Canine Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (AIHA & IMHA) - A long week since Charlie tested for IMHA

It was a week ago tonight I came home late from a meeting and my son met me at the door and asked if I could look at Charlie (our 2 year old Aust. Shepard/ Chow mix). He said he is not acting himself, he is hidding from me and he didn't bark when the doorbell rang (which has never happened). Anyway Charlie slept on my feet that night and my son was right, he was't acting right. The next morning I waited to see how he was doing and he was walking stiff and slow and keeping a distance away from us. I called the vets office and got him in. He had a fever, and they took some blood, took a x ray and several other test, they decided to keep him at the hospital over night to moniter him and do further test. That night I got a call from the doctor that the test came back that he had IMHA. His PCV level was 28 at the time but there was the aggulmenting (sorry about spelling). So they took more blood in the morning and his levels were at 26. They called me and told me all the what ifs and said they wanted to keep him a while longer that day and that I could come pick him up Friday night and give him his meds but bring him in every 24 hours for bloodwork. I was so happy to get him back in our home, but that didn't last very long. He seemed a little tired that night but the next day he wouldn't move, he wouldn't eat, he was vomiting and I got really worried so he went back to the hospital. When they arrived his PCV was at 23 so the admitted him again. Since then they have continue to drop. This morning I was very hopeful, Charlie seemed to have changed overnight, his ears were up, he was eatting much better and he took his medication without me having to force it, he didn't sleep as much as the other days and he just looked like he felt better, so I was devistated that his PCV was down to 17. The doctors have put a limit on how far they want his levels to go before doing a blood transfusion. The possitive news they gave was there was not the signs of aggulmenting like last week. So we go back tomorrow morning for our next blood work. I am praying that the numbers don't drop any further. He is laying here next to me right now and I am so flusterated that he is breathing hard and he doesn't look comfortable and I can't do anything but wait. I have read many of the post and it has been both helpful but also terrifing of the idea of losing Charlie. In the short two years he has been with my son and I he is very special to both of us. Thanks for listening to my long story, to be honest it felt better just writing it all out. I'm sorry for spelling errors, I'm 2 hours past my bed time and I'm not correcting myself too much. Good Night!

Laura Arizona

Laura, I am so sorry you had the need to find this board, but at the same time glad you did, because there are lots of people here willing and able to help. Since you have gone through some of the older posts I imagine you have already found the Meisha's Hope website. If not, here it is: http://www.cloudnet.com/~jdickson/index.html When you are reading, AIHA is interchangeable with IMHA. Make sure you visit the success stories, because they will give you lots of hope. At this point the only thing I can suggest is, to make sure you have a vet on board that is experienced with this disease. Preferably an internal medicine vet, a teaching hospital or Dr. Dodds at hemopet in California. How much does Charlie weigh, what kind and what dosages of medications is he on? Make sure he is on a stomach protectant. When you go to the vet tomorrow, ask if you could have printouts of all the blood tests done so far. You could post the results here and there are people here that could explain things to you. Also ask the vet if they could check Charlie's Thyroid and possibly add a thyroid supplement to his meds. Charlie's breathing is heavy, because he has not enough red blood cells circulating, transporting oxygen. He might feel nauseous and certainly very tired. But he should not have any pain. This disease is tiring, but not painful. I hope tomorrow will be a better day, best wishes, Brigitte & the poodle boys

Brigitte BC Canada

I am very sorry to read that Charlie has been diagnosed with IMHA. It can be a bumpy ride full of good and bad days so buckle up. When you have time please post how much Charlie weighs and what med's he is on and the dosage and any supplements. A good idea would be to him on Pet-Tinic, you can order it online or perhaps it is carried by a pet store or vet in your area. It is a good sign that he is eating. The rapid breathing is a result of this disease and also from the prednisone. Hopefully today will be a better day, please keep us posted on how Charlie's vet visit goes. Cheryl & Ginger

Cheryl & Ginger Pinevile PA

Laura, so sorry you have to go through this with Charlie! It's one heck of a disease...that's for sure! You caught it fairly early so hopefully that'll work for you and Charlie. Hopefully the meds start working and the hematocrit/PCV stabilizes. Take ALL the advise above if I were you! Ask the vet about adding low dose aspirin to prevent clotting and do get copies of ALL the bloodwork done so far. Start a folder or file and keep track of everything. Even when and what you feed him! Frustration!!! Yup...I remember the feeling like it was yesterday!!! Thank doG for this site!!! If it wasn't for this place I don't know if Tessy would still be here with me! It was like my lifesaver in so many ways! Try to keep Charlie well rested and quiet and by all means avoid any and all stress. I wouldn't even let people come visit when TEssy was first sick! LOTS of fresh water is very important also! Be prepared for potty accidents....this is almost guaranteed to happen due to the steroids! They can't help this AT ALL but it goes away eventually once the body gets used to the drugs. MAKE SURE he gets the medicine ON TIME!!! VERY IMPORTANT!!! What does he eat for food? If you find yourself getting stressed or frustrated take a stop by and post your thoughts. This use to help me LOTS!!! I'll keep Charlie in my thoughts and prayers. Johnny & Tessy

Johnny

Thank you all for your comments, well today was a rollercoaster day. I was very excited that Charlie's PCV went up to 22 this morning. But I received a call from a friend of the families who owns the hospital (he had been out of the country). He told me that we as well was glad to see the numbers go up but he was still highly concerned of the amount of prednisone Charlie has been on for 7 days now. He said he would like me to come back in tomorrow to check his PCV's again and talk about cutting back on the amount they are giving him. He was concerned of the even more dangerous side effects of the high dose prednisone. I will post the names and doses of the meds tonight when I get home to look at the bottles. Charlie ate just okay today. Right now the only thing he is even interested in is baby food chicken and I sneek rice in there but he doesn't care to much for rice that doesn't have chicken on it. His spirits still seem high today. But like I said when our friend called today he told me that he wanted to be direct with me and tell me that he was extreamly concerned about Charlie's progression. I will continue to pray and do the best job I can for Charlie. Thank you again for all of your comments. By the way Charlie weight is 35 lbs. I wasn't sure if I am able to post pictures on here. Anyway Thanks again!

Laura Arizona

Laura...that's excellent news that the hct/pcv went up to 22%! Sounds like Charlie is heading in the right direction! I'd be interested in knowing the dosages of all the drugs as well. Are you using milk thistle? If not get some as soon as possible...this helps protect the liver from the damaging effects of the drugs. It's also a very good idea to get copies of all the bloodwork done so far. I ask for copies at each visit! That way you can easily answer any questions we might have for you. All the numbers tell a different story! FOOD....would you be interested in doing some home cooking for Charlie? I'd bet money on it that he'd gobble up some yummy home cooked food...like....boiled lean hamburger, boiled chicken, scrambled eggs, liver/beef heart, brocolli, zuccini (sp?), roast beef, steak....whatever you can find that's lower in fat and healthy for a dog. Tessy was the same when she was first sick! She wouldn't eat barely anything and then I started home cooking and she LOVED it!!! There's a liver cleansing diet available if you're interested. Have you had a chemistry panel done yet to check the liver/kidneys/pancreas/electrolytes, etc??? I'll keep Charlie in my thoughts and prayers. Johnny & Tessy

Johnny

Hi Laura, I am sorry to hear your Charlie has been diagnosed with this disease. 22% is definitely going in the right direction. I would be interested in knowing how much pred Charlie is on. One thing that concerns me is the dr.'s concern of him being on the "high" dose of pred for a week. I would ask the vet how many cases he has treated. One thing with this disease is the prednisone is a must and all the cases I have heard throughout the past 8 yrs a dog with aiha will be on it for a lot longer than a week. It does indeed have some nasty side effects but it makes the difference between life and death with dogs affected by this disease. I would also ask about adding another drug such as imuran and/or cyclosporin. Please keep us posted. Teresa

Teresa va

Laura, I am so sorry that your Charlie has been diagnosed but you have come to the right place. You need to find a Vet that has a lot of experience in treating this disease. The drugs are horrible and take their toll on our dogs but if you are lucky a lot of that can be reversed down the line. Many dogs relapse if the drugs are reduced to soon and it can be worse than treating it initially. I am not trying to scare you this disease is scary enough but read up on Joanne's page and on this board and be sure to read the success stories at Meisha's Hope. You need to arm yourself with as much information as you can so that you can be Charlie's voice. Keep us posted.

Penny Lytle Creek Calif

Laura How is Charlie doing? Sending our prayers. Cheryl & Ginger

Cheryl & Ginger Pineville PA

Dear Laura, I am so sorry Charlie was diagnosed with IMHA. I really hate this disease. It seems so unfair that our perfectly healthy fur babies get sick out of the blue. You are both in my thoughts and prayers and I wish for a steady increase in Charlie's PCV levels! With warm hus, Gwen and Gracie

Gwen Rhinebeck

This thread was discussed between 03/02/2011 and 12/02/2011

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