Back on Track

11/2/13 - I have changed Shasta's diet and am now feeding her a commercial Raw Food diet. I started with Small Batch beef patties, but there are too many foods high in phytoestrogens so I have switched to Chewy and Stella's Raw Foods. Shasta loves this food... it does contain foods that have phytoestrogens, but not nearly as high as others. After much research I'm unable to find a nutritious commercial dog food that does not include some phytoestrogens. Shasta digests this food well and her stomach seems to tolerate it as well, meaning she is absorbing the minerals and nutrients. It is expensive, but considering I'm not cooking her steaks anymore I think it evens out for right now. Once I get her back to normal weight I will cut back on the amounts I'm feeding her and that will cut the cost as well. : ) If you're nervous about a raw food diet, please do some research as it is much easier for animals to digest, easy to feed to your pets because they come in patties, and as long as you wash your hands and handle the raw meat as you would do any raw meats in your kitchen, it is safe. Since this diet change her stools have improved (much smaller and firmer), she is slowly gaining her weight back, and her coat is much softer. And she still is no longer shedding. I'm waiting to see if this changes as we come into winter, but it is truly unbelievable because we have always had lint rollers all over and had to constantly vaccum our cars, pillows and bedding.

A Bump in the Road

9/30/13 - Have you ever caught your dog eating her own stool or another dog's stool?? this is appalling especially when you spend so much money on good dog food or time and money making your pet's meals...but this is something they will do when they have an enzyme deficiency. Here is more information and a better explanation as to why dog's do this: http://drplechner.com/learn/miscellaneous-articles/digestive-enzymes/ Shasta did this on our walk the other day and although I was disgusted I knew I was going to run into some digestive problems...but didn't realize how far this would set her back. She kept doing it despite my efforts to pick up her poop immediately after she went potty and despite my efforts to make sure she didn't pick up anything on our walks. Shasta was not getting the nutrients she needed on the limited ingredients I was feeding her during this time that I was trying to weed out what she might be allergic too. She was also not absorbing the enzyme supplements that enables the breakdown of the food and therefore she was craving, starving, and not absorbing efficiently. She started to lose weight rapidly, her coat looked disheveled, and I could tell her vision and demeanor was worsening. I took her into to see my general vet and was scared to death when I saw how much weight she had lost. I had some blood work done and her results showed that her white blood cell count was high. My vet was concerned about her diet and wanted to prescribe antibiotics as long as Dr. P agreed it wouldn't disrupt his protocol. After consulting with Dr. P. we put Shasta on an antibiotic for 2 weeks and I started researching commercial dog foods again to get her on something more nutritious. At first I was reluctant to put her on a raw food diet because of her suppressed immune system, but further research indicated to me this was the best (but most expensive) choice. Within a week Shasta showed phenomenal results. She put on weight, her demeanor was better, her vision was better, she was no longer eating stool, she no longer had diarrhea and her coat was thick and shiny! : ) We are back on track. I have to say that since Shasta has started Dr. Plechner's treatment for her high estrogen and changing her diet, she has not been itching at all and she is no longer shedding like she used. We have always needed multiple lint rollers in the house, constantly vaccuming and washing bedding to keep the hair under control and now we have no need for any of it! : )

Real Improvement

9/23/13 - Shasta had a visit to the Ophthalmalogist today and the results were better than expected. The doctor actually said that it seemed like Shasta has some slight vision, which I was surprised because her initial exam showed she had no vision at all other than light transition and maybe shadows. Although I can tell that Shasta's left eye is worse than her right eye the test results compared to her initial visit a month ago, Shasta's right eye showed slight menace and slight dazzle and still has pupil dilation in both eyes. In layman terms when something comes close to her right eye she shows a natural reflex to blink or move away. Eye dazzle reflex is the involuntary avoidance response to light shined into the eye. She did not have either reflex shen she was diagnosed. Also, the doctor said that she has more retinal degeneration in the left eye than the right eye, but the doctor was surprised her right eye had not deteriorated much at all. She recommended some supplements to protect the eye cells Octiva and I-caps. I took Shasta on a walk this evening and she stopped and stared at a trash can. This reminded me of when I walk her around our block when she was a puppy and she would see the Halloween decorations and could not distinguish between a real person and an ornament and it would freak her out. Hopefully we are on the right track.

2nd Set of Lab Results

9/17/13 - Shasta's labs came back and her IgA is up to 60 so the meds are working and she doesn't need another injection. Dr. P. said to just increase her dose of Medrol. Her estrogen has decreased, but Dr. P. feels there is something she is eating that is not agreeing with her and preventing her from fully absorbing her meds and nutrients so the increased dose isn't going to hurt her it will only help her. This will also help to increase her T3 and T4 (thyroid levels). I'm keeping her on the beef and white rice this week to see how she does. She had a good weekend visiting with her gramma and grampa...she went to their house for the first time since losing her vision and she could tell when we got near their neighborhood and darted out of the car and up to their front door without any trouble. When we walked inside she smelled around and found her way to the water bowl and then of course her auntie Bridgette's toy box (Bridge is my parents' chihuahua). She went through the toys like she always does, found the ones that make noise, strewn them all over the house and sat and squeaked them loudly while grampa tried to watch the football game. : ) She came shopping with us during the day and then she had a walk at night. She did really well all weekend. No signs of improved vision yet, just better navigational skills. She will still bump into things up close especially in less familiar areas and in transition lighting. I decided to get her some Doggles to help protect her eyes. To clarify my findings with Shasta's overall improvement: Shasta's vision comes and goes and is often visible to me when it is worse when her eyes get a little more glowy or foggy looking. She is happier when she seems to have a little bit of vision, but she seems to be able to see things in the distance and not so much up close. She also seems to do better in bright lighting or sunlight and does worse in transitional lighting where there are a lot of shadows.

The Ups and Downs

9/11/13 - Shasta had a decent week overall. I had another blood panel done and sent off to NVDS to see if her IgA levels are above 58. If they are then I can continue with the oral meds, but need to figure out her food allergies although lately everything seems fine. I had held off on Shasta's eye supplements until we can be sure she is absorbing properly. I'm awaiting her lab results to see what's what. I could be off to L.A. this weekend for another shot if her IgA level is still below 58. I may get her some goggles or the chest harness with a halo because although Shasta has more good days than bad ones, I will be devastated to another degree if she pokes an eye out or even damages her eyes further. I have to say that there are still some short bouts of depression that I see Shasta go through. Some mornings she wakes up banging into everything and gets lost in my closet. Other days she gets around just fine, trots through the back door, hops up on the couch, greets her dad at the door, etc. Other times she sits there and I picture her wondering, "how much fun is being blind gonna be? this sucks." But just as I started feeling depressed the other day I was making her dinner and I suddenly felt this pinch on the back of my shorts, and then suddenly felt two huge paws on my back and she was pulling me by shirt to either wrestle with her or take her somewhere. I was so happy she was acting excited like that so I took her for a car ride and walk after dinner. On these good days I think she can see a little. As we get close to the side walk she will reach her paw up like she knew it was coming. She will also get out of the way for trees when we are walking. Then other times...bang! she will not see it coming at all.

A Discovery with Heartworm Preventatives and Pest Repellants

9/4/13 - Upon returning from the beach I realized it was time for Shasta's monthly dose of Heart Worm and Flea/Tick prevention medicine. What did the Ophtho say about an ingredient in heart worm prevention meds that can cause blindness? oh yeah...Ivermectin. So I have my daily discussion with Dr. P. and ask him about this and coincidentally he was working with another client and finding that some of these preventative meds for pets may be more significant in their role of blindness in dogs than originally had thought, along with other illnesses. So we both start digging deeper. Dr. P. went through some old case files and found out that even more recently a lot of cats have been experiencing heart attacks, strokes, and even death and the only thing found in their system as to a possible culprit are ingredients in these preventative meds. So we did some research and found some more case studies on these ingredients and I've decided to not give Shasta preventative heart worm or flea/tick meds for now. Dr. P and I have written an article for Nutricula Magazine regarding our findings of these studies, so if you are interested, please refer to Dr. P's website and/or Nutricula Magazine (online) where the article is published. http://www.nutriculamagazine.com/chemical-insect-repellents/

Dillon's Beach

9/1/13 - after recovering from the previous week and driving down to L.A., Shasta had a few days to rest and then we were on the road again to spend the weekend with friends in Dillon Beach. This was also the weekend in which Shasta was to start her oral medicine and we were hopeful her system would absorb the meds. She did well, enjoyed the beach, loves people other dogs so she really enjoyed getting to hang out at Lagunitas Brewery and listen to a live band. — at Lagunitas Brewing Co. I had discussed this trip with Dr. P. because I've learned that stress, whether good or bad, will cause a set back in her recovery. Shasta has always gone everything with us and especially me as I've been working from home for the last two years and Shasta goes on several walks a day and rides in the car with me to run errands and visit her grandparents often. So this for this trip I was not willing to leave her home.

Shasta's Road to Recovery

8/21/13 - I spent the day making arrangements with my work and family to drive Shasta down to LA to see Dr. Plechner in person. I live in Sacramento and the Sinai Center Veterinary Hospital that Dr. P. works at is in Culver City. Once my calendar was free, we jumped in the car the next day and made the trip down. 8/22/13 - Shasta and I jumped in the car, drove down to L.A. where the besties met us to go see Dr. P. We got her injection and her oral meds to go and we were outta there at the fraction of a cost of all the other appts we'd been to in the last 2 weeks. I let Shasta enjoy the L.A. atmosphere a bit as she stuck her head out the car window as we drove down Sunset Blvd. We walked by the Viper Room and Shasta got her picture taken...ok I did too! ; ) Upon meeting Dr. P. the first thing he said when he looked at Shasta, was that he noticed her legs were bowed. He asked if anyone had ever mentioned this to me before and they hadn't. He explained that this is a sign of maladsorbtion in dogs. Hmmm... I've had digestive problems with Shasta since she was a puppy. Wonderful. He still was hopeful we would see quick results in Shasta with his treatment. He took his time explaining everything to us and didn't mind that I had my cronies in the office with us to ask questions I wasn't thinking of. When we walked out of his office there were people in the waiting room who drove quite a ways to see him as well who were just marveling over him and how he's helped their dog so much over the years. : ) After all of this, I needed a beer...so my besties took us to the Rush Street Bistro where we could bring Shasta onto the patio with us. Once we left I took Shasta back to her suite at the La Montrose, compliments of her auntie. After a nice rest we headed back to Sacto. 8/22/13 thru 9/2/13 - Shasta's first night after her injection she did pant a bit more, seemed to go crazy for food, and wanted to drink a lot of water. Dr. P. told me this might happen, but shouldn't last and it didn't. Throughout the week I was transitioning her diet to weed out anything she could be allergic to, adding the supplements to her meal plans, paying attention to her eyes, behavior and stool. (fun). I've documented everything daily, but won't bore you with the details unless you want them. In summary, Shasta did fine during her first week considering she's still blind with vision better sometimes than other times, (still trying to determine why at this point) and transitioning her food. I'll provide an overview of what I learned for Shasta's diet in another post for those interested in learning how the nutrition plays a huge part in this disease. She is still learning to map out the house, doesn't do well when people move things or set things in her way, but otherwise she does well. My biggest worry is her getting excited and hitting her eyes on a sharp corner. I'd love to replace my furniture, but that's not in the budget at this time so I'll let you know what we've come up with.

Supplements for Eye Health

Some vets may suggests many supplements that protect the retinal cells and may be beneficial if your dog can absorb the prescribed medicine and not cause digestive irritability. Shasta had problem with taking many supplements so I focused on her diet and medicine, which was a difficult decision because Caroline strongly believes the first few months of blindness are critical to protecting the retinal cells and preventing permanent blindness while her meds are working to bring down her estrogen levels. This will be a decision you will have to make on your own. One suggestion from experience though... Shasta has always had a sensitive stomach since she was a puppy and I had her on EVO dog food most of her life. Anytime she would get something different or get a bite of human food accidentally it was cause a disruption and I would have to treat her for diarrhea. I was told that because she is part German Shepherd and these dogs are known for sensitive stomachs that I would just have to keep a close eye on what she ate. The EVO kept her very healthy for a long time. Too bad they sold out to Proctor & Gamble and had so many recalls my local pet store no longer carries it. My point is that Shasta's sensitive stomach was a sign that shouldn't have been ignored. If your dog has a sensitive stomach, which is probably does if it has SARDS and a lowered immune system, then I do not suggest drastically changing the diet too quickly and I do not suggest starting a bunch of supplements all at the same time. I would start them sporadically to see how your dog digests and absorbs them. This is just a suggestion based on my dog's experience, but I am not a vet so this will be your own decision.

Shasta's Diagnosis and Protocol

8/20/13 - Shasta's EI-1 lab results came back today. Dr. P's prediction was correct. Shasta's cortisol is deficient, her total estrogen was high and her IgA was low. Actual test results will be in an upcoming post. Dr. P. is the expert on these labs results and the endocrine balance protocol. He has collaborated with other experts in the medical field and studies in medical journals have shown that Adrenal Exhaustion is real in humans and animals. Dr. P's explanation of Shasta's lab results: "Shasta does have my syndrome and her imbalances not as severe as most dogs that have SARDS so beginning treatment as soon as possible may help Shasta have some eyesight returned. Shasta is producing a defective cortisol from her middle layer adrenal cortex, that cannot fund the negative feedback to her pituitary gland. When this occurs, her pituitary gland keeps producing its hormone referred to as ACTH which causes direct feedback from the inner layer adrenal cortex which in turn produces elevated amounts of adrenal estrogen and that is why Shasta's estrogen level is at 35.13. Her elevated adrenal estrogen causes the following problems: It causes the immune system to stop all protection of the body while also causing the immune cells to lose recognition of self-tissue and cause allergies, autoimmunity (SARDS) and cancer. NOTE: the loss of sight is the least of these patients problems if sent home only thinking that the patient will be blind. The elevated estrogen binds the receptor sites of her thyroid hormone which are also deficient. The elevated estrogen also causes the B lymphocyte to depress its production of protective antibody and when the mucous membrane antibody referred to as IgA is below 58, oral steroids including many oral supplements will not be properly absorbed. The suggested protocol: T4 supplement twice daily beginning immediately Since her IgA is at 57, she will probably only need one intramuscular injection of a combination steroid consisting of Vetalog or Kenalog mixed with Depomedrol. !0 days after injection Shasta would begin oral Medrol once daily. I spoke with my vet and she suggested consulting with the internist about the results of the labs. I didn't want to waste anymore time because she already explained to me what she believed without considering Plechner's research. My vet was not comfortable enough with what she had read and was not convinced in Plechner's theory and therefore was not willing to treat Shasta with his protocol. I do not blame her as I spent hours on end researching this stuff since the day Shasta went blind and to be fair a general practitioner is helping hundreds of dogs a week with other illnesses (her office is open 7 days per week btw) and admits that she is not an expert on this and that is why she has put her faith in the experts she has worked with for many years. So... I figured I'll fight this battle later... moving onward.

Dr. Alfred Plechner, DVM

8/13/13 - The research needed to understand what was going on with Shasta was quite an undertaking. That is the main reason I'm writing this blog just as Reo's mom Lynn did...to help others take the right steps as quickly as possible and weed out some of the trials and tribulations that we went through. Dr. Plechner was not only a light of hope, which mainstream, close minded vets will argue as false hope..., but he was also brilliant. His website hold more material and then some to become an expert in adrenal exhaustion, hormone imbalances, and overall health, but like I said, time is of the essence so at least get the blood work done then take the week to ponder the theory and protocol if you must. I contacted Dr. Plechner directly and his sincerity was profound. He explained things so I could understand them and didn't seem to mind repeating them as I took notes. He suggested I get the blood panel done asap and to let him know what the results from the Ophthalmalogist are as soon as I got home from the appointment. I got in to see my vet and gave her all the information on Dr. Plechner and what I wanted to do and she was overwhelmed. She agreed to do the blood work, but wanted to wait for the results from the Ophthalmalogist before prescribing anything to Shasta. I agreed, but luckily I was able to move up her appt by a few days. Before I got off the phone with Dr. P., he told me about phytoestrogens in dog food. More to come on this later... He also told me to get KriaXanthin (Krill Oil) and start Shasta on it right away to protect her retinas. So I did. He also suggested Montmillinite Clay and discussed all of its benefit, so I got that too! Dr. P. told me that when the lab tests came back they would show that her total estrogen levels are high and her IgA would be low. He explained the what the EI-1 panel tests for and why vets do not find the same results. Further explanation on this in an upcoming post or you can refer to Dr. P's website. 8/16/13 - The results from her Ophthalmalogist appoint were that Shasta had no menace, the ERG showed a flatline, but the overall health of her eyes was good. The doctor said there was retinal thinning showing that she said whe normally wouldn't see until approx 6 months after SARDS onset. The diagnosis was SARDS. I then provided my general vet the test results and we were still waiting for the EI-1 panel results to come back. I think my vet felt that after the eye exams that I would accept the fact that Shasta was blind and start helping her to adapt...WRONG. I provided her with all the information I collected over that week and she was reluctant to accept Plechner's theories, but admitted she was not an expert in this area. She suggested that I meet with an internist before moving forward with Dr. P.'s protocol...so I did. I got into the internist right away and had them do an ultrasound to rule out tumors anywhere in her body. You may be wondering how much all this has cost and I won't lie, it was about $1500 with all the tests and consults included. The good news is that after you learn how to treat your dog for SARDS you will see that those tests were the most expensive part and the diet and prescriptions are not very expensive especially if you have a smaller dog it will be a fraction of the cost of my dog's treatment. The internists spent a lot of time talking to me about steroids, hormones, and the tests they do for Cushings disease, but like I said, I had done my research before this appt and therefore knew what she was going to say and also knew that she was full of it. So I kindly thanked her for Shasta's test results, she had no tumors by the way, paid her a hefty fee and called Dr. P.

The First Sign of Blindness

6/?/13 - Sometime in June, Shasta had a couple of potty accidents in the house. It happend about four times. I thought she was having bad dreams and wetting the bed because she never woke me up to take her outside. Shasta was only 5 yrs old at the time and this was unordinary behavior. I took her to the vet and they asked me if she had been panting more than normal, drinking more water than usual, or having difficulty urinating. She didn't have trouble urinating and the other two symptoms was hard to tell because it was June in Sacramento and she is an Alaskan Malamute in the heat so I was always trying to keep her cool. They did a urinalysis and some blood work and even an xray and they found nothing out of the ordinary except that her bladder was enlarged and her urine was very diluted meaning she had been drinking more water than usual lately. I was asked to watch her water intake and get a few more samples of urine over the next two weeks. Everything checked out ok after that so we did no further testing. 8/7/13 - After returning home to Shasta from a short vacation we noticed she had trouble seeing. She would walk closely to walls, turn around and bump her head on a door or wall...she wasn't seeing the treat when we would practice our commands, she would sniff frantically for it. And she would also hesitate to jump into the car or on the bed or couch, which wasn't normal. The next day I took her to the vet. 8/8/13 - I walked Shasta into the vet and they did a menace test where they wave their hand in front of her eyes without making wind to see if she blinks. She didn't blink. After the crushing news that our beloved Shasta was rapidly going blind, there's no known cause and no known cure, I was assured Shasta would adapt to her environment, she may go through a bout of depression during this adjustment period which most dogs come out of, and she can still live a happy and full life. My vet referred me to an ophthalmalogist which I couldn't get in to see for another week. After breaking the news to my husband and after sobbing...our first inclination was to train her to be the best blind dog ever who could navigate without any problem, she would just learn to hone in using her other senses. Not as easy as we thought... 8/8/13 we had plans to go camping for our friend's birthday. The vet said Shasta would be ok to go as she seemed to feel fine and still had some sight. We thought twice about it, but Shasta loves the outdoors and my husband said he wanted to do as much fun stuff with her as he could while she still had some sight. 8/9/13 - After returning from our camping trip, we could see Shasta's condition declining rapidly. I had a good cry while I layed with her as I could see she was depressed. My husband posted a comment on FB regarding Shasta's vision loss and many people reached out to me asking what was going on. Although I had no real answers at the time, one piece of advice from a friend motivated me to become my own expert on this fairly unknown condition that's baffling veterinarians. I got online and found among a lot of dead ends... one story about a dog named Reo, a Miniature Pinscher, whose owner Lynn kept an ongoing blog that included her own daily trials and tribulations for the next two years following SARDS diagnosis. The name of her blog is "A Journey with SARDS- from despair to a cure!" I read Reo's story, which led me to Dr. Alfred Plechner and Caroline Levin, RN, the only experts on the subject and the only ones consulting on the disease. I HIGHLY recommend that pet owners read the information each has written on the subject if your pet is having any of the symptoms that Shasta has experienced. Dr. Plechner's website is: www.drplechner.com. Caroline Levin, RN's book: Living with Blind Dogs. 8/12/13 - After reading Levin's book and Dr. Plechner's website, and while I was still waiting for our appt with the Ophthalmologist, I kept reading Reo's blog because there was a lot of information there and her owners provided great details about Reo's condition and behavior after each meals, supplements, interactions, and special events.It seems Reo had some ups and downs in the beginning so I payed close attention to the outcome and created a timeline for Shasta. I also started listing all the ingredients in everything she was given in her food, treats, medicines, etc. and I emailed Dr. Plechner after reading his theory on SARDS. Dr.Plechner.com is the only veterinarian currently known to have a sound theory on the underlying issue of not only SARDS, but many conditions seen in dogs today. He has spent 50 years pursuing research and answers to why our pets are so allergic to our environment and commercial pet foods. He has a theory, referred to as the Plechner Syndrome which can be read about in great detail on his website. Caroline Levin also believes in his theory, but refers to Plechner Syndrome and Adrenal Exhaustion interchangeably. Plecher is an expert in the underlying cause of SARDS and many other pet ailments, while Levin is an expert in SARDS and her theory differs slightly as to what happens between the onset of Adrenal Exhaustion and blindness. Reo's owner decided to treat Reo with Plechner's protocol, but also with Levin's supplements and diet suggestions. If your dog has been diagnosed with SARDS, I highly suggest reading Plechner's website and Levin's book and scheduling a consultation with both of them. They both offer their biography and history in medicine along with several successful case studies, however when time is of the essence with SARDS dogs, I would make an appt with Dr. Plechner via his website first, make an appt with your vet to get an EI-1 blood panel done and sent off to National Vet Diagnostic Services. While that is in progress, you can read the rest of Plechner's website and books. The second piece of advice that I have to offer is get your dog on a high quality dog food. Not many vets agree on what a good dog food is, but it took me a few months (a few months too long actually) to figure out that the raw food diet for Shasta was best. More to come on this subject later.