hello from Dolly's mom, a 9 yr old min pin diagnosed 4 long months ago

[minpinlover]

Hello! My name is Michelle. I am 36, from NY. My baby Dolly gurl is a 9 year old min pin who was diagnosed with CIL back around May. She always had bouts of pancreatitis through the years, but this came on suddenly when she got pneumonia in April. It was like everything came crashing down since. She wasn't getting better w the pneumonia and the vet finally realized something else was going on. Hence, the CIL diagnosis. This is where we are at today:

We cannot get her albumin level to increase. It has been hovering from 1.8-2.3 the last few months.

She is on a very strict new diet and many meds. Her diet consists of Prescription ID low fat food from the Dr. And I boil chicken cutlets for her, a half for breakfast and a half for dinner, to get her to also eat her diet food. She also gets organic non fat chicken jerky as a treat. Her other treats are carrots and blueberries approved by the vet.

She is on Atiopca, once a day. She takes 2 prednisone pills a day. She takes a small amount of baby aspirin a day to prevent stroke. She also gets weekly B12 shots. I give her pills in a small amount of peanut butter. I am up to about $5000 since April in tests and meds.

And still, no better.

Her symptoms, besides the blood test, are vomit, usually in the middle of the night, anywhere from 1-5 times a week. And gas/diahrrea at times.

My vet is banging his head on the wall because we are treating this very aggressive, with poor results.

Could she be allergic to the chicken all this time? Maybe its not fat but its a protein allergy? Or both?

After reading this site, I am going to try turkey as her protein. Is that much of a difference then chicken?

ANY OTHER ADVICE ON SOMETHING WE ARE MISSING?

My baby is my world and all I have. I am not ready to let go of her and put her down as she does not look like she is suffering.

Are they in pain?

My vet is going to consult with a specialist in DC that treated George Bush's dog with this disease. anyone from NY? anyone know of that DC dr?

thank you for your help in advance!!!!!!!!!

Michelle & Dolly gurl

[DivasMom]

The conundrum with CIL is food that has fat triggers the disease and can cause scary fast weight loss and diarrhea, among other things. It's hard to see them so skinny and yet continue to feed zero fat food because you want your baby to gain weight. This is a crazy making disease for the dog and the owner!

Divas Mom

[Cocoa's Mom]

So sorry to hear this. My Cocoa is also a minpin. In October she will be two years out from diagnosis. I spent $5K over three days at the emergency vet hospital and another $5K with my regular vet during the following few months. Totally worth it as she is one of my babies! She had an infusion of human albumin and then a biopsy confirmed her diagnosis. Her disease is now very well managed. See if you are able to go back in the history of posts, if you think it would be helpful, as I posted monthly updates on her albumin levels and course of treatment. I was lucky to find an unbelievably intelligent vet internist and a fantastic regular vet who manages the disease so well. Pretty much my dog is now vegan. She was on so many meds I had to keep special Chris and pill organizers, but now down to budesonide twice a week and monthly B-12 injections. She only eats Purina HD kibble, but now gets the following treats on occasion: organic baby carrots, organic dried sweet potatoe, organic blueberries, organic apples and a special diet cookie.