Hi all - I just introduced Dodger in the "New Member" section, but thought it would be better to post my actual question here. Basically I've been reading this forum since we adopted Dodger back in the beginning of 10/1 and learning a lot, but had no reason to register/post until now. Recently we took Dodger in to the Vet because he was having bad diarrhea suddenly, to the point of needing to go outside hourly (or more), even through the night. Well the vet didn't find anything specific wrong, and gave some meds that seems to be helping that problem. But in the meantime, she drew blood and discovered his platelet counts were very low (43, when 175-500 is apparently "normal"). He has literally no other symptoms and other than the loose stools seems like a perfectly healthy dog. He was even neutered about a month ago with no coagulation issues whatsoever. We've run tests for blood-borne diseases and other basic stuff, but the vet is stumped. A followup draw this week (4-5 days later) and the counts are still low, though slightly better at 64.
The vet's "best guess" at this point is that he has one of these blood-borne diseases that isn't showing up on testing, and she's decided to give him a month of antibiotics (doxocyclene?) and re-draw in 3-4 weeks. Interested in any thoughts the wisdom here might have.
Low platelet counts are called thrombocytopenia. They can be for a variety of reasons, most of them being auto-immune in nature (where the body is attacking itself). I typically run a manual platelet count in house (making a smear) and then send out my slides and blood for a full pathology review by a doctor at the lab as well, to rule out user error. One of the things that can cause low platelet counts is certainly tick borne diseases (which is what the doxy will treat) - and there are many things that can be done. Some are minor and resolve with time or treatment, others are much more serious.
Update: Dodger started yelping with random movements (and sometimes without movements while he slept). Seemed like a pinched nerve or something similar (hopefully not early-onset Wobblers, though he shows no signs of walking funny). We called the vet and she wanted to see him immediately to make sure he wasn't bruising/swelling around his spine somewhere. Long story a little bit shorter, they drew more blood and his platelets are back up to 260. We're continuing the 30 days of antibiotics and will re-check after that, but hopefully we're on the right track.
The "pinched nerve" thing seems to be a bit better each day. Getting him to "take it easy" is fun for sure, but his energy level is probably a good sign.
lubnakam, this thread is 5 years old and the OP hasn't been active here since then. The information from Doberkim is quite good, but it might be a good idea for you to start another thread with a description of your dog's symptoms and any questions you want to ask so replies can be more current and specific to your dog.
And PICTURES are always welcome (as are you--welcome to DT!)
This thread will be closed per DT policy because of its age.
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