We have one Basenji who screams if she is startled, a regular prima donna. She sometimes wakes up at night and howls like a wolf until she is consoled. Her mother is very calm about everything.
Not sure how far that is from Raleigh, but one of my whippet friends has a very nice boarding kennel in Raleigh and might know of some home care people. Her website is: http://tcanimalcare.com/
For years all my boys had tails to the left and the girls tails to the right but this has changed now and my current pack contains 2 female and 2 male lefts and 3 female and 1 male right. They will all hold their tails on the opposite sides but not for long.
In dogs, there are two types of lupus. One is discoid, which usually affects the skin only and the other is systemic lupus erythematosus, which is more serious.
You might want to investigate both. Both are treatable.
Hope this helps. My best wishes for a speedy recovery for Diego!