Name: Topaz Vincent
Lives: Western Australia
Born:  26 October 2001
Nicknames: Brucie
Likes:  Milo, My brother Billy (lab x), Walks, Car rides
Loves: My mummy and Playing on Nana and Pop's country farm
Dislikes: My medication

Topaz is a red and white, blue eyed husky who came into our family on 26 December 2001 after a litter of 8 wk old husky puppies were left at the RSPCA kennels.

Unknown to us, she was already showing signs of IBD but having never heard of the condition and ultimately not understanding why her symptoms were coming about, she was not diagnosed until a year ago with IBD.

Her early signs were not eating, continual vomiting and severe weight loss to the point she became skin and bone (a terribly distressing sight to see my girl at 12kg - average for female huskies is 16kg-18kg)

After many trips to different vets, tests, ultrasounds, x-rays and many misdiagnosis - we managed to find a group of wonderful and understanding specialist vets who diagnosed IBD through biopsy of all her internal organs.

Topaz seems to be luckier that most IBD dogs in that she has taken to her medication without any dramas and finding a food source was quite easy for us.

Management wise, she is on Prednisone and Imuran which is issued on alternate days. She dines on Walthams/Royal Canin Sensitivity Diet. She must have full health and blood checks every 4 weeks (due to being on Imuran which can cause bone marrow suppression, anemia).

She does have ongoing anemia which may be due to the medication - this is continually being monitored. She now weighs 15.7kg on her last weigh in (her highest has been 17kg - we are aiming for anything above 16kg) and her progress is going well.

Medication wise, it is our ultimate aim to have her medication free. We have tried a couple of times to reduce dosage but failed as Topaz relapsed (she wouldn't eat and was losing weight). The Prednisone seems to keep her appetite stimulated. If she is still doing well at her next health check - we will try again to reduce the medication.

Topaz has experienced both "commercial" and holistic healings. Holistic was not a good experience for us personally (due to the vet) so we have stuck with our  "commercial" vet - who is so patient. As the saying goes - "If it isn't broke - why fix it??" In saying that, we are currently looking into extending the acupuncture to aid in treating Topaz's IBD.

Along with her IBD, Topaz has orthopedic problems as well - she has ill placed patella and tibia (knee joints), onset of poly arthritis and as a result, she damaged her cruciet ligament 6 months ago. Unfortunately, surgery is not an option in the opinion of the vet so we manage this by providing joint supplements and acupuncture. Due to this, she is only allowed to go for very short walks (if you know the husky breed - they love to run). It can be upsetting seeing such an athletic and energetic dog confined by her joint problems.

Topaz is an extremely loving and gentle soul who brings a smile to us every single day with her silly nature and mischievous antics.

I luv her like a furry 4 legged child. She isn't just a dog - she is part of our family... and even with her problems - I wouldn't swap her for the world.

Update: 04 March 2005

Topaz was diagnosed nearly 18 months ago now and in that time she has done extremely well with her IBD management regime. We have been able to add things like fresh fruit and vegetables to her diet…she loves bananas. She still cannot tolerate red meats which make her very ill. Topaz diet now consists of a mix of Waltham’s (Royal Canin) Sensitivity kibble, chicken necks, raw or canned fish, sweet potato, broccoli, celery, capsicum, cauliflower, banana, grapes (not all at once of course). We did try a new carbohydrate source – Tapioca with very funny and messy results. Let’s just say the result was me having to wash it off the floor, walls, from Billy. We learned our lesson with that one…

Topaz still has the odd bout of vomiting but that is very rare now - only when she has eaten something she shouldn’t have – being a result of people not taking heed of my instructions. As an owner of an IBD dog, this can be very frustrating.

Topaz medication regime is on the way to being reduced. Going from meds every day of the week to 4 days a week… we are on the way to becoming successfully medication free. At this stage Topaz’s vet is reducing her Imuran from 25mg dose every 2^nd day to her current dosage of 25mg once per week – which isn’t really enough to contribute to the control of her IBD but better to reduce in slow stages. She is still on 15mg of prednisone but only 3x week (alt days). Topaz now has 2 medication free days a week.

Her vet visits have been reduced from every 4 weeks to every 8 weeks and she no longer has problems with re-occurring anaemia.

Her weight has become stable over the last 3 - 4 months between 16.5kg and 17kg – a great achievement for my girl when it was so hard to get over the 16kg mark. Her current weight of 16.8kg is an optimal weight due to the issues with her legs.

We are still resuming acupuncture when Topaz requires it for her legs. Just lately her stance has become very hunched again and the vet was worried about problems with her spine. After taking some x-rays of both her back and legs – the vet was confident that her stance problems are more muscular and so with a bit more acupuncture, heat massage and stretching – we should be able to improve this. It was even noted that her knee joints have become more stable than the first x-rays that were done and there is no sign of advancing arthritis… Whew!!!!

Topaz is still happy in herself, extremely energetic and very cheeky. I treasure every day I have with her as she shows me how to be patient, caring and how to give good tummy rubs.

A Doggie Thank You...

" I give you my heart, and my shoulder,
and my antics as a thank you for all you do for me.
You feed me, you hug me, you worry about me.
You laugh at me, you laugh with me.
You give me your smile that I so treasure.
And most of all, you accept me just the way I am."

Annon...