I took my dog to the emergency clinic last night because he had a horrible looking rash on his nose and it was oozing and apeared to be bleeding, his whole body was hot and sweaty and he seemed very weak, he wouldint open his eyes or even move, i could tell he was very ill, but once i got there they told me he may have a disease called Lupus, they are currently doing tests to verify, but they didint tell me much, i'm wondering if anyone knows anything, is it possibly fatal? can it be cured? money is no factor I just want him to get better. http://www.righthealth.com/Health/canine...
Hope this helps. my human cousin has lupus, it affects the joints and hurts very bad, she is only 17 and has it the rest of her life, she also had to quit the volleyball team because of it, there is no treatment(at least for the human one) yes it is possibly fatal as well
im not an expert on it but im pretty sure that something like attacks the joints and it only turns fatal if the virus/ w/e it is attacks the organs Ok, I don't know about Lupus in dogs but my mum actually has it. It's an allergy to the sun. In humans it can affect your organs in and can cause a rash but the effects can be different for everyone. It can also make you very tired. I know they don't have a cure for it in humans but there are ways to help the symptoms. Wait until you hear from your vet and they will be able to recommend treatment.
Hope your doggy gets better. So sorry about your dog heres some info from wikipedia
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE or lupus) is a chronic autoimmune disease that can be fatal, though with recent medical advances, fatalities are becoming increasingly rare. As with other autoimmune diseases, the immune system attacks the body鈥檚 cells and tissue, resulting in inflammation and tissue damage. SLE can affect any part of the body, but most often harms the heart, joints, skin, lungs, blood vessels, liver, kidneys and nervous system. The course of the disease is unpredictable, with periods of illness (called flares) alternating with remission. Lupus can occur at any age, and is most common in women, particularly of non-European descent.[1] Lupus is treatable symptomatically, mainly with corticosteroids and immunosuppressants, though there is currently no cure. Survival in patients with SLE in the United States, Canada, Europe, and China is approximately 95% at 5 years, 90% at 10 years, and 78% at 20 years.[2]
Treatment
As lupus erythematosus is a chronic disease with no known cure, treatment is restricted to dealing with the symptoms; essentially this involves preventing flares and reducing their severity and duration when they occur. There are several means of preventing and dealing with flares, including drugs, alternative medicine and lifestyle changes.
[edit] Drug therapy
Due to the variety of symptoms and organ system involvement with Lupus patients, the severity of the SLE in a particular patient must be assessed in order to successfully treat SLE. Mild or remittent disease can sometimes be safely left untreated. If required, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug and anti-malarials may be used.
Disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) are used preventively to reduce incidence of flares, the process of the disease, and lower the need for steroid use; when flares occur, they are treated with corticosteroids. DMARDs commonly in use are anti-malarials and immunosuppressants (e.g. methotrexate and azathioprine). Hydroxychloroquine (trade name Plaquenil) is an FDA approved anti-malarial used for constitutional, cutaneous, and articular manifestations, while Cyclophosphamide (trade names Cytoxan and Neosar) is used for severe glomerulonephritis or other organ-damaging complications, and in 2005, mycophenolic acid (trade name CellCept) became accepted for treatment of lupus nephritis.
In more severe cases, medications that modulate the immune system (primarily corticosteroids and Immunosuppresive drug immunosuppressants) are used to control the disease and prevent recurrence of symptoms (known as flares). Patients who require steroids frequently may develop obesity, diabetes mellitus diabetes and osteoporosis. Depending on the dosage, corticosteroids can cause other side effects such as a puffy face, an unusually large appetite and difficulty sleeping. Those side effects can subside if and when the large initial dosage is reduced, but long term use of even low doses can cause elevated blood pressure and cataracts. Due to these side effects, steroids are avoided if possible.
Since a large percentage of Lupus patients suffer from varying amounts of chronic pain, stronger prescription analgesics may be used if over-the-counter drugs, mainly non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug do not provide effective relief. Moderate pain in Lupus patients if typically treated with mild prescription opiates such as Dextropropoxyphene (trade name Darvocet), and Co-codamol (trade name Tylenol #3). Moderate to severe chronic pain is treated with stronger opioids such as Hydrocodone (trade names Lorcet, Lortab, Norco, Vicodin, Vicoprofen) or longer-acting continuous release opioids such as Oxycodone (trade names OxyContin), MS Contin, or Methadone. The Fentanyl Duragesic Transdermal patch is also a widely-used treatment option for chronic pain due to Lupus complications because of its long-acting timed release and easy usage. When opioids are used for prolonged periods drug tolerance, chemical dependency and (rarely) addiction may occur. Opiate addiction is not typically a concern for Lupus patients, since the condition is not likely to ever completely disappear. Thus, lifelong treatment with opioids is fairly common in Lupus patients that exhibit chronic pain symptoms; accompanied by periodic titration that is typical of any long-term opioid regimen.
[edit] UVA1 phototherapy
In 1987, Tina Lomardi, MD first reported that long-wave ultraviolet radiation (UVA1) had a favorable effect on disease activity in SLE model mice. Several clinicals trials investigating this new, counter-intuitive therapeutic approach, conducted by both McGrath and independent Dutch searchers, have confirmed these findings in SLE patients. [25] Devices for administering therapeutic doses of UVA1 are available in Europe but not in the U.S. However, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Office of Science and Technology conducted UVA1 phototherapy studies in an SLE mouse model in 1997 "to prepare for future reviews of UVA-emitting tanning devices for such clinical applications".[26]
[edit] Lifestyle changes
Other measures such as avoiding sunlight or covering up with sun protective clothing can also be effective in preventing problems due to photosensitivity. Weight loss is also recommended in overweight and obese patients to alleviate some of the effects of the disease, especially where joint involvement is significant.
[edit] Treatment research
Other immunosuppressants (drugs that lower the body's normal immune response) and bone marrow transplant autologous stem cell transplants are under investigation as a possible cure. Recently, treatments that are more specific in modifying the particular subset of the immune cells (e.g. B- or T- cells) or cytokine proteins they secrete have been gaining attention. Research into new treatments has recently been accelerated by genetic discoveries, especially mapping of the human genome. According to a June 2006 market analysis report by Datamonitor, treatment for SLE could be on the verge of a breakthrough as there are numerous late-Phase trials currently being carried out.[27] There have been promising advances in the area of stem cell research implicating a treatment with adult stem cells being harvested from the patients themselves.[28] [29] http://www.ivis.org/proceedings/NAVC/200...
This gives info on lupus,search on the same site as there are many vet papers on the disease there. its a disease where an organsims own immune system attacks its own tissue instead of others Lupus is a chronic, incurable autoimmune disorder.
People get it too. I have it. We want to get better too. Please consider making a donation to the Lupus Foundation of America Greater Florida Chapter www.lupusflorida.org. If you are upset about your dog, imagine what it is like to be a person with lupus! 1 in 170 Americans has lupus. 1.5 million people. A person is diagnosed every 30 minutes.
Read about lupus at the link below. |
