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Treatment

The course of treatment will depend on the underlying cause of the disorder. If the dog is undergoing pain and fever responsive to NSAIDS, for example, it may be treated on an outpatient basis. Conversely, Shar-Pei dogs showing anorexia, fever, marked lameness or nonspecific pain, vomiting or diarrhea, fluid in the abdomen, or episodes of cholestasis (bile flow blockage in the liver) should be treated on an inpatient basis. And those undergoing organ failure or suffering from a blood clot or portal and renal vein thrombosis should be placed in intensive care immediately.

Antibiotics, fluid therapy, oxygen therapy, and blood transfusions are also provided on a case-by-case basis. For DIC or other coagulopathies fresh frozen plasma can be given. And severely hypoalbuminec patients with ascites may receive human serum albumin transfusions.

Living and Management

Unfortunately, there is no cure for familial shar-pei amyloidosis. Therapy may decrease the deposition of amyloid, but often the condition has progressed beyond the stage at which medication is beneficial. In addition, because of the genetic nature of the disorder, your veterinarian will recommend against breeding the affected Shar-Pei.