Enzo's Leishmania Journey: Navigating Veterinary Turbulence

In the autumn of 2022, Enzo entered our family, taking a significant stride directly into my broken heart. Just a few months prior, I had to euthanize my beloved toy poodle Elliot, who had grown old and ill. Enzo brought with him an immense amount of love and gratitude for finally finding a home filled with abundant affection. During this time, he became the missing piece that I had longed for since Elliot's departure. However, our happiness was short-lived as just three months after his arrival, Enzo developed thrombocytopenia in december, a condition that nearly claimed his life. At that moment, I began to ponder whether it could be related to a possible Leishmania infection, given his origins from Spain.

Yet, veterinarians attributed it to a typical vaccine reaction. Over the years, I have encountered numerous veterinarians who were so certain in their assertions, only to be incredibly mistaken, leading me to lose faith in their expertise and judgments. Nonetheless, for some reason, I chose to set aside my suspicions regarding Leishmania.

Enzo was eventually fully restored with the help of chemotherapy and homeopathy, without the need for the six-month cortisone regimen prescribed by the veterinarian. However, he struggled to regain his original weight, which I was informed was related to the vaccine reaction.

On February 4th this year, the condition recurred. This time, he exhibited many peculiar symptoms, leaving everyone scratching their heads in confusion. The initial veterinarian I consulted proposed testing Enzo's joint fluid and initiating cortisone treatment without clear justification. Despite reaching out to various veterinarians in town, none were willing to assist when I mentioned my suspicions of Leishmania. Eventually, my small local clinic agreed to conduct a blood test, and last Wednesday, I received a Leishmania-positive result in my email inbox. Additionally, my local veterinarian mentioned her limited knowledge of the disease and expressed her inability to continue treating Enzo. Once again, I embarked on a quest for assistance, only to find that veterinarians in Sweden had little to no knowledge of the disease and advised me to euthanize him without even reviewing his test results. It became a race against time and, as usual, a battle against the veterinary community. Those meant to offer help followed my previous experiences and recommended euthanasia due to their limited expertise.

Eventually, I connected with a woman in the nearest city who recommended a veterinarian outside Gothenburg, whom she had visited with her Leishmania-infected dog and received effective treatment. I secured an appointment last Friday morning, and he appeared competent and amiable. He prescribed Allopurinol and sent me home, despite my inquiry about why he didn't prescribe Milteforan to deactivate the parasites active in Enzo's body. He believed Enzo wasn't sufficiently ill to warrant this treatment yet. However, over the weekend, upon reviewing his kidney values and consulting with five others experienced in Leishmania, they insisted that Enzo urgently needed Milteforan. I emailed the veterinarian, but today being Sunday, I must wait until tomorrow for a response.

This scenario exemplifies how pet owners in crisis must acquire substantial knowledge independently because veterinarians don't always possess all the necessary expertise. It's crucial not to entrust our animals' lives solely to others without thinking critically and educating ourselves.

This became abundantly clear to me when my whippet suffered a brain hemorrhage, and the veterinarians were utterly helpless. I administered homeopathic treatment before taking him to the animal hospital, and 2.5 hours after arriving, he walked out on slightly unsteady legs. They wanted to euthanize him as they had no treatment, claiming that a brain hemorrhage of that magnitude is fatal with no available interventions. I refused to let them euthanize him, and during our time there, the homeopathic treatment began to take effect, and he improved with each passing half-hour. Eventually, we could return home, and oddly, I wasn't questioned about the homeopathic remedy I had administered before our arrival. They weren't interested in learning about any alternative methods or expanding their knowledge beyond their formal education.

Do you have a sick dog? Here are 5 tips:

• Search Facebook for groups discussing your dog's illness; you may find individuals who are highly knowledgeable and willing to share their experiences, along with links to informative resources.

• Make a public post about your dog's illness/symptoms on your social media platforms and ask people to share it so it reaches the right person who has the knowledge you need.

• Look for YouTube channels and other platforms owned by veterinarians or specialists in the field.

• Search online using uncensored search engines like DuckDuckGo, for example. Read everything you come across, including blogs, and contact individuals with experience to ask questions. Perhaps you'll receive recommendations for a veterinarian who specializes in what you're looking for near you!

• Don't give up! Don't assume it's over just because your veterinarian says so! I've been told multiple times that my dogs will die, but after finding the right information and providing them with the proper treatment, they've lived for many more years! Who would have thought that a dog with a brain hemorrhage would live a good life for several years afterward?

Veterinarians are merely humans with a specific education that comes with limitations in the form of conventional medicine. There are many out there with different knowledge and experiences that veterinarians who only believe in what they learned in school will never understand. Don't let them play God and prematurely end your dogs' lives due to their own limited knowledge.

Before I conclude, I want to share Robin's story. Robin was a Toy Poodle from England who came to me at the age of three. I had him on a breeding contract. However, he coughed frequently, and the longer time went on, the more apparent it became to me that he had heart cough. This condition arises when the heart, for some reason, is strained and cannot function normally. He coughed after exertion, prompting me to seek out a cardiac specialist in the nearest city. He examined Robin, listened to his heart, and induced coughing. When he finished, he stated that there was nothing wrong with my dog. He speculated that the throat might be slightly damaged due to the cough, but it absolutely wasn't because of his heart. Unsatisfied with this response, my gut feeling told me that there was something seriously wrong, prompting me to search for another veterinarian willing to X-ray his heart to determine the true condition. After some disputes with veterinarians who didn't want to listen to a "mere dog owner" instruct them on how to do their job, I found a small veterinary station 16 (Swedish) miles away that asked me to bring him in for a heart X-ray. True to their word, I placed him in the car and drove there. The veterinarian, a humble man who didn't make a fuss about his fancy education, took my word and examined the X-rays. He confirmed that I was entirely correct, and Robin had an enlarged heart and deposits on a heart valve.

This goes to show that a person's ignorance (he was a cardiac specialist, nonetheless!) shouldn't determine your dog's fate; if your gut feeling tells you something different from what the veterinarian says, TRUST it!

/Mirabelle Wesden