anyone else's eb's appearance 'change'?

[Mugzilla]

my female eb will be 5 this year. not 'that' old, but not young either.

lately (in the past 4-6 weeks) her whole body appearance has been changing. she's getting thin and losing muscle mass and her face looks...old. even her eyes are looking more like pug eyes than eb eyes.

she's been on injections for her allergies and recently had to stop the treatment bc the side affects reached a terrible level. right now, she's on anti-biotics and steroids to get the adverse affects under control.

according to my vet she is 'very' sensitive to the side affects (or is it effects? i never know) of the steroid pills. she acts like she is starving to death every waking moment of the day. she has been considered 'over weight' ever since she's been an adult. now, she's eating more than ever, and losing weight. she also drinks water as if she is in a barren waste land and her once iron bladder has given way to frequent accidents due to all of these sudden changes brought on by her treatment and now steroids.

i know all of this must be taking a horrible toll on her body. the hope for the allergy injections was to improve her quality of life, and i'm told they will, in time. but right now, my once flamboyant love is looking frail and old.

i'm wondering if this is all due to her current health/treatment, or if it's bc she's getting 'older'.

her face is slimming down dramatically, and her legs look like little tooth picks carrying a ham hock around.

has anyone else experienced this? it breaks my heart when i dwell on it. i love this dog like no other living creature. she is the love of my life.

it's sometimes difficult to witness change and even more challenging to know you are helpless to stop it.

 

[Bulldogg]

It is probably a combination of the treatments she is receiving. This may sound crazy, but have you thought about looking for another vet and getting a second opinion? I mean, the vet may actually be doing more harm than good.

When I had Sara she was so ridden with allergies, and when we took her to the vet they would give her steriods and such, until I finally went to a vet who said "lets not cover the problem, but find out what the problems are".

You could just ask for a copy of her chart and records and have another vet who is experienced with allergies take a look at what they are doing, to be sure.

 

[cali~jenn]

I am of no help but sorry for your worrying. My boy is 4 so I havent noticed any of these changes yet. Is she going to take the injections forever? What is she allergic to? Your pic is adorbale.

 

[Mugzilla]

hey. thank you for your replies. i really appreciate it.

cali, she's allergic to soooooooooo much. i have her food allergies under control. the blood tests showed me what foods she was allergic to and changing her diet was an easy solution. she's currently on canine caviar (a switch from grain free canidae) and is doing well with it.

however, she's also allergic to DOG HAIR (what?!), human hair, bird feathers (i have a parrot), dust, 4 different types of grass (i probably have all 4 kinds growing in my yard), certain trees, etc. so there are some things that don't offer an easy solution like the food allergies did. (food wise, she's allergic to gluten, corn, beef, wheat, oatmeal, almost all grains, etc.)

once she's completed the intial set of injections, she will be on a once per month injection shot to keep her allergies under control. i guess the 3 part injection set is just proving to be a lot for her to build up her immune system against. she can't get past the lowest dosage of the second vile (the viles go from least potent to most).

bulldog, she's had allergies since she was about 6 months old, when she was given her first steroid shot to help reduce the affects of allergies. being active duty military in the past, i wasn't at a location long enough for a vet to feel comfortable enough in her treatment to do anything but cover up her allergies, instead of addressing them. the vet i have now specializes in pet allergies. he also works with me regarding foster dogs/rescues and we have a pretty good level of trust/understanding.

some vets don't explain enough about treatment options, etc. this vet goes almost over board in wanting to ensure a vet/pet owner joint relationship regarding treatment and care. he never 'pushes' for one thing or another. rather, he tries to educate you on the different options that are available so that you can determine with him what the best course of action might be.

honestly, i hadn't thought about a second opinion bc i've known she's had allergies for so long and it took until being with this vet for a long enough period of time that he not only could look at her records with previous vets, but also was comfortable enough recommending that i do the blood tests to find out what all she is allergic to so we could stop masking them and actually make them better.

however, a second opinion never hurts and i'm concerned enough with the way she's looking/appears to be feeling that a second opinion would probably be beneficial. thank you for suggesting one. a second opinion could either give me peace of mind in knowing we're on the right course of treatment or offer an alternative one.

thanks again.

 

[cali~jenn]

Wow, you have had your hands full! Who knew a dog could be soooo allergic to everything? I agree to try a second opinion, like you said it cant hurt. Meds are so scary for people and pets to have to take especially when they are so strong. Let us know what happens with your second opinion, I am curious.

 

[Mugzilla]

i will do. thank you!

 

[Pendragon]

WOW poor thing. I hope she gets on the right track. I wish you the best of luck with everything..