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Canine Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (AIHA & IMHA) - Any information on Medications for IMHA appreciate
| My 5 year old Cattahoula mix Cali was diagnosed last Monday (4-14) with IMHA. They have her on so many medications it is kind of scarey. She was hospitalized for 4 days & given two transfusions because her PCV was at a 9 when I took her in. She had been having leg problems for months & the Vet kept telling me she just needed time to heal. Now I feel these leg problems may have caused this. They had her on Rimadyl since October. ( I threw it away)Any way her PCV has not been going up very rapidly, so they doubled her dose of Prednisone. I am wondering what medications people have been prescribed for their dogs with this condition. Her is her current list of medications: twice a day 1 gm of Sucralfate (to prevent ulcers) once a day 10mg Aspirin (I was charged $105.00 for a bottle of 60 5 mg!!) 1 50mg Azathioprine twice a day 40mg of Prednisone 1 20 mg Prilosec twice a day doxycyline- in case it was tick induced once a day 1/2 Baytril tablet- because one of her legs is getting very puffy This seems like a lot to me & any response would be appreciated. This is a terrible thing to happen to anyones dog & I just hope she's strong enough to make it. She is the sweetest thing in the world & doesn't deserve to feel so bad. Thanks, Dee |
| Dee Wisconsin |
| Dee, I am sorry that Cali has been diagnosed with this awful disease. if you haven't checked out Joanne's site yet please do. It will give you lots of answers and help you understand what you are up against. Be sure to read the sucess stories too. http://www.cloudnet.com/~jdickson/ Some feel that Rimadyl may be one of the triggers for this but it is really hard to actually know why our dogs become victims. You will find a lot of support on this board from people who truly understand what you are going through so feel free to toss out anything that is on your mind or in your heart and be assured that someone will share everything they have learned or felt while traveling down this difficult road. Penny |
| Penny Lytle Creek calif |
| This regimen was very close to what my border collie was started on. The sucralfate and prilosec are somewhat redundant- they both are there to protect the stomach. I spent about the same on the aspirin - it had to be compounded for her. Trooper also had shots of lovenox until her PCV became normal and she stopped agglutinating her cells (clumping) to prevent a clot. All the best. Prayers to you and yours |
| Chris Connecticut |
| Hi Dee, I dont know what a cattahoula mix is, but what is her weight? You've come to a good place and there are a lot of people here who may be able to share their experience with you. And yes, please check out Meisha's hope - it is the best place to start. I think its good that you threw the rimadyl away. You asked about the medications and whether that was alot. I dont think so - i think these are the base medications most of our dogs take with this disease. My dog takes sucralfate, prednisone, azathioprene, pepcid a/c, levothyroxine, ursodial. These last two are for his thyroid and liver. He takes the sucralfate at least one hour before his prednisone and imuran, to coat the stomach, like a bandage. Then 10 min before the pred and imuran, he eats something, then the drugs, then an hour later the pepcid ac to reduce any stomach acid and prevent ulcers. You may want to start thinking about supplements soon, I have found that they have helped my dog enormously and i wish i had started them sooner. Christine and Kent |
| Christine Fl |
| Hi Dee, I wish you the best in this battle with AIHA. Lindy was also on Rimadyl when she started refusing to go on walks with me and eventually became so weak she could no longer hold her head up. I also believe it was the cause of her AIHA. Lindy was given Prednisone, Azathioprine, Cyclosporine and Pepcid AC. She was diagnosed in May of 2005 and was taken off of the pred in the fall of 2007. She is still on Azathioprine, EOD. The aspirin is expensive! Is that for blood clots? Lindy was never on that. The Cyclosporine was terribly expensive, I thought. Whew. I wish you well. Nancy |
| Nancy CO |
This thread was discussed between 25/04/2008 and 29/04/2008
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