Canine Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (AIHA & IMHA) - advice, help and hope needed!

i will start from the beggining. bella, my 10 month old japanese spitz pup started to show signs of lathargy and would walk for 2 mins and then sit and refuse to walk any further and would have to carry her home, i wasnt sure if this was down to the hot weather we had as she is a very fluffy breed thought she may have just got too hot to walk, after 2 days i had noticed her sleeping more and so checked her gums and they were practically white! i took her straight to the vets and she was admitted there and then, that was monday 4th july, she was in the vets untill friday afternoon when we got to bring her home, whilst she was there she had a blood transfusion on the thursday... hr blood count until thursday was 8, friday morning after her transfusion had gone up to 17..today is tuesday and it has gone down to 12 :-( she seems so much happier and has colour in her gums, yes she still sleeps alot and breaths heavy but she has been put on steroids to help her blood levels get up! she has had a variety of tests, cancer was ruled out as scans and x rays were clear. bloods however had all come back inconclusive to what is causing this, the vet however said it was all similar to that of AIHA, even tho this hasnt been diagnosed! i have done sooo much research on the internet trying to find as much information on this as i can, but who better to talk to then people who live with dogs with this condition! could anyone tell me a text that i can ask the vets that would give a clear yes or no diagnosis to this disease or any info at all, what do you think it can be....she is only 10 months old and already suffered enough!! the vets are not doing any tests, after her check up today i have to wait till next tuesday to take her back for a check up, i dont know why they r trying to get rid of the anemia without finding the cause of it! thanks so much, im sure i have missed loads out kristi xx

kristi uk

Hi Krisit: If I were you I would be asking the vet asap if how familiar they are with aiha and have they successfully treated this condition in several of the encounters they have had witht his illness. This sounds pretty classic AIHA. Sometimes the cause is idiopathic (meaning no known cause) ... someimtes there is an underlying condition sych as an illness. Other times a trigger like vaccines or a toxin. To me if your dogs RBC level is at 12 the dog should be under the care of a veterinary hospital ... that is a very low PCV and is critical. Some dogs can tolerate this level and still be walking around ... Crosby's was at 10 and he was alking around the house and climbing stairs without any difficulty ... other dogs from what I hear will collapse at this level. Regardless, you need to find a internist or a veterinarian whom is familiar withthis illness. It takes days for the medication to start to reverse the cycle of destruction and I think the PCV is just too low and your spitz needs to be monitored frequently at this level.

Elaine Ottawa

Kristi, I don't know if you have found your way to Joanne's site yet but it will give you all kinds of info and help you to understand what is going on in laymans language. http://www.cloudnet.com/~jdickson/ It is very important to have a Vet on board that knows how to treat this disease. You can ask any questions you have here and there are a lot of people in the UK that frequent this board that may be able to recommend a local hospital/vet. Be sure to read the success stories at Meisha's Hope. Keeping you and Bella in my thoughts and prayers. Penny

Penny Lytle Creek Calif

Kristi, I also wanted to add that you shouldn't wait that long for her to be seen again. I am shocked that they have sent her home with a PCV so low. The lathargy is from the low oxygen level in her blood and the panting is from the steroids. Sometimes you never find out what caused the disease. Has she been vaccinated recently? If you have her test results you should post them here and more people can advise you. The drop after the transfusion is quite normal so don't let that throw you. The steroids take a while to kick in. Penny

Penny Lytle Creek Calif

hi thanks everyone for your replys bella when she went in only had a pcv of 8 but was still happy enough walking around and at least with it at 12 her gums are still pink and not white in colour. AIHA has not been diagnosed as results were inconclusive. does this sound like it to you? the vet told me that there isnt really anything they can do atm so she might aswell come home and rest at home where she is happy. i dont really know what else to do with them, my vets i am attending is a charity as i cannot afford other local ones but even tho they are a charity they are very good and not under trained etc, but i do not think they have ever had a case like this before. is there anything i should tell them or tests i should make them do?? all week i have been told no news as to what this is just it could be this it could be that etc no diagnosis and no real knowledge on their part. i have done so much research on all sorts of things that cause seriously low critical anemia. just want her better, she is only a baby xx

kristi uk

no she hasnt been vaccinated recently. she was hurt a little while back by our other dog we think, she was taken to the vets and they said she was fine and gave her some pain killer injection, i wondered wether it had caused any internal bleeding or anything as the dogs were in the garden and i think my other dog had run into her. she cried out when she walked and when she moved her head down, poor baby so i thought maybe it might be caused by that but i didnt really get heard from the vets they just sort of excused my comment. how much of a drop after transfusion as she has gone from 17 to 12 now. i have been giving her medication myself since friday, before that was injection form by the vets. i am going to find a vets that have treated this condition before and speak with them x thanks everyone

kristi uk

Hi Kristi Do you know what medication Bella is on ? You should keep her nice and quiet while her pcv is so low.....no walks. Is she eating? It sounds like she will need another transfusion. Have the vets suggested this to you? It sounds like you should try, if possible to take her somewhere where they have more experience. There is a lot of information on this site regarding this problem. Please, if you can't change vets print off some of the info on here and take it to them. This really is a serious situation. One she can pull through if given the right treatment but it must be given sooner rather than later. Keep us posted, there are a lot of people here that can help. it would also be good if you can post up the results of her last blood test. Please read the posts of people like Johnny and Patrice they are very knowledgeable all the best Lola

Lola Marlin London

Hi Kristi, Sorry to hear about Bella. We know how frustrating it can be, but even more so when you don't know exactly what you are fighting. There are signs, like spherocytes in the blood that indicate breakdown of red blood cells that might be different from other forms (not sure about this). We saw dark red pee and brown in Dylan's gums and in the whites of her eyes. All indicitive of destruction. I think you will also see high high Bilirubin and other biproducts of the breakdown of red blood cells. There are other signs too possibly, like blood in the stool, or clots that can cause bleeding. There are all kinds of things that can trigger it, but ticks, bacteria, parasites etc are among them as well as other toxic substances ingested. Vaccinations can cause it too and in some cases we never know. Dylan almost died within 4 days of her first symptom and was extremely week within 2 days, but I still hav no idea what caused it. And now it is comptletely gone and I have no idea what to watch out for to prevent it from happening again. Many times the anemia is associated with an automimmune form of hypothyroidism, but the usual tests don't show the true state of the thyroid gland. Dr. Dodds recently wrote a book on it, and it might be wise to ask about this. They need to look at T3, not just the usual T4, and auto antibodies to T3 and T4. Most vets look at T$ only, but the automimmune form that could be associated with AIHA, keeps T4 levels high and the active form, T3, which T4 is converted into by the body in a normal dog , is low, because the antibodies prevent the conversion. This leads to false results. Also, it really helps if you provide details like the drugs and doses your dog (weight and state of health too) is on and the blood test results if you can get them. There are a couple of people on this list who have seen a lot of this and might be able to help, but without the detail, will not be able to provide specific information. Hoping for the best, Richard and Dylan

Richard Burnaby

Hi Kristi Richard from the thread above has also been through this terrible problem and has given you fantastic advice. He mentions a lady in his post called Dr Jean Dodds ( she is also known as Dr W Jean Doddds.) She has been the leading light on this site for most of us. When the vets I was with at the time old me there was no way Matilda was going to make it, Dr Dodds told me she could, and here we are 18 months after her diagnosis and her pcv is still slowly climbing, Matilda has amazed everyone. You can read her story a few threads down. Dr Dodds ( you can do a Wikipedia on her) is a leading canine hematologist , thyroid expert, vaccine expert and all round incredible vet. When Mattie first got sick ( i remembered this while lying in bed thinking about Bella last night) Jean sent me over the basic protocol she uses for treating dogs with AIHA and or thyroid problems. I have found them on my computer and I will send them to your email. These cold be easier and more concise to take to the vet you are seeing. Obviously when telling a vev how to be a vt a lot of tact is required.....so try nicely but firmly ask them to look into this. When reading yourself don't be scared. A lot of animals pull through this , and the fact that Bella is young is a fantastic thing. Please check your email and spam folder for these documents, I hope this helps Lola

Lola London

thankyou for your advice and thanks lola i will have a look for that email now. as for bellas medication she is on 250mg cephalexin twice a day and 5x 5mg prednisolone once a day. she is only a small dog think the last time she was weighed was just over 7kg. she is still very happy and able to do everything even with a seriously low pcv she can still jump up on the bed and sofas where she likes to sleep, she eats brilliantly have been told to go and get some nice beef to feed her, she drinks alot more but i was told this is due to her medication. for the seriousness and how ill she actually is you wouldnt have thought this to see her! she amazes me already so i am confident she is going to fight right through this. i thank you all for your advice, as im still learning about this illness there are things that i dont understand and test i dont know about that i will tactfully ask my vet about. thankyou everyone! she has another appointment to see how she is getting on on tuesday so when i go back i will ask for her blood results and type them up on here along with her pcv that day and whatever else i am told. 1 other thing, would the medication be working by now if she has been on it for a week, or just over i think its been? xx

kristi uk

This thread was discussed between 13/07/2011 and 15/07/2011

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