bloodtest and advice please

Hi Wizzi,

First of all I’m sorry being so slow getting back to you about the blood profile, but unfortunately it’s been an ordinary week for me and my attention has been elsewhere.

In regard to the state of the dog as shown by the profile, it’s glaringly obvious that the dog has three main problems, one - it is severely anaemic, two - it has a depressed immune system, and thirdly it is suffering some liver damage and has poorly function kidneys.

All of this adds up to a dog that is simply unable to either race or trial without increasing the damage, and what I’m more concerned about is what has caused this to occur in the first place.

From what you have said in regard to the chest infection, it would appear that the dog suffered a severe viral infection that it has had major problems overcoming due to a depressed immune system.

In my honest opinion it is likely to take anything up to two months without running behind the lure, or any stressful free running, for the dog to have any chance of fully recovering.

The other worry is that the dog may be infected with Neospora, and that the problems originally started due to the dog racing while infected. If the dog is infected with Neospora, the chances of it ever coming good no matter what treatments are given in an effort to improve the immune system and the anaemia are extremely poor, so a further blood test to rule this out is certainly important.

Treatments:
Worm the dog out with a broad spectrum wormer twice 14 days apart.

Anaemia: 1 ml of injectable iron + 2 ml of injectable Folic Acid/B12 + 2 ml of injectable B Complex every third day for three doses, wait for 14 day’s after the last injection, and then repeat these treatments again.

Immune system: 4 ml (50 mg) Levamisole, twice daily for 14 days
1 Glutamine Complex (400 mg) tablet given 3 times a day on an empty stomach, for 20 days
1 level teaspoon of Vitamin C powder (Calcium Ascorbate) per day for 20 days
1/4 teaspoon (minimum) of Vitamin E powder per day for 20 days

Liver: Either Livatone or Lipotropene twice daily for 2 months.

During this time just walk the dog morning and night for four weeks before letting it off the lead for a bit of free running twice weekly for another four weeks.

Mate I hope this helps, but to be quite honest you are in for an uphill battle to get this dog 100% right again.

Tom