Canine Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (AIHA & IMHA) - Archie update

It has been so sad on this site for a few days and my thoughts are with those who haven't seen improvement or very sadly lost their dogs. Archie's latest results have lifted my spirits as his pcv is 38% which is the highest yet and within the normal range for a Jack Russell puppy. Whilst I am concious of those who are still in a state of worry, I wanted to post this as we all need a glimmer of hope. Archie is back of antibiotics for an infection but this is not a huge worry as despite wearing a muzzle he is still poking his nose in things he shouldn't! so a return to the cheeky puppy we haven't seen for a while. Thanks again to all who supported me through the dark days, I know we aren't at the end of the tunnel yet but I feel better prepared for the hiccups if and when they appear. Sue

Sue Cambridgeshire UK

That is wonderful news!!! 38 is a great number!!! Give Archie an extra treat from us:) Cheryl Ginger

Cheryl & Ginger Pinevile Pa

hi sue.thats wonderful news.archie is true to his breed a propper scrapper.but he couldnt have done it without you.keep up the good work.amy sends archie a hug. best wishes.john&amy

john teesside uk

Sue, Great to read that Archie is showing such improvement. Archie definitely deserves some extra treats as Cheryl said.

Penny Lytle Creek Calif

Good work Archie!!! Keep it up! Thoughts and prayers are with you. Johnny & Tessy

Johnny

Hi Folks, I have got the results of Archies latest complete blood count and wonder if the experts on here can advise me? My vet said she isn't concerned at a couple of readings that are high because Archie is a nine month puppy and everything else indicates he is well. His pcv is still 38 and he certainly is much livlier than he has been for a while. His medication has been reduced to 7mg twice a day of prednisilone with his azathioprine 12.5mg daily to be reduced shortly to every other day if the bloods are okay. Any help appreciated. Sue Results: ALB 40 ALP 573 ALT 409 AMY 212 TBIL 9 BUN 4 CA++ 3.00 PHOS 2.21 CRE 34 GLU 5.8 NA+ 144 K+ 5.1 TP 69 GLOB 29 QC OK HEM 0 LIP 3+ ICT 0

Sue Cambridgeshire UK

Sue, Great news on the 38% PCV! This is a normal value for any dog. Some breeds have lower, some higher normal values. But physiologically, anything above 37-38% is workable. This information is from the part of the CBC called the chem screen. This contains information about things like electrolytes, kidney and liver values etc. The other part of a CBC, the red blood cell count, contains information about the red and white blood cells, platelets etc. In general, the chem screen is a bit more expensive. Your vet is correct, puppies often have slightly different values for some things and when they are adults, these values look normal. If you are able, could you post any values that are out of normal range for your lab? Two that I see that seem out of range are: ALP 573 CRE 34. ALP is alkaline phosphatase. This is a marker in the blood generally for liver function. The liver is able to regenerate from damage. When it processes medications, (like prednisone) it must expend liver cells to do that. This damaged cell urges the liver to rebuild new cells to replace it. This process is marked by high values of ALK and ALT. Your ALT appears normal, but the ALK is a bit high at 573, but not much. My labs normal high value is 212. This is a direct result of prednisone most likely and will probably return to normal once the dose is decreased. The other value CRE is creatinine. Creatinine is produced as the result of normal muscle metabolism. This is cleared by the kidneys so it is often used (along with BUN blood urea nitrogen) to evaluate kidney function. I suspect that your lab uses a different scale. My lab uses 1.8 as a high normal value. So I suspect your value is 3.4? But it could also be .34. Would be good to know what this is. This can sometimes be high because of heavy exercise, simple dehydration (common when fasting for a blood test), or a high protein meal prior to the test. The BUN is normal at 4. Post the out of norm values according to your lab results for me. my best patrice

Patrice NYS

Hi Patrice, Thanks for your prompt and very helpful reply. The CRE is 34 and the range shown is 27 - 124 so I think that one is okay. The two that are out of range is the ALP and ALT the range for alp is 20-150 so it is a very high reading and the alt range is 10-118 so also high. Archie now weighs 7.1kg so about right for a 9 month Jack Russell, he was 5.o when very poorly so building muscles. We are weighing his food to ensure he doesn't overeat as he would if given the chance. Once again thanks to all for the support on this site. Sue

Sue Cambridgeshire UK

Sue, you could always add milk thistle or denamarin. Since the liver values are high this would help. HUGS, Johnny & Tessy

Johnny

Hi Sue Thank you for posting your "GOOD" news this morning. I am feeling very concerned for Mercedes today, as her diarrhea has "not" improved at all and she is not looking as bright and perky as she was a week ago. I have called my vet and re-scheduled our Friday appt. to this afternoon, and asked him to find a "plan B". He feels the diarrhea is Prednisone related and of course, that cannot be withdrawn at this stage. He is talking about adding an antibiotic which is probably a good idea. Anyway, I was beginning to feel a little dispair this a.m. and you have rekindled my hope---thank you for that. It is ALWAYS good to hear about the good things that are happening for other folks and their dogs, out there. We all need to hear those stories and about all the successes----no matter how small. I hope your puppy continues on the path to recovery!!! Maureen

Maureen BC Canada

Hi So sorry to hear about Mercedes and I do hope there is improvement soon. Thanks Johnny, I should have put on the post that Archie is having milk thistle and also having Zantac before meals. It is nice to see Archie chasing Jazz around in the garden even though we try to keep him calm. He still sleeps a lot so I guess the odd 3 minute spurt of energy isn't too bad for him.

Sue Cambs UK

Hi, Just posting to say Archie's pcv was 36% last time so still on track. Prednisilone is now 10mg a day now and azathioprine 12.5mg every other day seems to be going well. This morning I almost raised my voice to him as he was chasing Jazz round the caravan very fast and nearly knocked me over! We laughed as we never thought we'd see the old Archie back. Good luck to all dogs out there recovering from this.

Sue Cambs UK

This thread was discussed between 13/04/2010 and 09/05/2010

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