15/05/2025
Hazel has been diagnosed with an autoimmune disease. It slowly attacked the skin of her eyes, feet, nose and mouth. It’s an insidious disease that presented itself over a period of several months to each of these areas one by one. As each area broke down, the vet treated it as a separate entity. First one foot pad on each foot became swollen, tender and pink. Then the skin around her eyes broke down and became inflamed, weepy and very sore. Then the skin inside and around her mouth became ulcerated and infected. Finally a very small area on her nose lost pigment. Each layer unveiled itself individually over a period of about 6 months. Several different medications were prescribed over this period of time for each infection as it showed up. Ultimately it was realized that these were actually secondary infections resulting from an autoimmune disease attacking Hazels skin. Each would improve while she was on the antibiotic only to return shortly after the antibiotic was complete.
This week Hazel went for a follow up appointment to her favorite vet Dr Michael Berard at The Colchester Veterinary Hospital. We received wonderful news that her condition has stabilized!!! The goal was to get her on a medication regimen that treats her symptoms without having to put her on medication specifically for autoimmune disease as these medications can be harsh on a canines body. She’s currently taking prednisone to aid her immune system and clindamycin to battle the secondary infections that she’s at risk for. She’s also on an eye ointment for dry eye to her left eye. These will likely be lifelong for Hazel. I will also be applying a topical antibiotic medication for her mouth which will be used as needed for secondary infection. During all of these months Hazel continued to wag her tail when petted or spoken to never losing her special love for love 🩷 She did become very quiet, however, sleeping the days away and becoming very inactive. She plumped up a bit to 167 pounds. However, through diet and slow return to exercise she’s now a perfect 150 pounds and is back to her normal, engaged, alert and “active” lifestyle !! Let’s face it- she’s never been a “high energy” gal!
I share this story because I always feel knowledge is power. Hazel is a young lady at 6 years old and we want her to be able to be her best self for the time she’s here with us!
Always advocate for your pet because they cannot do this for themselves. Find a vet who listens and has conversation with you about your pet. One who lets you ask a million questions and answer’s the questions and understands that we all know our babies best!
