Glad the news is positive at the moment Lynn. As you say, it is quality rather than quantity and you are well prepared for what might happen the future although it doesn't make it any easier. Let's just hope that Ollie defies all the odds and we are still wishing him well in years to come - wouldn't that just be wonderful

He's a 'good un' is Ollie and all of you too what you have is very special, wish could figure out how to post photos because have some of my friends old Bernese, he was such a gentle giant. Sending big cuddles to Ollie((xx)) and hugs to all (x)

My Bernese loving friend and I are both still rooting for Ollie - he is clearly a fighter, and you are fighting hard too.

He is doing better than you expected, and long may that continue........whilst there is improvement there is always hope and you have a cracker of a vet there to support you.

so pleased he is doing so well. It must be reassuring that Nadia is so pleased too. Lets hope he can cope on the reduced doses too. Sending loads of love and cuddles xx

Thank you all.

He is doing so well and he is a fighter there is no doubt about that. We were so lucky that Nadia was the neurologist on duty that day although I don't doubt they are all very good symapthetic vets where he went. I know the other vet who saw him in the early hours and admitted him was special too as was the nurse working with her.

She has been researching his breed got in touch with her old boss who use to own a bernese for his input and to make she has missed nothing, but like he says they are a complex breed especially health wise and sometimes you just never know what the problem is with them.

So she is a cracking vet and we couldn't of got this far without her support and always going that extra mile for us. Also we have got this far with some cracking friends on dogsey too.

So glad to keep on reading that Ollie is still doing so very well, long may it continue, and as you keep on saying Lynn, quality over quantity and he still has lots of quality, it's all good isn't it.

When Nadia says she knew a dog who lasted 5 months on this dose of preds, what dose is Ollie on atm then? I can tell you, that old George, was having a whole injection of steroids at least once if not twice a week, every week right up to the age of 5 (before he found me), and then he had the preds to go home with to keep him going inbetween the jabs! I know all of this, because I stuck with the very same vet who had treated him since he was a puppy and he told me all this. He was over the moon when we achieved a whole month without either, and then 6 months sometimes, but then we soon had to resort back to weekly jabs and weekly doses of prednisolone's, but look how many years Lynn He's also a big dog too, just like dear Ollie, weighing in at 55kgs, not a big difference to Ollie I wouldn't have thought? I just want to give you a bit of hope that some dogs do go against all odds, I know it because I have the evidence lying here at my feet, he's now pushing 13 years of age! I'm not saying his problems are the same as Bernese's, but what I am saying is, don't just take it as gospel that he won't be able to stand the steroids coz it just isn't true. If you remember, Georgie ended up with an enlarged liver a few years ago, but even with a whole year off steroids, we've been back on them for about 3 years now, constantly, not a high dose of course, but the vet said he wouldn't last very long when we started this last lot and here he is, 3 years down the line! I really am hoping Ollie will be able to tolerate them just as well as Georgie and they keep him going for a long time to come coz you just never know.

Interesting, I had a holiday booking for our van last week, and she has Bernese dogs, always has, and her last one died last year aged 11!! That's quite an age in these dogs I think!? She got another one now and wants to get a rescue youngster to keep the new one company, so she's in touch with the breeder who lives in my village who shows hers. Anyway, that's by the by, but you never know with Ollie, he could go on for much longer than you're even hoping for, and his quality of life could improve tremendously if he tolerates this high dose of steroids, I'll have everything crossed for you as always.xxx

Thanks Helena. Ollie is on 50mg a day. There is another drug if she thinks he does need to go back on a high dose if the lower dose doesn't work for him. She is going to send me details of it as it has some nasty side effects so we woudl really need to think carefully about it.

Whatever the outcome he is going to need something for the rest of his life to keep him at where he is or to see even further improvement.

11 is a good age for a berner, we have met one near us once who was 11 too. Claire's usually live into their early teens. Over here they do have a longer span of life in the States and Canada they can die much younger.

Oh, that IS a high dose there Lynn isn't it Let's hope you can reduce that and still keep him as he is now at the very least, which I'm sure can happen. I wonder what the actual injection of steroids contains, i.e. in mgs?? I know Georgie had at least one of those a week and maybe two some weeks, it could well be the equivalent, I don't know. I agree, you don't want to start getting bad side effects from another drug, steroids are good and he's doing so well on them. All the best then Lynn, I'll keep popping in to see how the big bear is doing.

It is high Helena. Nadia was saying she is treating on the assumption of a certain disease ie: a neuropathy of some kind she is kind of playing in the dark a bit so is having to assume work on he basis of how close the symptoms Ollie is displaying has to other dogs that have displayed similar symptoms and been diagnosed. They are usully on higher doses than Ollie.

It would seem they don't do very well when the doses are lowered and the other drug if people opt to use them do not sit well with the dogs. So we now know we have to make the most of the days we have. But thats fine we can live with that and you never know he may prove us wrong.

Dylan was on 30mg a day when he was first diagnosed with Leukaemia and that was slowly reduced over a period of months. He's now on 10mg a day nearly 5 years later and much to the vets amazement, there have been little to no side effects. Considering he'll be 15 this year he's a bit of a medical mystery!

I was told that the steroids will gradually eat away at his immune system and that long term, they will actually not do him any good. We're not seeing any signs of that and so as the good days still far outweigh the bad we continue!

Hugs to Ollie and sending him some special Dylan magic xxx