Rabbie Burns framed it better, but sometimes fate just steps right in to deal a mortal blow to your best laid plans.
It happened on Sunday evening 6:15 pm. The penetrating cries of a dog in pain made me run outside. It was the younger of our two, just arrived back from a walk. While no-one was looking, an unidentified sharp object had cut into his heel. It bled, we bound it up, it stopped. He rested, ate, then rested some more. Around 11 pm he got off his bed and the bandaged wound exploded - blood gushing, no let up. The vet said bring him in, they kept him overnight, allowed him home briefly and re-admitted him yesterday for an operation to repair two sliced tendons. Aftercare is two days absolute rest, then regulated exercise on a lead for who knows how long, in parallel with six weeks' intensive physio and laser treatment.
Returning to the theme of the title, the best laid plan in this case was a three week trip to the USA for my wife and I - together, even - the first such in four or five years. And the catalyst for the trip was my receipt, in February, of tixagevimab in one buttock and cilgavimab in the other buttock. They don't tell you which mab goes into the left and which into the right, but Evusheld is the mixture and antibodies is what it delivers. An undocumented, possibly undesirable, but probably inevitable side effect of Evusheld is how it changes the recipient's attitude: a definite nudge in the direction of invulnerability. For is not the point of Evusheld "prophylaxis" - literally the advance guard, keeping Covid at bay for a good six months we're told.
So, armed with the Evusheld ring of confidence (and the road map to antiviral treatments in the back pocket) we obtained our US visas, booked airline tickets, arranged a couple of business and social meetings en route, and recruited house-and-dog-sitters from willing friends. In the USA, our relatives booked a large holiday house, a couple of hotels and a deluxe rental car. Departure: May 29, return: June 21. But...
The new situation is beyond the capacity of our dog sitters, and besides we want to be here for our dear dog. So fate has decreed. The holiday is cancelled. The flights must be cancelled. Accommodation etc too, if possible at this late stage. Nobody is amused.
In the past when fate has appeared to conspire against me, it always turns out later that fate actually knew what it was doing and the outcome was, in the end, by some convoluted route, for the best. This level of consistency can only be explained by the presence of an ever-watchful guardian angel - a kind of celestial, all-purpose prophylaxis with a personal interest in my well-being. I wonder if, in the current situation, she/ he has ruled that the efficacy of Evusheld against current variants in circulation is not up to scratch.
And though an astrology/ heavenly portent sceptic, I find it odd that in the early hours of Monday, while our dog's vet was fighting to stem the bleeding, the Earth's shadow was passing across the lunar surface, culminating in a "blood moon".
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bennevisplace
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Definitely sorry to hear about your dog's injury and your holiday cancellation. You'll have to plan some special close-to-home activity to ease the sense of disappointment.
Wow, that is a real weird set of happenings. I hope your dog (name?) will do fine with the treatment. Sorry your plans had to be scrapped and for what may be some expense over and above the Vet.
But, I love dogs also and they are always there for us with few complaints--needs, yes, but complaints are few. So, blessings on you for (IMO) your heart being in the right place.
Did you get the new 300mg dosage of Evushed in February? or did you get the original dosage of 150mg?
If not, that may be where the guardian angel's attention got seriously focused.
Thanks for those kind words. His name is Flint and although he is a danger to rabbits and squirrels he's a sweetie. Walking on the lead will be punishment to him.
Perhaps the vet will give us some hope for the holiday today when we'll learn the details of the rehab plan.
As I got Evusheld in an extension of the Provent trial I assume it would be the original dose.
The FDA's update on Evusheld in U.S.--"Patients who have already received the previously authorized dose (150 mg of tixagevimab and 150 mg of cilgavimab) should receive an additional dose of 150 mg of tixagevimab and 150 mg of cilgavimab as soon as possible to raise their monoclonal antibody levels to those expected for patients receiving the higher dose."
In the UK there is the ongoing Provent trial (now a sub study) that started in 2020/2021. Those who had Evusheld last year got a second standard 150 ml dose in February and will be monitored for 12 months. Those who had the placebo last year received a standard 150 ml dose and will get a second 150 ml dose in six months.
Yes, at UCLH. I guess you had the placebo last year so you get the second dose in August. I had the real thing last year so received the February dose and then 12 months monitoring.
I am so sorry to hear of your (and your dog's) problems, and think the combined emotions of disappointment and love for your dog must be quite difficult to handle. I hope he/she is on the mend, and that you soon get the chance to have such an exciting holiday without any worries.
I can well believe it. We had a collie with a broken leg, and once it was set galloped about on two legs (same side, leaning her body over to balance) when she was out in the field.
Sorry to hear this, you must be so disappointed. The only thing is you wouldn’t have enjoyed the holiday had you gone. Holidays can be replaced, a beloved pet can’t. Hope you can treat yourself to some nice days around home.Peggy
Sorry for both you and your lovely dog but it's the right decision to stay at home because I'm sure you'd be constantly worrying about Flint. I hope he makes a speedy recovery and you can holiday later in the yearJackie
Despite your disappointment and Flint's pain and discomfort, for which I'm very sorry, it made a great story! And the Blood Moon made it all so explicable!
More seriously, there was a Leukaemia Support Webinar yesterday evening, during which the efficacy of Evusheld (and other monoclonal antibodies) was discussed at length by one of this country's leading researchers Dr Alex Richter. She implied that the jury was still out, among the research community, on how effective Evusheld was as a prophylactic against the omicron variant, although at the same time she was very positive that a prophylactic (maybe Evusheld) would 'soon' be available to those of us who can't make our own antibodies.
Incidentally, Dr Richter and her co-presenter Dr Helen Parry were both encouraging about research showing that even without antibodies the vaccines seemed to have a positive effect on our T cells, although of course none of us can get these tested, so we'll never know.
Finally can you please let me have the name and address of your "ever-watchful, kind of celestial, guardian angel". Long may she or he look after you.
Loved your story about Flint. Yes, I believe Flint is your guardian angel and he has good reason to keep you at his side. There will never be another Flint, but there will be plenty of holidays. Make everyday with Flint a holiday. Thanks for sharing. Sally
Years ago in college I shared a house with a girl who had 2 young Afghan hounds. She decided to leave then in the cool basement while she was gone. I came home, let them out and noticed blood on the stairs. The basement had blood everywhere with broken glass. One dog had profuse bleeding and I rushed her to vet with a sanitary napkin and sock over the paw. The artery had been severed and was good that I came home early according to the vet. If I were by you I would gladly have watched your dog, having had a similar experience. I think you were right to prioritize.
Ha! Learned on stick-shift and delivered mail for years sitting on the wrong seat side for our US roads, plus drove around in Great Britain for 2 months on vacation. Glad your dog is so loved that I won't get the opportunity.
“An undocumented, possibly undesirable, but probably inevitable side effect of Evusheld is how it changes the recipient's attitude: a definite nudge in the direction of invulnerability. For is not the point of Evusheld "prophylaxis" - literally the advance guard, keeping Covid at bay for a good six months we're told.“
I was never told that, and thankfully was never a side effect I experienced as my dose came with no guarantee of keeping covid at bay. Even against Delta, it was suspected to be in the 77%-83% range for lowering risks against
contracting covid. (clinicaltrialsarena.com/pro... ) That efficacy dropped for omicron, and BA.2. Lower still for some of the sublineages— and possibly not effective at all against BA.4&5.
Aside— The nurses who injected my evusheld definitely kept track of which one went in the L vs R, even though there was no set administration that one need go in the left and the other in the right.
I hope your beautiful dog heals up quickly. Ours has been dealing with knee issues and it’s always hard when they are experiencing injury or illness.
Thanks. You're right of course, there are no guarantees. Poetic licence aside, I'm doubtful about the efficacy of Evusheld against the variants you mention. Which is why I will continue masking, hand sanitising etc.
Still, with as many antibodies as I'm likely to get short of an infection, with some T cells on alert, with a milder strain of the virus in circulation, and with effective treatments on standby, I figured the risks are low enough to justify this long delayed trip.
Unfortunately from what I’m learning, T-cells aren’t fast enough to beat covid— and to add insult to injury, covid can co-opt our t-cells to essentially use them against us.
I've heard that unmistakable cry myself and it's truly awful. I hope your beloved pet recovers quickly with no complications.
As for your travel plans, such a shame to have to cancel but as you say maybe Fate, God, the universe, delete as appropriate knew that you would be safer staying at home for now.
Yes it is. Though as a group the sighthounds are known for their thin skin and dramatic talent, they can be pretty stoic when it comes to constant pain.
I lost my rescued ex racer last year, ironically he had suspected blood cancer. I had no idea until he presented with a serious infection then sepsis. He rallied heroically and passed away peacefully at home the morning after his sixth adoption day anniversary.
It's so hard to see them seriously ill. Our first lurcher got bone cancer while we were on an 18 month stint in Switzerland. He got palliative chemo which kept him going long enough to give him a few months, the final. one back in England. The first walk from home he bounced along with happiness, like he was already in heaven. There's more going on in a dog"s mind than we usually give them credit for.
Oh yes, definitely. The vet asked me to choose a date to PTS. She said I would know when was the right time. Then he improved and we had a conversation about how hard she would find it to give him that final injection. He stood quietly listening and I firmly believe he chose when to go and spared us both. He knew how much I wanted to celebrate that last adoption day and he had a lovely day doing and eating his very favourite things.
They are wonderful companions.
I can understand your disappointment regarding the canceled trip, but the fates and your guardian angel dog may have done you a favor.
Reported Covid infections are now spiking again in different parts of the US. The spikes started in the Northeastern states where my wife and I spend the summer, and now seems to be spreading. My emphasis is on “reported cases” because the ready availability of home testing has resulted in significant decline in case reports. Most experts think the actual infection rate is three or four times the reported rate.
Nonetheless, bolstered by four vaccinations and an Evusheld injection I left my isolated village to go shopping a nearby town and discovered that even Massachusetts, the home of my country’s best educated, healthiest, and highly vaccinated population, seems to have accepted the political insanity that Covid is behind us. Less than ten percent of the mid-day shoppers and staff in the crowded stores wore face masks. It was scary enough to make me revert to crowd avoidance planning for future trips out of the village.
Interesting isn't it, how easily people fall into line when they see other people behaving a certain way. Here the trigger was government messaging, and in terms of public behaviours "normal service" resumed from the moment the relaxation date was announced, a good week ahead of the rule changes. I suppose lemmings adopt the same mindset as they career over the cliff together, redefining "herd immunity".
I can totally empathise with the disappointment of your cancelled holiday but your lovely dog, Flint, is so much more important at this difficult time. I trust he makes a full recovery and you get to plan another holiday before too long.Maureen UK
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