Does anyone know if it's dangerous to give both Predisone and Doxicycline?

This forum has been so helpful, and so moving from those enduring loss. Thank you for sharing your experience.

It has helped my Labrador Buddha, 5.5 year female, in her fight to heal from anaplasmosis and the IMT I think it brought on. She had signs for 2 months before she was diagnosed from a SNAP test. She had been treated for Lyme 3 months before that too. The pre-diagnosis warning signs were purple and red spots on her belly the size of dimes and one large one (my Vet thought they were from allergy and prescribed antihistamine); these were bruises from playing and chewing on other dogs even though she's a very mellow soul. She also had bleeding gums when chewing on fav marrow bones.

When she was lethargic and really stiff, but still eating because Labs also do, we took her to Vet (and when she loses weight we are always pleased with our walking and "weight watching"). Vet even thought it was a recurrence of Lyme, but a day later, and thanks to the SNAP test, we found she tested positive for anaplasmosis -- Lyme was very wek positive, it's usual state. Vet prescribed 300 mg of doxicycline daily at 2 meals, and for pain prescribed NSAIDs, Medicam. Bad idea. When her platelet count was still low after doxi, he wanted to give her Predisone steroid, but we needed to wait 10 days: steroids should never be given with pain relievers, NSAID (Tramadol is okay). I was relieved though, because of, in a sense, buying time before giving her doxicylcine and Predisone; she's on these 2 now, and I'm giving her twice the amount of Doxi after consulting 2 other vets -- and also very helpful web site like this one: http://www.vintagegoldens.com/tick.htm

The Vet found though during the monitoring before Pred and waiting for NSAIDs to leave her system, that the platelet count reading from his "very reliable" outside lab contradicted his in house CBC -- and also his reading of slides (It's important to look at the actual slides to make sure platelets aren't clumping -- my vet couldn't find any on 2 random slides confirming way way low count). Her reading from the unreliable outside lab was 17,000, then 50,000, then 24,000, then 74,000. From the reliable lab her first reading was less than 20,000 then 4 days after starting the Pred, was less then 50,000. Because of what I learned on this Forum, I had anti nuclear test for cancers before giving her Pred, and x-rays of chest and stomach cavities and also spleen ultrasound to look for tumors and even internal bleeding.

In addition now, she is taking 20 mg of antacid, and Sulfrafate (also called Kerafate?) to stop stomach bleeding I guess. This would be the danger, correct?

I'm taking her to a internal medicine specialist at Katonah Bedford Animal Center, Dr. Julie Stephens, next week after she has been on 10 days on Predisone. My vet is on vacation and a chance to get a second opinion. The side effects of the Pred are she drinks massive amounts of water, is incontinent, and seems so out of it she doesn't care when peeing on herself. I wake up every 2 hours at night to walk her and refill water bowls, but still need to keep her in the kitchen for easy clean-up. The signs though of "petechia", small bursts of blood right under the skin, on her stomach and gums are gone. But her bloodhot eyes: She seems like 60 percent of herself, although yesterday she seemed at 55 percent. Her belly is swollen, distended almost, and she falls asleep at a moments notice. Her panting is better.

I hope Buddha's story will help others like Chinook's ad others. I will let you know how her treatment goes.