Also know as Shar Pei Fever, Familial Shar-Pei Fever (FSF) is a hereditary inflammatory disorder in the Shar-Pei.

Episodic fever is the most important and consistent clinical sign of this disorder. The temperature commonly is in the 105-107°F range although my Shar-Pei experiences a small rise in temp to 103. The fever is generally self-limiting lasting 12-36 hours. Another common clinical sign often accompanying the fever is swelling of a joint, usually the hock (tibiotarsal) joint and is known as Swollen Hock Syndrome (SHS). This painful, hot swelling can also involve the carpus (wrist) and the lips. Dogs with FSF are sick — they are reluctant to move and when they do walk they have a characteristic “walking on eggs” gait. They often are painful in the abdomen and have a characteristic “roached” back.

After paying really close attention to my Shar Pei’s fever episodes, I became aware of a “blank stare” in her eyes prior to any swelling or fever. Next came lameness in one of her legs or a stiff jaw. Soon after her temperature rises. If gone untreated, she begins to quiver and her appetite completely disappears.

It is imperative that you treat each episode as early as possible. As soon as I see the “blank stare” I give her the medication in a piece of cheese and most of the time she recovers prior to a full blown episode. The later I treat, the longer the recovery. We’ve never had an episode longer than a day and a half. If treated early enough, she bounces back in a few hours.

My treatment?

Ascriptin & Benadryl - both over the counter medications available at your local drugstore. First dose given as soon as you notice the first symptoms, give 1 tablet regular strength (325mg) of Ascripton and 10mg per 10 lbs (so my 53 lb Shar Pei takes 2 of the 25mg tablets) of Benadryl. Give the Ascriptin every 8 hours for the next 24 hours. Give Benadryl every 12 hours for the next 2-3 days. Remember, the less medication, the better. This disease affects the kidneys and less medication = less work on the kidneys.

Decreasing the fever episodes decreases the chance of Amyloidosis and ultimately kidney failure. To read more about this genetic disease, I refer you to Dr. Jeff Vidt’s website. Dr. Vidt is one of the 2 leading specialist’s on this disease in this entire country. He has treated my dog on several occasions and I attribute her being alive to his care and advice. Check out his medical site at http://www.drjwv.com/

I’ll post one of my previous blog posts that has gotten a lot of attention- if this is helpful to you, feel free to contact me personally. I’ll walk you through it.

Original post date October 24, 2007

I have been dealing with SPF for 6 years now, I’ve tried Colchicine but have found better results with over the counter medications (see Dr. Vidt’s website) he’s the leading specialist in the country and has a super informative newsletter and website. He saved MooShu’s life and I’ll never forget him for that. If you have questions, call my store I work a gazillion hours and am always there www.thevelvetsnoot.com The number is 877-432-6004. After over 50 visits the the ER and over 13,000 $$ in vet bills, I have found a system that works for me. I’d love to share it with you.

Original post October 24, 2007:

Shar Pei Fever is usually brought on by stress. It can be something as simple as seperation anxiety or it could be a tramatic experience like a dog attack. It could be a change in life like a move or the leaving of a family member. It’s important to keep an eye on what’s causing any stress to remove that stress or keep it to an absolute minimum. As soon as you know how to recognize the onset of a fever (for me it was a blank look in her face and a droopy tail) **this sign was about an hour before she would get the actual fever or go lame. So as soon as I spotted the first sign of an attack, I give her 1 tablet of Ascriptin (asprin coated in Maalox) and continue every 6-8 hours for 24 hours- this is for temperature control, 2 tablets of Benadryl or 1mg per lb of dog) every 12 hours for the first 36 hours- this is for inflammation and swelling of hocks and joints. For episodes that were in later stages, I begin with same med schedule but if necessary for pain- 5 mg of Torbutrol (you need to get this from your vet and get the proper strength). I give the Ascriptin every 6-8 hours, and the Benadryl and Torb every 12 hours-On day 3 I drop the Torb and on Day 4 I drop the Benadryl and on day 7 I drop the Ascriptin. It’s important to check for signs of dehydration. You may need sub-q fluids if your doggie isn’t taking in enough water. It’s so important they stay hydrated. Stool may be loose during fever episodes, that’s expected. Blood in stool however, may be of concern. I used to feed MooShu baby food when she was sick because she wouldn’t eat anything else. Her jaw hurt and she didn’t even want American cheese which is her favorite thing in the world. I put ice cubes in a wet paper towel and put that inside a ziplock baggie and would ice down her forehead when she was really hot. Also feed ice chips if that interests your dog. Most important to keep dog hydrated, get the meds in the body FAST and keep up meds on the hour and make sure to cut down meds as the dog shows improvement. You don’t want to pass any more than you have to through the kidneys. 1 of 4 dogs that have the fevers get Amyloidosis and can die of renal failure. I’m a believer that this can be prevented. MooShu was sick all the time and really sick, at that. I took matters into my own hands after having Jeff Vidt educate me. I’ve had to because he’s too far away for me to see him on a regular basis. Let me know if you need ANYTHING! It can get better  Amy