I too am sorry Max has such a hard condition to treat. Did you get Max from a Rescue that could help financially ? Does Max ever seem happy/normal or pretty much miserable most of the time ? Praying for peace for you and your family. Good health is frequently a long journey so don't give up !!
Max's test results
- Thread starter Lynnel
- Start date
Unfortunetely rescued him in maryland, and are not helpful in anyway. But thankfully i have everyone here and my friends at NJ and TSSR. Financial would be great but we can't have everything, can we. But i do have friends and family that help our rescues and that makes me very happy, because they are wonderful to our fur babies.
Max doesn't get excited ever, but i do know that he knows he is loved.
Max doesn't get excited ever, but i do know that he knows he is loved.
Sheltiemama
Forums Enthusiast
I can't help but I wanted to lend my moral support! I have a little Max that is a rescue too. Just had him to a new vet yesterday. I know how hard it is when you can't figure out what's wrong with him. I'm so sorry and I hope someone can help that little guy!
ClantyreSheltie
Forums Sage
No, rescues are not in the business of funding the dogs care after placement. I will be happy to forward this on to Donna for you though.
Two things stand out here. First, I firmly believe that there comes a point where things are over complicated. I think you are there. Were this my dog, I would put him on a RAW diet (no grains, no starch, no kibble, nothing) and remove all but the thyroid meds to give his body a chance to heal. No more steroids, no more allergy shots, no more anything. I think between the drugs and the strange foods, he is not being given the opportunity to heal.
The other thing is that sometimes the dogs truly are allergic to their surroundings. We got a dog in our rescue that the owners flew up from Florida. The dog was allergic to that Florida grass and there wasn't a thing they could do about it. Keeping the dog doped up for his whole life was not the right thing, so she sent him north, away from the environment.
Our last sheltie sounds so much like Max in regards to his health. Hypothyroid, allergies, taking steroids. I echo the post about taking him off the steroids. They can contribute to gallbladder mucoceles which is what finally took our Shelby. I know you said the vet checked for this but please keep this in mind. I'm keeping positive thoughts for Max and hope they can get to the bottom of his problems.
Meadow and Reno
Shelby, Shep and Shandy( rainbow bridge )
Meadow and Reno
Shelby, Shep and Shandy( rainbow bridge )
This was not your rescue, if you would like i will look at his records. The whole adoption stunk! Max was with his brother for 2.5 years do we wanted his brother. In Nj we would never seperate them. We went down labor day so he wouldn't be somewhere else too! I even called the owner of his brother to se if i could adopt him or give her max? I thought for the longest time Max was just depressed, but with his odor i knew it had to be more.
Something was not right with the adoption. I even looked on his reoced and found his breeder, and she said the couple of max and his. Rother called her. She told them she would take both dogs back? She never heard a thing until I called.
Never once did i consider calling them for. Oney or anything else! I do know they were not honest with us.
Thank you for sharing with me, but o need to worry, max is off steriods now, we even have him on chinese herbs, but they take a long time to work with allergies. Luckily max diesn't like outside, so he does his business on a old patio and we take himto the board walk for a walk. No grasses etc for him. Believe me when i tell you i do nothing but read and i teach my vets! Lol he has bllod work and ultra sounds everymthree months and if he shows anything out of the. Orm he is checked. Its cery costly and we're both unemployed so i have ro work fast because the money is running out fast. Thats why i need this site for some answers quickly.
This is only a suggestion and I am not a vet -- but have you had Max tested for tick disease?
Lyme, ehrlichia, and anaplasmosis are all very nasty diseases, and tick diseases in general sometimes present a very confusing set of symptoms that are not the same in different dogs.
I rescued a Lapphund who lived all his life in Maryland before coming to me, and he tested positive for Lyme when he was 2 (he was an owner surrender to a shelter so I have his med records) and tested positive for Ehrlichia when he was pulled from the shelter at age 9. The Ehrlichia is chronic and hoo boy, it's a real bag of tricks: his liver enzymes are elevated, his platelets are low and lower and dangerously low at times, we test his blood regularly and I have a set of supplements I use when he's in a flare of the disease. We've only had to use Pred once, knock wood. He will be 13 in July.
Anyway, if you have not already done so, I would take Max in and get the 4-way SNAP test (heartworm, Lyme, ehrlichia, and anaplasmosis). If he comes back positive for any of the three tick diseases, I would find a vet who has dealt with tick diseases before. The typical treatment is high-dose doxycycline for minimum of one month, but there is a whole lot of info out there if you need it ... Hope you don't, but it absolutely could explain what's wrong with your Sheltie boy.
Good luck.
Lyme, ehrlichia, and anaplasmosis are all very nasty diseases, and tick diseases in general sometimes present a very confusing set of symptoms that are not the same in different dogs.
I rescued a Lapphund who lived all his life in Maryland before coming to me, and he tested positive for Lyme when he was 2 (he was an owner surrender to a shelter so I have his med records) and tested positive for Ehrlichia when he was pulled from the shelter at age 9. The Ehrlichia is chronic and hoo boy, it's a real bag of tricks: his liver enzymes are elevated, his platelets are low and lower and dangerously low at times, we test his blood regularly and I have a set of supplements I use when he's in a flare of the disease. We've only had to use Pred once, knock wood. He will be 13 in July.
Anyway, if you have not already done so, I would take Max in and get the 4-way SNAP test (heartworm, Lyme, ehrlichia, and anaplasmosis). If he comes back positive for any of the three tick diseases, I would find a vet who has dealt with tick diseases before. The typical treatment is high-dose doxycycline for minimum of one month, but there is a whole lot of info out there if you need it ... Hope you don't, but it absolutely could explain what's wrong with your Sheltie boy.
Good luck.