In March 2011, I began giving my German short-haired pointer named Buddy one Interceptor pill to prevent worms. In April and May, he received the same dose according to the package directions. On May 28, he had developed a swollen left leg which I noticed after work. I took him to Arboretum View, an animal emergency facility where the vet said she (Saundra **, DVM) didn't know what caused the swelling but didn't rule out cancer. She gave him a Benedryl shot in the swelling, took an ultra-sound, and gave me 2 types of pills (for Benedryl and for pain). The ultra-sound showed pockets of blood in the swelling. Later in the day and since there was no improvement, I took Buddy to his vet (Animal Care Center of Plainfield, IL) for evaluation.
Dr. Michael said he wouldn't rule out cancer but really thought Buddy had an auto-immune condition since his red blood cell count was 25 (it should have been 35). I was given 3 more types of pills (steroid for the swelling, antibiotic, and a different pain pill that wouldn't conflict with the steroid). Also, I requested an x-ray of the heart, lungs, and stomach to determine if there were any tumors; the result was negative. Dr. Michael requested that I bring Buddy back the next day to check his RBC count again. When we got home, Buddy went to his bed and stayed there in the same position all night and the following day. He couldn't get up since his leg was so swollen he couldn't bend his knee nor did he have any strength in it.
He couldn't walk. I stayed with him all through the night. The following day we returned to the see the vet; he did another blood count, which was 19. Dr. Michael said a blood transfusion was an option. But since we didn't know what was causing something to eat the red blood cells, it would be useless. Bud would get worse since his count was decreasing. We (my son and I) decided to euthanize Buddy. He was a seven year old, healthy, energetic dog. To see him deteriorate in a matter of 2 days was unbelievable and devastating! The only pill Buddy was taking was made to attack worm larvae in his blood, but instead it was attacking his red blood cells.
