As I mentioned yesterday, here is the chart showing Hannah's red blood cell percentages over time. Keep in mind that the normal range for dogs is 40-55. I used 14 as the baseline because that is the point at which she would have needed a blood transfusion. The PCV and CBC results should be read using the left-hand axis, and the corrected reticulocytes should be read using the right-hand axis. Reticulocytes are immature red blood cells and are used to determine whether the anemia is regenerative, or in Hannah's case, non-regenerative (although our vet has described her improvement many times as her bone marrow "waking up"). Here is a simple formula for calculating corrected reticulocytes, and here are more formulas and explanations regarding reticulocytes.



written by Katherine at 2:37 PM | link | 0 comments

We had a really great weekend - it was just the right mix of fun and productivity. We did some cooking, some house organizing, lots of laundry, went to church, went to a baseball game, got groceries, and I did lots of exercise (a 50 minute run on Sunday morning!). I wish it weren't Monday, but at least I feel like I got a true break from the weekday grind.

I took Hannah to the vet on Friday afternoon for a CBC. After the PCV of 32 on 8/6, she had a PCV of 30 on 8/13. I was starting to get a little worried, but the CBC on Friday came back at 31.5. She looks to still be gradually improving - certainly the overall trend is still an upward one. Sometime I need to post the Excel graph I've created that tracks and trends her test results. Yes, I am a statistician. I'd actually like to show it to our vet but I'm afraid he'd think I was a complete loser with too much time on my hands. :)

written by Katherine at 8:03 AM | link | 0 comments

Hey there! A quick update for you. We're slowly getting more settled in the house. Most of the boxes are unpacked, but there's still lots of stuff that needs to find a permanent spot. The disorganization is starting to get to me, so I'm hoping we'll be able to make some good progress this weekend.

We're supposed to be having out chain link fence installed this week, but the installer hasn't shown up yet. We thought he was coming on Monday but unless he is there today, there's been no sign of him. The supplies were delivered on Saturday, so it's all ready and waiting. I know the dogs will enjoy the chance to explore the yard once the fence is done, so I wish he'd hurry up!

Emma Kate's doing well. She seems to like the new house a lot. She is also enjoying chasing Jefferson, or "Jeffen", around. It's safe to say she enjoys it more than he does. She seems to think he is the funniest thing she's ever laid eyes on. We've been able to find time to go to the park, for a few walks, and we've introduced her to drawing on the driveway with chalk... mostly she just loves being outdoors. I wish she wasn't as attractive to the mosquitoes (she must've inherited that from me), but I'm glad she likes to go outside.

I also need to give a little update on Hannah. Her RBC was continuing to improve gradually, when on July 23 we got a result of 48, which is well into the normal range! However, on August 6 we got a result of 32. The vet thinks that the 48 was probably an inaccurate result, and it's not that she's actually dropping. I tend to agree. We will take her back this weekend for another check just to be sure. Still, 32 is a lot to be thankful for, considering that's almost double what it was when this all started back in April.

So that's about it from here. I have pictures I need to upload, etc. etc. and I will get it done as time allows... we're just so busy...

PS: I should add a little update from my previous post. Guess what Chris found in a box underneath a floor fan the day after he bought the replacement power cord for the PC? Yep, the original. Fortunately we can take the new one back, if we can ever get to Staples.

written by Katherine at 12:48 PM | link | 0 comments