. I know a Cat 5 Typhoon hit the northern Philippines...I don't know where in the Philippines you live.... Praying for you and your family....

[143julz]

Originally Posted by kjc

Please post if you can. I know a Cat 5 Typhoon hit the northern Philippines...I don't know where in the Philippines you live.... Praying for you and your family....

Hoping you are all safe

[Madraga]

Hi KJC and 143 Julz... We live in Manila, which is a bit far from the area directly hit by the storm. We do have thunderstorms here almost every other day. Sorry for the late reply again. We're doing ok, she coughs a lot still especially when she gets excited or when she runs around and stuff. She gets scared of the thunder and the storms so I've been so busy just sitting next to her and not getting enough sleep. hahaha. She shakes and trembles at the sound of rain. My trainer tells me that I shouldn't pet her too much when she does this coz it'll get worse so I've been trying to just stay home and let her know that I'm around and there's nothing to worry about.

Abused dogs are difficult to work with, they go back to their old frightened selves every now and then. So I've been busy just trying to rehabilitate her. Health-wise she's doing fine. I have to do another vet visit in a few weeks to see if things are still ok. I'll have to ask the vet about Frontline Plus. I read that it causes seizures and other bad things so it's a lot to consider.

Regarding the Proheart Meds, she was injected with the medicine and the next treatment is next year. My new vet wants us to try a safer medicine after 6 months, so I guess we won't be doing Proheart anymore. I'm still a bit curious and would want to see if she's got microfillariae in her blood smears so I might ask for another test in my next visit.

[kjc]

Hope everyone is doing well!

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