Sunday, January 15, 2017

Update

Ramsey is doing better today.  I was able to start treatment for him almost as soon as his symptoms appeared and that has made a big difference.  twenty four hours on minocycline and he is just about his normal hugable, lovable, demanding self.

Ben though....I am worried about Ben. He is holding to this pattern he has been in: looking better then getting worse.  Yesterday, he looked OK. He was bright-eyed, good appetite, moving around although still stiff.

Today, he is noticeably more sore, depressed, lethargic and poor appetite. His temp was 97.5. I put a heavier blanket on him and he perked up a little bit, but there is no good reason for him to be cold.

I will be talking with the vet again in the morning and will probably call Cornell again as well.  They have not been very helpful so far.  As soon as they hear the words "lame donkey", they assume it is laminitis and tell me to put him on a low-sugar diet.  Which he is already on.  Now that there is a second donkey sick with the same symptoms and a fever, I doubt they will blow me off so quickly.

I'm just going to keep doling out drugs and see what tomorrow brings.  

11 comments:

  1. It is hard when animals are sick. You can only do what you can do. Sometimes the tests for Lymes are not reliable. If you have had ticks treat for it. Good Luck! :)

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  2. So FRUSTRATING! I hope you come across someone who will commit to trying to find out what is going on! Got everything crossed for a good outcome for all...

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  3. So glad Ramsay has I,proved quickly and that may help in some way with getting relief for Ben. Have you ever looked into Turmeric, specifically Golden Paste, a homemade mix of oil turmeric and black pepper. I've just started it a few days ago for some soreness issues for my donkey and myself, so I can't speak from experience, but there is an excellent Facebook users group, Turmeric Users Group, which is administered by a veterinarian and health care professionals. I searched Lyme Disease in it and one of the admins has chronic effects from Lyme has gotten relief from turmeric. There's a link to the recipe and more information on her post, which I think comes up first.

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  4. I just searched turmeric on your blog and see you have ease arched and used it! I didn't see if you checked into the user group and specific recipe, but will read more of what your experience has been. The admins believe that using the golden paste recipe is much better than most supplements. You are probably aware of them since you do research things so thoroughly!

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  5. I'm pulling for you. I hope Ben can beat this.

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  6. So sorry to hear of the boys' health troubles. I'm rooting for a good outcome for both of them. Hugs and good thoughts coming your way from California!

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  7. Gosh, sorry to hear this. I don't internet on the weekends, so am coming in on the tail end of it. Will have to go back and see the rest.

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  8. Poor Ben, I really feel for him. I still feel like that somee days, even after five years of treatment for Lyme, but I never had an owner who go onto it so quickly!!

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  9. I haven't checked in in a while (and I'm not a regular commenter anyway!), but, ugh, so sorry this is going on! But I'm so so glad these guys are with YOU. If anyone can help them, I'm confident it's you with your knowledge, intuition and advocacy in working with the vets. Hang in there.

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  10. Oh, I'm so sorry! Poor Ben...sure hope you get some answers and that he feels better real soon. Did you have his ACTH levels checked at Cornell? They have a good endocrinology lab and they test for glucose and insulin along with it. And it's not very expensive. That's where we sent samples for our Ladde, and without that info we wouldn't have known how to proceed.

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  11. This has got to be so frustrating. I was wondering about EPM but I didn't think donkeys got it. So many things to consider. I'm sure hoping that you are able to find a solution.

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