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Canine Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (AIHA & IMHA) - A question about stabilising an IMHA dog
| Hi everyone Could I please ask about your experiences as to how long it has taken for your dog to regain some stability and the medication reductions? I know every animal is different, but it does seem like Riley is taking a bit longer than some I have seen - but perhaps I need to be more patient, and that 3 months may not be long at all? I just noticed Samantha/Millie only took 8 weeks to get to a normal PCV, which has prompted me to post to ask this question. Thank you Silka |
| Silka Melbourne Australia |
| Silka, What is Riley's PCV? Did he receive a blood transfusion? Sorry, but I need to be reminded. Medication reductions are done gradually. We reduced each medication individually, in 25% increments each time. For most of the journey, Henri was on a 3 week cycle, meaning he had a reduction every 3 weeks. We did the reductions a little slower, as we approached the last few. We are about to go off of all the IMHA medications. Henri's crisis was 02/26/09.....so the journey to this point has been 11-months. Hope this helps, Ella Henri, West Highland White Terrier, 14-months old, diagnosed 02/26/09 with vaccine-induced IMHA, current medications: Azathioprine 7.5mg/EOD. |
| Ella Seattle |
| Hi Silka I can understand your frustrations with Riley. Millie's anemia was classed as highly regenerative so we were lucky in that respect. I know that Johnny has had the same problem with Tessy. You have done so well to get this far with him. Samantha |
| Samantha Geelong Australia |
| Dear Silka, My dog, Tootsie, did not get back to her old self for 4 1/2 months after she was diagnosed and her progress was considered very good by my vet. I think the meds were keeping her subdued for most of that time. She is now on 5 mg of prednisone every other day and 3/4 of a tablet of azaoprine every other day and is finally getting her hair back and is acting completely normal. Best wishes to you and Riley. You are in our prayers. Barb & Tootsie |
| Barb Ohio |
| Silka - Winston's symptoms began in late June 2009. We've increased doses - had transfusions - thought he was stable and started to back off only to have his PCV drop. Having the patience and not losing hope is hard but keep with it. |
| Lisa TX |
| Thanks for the responses folks. I know I have to be patient as every pet is different. Ella, Riley's PCV is, I think, at either 28/29 or 34 - the differences in the in-house smear test and the external machine test, and as I understand it, these numbers are ok, but Riley seems to be at a plateau. As the Melbourne University specialist said - she feels that perhaps Riley's medication was reduced too quickly, and she increased the Cyclosporine (mind you I did find one on the floor again this morning, that Riley is one clever dog, as I watch him closely after he has had them!). Thanks Samantha, I believe Riley is highly regenerative as well going by his results, but something is not quite right. The specialist is going to call me on Monday, she doesnt want to email. The thoughts are appreciated, thank you. Silka |
| Silka Melbourne Australia |
| Hi Silka, Let us know how you go with the specialist. I can certainly understand how you must be feeling. My question is why do some IMHA / AIHA dogs never return to PCV/HCT levels that they were at pre-IMHA? I just pulled out 2 years of Millie's blood test results pre-IMHA. PCV in Dec 2007 when we adopted her (pre-operation blood test before she had some teeth removed) - showed PCV at 50. PCV in Dec 2008 before she was put under anaesthetic for a teeth clean showed a PCV at 48. Latest PCV at 40, almost one year post-IMHA crisis. While I am grateful this is normal don't get me wrong, it is still on the low end of normal, and we really haven't pushed past the low 40's ever, even with the Pred and Azathioprine reductions. I know the Azathioprine may suppress bone marrow, so I had hoped to see an increase to mid to high 40's as we reduced this. Maybe there is no clear answer, and I accept this lower PCV as the new 'normal' for Millie. Hopefully Riley's next CBC shows an increased PCV. He'd better break that habit of spitting out his pills! Cheeky boy. Good luck with the specialist on Monday. Samantha. |
| Samantha Geelong Australia |
This thread was discussed between 08/01/2010 and 10/01/2010
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