Maggie is not doing well. She has been vomiting for several days and today is just lying in her bed. She is alert, but very weak. We can't get any food or water into her.

Andi, I am so sorry to hear that Maggie is not doing well. She was doing so great. I assume she's been to the Vet. What does the Vet say? Then again, last time the Vet stated she wouldn't survive this long and look how well she's done up until now.

Please give Maggie a hug for us. We hope she rebounds, as she did before, very soon!

Oh I am sorry to hear this - I feel that Maggie is one of our pets - give her a hug from us, too - Joanna

I'm sorry to hear Maggie is ailing. I hope the vet can help her.

Oh Andi -

Sorry to hear this. Please keep us up-to-date on the situation. Thoughts and prayers headed your way.

{{{{{Magster}}}}}

I remember when Maggie was sick before and I kept watching for your posts. I hope that she gets better again. I will keep my fingers crossed.Marty and I are such animal lovers.We get so attached.

Between my mother's and Maggie's health, this has been a rotten May. Please think positive thoughts...she's got to make it! My mother is getting better. Let's hope Maggie follows suit.

My mom's dog, Toby, has settled in well with our daughter, Leigh. He adores her and is a very well mannered, but lazy, pooch. All he wants is to cuddle.

Andi,

Events have to take a turn for the better for everyone in your life, and you! Hoping it happens very, very soon!

Hugs to you from Alan and me.

Thanks, Denise. Hugs back at you two.

OMG, Andi - I'm so sorry to hear about Maggie's turn of events. Of course, we are sending out good vibes in your direction - Maggie's the board mascot and has to get better!

Masaki

We're sending out lots of positive thoughts for Maggie. Give her a hug on our behalf and please keep us updated.

So sorry to hear that Maggie's not doing well. You certainly don't need this so here's a hug and lots of positive energy coming your way.
Glad to hear your mom is doing better.

Here's to Maggie getting better quickly.

Anthony

Sending positive thoughts about Maggie your way, Andi!

Doug and I awoke to hearing Maggie lapping up a dish of Ensure and some rice we left in the bathroom with her. She then made noises to come into bed with us. She wasn't resting comfortably and panted a lot.

She asked to go out and walked up and downstairs by herself. Unfortunately, the little food she had came out in both directions.

Doug brought her over to the vet this am and we are awaiting to hear the diagnosis.

Andi, Wishing for good news from the vet....for you, Doug and Maggie. :hug:

Yes..yes, Andi. What Suzie said!!

Betty

Andi,

Our thoughts and prayers are with you and Maggie. Hope the vet gives you a positive report and it's just a bug, not anything serious.

Kathy and Todd

3:30..Doug just heard from the vet's office. They want him to come in for a conference at 4:30. I am so scared.

You are in all of our thoughts right now, Andi.

Andi and Doug, my heart sank at seeing this thread. You may be at the vet's office right now. Good thoughts are winging their way to you this very moment.

Ditto to what Robert and Priscilla said.

Andi,

I'm sitting here looking at your beautiful lady's picture and praying things go well with your conference with the vet. We'll be waiting to hear from you.

Kathy

The vet thinks Maggie's illness is unrelated to her liver condition. He thinks it is a rare disease picked up from the urine of infected raccoons and skunks that is transmitted when a pet steps in it. It can also be transmitted to humans. He is doing more blood tests to ensure that this is a conclusive diagnosis. If so, we will have to inform our neighbors with pets and small children. He said it could be a new strain of an extinct virus.

He is putting her on antibiotics and IV therapy and keeping her for a few days. He says that there is hope that she could make it.

Oh we hope so.
Get better Maggie.

Oh Andi. I am so sorry. Maggie will be in my prayers for a full and quick recovery. I can't imagine how hard it must have been for you and Doug to leave her.

Will they allow you to visit her at least? I understand their concerns about transmission, but surely if you and Doug were going to pick it up, you'd have done so already.

Kathy

We sleep with her...incubation time is 2 days to several weeks. If we get the flu, we will see our PCP. I am including info on this disease.

New forms of old disease threaten U.S. dogs, CU veterinarians warn
By Roger Segelken

A potentially fatal bacterial disease that damages the liver and kidneys of dogs, humans and other animals -- leptospirosis -- is appearing in new forms in the United States. Citing an alarming increase in leptospirosis cases, bacteriologists in the Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine's Diagnostic Laboratory are urging dog owners to watch for symptoms of the disease until improved vaccines are available.

"We're especially concerned about some of the new types of lepto, such as grippotyphosa, that we first documented in the New York City metropolitan area in dogs, but which probably is not confined there. We're finding grippotyphosa in the Northeast and in other areas of the country," said Patrick McDonough, a veterinary bacteriologist at the Cornell Diagnostic Laboratory. That laboratory is the official diagnostic center for animal disease control in New York state and each year conducts more than 700,000 diagnostic tests for animals of all species, including humans.

While currently available vaccines do protect against some serovars (serological varieties) of leptospirosis, newer serovars, such as grippotyphosa and pomona, are not included in that protection, McDonough noted, saying: "There is room for improvement in the vaccination protocols." Worldwide, there are more than 200 known serovars of leptospirosis infecting many kinds of mammals, including rodents and cattle.

Leptospirosis is spread by a spirochete (or spiral shaped) bacteria called leptospires in the urine of rodents and other infected animals, as well as in water, such as pond water. The leptospires enter the body through mucous membranes or through abraded skin.

For dog owners, the first signs of leptospirosis in a pet often are several days of anorexia, vomiting, lethargy, depression, muscle pain and sometimes diarrhea or bloody urine. Veterinarians examining dogs with leptospirosis find depression, fever, dehydration, jaundice and abdominal pain. The disease damages the animal's liver and kidneys, sometimes resulting in renal failure and death.

If the disease is caught in time, McDonough said, it can be successfully treated with penicillin and -- when the kidneys have recovered -- with a lengthy course of tetracycline drugs. During their recovery, dehydrated animals need intravenous fluids and "good, supportive nursing care," he added.

"Until vaccines are upgraded to include these new types of lepto, we're advising dog owners to watch for flu-like illnesses in their pets," McDonough said. "If the dog has been exposed to the urine of another domestic animal or a wild animal, either directly or in ponds or run-off water that collect urine, and if you notice these flu-like signs, the pet should be tested for lepto."

Noting that leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease that can pass from animals to humans, Cornell Diagnostic Laboratory Director Donald Lein said the infection can be an occupational hazard for people who work with animals. "This used to be called 'milkers' disease,' and there is real potential for its spread among dairy farm workers, as well as people handling other animals." He said that personnel in large dairy farms, where hundreds of cows are milked several times a day, must work in pits at eye-nose-and-mouth level to a continuous stream of cows -- and to an aerosol form of their urine that could contain leptospires.

"Leptospirosis is a disease that's been around for a long time," McDonough said. "Now we're recognizing new types. Certainly in different areas of the country there are endemic types of lepto that aren't found in other areas, and each area might have its unique lepto problem."


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Some facts about leptospirosis
What causes leptospirosis?
Leptospirosis is caused by spirochete (or spiral-shaped) bacteria called leptospires. The leptospires live in fluids from infected animals, including urine, saliva, blood and milk.

What are the symptoms?
In general, the disease resembles the flu with fever, headache, chills and myalgia (muscle pain).

How is leptospirosis treated?
Dogs are treated with a course of antibiotics and with intravenous fluid to overcome dehydration. Diagnosis is based on clinical signs and laboratory tests.

Do humans catch leptospirosis?
Leptospirosis is a so-called zoonotic disease that can be transmitted from animals to humans. People can catch the disease from water that is contaminated by infected wild or domestic animals

Andi and Doug, well, lets hope the amazing Maggie and her will to live can beat one more obstacle. Glad she is in good hands with a vet who recognized this rare condition. My wishes to you for her full recovery.

Oh, you and Maggie have had so much to deal with. This is just rotten. She's an amazing little girl, though, and it sounds as if she is having good care, which is so important. And you and Doug take care of yourselves, too. More good thoughts coming your way.

Dear Andi,my heart goes out to you. Hope Maggie will make a complete recovery. We just went through this with our beautiful dog Jah. We lost her on March 23rd. She was only 91/2. A large dog, 95 lbs. of love. About 6 weeks before she was diagnosed with urinary tract infection, on antibiotics. Seemed to bounce back. Then around march 10th or so she seemed listless and was limping, Vet put her on joint medication. Then the weekend of the 18th, she stopped eating and drinking vomited, would just lay down. I left town for my Dad's funeral. We took her to vet on way to airport. She was on IV's all day, then Ron brought her home. She had seizures that night, was on Valium all day, then to hospital. Wednesday they decided to let her go. It was horrible for Ron, he was alone here, and for me being so far away. They didn't tell me why this happened, now I wonder if she had this horrible disease. So glad Maggie is being treated in time.

Jeanine

Andi, I'm so sorry to hear about sweet Maggie!! This really has been the MAY from Hell for you!! Thank goodness June is just around the corner and I hope things will look much brighter for you and Doug.

Jeanine, so sorry to hear about your dog too. When it rains, it pours! As the owner of two dogs, I'm going to keep close tabs on them (and my 3 kitties as well).

Heartfilled hugs Andi for what you and Doug are going through!

Thanks to everyone for you kind words & thoughts. They mean a lot to us!

I'll be brief here because Andi has summed this up better than I ever could.

There is a very cruel irony at work here. If Lepto is the villian... and we only suspect (strongly) but do not know for sure yet... she must have gotten it while doing one of the things she loves the most - her run in the yard! A run that took her so long to get back up to be able to do.

But the vet did say that he was not ready to suggest that we put her down.
So we still have hope.... And our Maggs is a survivor!

Thanks again to you all.

Doug

Hi Andi and Doug,

Those of us here in the South Pacific wish all good news up your way. We'll keep all our fingers crossed for good news again.

xoxoxo,
Chat Kat

Andi and Doug, So sorry to hear of the latest possible diagnosis. Maggie has been a true miracle dog and perhaps she can pull out another miracle, once again! She's remarkable. If any dog can overcome the odds and rebound, it's Maggie!

We are hoping for the very best outcome for your sweet Maggie. Please continue to let us know how she and you both are coming along. In the interim, lots of hugs, good thoughts and positive vibrations are being sent your way from Alan and me.

Jeanine, so sorry to hear of your loss. It's never easy loosing a pet that you love so dearly.

We are all pulling for Maggie - Joanna

Jeanine, So sorry to hear of your loss. Are you getting / rescuing another pooch?

I decided today, and Doug seems to go along with me on this, that whether or not Maggs makes it, we are rescuing another Spaniel as soon as one becomes available that fits our lifestyle...housebroken and gets along with other dogs. At least we'll be helping another pup.

Great idea, Andi!

Luckily, lepto is a disease that CAN be cured as opposed to the other possibilities that Maggie could have had. We're continuing to keep our fingers crossed for Maggie!

masaki

We're hoping that we caught it early enough..with her liver disease, she already has been living on borrowed time (Lennon, this time)and her health is not optimum.

Andi and Doug ~ All I can say is we send you our love and best thoughts...all of us are here with you...we love you. Go Maggie :hug: