Zora's been off the Clavamox (antibiotic) and Panacur (dewormer) for the last five days or so, but has been on a steady dosage of the Prednisone (steroid). The Prednisone is what has decreased the inflammation in her airways and stopped the heaving. At least for now.
Even with the heaving being under control, I was still concerned about her overall well-being. My 3-year-old crazy puppy isn't anywhere close to her old self. However, the weather has been hot and humid, her sickness has been going on for seven weeks and she's been pumped full of A LOT of very potent meds lately... so it's really hard to tell if something is still not quite right or she just needs some time to recuperate.
The goal today was to redo bloodwork and x-rays. Thankfully Miss Zora didn't have to be away too long and they had the results (and my brave girl) back to us within a couple hours. For once, we were greeted with happy faces and good news. Her eosinophil count (white blood cells) went from 20,000 on June 11 to a normal count of only 500 today. Her bronchial pattern went from severe to mild and the vets were amazed at how much her lungs cleared up in the x-rays.
We were also told to file our lymphoma fear under "extremely unlikely."
... ... ... deep breath.
Our next step is to cut back Zora's Predisone from one and a half to only one per day. After two weeks, we decrease the dosage again to only a half a pill a day. After three weeks, she should be off the Prednisone completely. If the heaving does not come back, we chalk this whole ordeal up to either bronchitis or parasites (most likely lungworm). If it does come back, we get her back on the lowest dose of Prednisone we can in order to reduce the inflammation to prevent any further episodes. In theory, she'd be diagnosed with Eosinophilic Bronchopneumopathy.
Even though today's visit didn't provide any definitive diagnosis or answers, it felt incredible to receive some good news for once. She's not 100% out of the woods yet, but we're making great strides and there is light at the end of the tunnel. To be honest with you, I went into today's appointment fearing the worst. We are all so relieved and thank you everyone who has kept my fur baby in your prayers these last couple months. xo
