Diagnosis

We have a diagnosis....Leptospirosis. Ruby's titers came back high for two different serovars for lepto....high being over 1:3200....

She's been vaccinated for lepto every year since 2006...it's what she was vaccinated for roughly three weeks ago before all this happened. 

This is a spirochete...or a pic of the bacteria that causes leptospirosis. 

It can be spread by these little critters....

as well as raccoons and other wildlife. It's mainly spread through contact with their urine or feces. 

Pets mainly are exposed through drinking contaminated water....

and it is a zoonotic disease, meaning people can get it too.  It can cause multiple organ failure if not caught early. 

I have no idea where she's picked it up....maybe from our own backyard? Who knows what had been running around back there before we put up the fence. We've had a ton of rain since we moved in. We've been on the phone with Idexx, Pfizer, and our internist confirming her diagnosis. One silver lining is that Pfizer will cover the cost to treat her since she's been given multiple Pfizer lepto vaccines. 

I would say clinically she's about the same....she still doesn't have a lot of energy and isn't quite herself. She's been to the clinic everyday with Nathan and she knows her kennel...she crawls right in on her own every morning. She grumbles at the dogs and cats that come back to the treatment area. 

She still won't touch her dry dog food, but allows the girls to syringe feed her and will lick food off a  tongue depressor. 

However, she will readily eat wheat thins and tortilla chips from me....makes me wonder if she's now holding out for better food!!! She is drinking well on her own. Her ALT has come down significantly but her ALKP still remains very high. Her total bilirubin was normal this morning and she still has a slightly elevated white blood cell count. We've added in yet another antibiotic to her medication arsenal...my kitchen cabinet is beginning to look like a pharmacy!!

I'm continuing to pray for her and keep my fingers crossed that she will continue to improve. I'm NOT ready to be without my Boob!