Loki's blood test results:)

Took Loki for her quarterly blood tests on Tuesday and as always, Loki was a star! She went over to the scales right away and waited for the vet to take her weight - 45.5 k.

Her results came in yesteray. Her Phenobarb level is good, a bit above what it should be and she is now on a lower gm of Pheno, instead of the 60 gms she will be on 50 gms - still 2 in the moring and 2 in the evening though. I hope she won't be as tired with the lesser dosage.

Her Potassium level is a bit low but she has still just to have 1 Potassium Bromide morning and evenings.

So quite pleased with those results

Good girl Loki! It is such a relief when results come in at a fairly normal level - Pereg only has 6-monthly blood tests at the moment as she is currently stable. She weighs ~17kg and is on 50mg Pb TID and her levels have always been good - last one being 25.8 µg/mL [15-40 µg/mL].

Her next blood tests are due in two months so I am hoping to get similarly good results!

Well done Loki and well done Rose for looking after her so well over the years

It is good to hear Loki is stable Rosemary I hope she will have a new energy for lots of spring walks .

Good news and well done to you for managing Loki's condition so well.

Aw many thanks everyone

I hope Pereg gets on well when you both go to the vet

Good to hear that test result! The vet told me the level but I forget! Auld age never comes alone

Thanks again everyone

Rose - Pereg is one of the lucky ones in that at the moment her GM seizures are under control with just Pb. She is also lucky in that even though she has a fairly high dose of Pb for her weight her levels are still well within therapeutic range,and giving it to her TID instead of BID suits her with no side effects from it.

And I am lucky in that not only do I have a wonderful Vet who has so much knowledge of canine epilepsy and who is always prepared to listen, discuss and advise, and who does her basic blood work-ups in the mini lab at his surgery, but I can, and have, spoken on the phone with the head of the Diagnostic Veterinary Pathology Services Laboratory who do the Pb and full Thyroid panel testing and who will always chat and discuss things with me when he has time.

These are the Pb levels I have since Pereg's first GM on 1 April 2011 when she started on 25mg BID and as I say she is now on 50mg TID.

October 2011 - 27.1µg/mL

April 2012 - 24.7µg/mL

October 2012 - 25.8µg/mL

[Norm being 15-40 µg/mL]

I do not know about you but I feel so reassured when I have copies of all Pereg's blood test results, so I can compare how she is doing each time. And with the help of Milk Thistle, SAMe and Taurine, her liver function test results have always been fine.

Just have to keep everything crossed that they are still fine come April.

Thank you Malka for the info! I do get the results from the vet but sorry to say I never kept a note of them, they are on her history at the vet and I suppose if I asked, I would get a copy! Loki has had her fits since before her first birthday - 6 years now (she turned 7 in January). Thankfully, they are not as bad as they were when she took 39 fits in two days! She was hospitalised twice. Fingers crossed that is in the past! Her last lot of fits she took 10 which was the most she has taken in 2 years!

I give her a full strength milk thistle but haven't given her anything else!

Many thanks again for sharing and hugs and cuddles to Pereg. xx

And everything crossed here for April xx

My vet gives me hard copies of all the test results he does - we wait at the surgery for them, then he emails through the results from the outside lab. I suppose I should print them out and put them in her file but for the moment I have them on the computer so I can pull them up any time.

Plus of course I can get hard copies from my vet and also from the outside lab if I asked for them.

I am just so lucky with my Vet and with the outside lab and being able to just pick up the phone if I have any queries or want advice.

I'm so happy to hear Loki is doing well and stable, ROse.

Please give her a big hug from me and cuz Loki.
xxx