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Canine Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (AIHA & IMHA) - BAC supplement?
| Our 6 yr old male cocker named karma was just diagnosed last monday with IMHA. The vet has him on steroids, iron, antibiotic, and a med to sooth his tummy. He is showing some good signs since Thursday with more energy, eating and drinking. But I read something on line about something called BAC - bioalgae concentrate that has antioxidants, antiinflammatories, and lots of omegas in it. It is supposed to generate new blood cells. Has anyone used this with your dog to help support him while on All the other drugs? Talked to the vet today and said he thought it wouldn't hurt. Would love to hear from anyone who has tried this out and what the results have been? Thanks Karen |
| Karen Nc |
| Personally, I have opted to stay away from food and supplements with added algae, because rxlist.com warns that it may boost the immune system and weaken the effects of immunosuppressants like cyclosporine. |
| Monet Sammamish |
| I attended a workshop by Dr. Dodds on hypothryoidism and vaccines. She advised us that owners should avoid feeding products that contain excessive iodine to their dogs. It can be very harmful to the thyroid gland whether that gland is normal or abnormal. Two ingredients that may be added to dog supplements (and even food) are kelp and possibly some form of bioalgae. Part of their life cycle is to store iodine and it can be in excessive amounts. This can be very dangerous. The thyroid has a significant role in the process of making blood. Often dogs with AIHA are found to have hypothyroidism. Excessive doses of iodine may cause problems with this condition. During the lunch break we gathered around the door prize table to read the label of a high end canine supplement to see what the ingredients were and what the iodine content was. Dr. Dodds was as shocked as we were to find this very expensive supplement had dangerously high levels of iodine. She advised that if we were to use it, that we should limit it to only a few days of the week, if at all. I would want to know the exact quantity of iodine in this product as I know that these algae can have variable amounts due the nature of where they are harvested. In a quick search I found several health organizations of some countries advising that the population avoid these algae products due to this effect on the thyroid gland. I know everyone wants to find some magic supplement to help their dogs get better, but keep in mind that sometimes even a natural ingredient in excessive quantities can be very hazardous even to healthy dogs or humans. Please consider sticking with natural foods that you know are of high quality and by that I mean human grade food. Even supplements for humans are not monitored with the high level of scrutiny that human grade food is. You can get extremely beneficial anti-inflammatory effects from the omega 3's in fatty fish. Fish oil is the one supplement that is beneficial to humans and dogs alike. *However, a dog in a current hemolytic crisis should not be given fish oil as it may thin the blood.* Once a dog is stabilized, fish oil will be beneficial as it reduces the inflammatory response, reducing levels of the cytokines called tumor necrosis factor and interleukin-1. Many canine disease processes respond well to treatment with omega 3 fatty acids. For a dog that is good health use 1000mg fish oil for every 20 lbs of dog. For a dog with a responsive disease process use 1000mg fish oil for every 10 lbs of dog. Any dog that is considered senior, even if they are healthy, should be dosed at the higher rate as it is protective against many conditions like heart disease and even canine dementia. my best patrice |
| Patrice NYS |
| Patrice I read your response about Iodine with interest. Do you know if this is the same with people? I believe I have an underactive thyriod, will eventually go get tested. Many sites say to add iodine for hypothyriodism. Thanns Laurie |
| Laurie CA |
| Laurie, I think Dr. Dodds latest book explains this conundrum very well. Too much or too little iodine can cause havoc with the thyroid gland. She is very clear about how important this is. She talks about iodine in 4 different parts of the book. If a person (or dog) has autoimmune hypothyroidism their thyroid gland is not working properly. Adding extra iodine will actually cause the gland to speed up the self destruction. Really, if you think about it, generally only people who live in underdeveloped parts of the world may have less access to food that contains iodine. Most people who live in the United States or other developed countries have easy access to iodized salt. In fact we all probably get too much salt in our diet. If you live somewhere where that is not true, the government there probably already is aware of it and has taken steps to rectify the situation. But deficiency can cause serious health issues, esp for growing children. Most dog food contains iodine. Dog owners who feed home made diets may want to add a dash of iodized salt, but generally no more than that. If you think something is wrong with your thyroid it probably is not dietary, unless you have not been eating well. my best patrice |
| Patrice NYS |
| Patrice, thank you for this information. I admit my diet is poor, but probably not enough to be iodine deficient, and my Dr has previously said she thinks I have some sort of autoimmune function on some leve, but can't id it. Laurie |
| Laurie CA |
This thread was discussed between 17/09/2011 and 19/09/2011
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