Re: [pyrnet] Help Please!

["Linda Weisser" <lmweisser@attbi.com>]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Tracy Bassett" <espinay@bigpond.com>

<<I know she will never vaccinate him again or use any
medications etc that may cause problems for his immune system (he was never
placed on steriods or anti-inflammatories),>>

I'm not making any observations on the bulk of this dog's treatment.  And I
surely can understand his owner being leery of vaccinations.  However, it
really needs to be kept in mind that the most common and often the most
dramatically effective treatment for *auto immune* (or immune mediated)
diseases is some form of steroid. Steroids have the effect of stopping the
body's assault on itself which is what auto immune disease is.  Of course
steroid use, like the use of all powerful drugs, needs to be carefully
prescribed and monitored.

There are two quite different ways that an animal (or a human) can have
immune system problems and the management of those two may be quite
different.  There is the "depressed" or not effectively functioning immune
system which is behind such things as AIDS and makes one susceptible to
colds, flu etc.  And there is autoimmune "disease" in which there is an OVER
active immune system that sees the body as an invader and attacks it.
Rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, are forms of this as are certain manifestations
of other problems as in autoimmune hemolytic anemia and forms of myositis.

Understanding what goes on with the dogs and how we can help or manage their
medical issues often involves understanding the distinctions in "immune
problems"

Linda