A sick puppy.
I did take Jo-Jo to the vet on Tuesday and the problem with her leg is part of something serious. It turns out she's been infected with canine ehrlichiosis, a potentially fatal disease. The vet seemed concerned and gave me two options, either treat my dog with medicine (Doxycycline) or a blood transfusion. The blood transfusion seemed extreme, so I went with the medicine but took the information for emergency vets just in case. From what I could research, getting the blood transfusion without the medicine would simply be treating a symptom and not the problem. According to the vet, Jo-Jo needs to stay on the medicine for a month, but may need an additional month or two after that.
I'm not sure how long it'll take to see an improvement, but so far I'm still worried. It hasn't been a full 72 hours yet, but I'm still mulling over how long I should wait for the medicine to work. Her other joints are starting to swell, and I found some blood on her gums tonight. But she still has energy, still walks (though she has a hard time going up and down the steps) and still has a good appetite. I'll give her a full week, unless she takes a turn for the worst, but right now all I can do is hope and pray that the medicine works.
I've also been spraying down the house and using tick repellent (the source of this problem). Though I've not been able to find a single tick on Jo-Jo yet, nor has she had a problem with pests since becoming an indoor dog. I suppose she could have picked it (the tick) up from other neighborhood dogs. Until Jo-Jo starts to improve I'll probably continue to spend most of my time worried. Her follow up visit to the vet is in a little under a month from now.
I'm not sure how long it'll take to see an improvement, but so far I'm still worried. It hasn't been a full 72 hours yet, but I'm still mulling over how long I should wait for the medicine to work. Her other joints are starting to swell, and I found some blood on her gums tonight. But she still has energy, still walks (though she has a hard time going up and down the steps) and still has a good appetite. I'll give her a full week, unless she takes a turn for the worst, but right now all I can do is hope and pray that the medicine works.
I've also been spraying down the house and using tick repellent (the source of this problem). Though I've not been able to find a single tick on Jo-Jo yet, nor has she had a problem with pests since becoming an indoor dog. I suppose she could have picked it (the tick) up from other neighborhood dogs. Until Jo-Jo starts to improve I'll probably continue to spend most of my time worried. Her follow up visit to the vet is in a little under a month from now.