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Canine Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (AIHA & IMHA) - A Special Dog Named Freeway
| As many of you know, I'm an active volunteer with Best Friends and No More Homeless Pets both here in Utah. Yesterday, a very special person rescued a dog found on the side of the road in Florida. She named that dog Freeway, and brought him to the vet in very bad shape. He is having some unexplained paralysis and fatigue, and interestingly is/was covered in ticks. I told her all about the possibility IMHA and what to test for, and the dog is currently in a vet hospital in Florida. From the sounds of it, she said he was 'negative', but I am trying to get a little more info. If any of you would like to help out in any way, advice, support, etc, here is a link to the thread that she posted in one of our Best Friends Network forums. Thanks for reading and I am keeping Freeway in my thoughts as I know all of you will too! http://network.bestfriends.org/MessageBoards/TopicPopup.aspx?g=531508570ef74486b5407e337381a128&t=33838 melissa |
| melissa slc |
| Melissa, Paralysis and fatigue are symptoms of tick disease. In addition, some tick diseases will cause symptoms similar to AIHA: severe hemolytic anemia and even thrombocytopenia. If they cannot afford testing for tick diseases, immediate treatment with doxycycline would be indicated. A dog that has a tick disease and is treated with doxy will probably begin to improve immediately. Treatment in that case should be continued for at least 4-6 weeks at high doses. The only exception would be if this dog had contracted a tick disease that does not respond to doxy treatment. Testing would need to be done and another drug administered. Any vet in Florida should know about ticks, they are all over the place and pass disease readily. Ask anyone who has worked in Greyhound rescue about this and they will confirm that these dogs come into rescue full of tick diseases. Dogs can contract more than one tick disease at a time and can display a wide range of symptoms because of this. Good luck with this rescue! Patrice |
| Patrice NYS |
| i will be praying for freeway to have a full recovery and get placed in a compassionate and loving home. |
| Josh California |
| We will be keeping Freeway in our thoughts and prayers and we wish him a speedy recovery. Please keep us posted on how he is doing. Cheryl & Ginger |
| Cheryl & Ginger Pineville PA |
| Melissa, I am so touched by the kindness and compassion of Freeway's rescuer, yourself and the other volunteers you work with. It is so nice to hear people care. I wish I could give Freeway a big hug! He sounds like a special dog. I hope more than anything he recovers, please keep us updated on how he goes. Samantha. |
| Samantha Geelong |
| Thanks so much everyone, I think that Freeway has continued to slowly improve. I don't know much about his exact medical status and official diagnosis, but from the sound of it, Shannon, his rescuer, said that there was good progress! Not sure if she will be able to adopt, but she is committed to helping Freeway on his journey! I'll let you know if I hear more! melissa and tiggs |
| melissa slc |
| What a heart warming story! Poor little boy. He must have been terrified. It truly is great for Freeway to have a guardian angel looking out for him. Any word on his condition as of late? Hopefully he is doing better and will be able to find a caring home. Best wishes to Freeway. Prayers are with you. Johnny & Tessy |
| Johnny |
| Hi Melissa, I try to help out a little bit with rescue when i can. I read the link posted here, and would like to suggest that the rescuer get in touch with either Chesed Rescue and or Animal Aid, both in Boca Raton. Chesed is dedicated to helping sick and injured animals recover and get placed into great homes, while Animal Aid has a huge heart and an extensive network - it is not uncommon for them to rescue a dog from the pound that is sick or ill with tumors and get the dog into surgery. With their help the rescuer may not face huge bills to diagnose and treat, and i am pretty sure one of these organizations will help Freeway. Good luck, Christine |
| Christine Fl |
This thread was discussed between 23/06/2009 and 03/07/2009
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