Canine Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (AIHA & IMHA) - Antibiotic question

Hi, I have a question about an antibiotic that Lindy has to go on for her foot issue. They did a culture on what is growing in her foot and Clavamox is the drug that will hit what is in there. Dr. Bayliss said there can be problems giving this drug to dogs with AIHA. The two other antibiotics she has been on seem to work for a couple of days, then the swelling comes back, so we don't have a big choice here. I just hoped someone had given it to their dog without them suffering a relapse. Lindy went back to the vet today so they could change her bandage, which pulls off more of the infected/dead tissue. Her CBD numbers were good. Wednesday when I take her back, they will start her on Clavamox. I try to not worry, but my brain won't shift into that mode. Thanks! Nancy

Nancy CO

Hi Nancy. My dog, Duck, has been on clavamox a couple of times over the last seven months for UTI's and he had no relapse or bad side effects from it. He takes prednisone, cyclosporine and imuran for his AIHA. I know it's so hard not to worry. Good luck to you and please keep us all posted. Big hugs to Lindy! deb and Duck

Debbie BC Canada

Thanks Debbie for your comment about Duck taking Clavamox. Lindy is still on Azathioprine after finally being weaned off of Pred and Cyclosporine during the last year. I'm so glad Duck was able to take the antibiotic for his UTI without any problems. Tomorrow, if the snow storm doesn't keep us home, I will take her back to CSU for a bandage change and the new meds. A big hug to Duck, too! I'm curious as to how he got his name. :-) Nancy

Nancy CO

Hi Nancy. I'm glad my information was helpful. It was my 20 year old son who originally purchased and named Duck. When I asked Ryan how he came up with the name, he shrugged. He thinks maybe they were walking in the park one day and saw some ducks and, lo and behold, gave his dog the same name!! I'm glad to hear that Lindy is off the prednisone and cyclosporine and just on the azathioprine now. How long did it take you to get her off the cyclo and pred? Duck has an appointment for a blood check tomorrow and if he is at normal levels, we will very likely be doing another prednisone reduction. In fact, we may go to an "every other day" dosing. The vet internist in Washington State has told us that once Duck is off the prednisone and holds normal PCVs for a month, we can take him completely off the cyclosporine. I'm skeptical that the cyclosporine is helping Duck anyway because his last serum check a few months ago showed his levels were well below the therapeutic levels. Anyway, would love to hear more about Lindy's weaning process as she was on the same meds as Duck is. Also, good luck with the clavamox if you decide to go ahead. Adding any medication to their treatment plan always feels like a risk doesn't it? deb and Duck

Debbie BC Canada

Hi Debbie, Lindy was diagnosed with AIHA in May of 2005. She responded very well to the first transfusion and was then put on Prednisone and Cyclosporine. Over the course of the next four months, the vet who was seeing her at Colorado State, left to go into private practice in California. We saw a different vet every time we took her in for a check up and during that time she was cut back on her pred by 50% in the month prior to her October relapse. I had not yet found this site, but was concerned that there was a lack of consistency in her treatment. Towards the end of September, we finally saw the vet who was taking Dr. Wood's place. She looked all of 18, but that little blond head was brimming with knowledge. Her biggest concern was the rapid reduction in prednisone and that it might lead to a crash. The following week, on a Monday, two things happened that helped move this into a crisis. She threw up her morning dose of pred and cyclosporine and the following day, I mistakenly gave her one of my husband's codene pills instead of the prednisone. (Lesson here: never put human pills next to the dog's medications!) When I realized the error, I called Dr. Bayliss. All she could say was, "ohh..ohh..well, I don't know what this will do, but keep a close eye on her." By Wednesday, Lindy was spiraling down, her color was no longer pink. On Thursday we were on the way back to CSU with a very sick dog. Her PCV was 14, approx. They admitted her to ICU and did a transfusion. We had packed our bags, as it is an hour drive from our house and I was so afraid she was going to die. She didn't respond as quickly to this transfusion, but her progress was steady and by Sunday she was released and we brought her home with a pcv of 19. She was back on a full dose of Prednisone, Cyclosporine and a new drug was added, Azathioprine. Dr. Bayliss has slowly been tapering her off over the last year- plus. Sorry I am not more specific, but I have not pulled her paperwork out to check the specific dates. Towards the end of the pred reduction, it was cut by .25 EOD, every three months, so there was no chance of a relapse. She took her off of the Cyclosporine right before Christmas of 2006. Currently she is on 25 mg of Azathioprine every other day, which hasn't been reduced for at least 9 months. It sounds like Duck is doing very well and I will keep him in my thoughts and prayers. Your son did a great job of choosing a clever name. What kind of dog is he? Hugs, Nancy

Nancy CO

Lindy is the January 2007 Success Story at the Meisha's Hope Web site. You can read her story and see her photo at the following URL: http://www.cloudnet.com/~jdickson/archives18.htm

Joanne MN

Hi Nancy. Thank you so much for taking the time to outline Lindy's treatment plan for me. I find it encouraging to know that it could take well over a year to get Duck off some of these meds. I checked out Joanne's site and Lindy is so cute - I have always wanted to have a Cairn terrier as well. The problem is, I'd have to live to be 200 to have all the kinds of dogs I would like to!!! Duck is a 1 year old beagle/lab cross. He is such a beautiful, kind and gentle dog and he has stolen our hearts. I had him in for bloodwork today and his PCV is 35.9. He has been having a bit of a wobble lately. On Nov. 22 we reduced his prednisone from 7.5 mg./day to 5 mg./day. On Dec. 17 he developed a mild case of pancreatitis and we checked his PCV at that time. It was 37.5 which isn't bad for him but what was a bit worrisome was that my vet was seeing spherocytes on his smear. She hadn't seen that for months. His pancreatitis was treated with a 24 hour fast, two shots of antibiotics and a 2 week course of probiotics. A week later (Dec. 24) I took him for a check up for the pancreatitis but also for a blood check. His PCV was 37.4 and my vet was seeing a decrease of spherocytes on the smear. So todays check is a bit of a disappointment because he is down to 35.9 and she is seeing more irregular cells on the smear. She isn't sure if the pancreatitis has stirred up his immune system or if he isn't tolerating the prednisone reduction we did in Nov. We will check in 2 weeks (or sooner if I think he needs it) and may have to increase his prednisone again. Other than that Duck seems good. I went to the vet's today expecting to be discussing another reduction because his gums are a good colour and he's happy and energetic. Oh well ... no guarantees with this horrible disease. Anyway, I find it heartening to know that Lindy was on a similar drug regime and that it took you a very long time to get her down to her maintenance dosages. That helps a lot. Sorry I've rambled. But thanks again. Your info really has helped me. Take care. And a big hug to beautiful Lindy! deb and Duck

Debbie BC Canada

Hi Nancy, I hope that the vets will have sorted out the problem with Lindy's foot and that she will recover with no problems. Benson, my IMHA dog, is doing well in terms of IMHA but has suffered additional health problems. He has been paralyzed in the hind for the past 10 months. As a paralyzed dog, he is at great risk for urinary tract infections (among other things). He had a terrible UTI last summer that lasted for 2 months, July and August. It finally cleared up after three weeks of Clavamox. He was recently put on it again, after I suspected a UTI as I was leaving the country for a conference. Benson is fine now, in terms of his UTI, and had no problems with taking Clavamox. In general, he manages antibiotics quite well, including Ciprodex and Ceforal (these are local Israeli trade names). I always keep his IMHA in mind and I always question the vets about the meds. Very best of luck to you and Lindy (and keep us posted!), Aden

Aden Jerusalem

Hi all, Thanks Joanne for posting Lindy's success story site. I am so thankful she made it to this very special page. Debbie, it sounds like Duck has some issues, but hopefully not too serious. I bet he is a sweetie and definitely a heart stealer. Is he prone to pancreatitis? I will certainly keep him in my thoughts and prayers. Aden, I am sorry to hear about Benson's paralysis. You really have been through a lot with him. What caused the paralysis? I can imagine UTIs are a problem for him. Thankfully the meds take care of the infections. Lindy is still in her cast-like bandage and hobbles around like this is how it supposed to be. I take her back to Ft. Collins for another bandage change on Tuesday. I am so paranoid, as we all tend to be with this disease. We have to be alert! Thanks for all of your thoughts and prayers. I will keep you and yours in mine! Nancy

Nancy CO

This thread was discussed between 15/01/2008 and 19/01/2008

Canine Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (AIHA & IMHA) forum index

This thread is from the Vetnet archive. The live Vetnet forum is active now.