September 28, 2017

White Dog murmured one word, "Believe," to the blizzard gathered around YoYoMa as Steve gave him his nightly medications.

I admit to thinking a message of hope to the Universe as well.

Tonight we make a switch and head into the unknown with Yo's IMHA medical cocktail. As those who follow us know, our Big Boy developed a reaction to his combination of drugs that was holding his anemia at a steady acceptable place that caused deep lesions to open on his legs and pads of his feet. He lost his ability to walk. And then his HCT number started dropping.

We decided to strip Yo down to bare coverage for the anemia in hopes of healing the wounds and getting him back on his feet. The ulcers were healing  but we had to bump back up a bit to reverse the downward trend in his hematocrit count.

YoYoMa's number has been a stable 32, fair but not in the normal range, for the past three blood tests. But the trade off has been that the rear foot with the first and deepest ulcer stopped healing. All of the other factors are very positive: he is eating, walks as well as possible being bandaged, is aware and active, and is engaged enough to be interested in his new sibling.

"I would rather have waited to get his number back up," our beloved vet indicated. "but I think we need to do it and get him back in balance." Everything we have read and discussed with experts say this new medication, mycophenolate, is as effective as cyclosporine without the complications when mixed with prednisone. Dr. Julia, however, has never used this drug. We trust that she and Cindy, her best researcher have given up sleep to make sure we do not go into this shift blindered. We trust her instincts and have delved into the protocol as well. We will be extra cautious and over zealous in testing.

This seems the direction needed.  But the unknown is still scary.

And of course we will not instantly know of the success. We will draw blood again on Monday after he has had several days of the new treatment but that will not tell us how Yo's body will react over the long term or what kind of fluctuations will occur before finding a balance.

Tonight as we salved and rebandaged the stubborn back foot and redressed the front to prevent licking, it was clear that we needed to re-start the process of controlling the blood weeping and closing the flesh. It was not acceptable to trade that off for good red blood counts.

YoYoMa has a Spirit that is unrelenting in its courage and he calmly leads us all as we shift course. The power of love, White Dog reminds us, is strong medicine and YoYoMa is surrounded by it.

Still, a momma has a right to worry...even if she never says it aloud.