Canine Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (AIHA & IMHA) - AIHA...PLEASE HELP US

Hello, New to this to please bear with us. Our gorgeous English Springer Spaniel "Daisy" aged 9 was diagnosed on Wednesday 5th November with AIHA....we are absolutley devastated, this has come as such a shock and are having real difficulty dealing with this disease at this moment in time. She has had to have a blood transfussion which took place on Thursday 6th November, is on the relevant medication (Prednisone, intravenus drip, etc .... and her PCV's is now at 9% which has been since then. Although she is a fairly quiet and placid English Springer Spaniel generally we acnnot beleive just how lethargic and lifeless she is. She cannot take large amounts of water without being sick and will not eat, her heartrate and temperature have remained the same for the past 24 hours which is a good sign but in her self she does seem to look worse. My real concern for her at this present time is that the vets we use are not available 24/7, which means she has to go to a charitable organisation (PDSA) every night (out of hours) and at the weekend, which also means her being in contact with different vets/nurses who dont really know her, when we call to see how she is they seem to have different results and concerns for her, is it us or is it a case they really dont know what to say, we are VERY, VERY concerned for our little girl and her well being, some reasurance would be so greatly appreciated form others that have gone through this, all we want is for her to come back home and be well again. Claire & Jason Stebbens

Claire & Jason Stebbens West Yorkshire

Every case of AIHI is different. It is a roller coaster ride with many vets in the UK not having specialist knowledge. We lost our dog, that does not mean you will lose Daisy, but you need a specialist. We had to travel to the Wirral (about 30 minutes and 25+ miles). Dogs do look worse at the stage Daisy is at before they pick up and gain lots of weight. Many dogs survive and I hope Daisy is one. Please check you have a specialist and keep posting on the board. Steph

Steph North Wales

hi, sorry to hear about Daisy being diagnosed... this is a really tough disease but just know that there are alot of people on this board who have animals that have lived through it and have faith that that will be you as well. my dog Sway has had AIHA for a year and a half now and she is still going strong and able to live a pretty normal life under the circumstances. other dogs get through it very fast and leave it behind all together. it just really depends, as it seems to affect everyone differently so know that. i would suggest that you guys search out a specialist who really has a handle on what this disease is and how it is to be treated. and i wish you all luck and hope Daisy responds to the treatment and recovers fully in time

josh california

Hi Steph, Many thanks for leaving us a message it means alot to us. Your support and encouragement means so much to us. It's very disheartening when you see your pet as loved as much as we do Daisy in the state she is. She is a fighter and very, very fit, we can only summise that her couragement and strength as well as love is keeping her going and will keep her strong throughtout her ordeal, thanks again. x

Claire & Jason Stebbens West Yorkshire (uk)

Hi Josh, Many thanks to you also for getting in touch, we cannot thank you enough for showing the interest and concern you guys have shown us. Sway is one very lucky and fortunate dog to have come through this awful disease, and we are so happy that things are on the "up" for you, we sincerely wish you all the best with Sway. Keep us informed. Specialists however are hard to come by in our area, and even further apart. The vet we currently use is trying her best to keep upto date with the best knowledge on AIHA, she's great and so are the other nurses at our local practice, like i said in our first post having to move Daisy to further a field pet care hospitals is very unsettling for Daisy and us, we are trying our best to find out more info on this terrible disease, specialists etc and what more can be done, guess it's just time, the waiting game is the most awful thing in this world and it hurts so much!!!! Just love my baby girl soo much and want her home so desparatley! Thanks Josh Claire & Jason xx

Claire & Jason Stebbens West Yorkshire (uk)

Claire & Jason, I am so sorry that Daisy has been diagnosed with AIHA. You must not get discouraged and think that this is a death sentence. There are many people on this forum who are going through or have gone through much the same thing as you and your Daisy. Please know that you will find the support you need here as well as some good advice. There are many others here who are more knowledgeable than I, but I can offer my own experience. My little beagle Darcy was diagnosed the end of July with non-regenerative anemia. She has had three blood transfusions and her PCV has gone down as low as 8%. Initially, she was given Prednisone, then Azathoripine was added, then later on Cyclosporine, along with thyroid medication. She is now on only two medications -- a lowered dose of Prednisone and Neoral(the brand name for Cyclosporine). Her PCV was 18% this week, but she acts like she feels good and has a hearty appetite. Her gums are pale. Dogs seem to adjust to the low PCV levels. I would recommend finding a vet or internal specialist who is knowledgeable in treating this disease. Do all of the research you can and don't give up on Daisy. Since Daisy is under the care of so many different people, perhaps it would be a good idea to have everything written down, keep a log of events, medications, etc. and make copies to share so that everyone is aware of what's going on. I can tell from your post that you love Daisy very much and I'm sure that she feels your love. Please keep us posted on her progress. I will say a prayer for you and your precious little girl. Karen

Karen NC

Hi Claire and Jason, I'm really sorry to hear about Daisy. I agree with Steph and Josh that the sooner you get her to a specialist the better. Our vet was able to diagnose our dog and start him on prednisone at the outset but she soon ran out of options because she didn't have the experience treating dogs with AIHA. At her urging, we took him to a specialist and within 24 hours they had done a bone marrow aspirate, ultra sound, typed and cross matched his blood, given him another transfuson and had started him on a much more effective medication regime. Time is of the essence at the outset of this illness. Today, our dog is still on much lower doses of all those medications and probably will be for life. But to see him, you wouldn't know he had ever been sick. He is living a normal and happy life. So please keep this in mind - that lots of dogs recover. Also, try to arm yourself with as much information as you can about this illness. And, when you go to the vet's offices, write down all the questions you have for him before you go. I also asked my vet for copies of our dog's CBC printouts so that I could refer back to them and forward them to other vets and specialists if needed. Here are some sites that I found useful: http://www.cloudnet.com/~jdickson/index.html http://www.peppypaws.com/LillisLegacy.html http://www.geocities.com/aihadogs/index.htm Really hope this helps and that Daisy turns the corner. Will be thinking of you all. deb and Duck (my dog)

Debbie BC Canada

Dear Claire and Jason, I am so sorry to hear about your dog Daisy, I lost my ESS Holly to this awful condition in September, and am totally devestated by it. I don't know what caused it and can't believe how quickly it took my gorgeous baby girl though there are many things I wish I'd done differently and many I wish the vet had done differently. I really hope that you beat this and will be keeping an eye on this forum for updates. Sending you all the very best. Keri Lynn

Keri Lynn Wales UK

Dear Claire & Jason, So sorry to hear about Daisy having AIHA. This is a cruel disease, but like everyone has said it is possible with the right care for them to go on and fight this. We have Holly a 4 year old dachshund that was diagnosed March 2007 now in her nineteenth month of fighting. She is doing well, but is has been a long and expensive battle, but so worth every dollar. She is still on medications and we are trying to wean her off of them, not sure she will ever be able to completely be off of them, but hoping. If you can please try and find a vet somewhere that is knowledgable about this disease. Our local vet did not know anything and he told us this, and we ended up taking HOlly to a hospital 2 1/2 hours from us where she spent one week and had one transfusion. We then communicated between our vet and the on call internist that treated Holly and still are to this day. Keep you chin up and just let Daisy know how much you love her! Linda

Linda Sapphire

Whatever you do, do not give up hope! Sometimes at the darkest hour, they can turn themselves around, and you hopefully will find a vet that will treat her aggressively, and believe that she can make it. We've been in the fight since July, and we thought we would lose more than once, but Tiggs' has continued a valiant fight. We hope that Daisy gets stronger and better with each minute! please keep us posted on how you are doing! melissa and tiggs

melissa slc

Claire and Jason. I am sorry that your dear Daisy has been diagnosed with this awful disease. It is a hard road that you will walk but it can be beat. The most important thing is to learn as much as you can and let the doctors know you want to be part of the decisions on treatment. In the first few days everything seems so critical and yes things can change from hour to hour but sometimes it will be good news too. Take a deep breath and hold on. Everyone here has walked in your shoes and will be more than willing to offer up answers to your questions and when needed a shoulder to lean on. Take care Penny

Penny Lytle Creek Calif

Thank you to you all that have posted your thoughts, kind words and your own personal experiences with AIHA. Unfortunatley, Daisy died in the early hours of this morning. The pain is so intense at this moment in time and i'm finding this so hard to type to you all, we just thought it was the least we could do to let you all know how gratefull we are for your concerns over Daisy - she will be soo deeply missed, but she did give it her best efforts. Claire & Jason x

Claire & Jason Stebbens West Yorkshire (uk)

Claire and Jason. I am so very sorry to hear of your loss my thoughts and prayers go out to you. Having lost Trixie to AIHA in April this year after a 6 month battle I feel your pain. You did all you could do for Daisy. It's very early days yet,the pain does lessen with time. Hold on to the wonderful years you gave her and know she is now free of pain and discomfort. Thinking of you both. Tricia

Tricia UK

Claire & Jason, I am so very sorry for your loss. I know that you did all that you could for Daisy, but it seems to have happened so fast and without prior warning. I wish there was something I could say to lessen your pain and sorrow, but I know there isn't. I pray that in time your hearts will heal and you'll be able to fondly remember all the joy she gave you and the happiness you brought into her life. I'm sure she was cared for and loved very much and that is the best any of us can do for our pets. May you find peace and strength to help you through this. Karen

Karen NC

So sorry to hear about your poor dog - our thoughts are with you. This is an awful disease which you wouldn't wish on your worst enemy. Our 2 year old westie has had it since June and its been a terrible experience a complete roller coaster and we still don't know what's going to happen. It sound like you did everything right - it just comes on so suddenly out of the blue it catches everyone by surprise. Please don't blame yourselves for anything. Clare, Simon and family and Millie, Oxon, UK

Clare FOx foxhens@aol.com

Dear Stebbens Family: I am so sorry you did not have much time with Daisy at the end. I'm sure things feel "unreal" for you. Take good care of yourselves. I am going to go get some pictures developed today that have been in my camera for a long time. I thought looking at them and having a few laughs at my Kit's antics would help me remember the good times with her. My best to you and your family.

Cynthia Grosse Pte. MI

I am very sorry you have lost Daisy. It takes a long time to accept such a dreadful and painful loss. You will ask yourself why you didn't notice or if you should have done something else. However, AIHI is not wildly known about in the UK. My local vet even admitted that I probably knew more about it than she did when we finally lost Georgie. Be grateful the time you had with Daisy, it is never enough but you would rather have known her than not have those precious years with her. We ended up with two dogs in of place Georgie. Nothing will replace her but they have eased the pain. My thoughts are with you. Steph

Steph Wales

This thread was discussed between 08/11/2008 and 11/11/2008

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