27 January 2014

Blog Challenge Day 12: Recovery

This topic was yet another one that I had difficulty determining what I wanted to write about, until it occurred to me while talking to friends about my dog Lola's current health issues.

She was recently diagnosed as having demodex mange, which I had suspected.  Of the two types of mange demodex is not contagious and is an immune system disorder.  Lola's immune system is already very poor due to multiple, severe allergies.  The demodex symptoms (hair loss, itchy and very dry patches of skin, etc.) began to manifest shortly after I had to put Fox down a month ago.  Demedex is most often caused by extreme stress; I had no idea she had been so bonded to him but she did lay around and do almost nothing the first week after he passed.  But then, so did I.  Hair loss and itchiness isn't uncommon for her when her allergies flare up, but one patch turned into two and then four.  Prednisone didn't seem to help.  So off to the vet's for a skin scrape.


Lola is already feeling better from her medicated baths (which decrease the itchiness and inflammation in addition to helping prevent infection from the open skin).  She's also receiving antibiotics and her usual allergy pills.  I'm adding more fruits, veggies, and herbal supplements to her food to help her immune system fight back.

I can say a lot about Lola, but one thing that she is through and through is a fighter.  She was on death's door when I got her from the shelter at 7 months old; emaciated, wouldn't eat, and had pneumonia.  There was a good chance she wouldn't have survived, but she did.  

Thankfully demodex is easily treated and not at all life threatening when caught at such an early stage.  Even with her poor immune system, she has the love and prayers of so many people who care about her.  I can already see how much that is helping her.  She knows and she is grateful.

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