Meningoencephilitis...(R rating for whole thread)

Hi

(please look at this post as if it were a child being treated rather than a dog. Even though they are a different species, much of what is useful for us is equally useful for them and we need some thoughts from the progressive thinkers on this site. thank you :-) )

My dog was diagnosed with non-infectious immune mediated meningoencephilitis. she is being treated with prednisone & cyclosporine because the prednisone is a fast acting anti-inflamatory. I suspect that this is not really due to auto-immune issues and am concerned about the effects of the immune suppressors.

She will be on the prednisone for another 2 weeks then it will be reduced to once a day. the Cyclosporine wiill continue as her main immunesuppressor.

An MRI detected the inflamation and thankfully no tumor or growth.
A spinal tap revealed high protein numbers.
Tests for tick bourne disease came back negative.
A vet in Colorado who has been diligently studying the helicobacter and says he has found it via stains in the ill tissue of animals and people throughout the body. he has had doctors send him healthy & ill tissue from people and compared it to the same tissue of dogs and cats. And the helicobacter has been present in the ill tissue. H Pylori is not supposed to be anywhere but the gut. He has found it in the brain, the breast, etc...
The doctor says my dog is positiv for the Helicobacter and should be treated with a 90 day protocal of 2 flagyl and cephalexin.

The prednisone is horrible but it is definitely reducing the inflamation & getting her back to normal. She is no longer having seizures (a side effect of the inflamation in her brain). But I know that it is just not good for her or anyone.

I would like to know if there are other tests that should be considered to identify the cause of her meningoencephilitis. She has not been vaccinated since she was 2 years old, she is now 9 yrs old. I concidered distemper but have been told this is not it.

? Do we have strong options to use in place of or to reduce the immune suppressors / anti-inflamatory?

? If helicobacter is suspect, what alternatives do we have to the 90 day protocal of flagyl and cephalexin?

Thank you... sorry so long.

ps. she eats a NO GRAIN diet mostly raw meat patties with raw ground bone and vegis. Supplemented with flax & fish oil, nutritional yeast, lecithin, green powder, neurotrophin, seven forest's zyzifus 18, garlic capsules, b-vit Tweet