Guest guest Posted December 14, 2007 Report Share Posted December 14, 2007 i agree with judith 100%. there are many things we cannot test for or perhaps our tests are not good enough at this point. but that does not mean there is not an underlying cause. what we currently call primary autoimmune disease is not likely to truly be primary, it is just that we don't what the cause is. but there is one! tick borne disease should always be considered, as well as, mycoplasma. although mycoplasma is not discussed that much in the literature in small animals, it is still a possibility, and can cause a polyarthropathy as well as autoimmune disease. there are mycoplasma pcr's out there that can be done on blood or better yet, joint fluid. doxy can help with inflammation as well as treat for some underlying disease process. if dog improves on doxy and immediately gets worse when taken off it, it was likely responding to its anti-inflammatory properties. however, if animal gets worse several weeks after discontinuation, then it was likely it was responding to it as an antibiotic. i would use zeel, digestive enzymes, probiotics at least 2 hours prior to antibiotics, and doxy, along with an antioxidant. and keep a close eye out for other clinical signs that potentially could be related and treat the whole animal instead of just one thing at a time. Kim Danoff, DVM More new features than ever. Check out the new AOL Mail! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.