4. Improvements!

Sorry its been a few days since my last post.

So after speaking to the Neurologist on Monday, we took Boson in to get some blood taken, just to check what his body is up to. His liver enzymes and neutrophils (immune cells that are the first to the site of infection) were high, but this is to be expected at this stage of the treatment. His CRP (a protein that rises in response to inflammation) is normal, which the Neurologist explained as meaning he is technically in remission from meningitis! He was feeling better by Tuesday night, and had no further vomiting episodes.

In general Boson is improving day by day. He has more energy, is wanting to go for walks and is playing with his toys. His appetite is ravenous, and he has taken to trying to scavenge pavement food. He have to watch him like a hawk! Despite this, he is still painfully thin, and would make a good model for the next RSPCA TV advert! We are feeding him 4 smaller meals of his usual raw diet throughout the day, with around 200g extra to what he would normally eat. Weight gain has to be done slowly, which is frustrating for us, we need to be patient!

We are adding things like goats milk/yoghurt (fats), spirulina (vitamins and minerals), Prokolin Probiotic), slippery elm (to help digestion) and bone broth to his diet to aid recovery. I have also been looking at CBD oil, after reading many reports of the health benefits for dogs. But there seems to be a possibility that it may react with the Prednisolone, making it more potent. So this may have to put on the back burner for now, until I can find any information on it.

It occurred to me that Boson first became ill after having an ear infection, but he also had a booster at the same time. I have been reading more and more that vaccinations could be a trigger of SRMA. They can cause an adverse reaction of the immune system, especially in younger dogs (up to around 2 years old). We will never know the cause, but his days of boosters are over. Because he has had an auto-immune condition, it is not advisable to vaccinate him, so he will be titre tested from now on.

Bosons steroids have been slightly reduced again,  and he seems to be tolerating this well. He will be on them for a few months yet, and will need another spinal sample in around 4 months. Fingers crossed that he continues to fight like the stubborn Stafford that he is!

Thanks for reading, and feel free to share. The more people who know about this condition, the quicker the signs will be spotted, and the quicker treatment can start.

Lynn and Boson x