Spry old dog

The vet called a week or so ago to say Ehrlichiosis was unlikely based on the results of the second titre. So Spackle's mysterious illness is back to being fully mysterious. However, you wouldn't know that he'd been sick at all from the way he's been slowly applying an extra daily meal and lots of treats to both building back the lost weight and romping about in the autumn weather.

Ehrlichiosis?

It turns out that, in addition to all the tests that came up negative, the good folks at WSU tested Spackle for Ehrlichiosis, a tick-borne bacterial disease which is also known by such serious names as canine rickettsiosis, canine hemorrhagic fever, and canine typhus. The test has just come back with a weak indication of infection. Greenlake is doing a follow-up titre (results expected by Friday) which, in combination with the first, will be more definitive. This disease could potentially explain the various symptoms that Spackle has had, and would be treated by continuing one of the antibiotics that he's been on and tapering the steroids. Other than the fact that his weight is down below Hoover's, Spackle is doing great, and seems to just need some fattening up. Luckily, his Grandma has been visiting from Doggie Heaven and is indulging him with scraps from the delicious chicken soup she cooked for dinner.

Two brief videos

First, there's Hoover and Sadie wrestling in Jerome Creek a couple weeks ago. Music is "Air on the G String", by J.S. Bach, played by the US Air Force Band (link). Chocolate Lab passing through background in Tessa, not Spackle.



Second, here's my attempt to capture Spackle's fine motor skills. Even if ageing hips may not be his leading health concern right now, we all enjoy the ritual of Spackle catching his bedtime joint-strengthening treats. His neck may not have the reach of a pro baseball player's mitt, but I think he easily competes in speed.

A brief visit to the doc

Hoover had a routine checkup scheduled for Monday with the wonderful Dr. Jeb Mortimer at Greenlake Animal Hospital. So we snuck Spackle in as well (Dr. M said he was hoping we would do so). He agreed that Spackle was looking good and said that if the massive swelling came back in a few months, it was likely to be lymphoma, and if it didn't, then it's probably an auto-immune disorder. In the first case, he said that lymphoma is the most treatable cancer a dog could have, but we'd have to explore those options when we came to it. In the latter case, he said it would be advisable to switch from the prednisone to a drug specifically designed for auto-immune problems, but that he could potentially last on that for the indefinite future.

He's been feeling well four days in a row, and while we're not reducing the doses of love and affection, it's now easier to relax and not wonder if he'll last through each day.

As for Hoover, he continues to be in fine physical health, but we did agree to have him innoculated against leptospirosis, the disease that Spackle turns out not to have had, on the grounds that any disease that could be suspected of putting a dog through this stuff was worth trying to avoid.

Doggie Heaven on Earth

Spackle was feeling good again today and it was bright and sunny, so we figured he deserved a visit to what is surely be his favorite place on the planet, the land of woodland pond and swimming pool, fields to roam, tennis balls, his buddy Loper, and loving people who have a generous hand with the table scraps.

If it turns out that this is just a brief window of health brought on by the steroid prednisone, then at least he got a chance to experience his favorite things in life. And in spite of the loss of weight and sick time without much exercise, he saw no need to slow down. Indeed, he seemed so fit that it was easy for us to not worry about the future and join Spackle where he lives, in the present: