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Canine Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (AIHA & IMHA) - Atopic dermatitis?
| Hi, It has been awhile since I have posted. My cocker Molly was diagnosed with AIHA almost one year ago. After transfusions, a lengthy stay at the vet, and months of follow up meds she is almost the same dog! It has been a very long and very slow recovery though! My question is this, I have now been fighting severe yeast infections in ears, those now too seem to be under control(if only temporarily) but her skin is a mess! She has bald spot and crusty, kind of flaky and greasy spots that seem to itch her badly. The vet gave me special shampoo but not much help. Is this atopic dermatitis? He said it was just allergies. Molly is off all immune suppressing drugs. The only thing she is on now is Motomax drops in her ears. Thanks in advance. Amy |
| Amy texas |
| Amy, I am so sorry that you are now experiencing these skin symptoms in Molly. Some breeds are especially prone to allergies and I believe Cockers can be one of them. This is a bad time of the season for some dogs as well due to the fall pollens. My dog developed severe allergies liek this when he was only 2.5 years old. What the vet is referring to is canine atopic dermatitis or inhaled allergies. In humans inhaled allergies express as eye and nasal symptoms: running nose, sneezing etc. In dogs atopic allergies express as skin symptoms: yeasty ears, scales and flaky skin, chewing paws and other areas raw and there is that special "odor" that is just horrible. But in both cases it comes from exposure to allergens by inhaling them. Dust, mold, pollens etc are the culprit. At this time of the year here in Western NYS, the main culprit for many people and dogs is ragweed. In the spring it is tree and grass pollens. These happen to both bother Chance. This is going to actually be very easy to understand. One of the treatments for this condition is using immunosuppressive drugs like prednisone or a special drug called Atopica (cyclosporine). Hmmm, sounds familiar? Well these are the very same drugs that have been used to treat the AIHA. It makes sense then, since you have stopped adminstering all these drugs, that the allergies will now be a problem again. There are several ways to treat this. We had Chance tested when he was young by two different tests, one a blood test and the other a skin scratch test to determine those allergens he was most bothered by. The dermatologist developed a serum of different strengths that I used to inject him over a long period of time on a regular basis until I reached a maintenance dose. This is intended to desensitize the dog to these allergens. It worked very well with Chance for many years and I gave him his allergy shots at home. However, dogs that have had AIHA are probably not good candidates for this kind of treatment. I would be very careful with this if it is suggested to you. The alternative, and one that was not available to me when Chance was young, is the new drug Atopica, available at your vets. In lower doses than used in AIHA, it is a very effective treatment for allergies like this and would make Molly's life very comfortable (and your pocketbook a bit emptier). I would not have hesitated to use this back when Chance was young if it had been available. Other treatments are the ones your vet has already suggested: use a very special shampoo called Malaseb to wash Molly about every 10 days. We still use this shampoo for Chance, it is very effective and has meant a lifetime free of skin symptoms for him. You will need to clean your house like someone that lives there has allergies! Cleaning off the coat and paws when returning from outside is important. Using the ac most of the year to eliminate allergens in the house. For short term treatment (we had "holidays" of about 2-3 weeks for treatement) we successfully used a drug called Temaril-P, it is a combination drug that contains only 2 mg of prednisone plus another drug to reduce the allergic symptoms. It's not a full blows dose of prednisone and you don't need to use it continuously, but only during the really bad parts of the allergy season. Your vet will most likely approve of this for Molly. Dr. Dodds felt this would be fine to use for Chance, she often suggests that AIHA dogs remain on a small dose of prednisone for the rest of their lives and Molly is a very good candidate for this. For the ears I like Zymox (Three Point Enzyme Solution). This is not a medication but rather special enzymes that will eliminate the yeasty ears. Have your vet give you a sample if they have one. This is the one and only thing I have found works right from the first treatment. You can also get this with topical cortisone included to immediately relieve itchy ears. Now-a-days I understand that a vital treatment for these atopic dogs is essential fatty acids. The most simple and cheapest way to provide this to Molly is by giving her fish oil capsules each day. Start with one for every 20 pounds and up it to one for every 10 pounds if you don't see a significant improvement. This has an anti-inflammatory action and will help reduce the itchiness (and then the scratching and chewing). Good luck! patrice |
| Patrice NYS |
| Forgot link to read: DERMATOLOGY By Carol S. Foil, DVM, MS, Diplomate A.C.V.D. Board-certified specialist through the American College of Veterinary Dermatology http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&A=1535 |
| Patrice NYS |
| My moms dog has allergies and is currently trying out Bioprep to see how that does. I'll keep ya posted if she sees improvement with this.. |
| Pam Illinois |
| Thanks Pam, let me know, Thanks Patrice for all the info. Her ears, for the moment, are under control but the yeast always comes back these days! ANd the ears get soooo bad on her this last time she lost hearing for awhile! I had read that dogs with jeporadized immune systems are more suspectible to the skin and ear infections as well. I have been very diligent about how and what I have chosen for flea treatment as I know Molly is super sensitive to fleas and we have lots here with this heat! I opted for Program and Capstar together as I had researched other options that may compromise immune systems. She still licks and chews all the time but fleas are under control!!! There seems SO much to watch for as I read flea infestations can trigger anemia which can set her back out of remission! I will start her on fish oil today thanks for that tidbit! What about dog food? There is so much darn info out there I can not seem to week through what food might be best for her. I currently am feeding her what my other inside dog gets, Iams. Always wondering if that is the best choice with her skin issues. ANyhow, thanks it is a whirlwind but luckily my girl is in my bed every night these days! Of course she can't make the jump anymore but it is all good. :) |
| amy texas |
| Amy, so glad to hear Molly is doing okay. Iams is not a very good dog food, I would put her on a limited ingrediant dog food like California Natural lamb and rice rule out a dog food allergy too. and read this, it might be something you want to try. http://www.nzymes.com/Articles/dog_or_cat_allergies_assessment.htm here is a great site for dog food comparison http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/ here is Calif naturals iongredients California Natural Lamb & Rice Adult Ingredients: Lamb Meal, Ground Brown Rice, Ground White Rice, Sunflower Oil, Taurine, Potassium Chloride, Choline Chloride, Calcium Carbonate, Vitamins/Minerals Here is a sample of Iams ingredients Chicken, Corn Meal, Chicken By-Product Meal, Ground Whole Grain Sorghum, Chicken Fat (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), Dried Beet Pulp, Ground Whole Grain Barley, Chicken Meal, Chicken Flavor, Dried Egg Product, Potassium Chloride, Brewer's Dried Yeast, Fish Oil (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), Salt, Flax Meal, Sodium Hexametaphosphate, Caramel, Choline Chloride, Minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Manganese Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Potassium Iodide, Cobalt Carbonate), Vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, Ascorbic Acid, Vitamin A Acetate, Calcium Pantothenate, Biotin, Thiamine Mononitrate (source of vitamin B1), Vitamin B12 Supplement, Niacin, Riboflavin Supplement (source of vitamin B2), Inositol, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (source of vitamin B6), Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid), Calcium Carbonate, DL-Methionine, Rosemary Extract. God luck Laurie |
| Laurie CA |
| Hi Amy, We deal with the same thing all the time, Tiggs' ears are constantly yeasty and infected, they were before and are still after IMHA. We clean his ears regularly with an ear wash, then for the real stinky flair ups, we also use Mometamax because it kills yeast and bacteria. We used Temeral P with our older dog for allergies, but she developed Iatrogenic cushings, so we weaned her off (as with IMHA dogs who are on steroids long term, Temeril P - the P is for prednisone- can do the same). Sometimes benedryl works ok for the allergies, as we haven't wanted to put our dogs on Atopica due to the crazy expense of having three dogs with various allergies and other medical issues...we also do regular allergy bathes with oatmeal shampoos, etc. and they are on allergen friendly food. Right now that is California Naturals Herring and Sweet Potato, but some dogs do better on diets without any grains, it's always hard to narrow down the allergies unless you do the testing like Patrice mentioned. WE did that with my senior dog (non IMHA) and she was allergic to EVERYTHING in the environment- we gave her shots for years and they did help. Good luck! melissa and tiggs |
| melissa slc |
This thread was discussed between 10/10/2009 and 09/11/2009
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