Great Pyreneese with Lupus

[Grandma C]

My great pyreneese is about 9 mo old and 2 !/2 mo ago she became ill with hair falling out severe itching sores and scabs everywhere even in her ears. She quit eating and became lethargic and just generaly pitifull. The Veterinarian thinks it might be lupus because she tested negative for mange and everything else. We did not have her checked for lupus because of an astronomical Veterinarian bill. She is on prednisone, Prilosec and benedryl. and perks up pretty well with hair growing back in but a few days after we back down on the dosage of prednisone she gets sick again. Has anyone got any suggestions where to go to maybe get more information. Maybe someone very familiar with the breed and breed specific problems or needs nutritionaly.
If this continues we will have to euthanize her because of the expense. I have 4 other dogs that are rescued dogs and just can't afford to take care of a high maintanance pet. She is such a sweet pet and guards our 4 goats.
Grandma C

[palehorse]

Originally Posted by Grandma C

The Veterinarian thinks it might be lupus because she tested negative for mange and everything else.

Lupus in dogs
This disease is classified as an "autoimmune disorder". This means that the body decided that some part of it's body should not be there, or foreign material, so it attacks that part as if it were an invader. This causes SEVERE reactions in tissue cells in many bodily systems. In this situation the dog's body sees many of the cells components as an invader. (the nucleus, cytoplasm and the cell's surface too)

Symptoms of Lupus in dogs
Dog owner may notice signs of lethargy, behavior change, mobility impairment and skin lesions. (most likely the mange looking stuff you described).

Diagnosis of lupus in dogs
Lab tests like "antinuclear antibody test" or a "Lupus Erythematosus test", are needed to confirm this illness, and sometimes further testing is needed to positively confirm this. Tests like joint tap, X-rays, biopsy, and urine analysis are usually called for.

Treatment of Lupus in dogs
Unfortunately you are looking at chemotherapy for your dog, and I can relate to this. My schnauzer is undergoing chemotherapy for the treatment of lymphoma cancer currently. I will say that chemo is different for dogs then humans, chemo in dogs is a LOT less stressful then chemo in humans. Almost none of the side effects humans experience are experienced by dogs. The reason being is scale to scale, they give far less of a dose to dogs. But... It IS expensive. About averaging 150 to 200 dollars a week. (In Bitsy's case).

This condition starts out with very subtle warning signs. A visit to the Veterinarian EARLY when symptoms start manifesting themselves is the best way to fight it. The earlier it is caught the better.

If it is in fact lupus your dog has, unfortunately the prognosis does not look very good.

Sorry... I do hope this helped you, and you have my heart felt sympathy on this matter.

Peace

Mike

[Grandma C]

Thank You for the info. I wish I could afford the chemo and further testing but it is out of our reach. .
Grandma C

[Grandma C]

after 4months of missery with prednisone and a chemo drug puddin' went to sleep forever yesterday
Grandma C

[Tucker'sMom]

I am sorry for your loss.