Milo has been off his food a bit this last couple of weeks, which he has never been and just now in the garden he was obviously in discomfort and rubbing like mad and pawing at the side of his face.
I thought he had been stung so lifted his top lip and then up into the fold was a really huge ulcer about the size of a 5p piece and it looks really nasty.
As some of you may know I lost my last 2 dogs aged 4 yrs and 7yrs to autoimmune disease which manifested itself as ulcers in the mouth and throat which spread rapidly and eventually it killed them.
I can't stop sobbing as his looks even worse and he has been coughing and choking the last couple of weeks too which my other dogs done because of the ulceration low down in the throat.
I put his coughing etc down to his hayfever but now it looks like he could have the same as them .
I will get him to the vets tomorrow afternoon, but having been there twice its not looking like good news. He is only 4years old my poor little baby.
I can't stop crying I just don't want to lose him too.

just wanted you to know im thinking of you.
xx

This must be horrible for you,i hope everything goes ok at the vets.
Doesn't this seem very unlucky that you could have three dogs with the same thing. Whats the chance of that?
Is this something dogs can be born with but doesn't show up or can they catch it, sorry i've never heard of dogs getting this before.
I'll be thinking of you. Good luck. 

Dear bevb,
I am so sorry that you are having to deal with this again. I feel sure that you probably know more about canine autoimmune diseases than any of us, but I just wondered if you had been in touch with Jean Dodds in the USA? I believe that she is a world expert in the field and would, at least, be able to advise you on the best treatments over here and who to see.

Please accept my apologies if, as I suspect, you know all this already. It's just that even in four years, new treatments can be discovered.

Please let us know how you get on at your vet and we will be thinking about you.

ditto here, we are thinking of you, try not to worry, i know that is easier said then done, hugs to you and your boy x x

Just to say how sorry I am for you and really hope you get better news than expected at the Vet's. If it is autoimmune related, I agree with what Freelancer has said about Jean Dodds, a friend of mine had a dog with terrible auto immune problems, and the advice she received was excellent and really helped.

Thankyou everyone, keep those good vibes coming for little Milo.
I have got him an appointment for 2.45 this afternoon and luckily my own vet is in today (she is not normally in Mondays) so I am relieved about that.
I havn't had a lot of sleep for worrying and poor little lad is really looking low, he keeps shaking and is very clingy, or if he can't be on my lap or beside me he hides behind the sofa and shakes.
I went and saw my friend last night and told her about Milo, she saw Milo last Thurs first time for a couple of months and she said he didn't seem himself then as he was so quiet and Milo is normally hyper around people. I suppose this has been coming on gradually and I hadn't noticed till she said how quiet he has got. I did notice he doesn't want to walk far though.
Anyway I will update you all after my trip to the vets with him.

Keeping everything crossed for a good outcome.

Sending you lots of love and hugs - I hope it all works out well for you

Lou xx

Keeping everything crossed for you and Milo, hope it is good news this afternoon.

We are back. The vet took blood and gave him some antibiotics as she said he was also looking a little yellow. As I got home and walked in the door the phone was ringing and it was my vet with the blood results. (very quick )
His white blood cells are up a bit as are his Eonsiphills (sp) and something else.
She wants to see him again Thursday afternoon and if the ulcer looking no better or any more come up she is going to have him in and biopsy it to see if it is the dreaded auto immune.
The raised levels in his blood do point to that and is what my other dogs showed, but he is on steroids which I have to get him off in the next couple of days which could upset the bloods a bit.
So I am still worried and will be until the ulcer either disapears or a biopsey shows otherwise.
Everything is just a carbon copy of my last two dogs. So please keep positive thoughts and prayers going for my little man as I don't know if I can honestly cope with the heartbreak again.

It sounds as your vet is on the ball so to speak, getting results to you very quick, and my thoughts are with you and lots of ((hugs))) to Milo, fingers and toes are crossed that things turn out well.

Hi

So sorry to hear your news. and so sorry you're having to deal with this bl***y disease again.
I know how you must be feeling, I've lost two dogs to AIHA, Billy the most recent in March this year. 

How was Milo's PCV and HCT?  Did your vet put him on steroids and an immunosuppressant or are they waiting for full results?  I would agree with your other posters re: Dr Dodds.  She is an absolute champion - if you can get copies of blood results and email them to her,  she is very quick at responding with her thoughts/ideas/regimes.  She helped me a lot when Billy was ill.

Please, please try to stay strong, I know you must be at your wits end - it is horrific when you're faced with it again and I feel for you.

Prayers and hugs to you and Milo xxx

Steph

I am very sorry you are facing this again Bev but once again I cannot help but feel it must be something environmental as this seems beyond coincidence.  Has your vet anything to say on the issue of it recurring to you?

If you google Dr Jean Dodds at hemopet.htm, her website should come up with all her contact numbers and email. if you haven't done so I'd really urge you to try and talk to her (with USA times you may be able to get through this evening) and explain your situation and history and that you need all the help you can get). I understand she is a good person who really cares, so it is worth a try. Although her specialism is thyroid she will be across the other autoimmune areas and the latest research and treatments and can advise you accordingly.

Good luck and keep fighting.

Dr. Jean Dodds: Home Office: (Mon/Tues/Fri)
Phone 310/ 828-4804  -- Pacific Time
    Fax: 310/ 828-8251
938 Stanford St.
Santa Monica, CA 90403   USA

Dr. Jean Dodds: HEMOPET / HEMOLIFE Office: (Wed/Thurs)
Phone: 714/ 891-2022 -- Pacific Time
    Fax: 714/ 891-2123
11330 Markon Drive
Garden Grove, CA 92841   USA

    e-mail:  hemopet at hotmail . com (change the at  to @ and omit spaces when typing in address)

Sorry admin, if this is an illegal post, not sure- just want to help Bevb.

    HEMOPET Web Site

Thankyou all so much for all your help and good wishes.  I havn't got full diagnosis yet and won't be 100% sure until or if we do a biopsey of the big ulcer.  Will see how he is on Thursday as to whether that goes ahead.
We are getting him off the steroids from tomorrow as vet said the steroids may have caused the ulcer.  I personally don't think so but when you have lived this awful nightmare twice before you can't help but worry and be upset especailly as this is a carbon copy of my last two. I just have this awful feeling I am there again with little Milo and it breaks my heart.
Hopefully I am wrong but if I am not I will be contacting DR Jean Dodds to see if she can help us in any way at all. Thanks for the contact details Freelancer.
I will not be putting Milo through the trauma pain and suffering the other 2 went through for a year each in trying to find something that may help.  I will try till I think its too much for him and thats it.  I know there is no cure just a hope of getting it into remission.

my very best wishes are with you and milo,bevb.i hope milo is feeling better soon so his mummy doesn't have to worry so muchx

Bev I am not sure where about you are based but I really believe it would be well worth having a referral to one of these vets:
http://www.holisticvet.co.uk/ 
http://www.naturalmedicinecentre.net/
both brilliant in their field and will work with your vet to help Milo.

Environmental factors also crossed my mind, but I would still be seeking out an alternative treatment which can be just as effective and far more gentle for your boys immune system.  

Oh bless anymore news. Poor Milo and poor you, fingers crossed.

thinking of you and milo

Bev, I am so sorry to read this about Milo; I cannot believe that you could be going through this again.  I do believe this sounds beyond a co-incidence and likely environmental.  Autoimmune diseases can be acquired. I really do hope this is not what it first appears and Milo makes a quick and full recovery.

Prayers for you and Milo from all here

Agree with Perry, my girl was diagnosed this year with an auto immune problem and although she is treated with steroids and immunosuppressents I have also treated her homeopathically and all the vets and specialists can't believe how quickly she has improved.

I do however think like some of the others on here - 1 dog to get an auto immune problem is unlucky - 3 to get it - then something is definitely going on.

If any of my other dogs got an immune condition then I would be doing alot of research in my area and really looking into things. 

Chris Day is the alternative Vet that I used to refer people to for immune problems and Cushings etc.  His success was amazing.
http://www.alternativevet.org/mainmenu.htm

You may prefer to consider finding help more locally.
http://www.bahvs.com/findavet.htm

I too would highly recommend Chris Day. He's a lovely, approachable man.

Will be thinking of you and Milo this afternoon, how awful for you to have this worry all over again.
All the good vibes coming your way that it is something else.

Any news Bev?
I'm sorry to hear about your boy Milo and i hope to god he is ok and that you can get through, both of you what ever it is that he has...

Arrr bless him,(and you) Hope they can do something for him,cant they remove it?Thinking of you, try not to get upset he might be ok xx

Just want to say looking at the website it looks great (The Alternative Vet) - have already passed onto a friend for advice.  Thanks for posting that.

Thanks again for the help and links.  We will be at the vets for 2.30 this afternoon and I will know a bit more then hopefully.
If this does turn out to be autoimmune disease again i will be looking at alternative treatments too so thanks.
The ulcer is still there and very sore for him so havn't messed it about today but yesterday I don't think it looked so red and angry although that may be wishful thinking on my part as it still looks as big.
I will update you all after the vets.

Hope all went well.  We are all rooting for you.  {{{{   HUGS   }}}}

It might help to put some colloidal silver in his drinking water bev or if you can spray some directly onto the ulcer, colloidal silver is one of the best treatments for mouth ulcers.  I'd be very sceptical of futher medication such as steroids or ab's at this stage.

Any thing more before I logg off for the weekend.

Keeping everything crossed. I agree with Isabel three dogs affected is way too much of a coincidence, there must be something in the environment causing it -question is what?

I hope yesterdays news was good. Fingers crossed.

Just a thought, but I had a GSD who used to get a really sore nasty split in her nose each winter. Our vet recommended using Orabase which he uses on ulcers on Koi Carp. He said it worked as it is designed to be used in the mouth and did not wash off with saliva. Her nose would be fine one day, then the following morning she would have a very sore split right up the front of each nostrel. Within a couple of days the nose would be totally healed again. Prior to using the Orabase, she would have a split nose for weeks on end as any topical application was promptly washed of with a soggy tongue.

I am so sory to hear about little Milo, Bev.  I do hope the vet can get to the bottom of this quickly and that he will feel better soon.

Fingers crossed and thinking of you.

Snowflake (Mary)

bevb,

We haven't heard anything from you about Milo. I do hope that all is well.

Latest Update on Milo. Sorry for the delay but I am a bit all over the place here with milo and trying to get over to my mothers once or twice a day after her fall.
I saw the vet the other day and the steroids were affecting milo badly so he has had to come off them and we decided rather than dive in and start biopsying  the ulcer or refferring him for an endescope to just monitor him for a little longer as he gets so stressed at the vets.  She said she would ring me today for an update.

I have just got off the phone from the vet, she rung to see how he was doing and his ulcer is still there in his mouth but not looking so red and angry so am still hoping its healing.
I had to stop the steroids as they were causing his poo to be black pointing towards bleeding in the stomach somewhere and he got quite anemic again on them and started eating soil yesterday, which totally out of character he actually growled and snapped at me when I tried to stop him so I had to loop a lead over his neck as he attacked it and remove him from the soil.
He is still scratching and itching like mad and keeps gulping and has little choking fits (which I hope is down to the allergys and not ulcers in his throat).
Vet is leaving me out some Antepsin to soothe his stomach in case its ulcerated and going to try him on Atopica for the allergies instead of steroids. She said the Atopica can also cause stomach problems but hopefully with the Antepsin it will be ok.
I will pick those up tomorrow and she will ring me towards the end of the week for an update.
So I will keep you all updated again towards the end of the week unless anything crops up meantime.
Thanks again for all your support.