Hello everyone, this week I’m barking about my blood work, my results & huMom’s post check up phone call with my vet. They had a very long, detailed conversation where my vet answered all huMom’s questions as well as discussed how to move forward with my medications.

First I need to bark proudly that I am in excellent health. My Heartworm test came back negative.  This is a relief because we do not use prescriptive heartworm preventative medication due to the neurotoxic drugs in their make up. Instead we use Herbacoat which contains neem oil & citronella oil known insect repellants. My phenobarbital & Potassium Bromide levels  are well within safe range. This indicates that they are not in the toxic level & that if needed we could increase dosage but thank dog that’s not necessary.  Have I mentioned that currently I’ve have 75 seizure free days!  When going over my Wellness Geriatric Profile with T4 Canine & 4Dx Plus Screen-Canine Add-on results there were a couple levels that concerned huMom. Overall as I bark above I am in wagnificent health.

A CBC or Complete Blood Count  is the most common blood test pawformed on us good dogs & cool cats. A CBC gives information on hydration status, anemia, infection, the blood’s clotting ability, & the ability of the immune system to respond.

Blood Chemistry are common blood serum tests that evaluate organ function, electrolyte status, hormone levels, & more. They are impawtant in evaluating senior animals,  dogs & cats with vomiting & diarrhea or toxin exposure, those of us receiving long-term medications, & health before anesthesia.

T4 (thyroxine) is a thyroid hormone. Decreased levels often signal hypothyroidism in dogs, while high levels indicate hyperthyroidism in cats.

You can download this PDF – understanding your pets bloodwork

Getting back to my results & of course the levels that had huMom concerned, I should point out that huMom had not received a copy of my blood work when my good Vet Dr. Jodi called on late Saturday afternoon.  She called the following Monday & they were emailed immediately.  Dr. Jodi, as I mentioned was pleased with all the result except one.  An alkaline phosphatase level test measures the amount of alkaline phosphatase enzyme in the bloodstream.  Abnormal levels of ALP in the blood most often indicate a problem with your liver, gallbladder, or bones.  My ALP level was at 290U/L; remember I did not have my regular testing last year due to the pandemic & turn over of the Vet clinic so we had to go by the 2 previous years ( levels were 92U/L in 2018 & 104U/L in 2019).

We know that phenobarbital is hard on the liver & can cause liver disease & for this reason huMom immediately inquired into lowering with the intention of removing my phenobarbital medication.  Dr. Jodi listened to huMom’s concerns & said that we could but she would like to research scheduling a safe reduction for Olivia.  She would call huMom the following Wednesday with more.

I won’t lie, that call shook huMom even though she tried to stay calm for my sake.  She called her sister for support immediately & then reached out to several Epilepsy Warrior Moms who she is close with.  Having this support network pawsitively helped huMom to take a clearer look at things & feel pawsitive in her decision making & moving forward. Support is key.

Next week I’ll be barking about not only the second phone call but also the third call with Dr. Jodi. They were wagnificently interesting & impawtant.

Until then, stay safe.

CEO Olivia ❤