I feel for the author. A sudden onset, undiagnosable illness like this is one of the most frightening things one can experience. One day in February of last ye

I feel for the author. A sudden onset, undiagnosable illness like this is one of the most frightening things one can experience. One day in February of last year, our perfectly healthy dog just wouldn’t stand up. Blood tests showed abnormally low platelet count. Multiple blood tests, steroid injections, ultrasounds and a bone marrow biopsy later, by process of elimination (no internal bleeds, no tumours), a panel of vets could only speculate, but not diagnose, Immune Mediated Thrombocytopenia. Out of nowhere, his immune system was now attacking his platelets. Luckily, whether it was IMTP or not, we had a simple mediation plan - high dose of steroids. It worked, he became a happy dog again, but the side effects from steroids were brutal; hair loss, diarrhoea and constipation in a never ending cycle, night tremors, sores all over his legs. We would periodically reduce the steroids, but immediately the platelet counts would start dropping, so we would have to increase it back up. Then, roughly 9 months later in October, just like it started, it ended. Out of nowhere, his platelet counts normalized and the illness disappeared. We still don’t know if it was actually IMTP, or some other immune-mediated illness. It’s an absolutely terrifying experience to go through. The unknown eats away at you.