Poppy blood update... (yes, another one - sorry)

[BabyElephant]

Well we're now waiting for the latest blood test results - I'm hoping to get them on Tuesday. The vet said because she came in to season early they will (hopefully) spay Poppy in June BEFORE we go on holiday. I wanted to wait until we came back but she says that may be too late.

If her thrombocytopenia is caused by her hormones then they are expecting to see the platelet counts drop this time. If that is the case they will have to consult the research centre again and see what course of action they need to take, if any. They also said if this is the case they will examine her ovaries when they spay her as they would expect to find cysts there.

The vet also said that when they do spay her, before they give her any injections or cut her open they will test her blood clotting ability by cutting her gums and seeing if she manages to clot quickly - if it doesn't then they won't go ahead with the surgery and then we are back to square one looking for the cause again... they are also going to give her a different sedative this time due to the bad reaction she had last time... I know they will take care of her but it worries me just thinking about it.

[mara]

Hi Baby E. It sure sounds to me that your Vet is being very careful about Poppy's surgery. Sounds like a great Vet to me!! I was wondering, does she flow heavily during her heat??

[BabyElephant]

She was quite light during her first two seasons, but then with this one she was noticeably heavier. I told the vet this and she did seem concerned about this because this is the first season she'd had since the blood problem came to light in December but she said she'd reserve judgement until the results come through.

The vet is wonderful - she even asks Poppy for kisses It's really funny because when the nurse comes through to help the vet take the blood they always ask, quite warily, "How is she with blood being taken?" and the vet always says "Poppy is great, she's a really good girl, she's used to having blood taken" - makes me feel proud!

[mara]

Awwww,,,,that's so sweet!!! Your Vet sounds great!!!

[weezyNollie]

What about having a blood transfusion? Or having plasma/serum ready? Does your vet hospital offer that? Or do they not like that idea?

Hope things turn out for Poppy.

[Deb's Tiny Dogs]

Originally Posted by weezyNollie

What about having a blood transfusion? Or having plasma/serum ready? Does your vet hospital offer that? Or do they not like that idea?

Hope things turn out for Poppy.

Weezy, you are just a wealth of knowledge on this forum!

[BabyElephant]

Originally Posted by weezyNollie

What about having a blood transfusion? Or having plasma/serum ready? Does your vet hospital offer that? Or do they not like that idea?

Hope things turn out for Poppy.

Unfortunately they don't do blood transfusions in the UK for dogs (I think they might do them at the Royal Vet College but I'm not sure). They may be able to get plasma but when I asked last time they didn't think that was a viable option.

I hope things turn out OK too!

[BabyElephant]

I just picked up a voicemail from the vet - Poppy's platelets have dropped significantly so they are going to do her next blood test sooner than they would normally to make sure it's not dropping further. She also said we need to work out the best time to spay her and do more blood tests a week before the op to see how they are at that time... my poor baby...