Our Little Quincy Has Auto-immune Disease, Hurts So Much Options

[Aaron]

It was just a few years ago that I came here to lean on this community for support when we lost our car Reggie to hepatic lipidosis (fatty liver disease). It's with great sorrow that I have to return for support for another sick pet. Our sweet dog Quincy, a Maltese, came down with auto immune disease recently and we are trying to suppress the inflammation, but it is proving to be a difficult task so far. We are by no means giving up, but I feel like every day that passes that he does not improve means we are closer to losing him. Back in late December he had his regular annual exam and got his vaccines. We suspect that one of the vaccines triggered his immune system to go into over-drive, for lack of a better phrase. The vaccine was not the cause, as all vets we have spoken with say this is genetic and it takes just one trigger to bring this disease to the surface.

We initially tried steroids which helped some, but it did not completely suppress the inflammation. He slowly got worse so we got an MRI done which revealed considerable fluid on the right side of his brain. So they tried a large does of steroids (prednisone) which had an impact but then he seemed to get worse. So we went to the next treatment which is chemo since we are trying to suppress over-active cell activity. He was having seizures so he is on meds that make him considerably drowsy, so it's hard to tell if the chemo is having an impact since they cannot measure his neurological signs accurately. But the doctor is concerned the chemo might not be having an impact, which means we have fewer treatment options. They have told us that if the chemo does not have an effect, then his prognosis is "poor".

If you are reading this, then you know how difficult this can be. We are stressed both physically and mentally and it would devastate us to lose another pet after just 2.5 years. I can't even imagine how destroyed my wife will be of we lose him, but I am starting to prepare myself for that. I am just typing this to get it off my mind and my chest. We are staying positive and won't go out without trying every viable option. But every day is incredibly difficult.

Thank you in advance for your thoughts and prayers.

[Aaron]

thank you moon beam. The last few days have been more difficult for whatever reason. The last few days Quincy has not been walking or getting up as well as in prior days, which could be the meds or could be an indication that the inflammation is getting worse. It's hard to tell right now. I have been out of the office all this week and came in this morning and had to leave because I was crying. I am a physical and emotional wreck right now.

Each day that passes it gets more difficult to see Quincy like this. He's a shell of his former self right now and that is so painful to see. One of the things that makes it so much more difficult is that we got Quincy a few months after we lost Reggie, so there is that connection. Quincy helped us manage our loss of Reggie and it hurts to think we may now lose Quincy. We just have to hope that these new meds kick in and help him. But it's getting more difficult with each passing day.

I don't have to explain to you the wonderful memories and all the ways in which Quincy is engrained in our lives and our home that make this ordeal even more difficult. You have been there before numerous times. I don't know if it helps me any, but I'd like to share some of my fondest memories of Quincy with you, if not to put a smile on someone's face.

One thing he did but hasn't since the auto immune disease set in was to greet anyone who walked into a room with a special "hello" bark. It wasn't his normal bark, but a more quiet, more reserved bark. You could tell he was doing it specifically to say hello. When he was excited to see you and he was laying on the couch or the floor, he would "swim" for you....he would put his front legs forward and his back legs straight back and make this cute little swimming motion. I would be sitting on the couch at night watching TV and he would come sit on my chest and lick my hand until I started giving him a back and ear massage. He loved his back and ear massages so much. While we never liked him barking at people through our back fence (we have a metal fence so our dogs are able to see people through it), he had this cute little howling bark that made me laugh every time I heard it. What I wouldn't do to hear that bark again. Quincy and his brother Woodrow love to chew on bully sticks and Quincy would always steal Woodrow's bully stick, even if the one he just had was the one he stole before.

Those are just a handful of the precious memories I have of Quincy. I don't mean to share them in a way that makes it look like he is gone, but I wanted you to know what kind of a special dog he is since I have not really shared any of that with you.

I will continue to update you on Quincy's progress. Thank you for reading and providing support in this time of need.