Immune Mediated Polyarthropathy

[LovesMyPups]

Lo has been diagnosed with Immune Mediated Polyarthropathy. Her immune system is attacking her joints, and she has been prescribed Prednisone (a steroid). While we have already dropped the initial dose to wean her off, they have recommended she stay on it for at least 6 months. At that point, we will stop giving it to her and *hope* her symptoms don't return.

I'm terrified that we are going to take her off the medication, and she will immediately fall ill again. However, long term use of Prednisone is just asking for trouble (from what I've read). Kidney and Liver problems, along with many other possibilities, are likely to occur with long term use.

The alternative drug for this would be Azothiaprine, which has side effects of it's own including tumors!!!

Have any of you had experience with this disorder? My vet said in his 30+years of practice, this is the first case he has seen (Hence him sending us to a costly specialist).
Has anyone used Prednisone extensively? What were your results?

Any ideas or thoughts are very welcomed. I don't want to get to the end of our 6 months and scramble to figure out a new plan... Thank you!!

[Katy]

Im so sorry, this must be scary for you. I have no experience with the disorder or the drug so Im of no help, but Im sending good thoughts to Lo.

[LovesMyPups]

Yes, it has been very scary... For a whole week I was force feeding her and carrying her every time outside and steadying her little body while she tried to pee. No Lo kisses for more than a week! I'm so happy she is improving, but could still be better.

Thank you for the well wishes Katy!!

[brodysmom]

I am not familiar with this either Darcie. It sounds awful though. So sorry. Brody was on prednisone for his eye but we weaned him off it over time. The opthamologist originally wanted him on it long term, cutting back to just twice a week, but I weaned him all the way off very very slowly and he's not on it anymore. Pred is a great drug but dangerous too. I'll have to do some reading on her condition, it sounds really rare. How did you get a diagnosis?

[chimama]

Bless her heart.....I worry all the time about mine....because I have a few with health issues. What kind of symptoms was she having before they found out what it was? I may have missed the thread. I hope she improves.

[LovesMyPups]

I posted little bits about it "over there" but it's all so new...

Initially she was just acting a bit lazy... Wouldn't get up to go outside or to come say hello when I called her. Still eating and drinking for the first two days, and then she stopped eating and drinking voluntarily.

I brought her to the vet at that point, her temperature was 104 and she had lost about 1/2lb overnight it seemed. She had a bit of congestion, but her heart and lungs all sounded good.

Of course she was excited to see her vet, and acted more normal and happy while there so they gave us Baytril and sent us home. She took that for 4 days with no improvement except for her congestion clearing up.

We went back to the vet for blood work (very dehydrated and extremely high white blood cell count, she had also lost more than 1 1/4lb by this point), which lead to an xray.

On the xray they could see "left behind"? ovary tissue that they were VERY concerned was causing pyometra... Of course we rushed to the emergency center for an ultra sound.

The ultra sound looked wonderful! No abnormal masses, everything looked normal! Kidneys, Liver, Gall Bladder...

At that point the specialist decided to see what she could from her physical condition and decided Lo looked like she was "walking on egg shells". It did seem like that, which was new for her. She usually walks and runs just fine. She has always been slower than the boys, but hey, she is 6 and has other priorities than seeing how fast she can body slam the boys!

Our specialist wanted to sedate Lo and take fluid samples from her joints to confirm that she had this immune mediated polyarthropathy... I really felt it would do more harm than good to sedate her when she was SO weak, so we went ahead and started treatment as if that were the cause.

The first few days were slow, she was drinking more but I was still force feeding her. She has slowly improved now and is eating on her own and walking Very well!! We have already cut her back from 5mg per day to 3.5mg per day. Besides her not being able to jump into my lap like she used to do, I would say she is back to herself even! And believe me, her not jumping is NOT a problem for me! I prefer to pick her up and set her down if she is going to have to jump!

After seeing such a wonderful improvement, I would be devastated to see her in the condition she was before. At one point, I broke down and told my husband I couldn't do it alone anymore. That I needed help taking care of her because every other hour feedings and stressing about not knowing what else I could do to help her when nothing was seeming to help, it was all just too much for me. I'm a pretty sensitive person.

So I'm hoping that I can start some joint supplements maybe? Salmon oils? And hope that when we wean her off the Prednisone she won't relapse...

Suggestions of what you give your dogs for healthy joints would be fabulous!

[Kristi]

Wow what an ordeal Darcie...I would be so so stressed.

I am 'obsessed' with supplements...I give...

Human grade fish oil 1000 mg gel caps from Wal*Mart...poke a tiny hole in it and squirt it on their food or in their mouth.

Vitamin E oil gel caps 3x a week...supposedly this helps with the absorption of the other oils?

Glucosamine & Chondroitin -- human grade capsules from Wal*greens -- 500 mg capsules, dump 1/2 on their food 1x a day, if its a dog I know has joint issues, they get 1/2 2x a day.

I also give a grain free raw diet, I think you feed Ziwi if I remember, but maybe not...definitely have her on something grain free though, as grains cause inflamation...bad.

Keep us posted on how she is doing, I feel stressed for you

[Kristi]

Oh -- I forgot, I give Ester-C every day...I will have to look up dosages that I give again, but that really seems to help. I know Paula has had really good results using it with Roo as well. It's actually kind of surprising how helpful it seems to be fore dogs with LP or weaker joints.