An email from our vet about her visit with Harriet today: Hi Thyme and Elizabeth, GREAT NEWS!! Harriet was much better hydrated today, and she seems more energetic. Her vital parameters were much more normal too, compared to last week. Blood Work Her serum creatinine concentration is now down into the NORMAL RANGE (1.2 mg/dl; normal is < 2 mg/dl). You have done a great job correcting her dehydration. Further, you appropriately over-hydrated her, thereby helping her kidneys flush out nitrogenous waste that built up in her bloodstream. Now our goal is to maintain hydration. You can decrease the subcutaneous fluids to 500 mls once a day. Keep up the oral hydration 2-3 times a day, and Fibe-Revive twice daily. Complete Blood Count (CBC) Good news: Fibrinogen (an inflammatory marker) went from 1,200 mg/dl (very high) last Wednesday to 400 mg/dl (normal) today! That is a simply amazing change! Her white blood cell count is decreased to 31,300 cells/ul. This value is still quite increased but is better than it was last week. Also, the immature cells are no longer seen, so she is getting a handle on the infection. These findings indicate that oxytetracycline (LA 200) is a good antibiotic choice. Continue to give her 2.5 mls subcutaneously every 3 days for the next several weeks. Several things still worry me: Her hematocrit (machine generated number similar to the packed cell volume) is 12% (normal is 28-38%), and there are no signs of red blood cell regeneration on the CBC. This level of anemia will keep her very weak and vulnerable to chilling. Continue to provide excellent nursing care as she is not out of the woods yet. Her appetite is still a bit lackluster, but better than it was last week. Continue to provide her plenty of grazing opportunities out front. Do not hurry her when leading her, as any struggling could cause her to pass out or seizure as a result of her low hematocrit. Keep us posted! We can check her again Friday or next Monday, or even sooner, depending on her progression.
Posted on: Tue, 02 Dec 2014 04:44:05 +0000
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