Canine Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (AIHA & IMHA) - Bentley is a Bit Worse

Hi, all....Just wanted to update, as Bentley is a bit worse right now. He seemed very lethargic and sleepy yesterday and today, and had an accident on the floor this morning, not asking to go outside. This is very unusual for him right now. Since we recently made our first pred reduction, I wanted to get the specialist's thoughts. He ordered a urinalysis and CBC. The urinalysis showed improvement in his kidney function from last time....his protein/creatinine ratio was better. However, his CBC was worse....RBC, HCT, HGB all were down. HCT went from 33.8 down to 29.1 in a week. And his WBCs are back up, from 22.2 to 39.4....this seems to be never-ending with him. He still shows no spherocytes and no toxic bands in his morphology. I just don't know why his numbers keep dropping....any ideas? I'm really getting concerned that we may not be able to beat this thing. We go back Thursday....Thanks for any advice, Sally and Bentley

Sally Louisiana

Hi Sally, I check back here everyday just to see how everyone is doing. I would Love to see a lot of Success stories. I Pray that your Bentley will be one of them. During our little Lucky's battle, I'll always remember the words that her Beloved Little Girl would say,"Where there's Life There's Hope." Sally and Bentley, Good Thoughts and Prayers continue going your way.

Kathy Calif.

Sally and Bentley Please know we are keeping you and Mr B in our prayers. What dose of pred was he on and what did they lower it to? Cheryl & Ginger

Cheryl & Ginger Pineville PA

@Kathy, thank you so much for your kind words! I hope Lucky's little girl is feeling better. I know you all continue to miss Lucky so much. @Cheryl, he was on 10 mg 2x day.....a bit over two weeks ago, it was reduced to 10 mg in the a.m. and 5 mg in the p.m. He only weighs 11-12 lbs. He was doing great until this past weekend....Bloodwork last Monday looked awesome....now, he is dropping, and today the lethargy is awful. Sally and Bentley

Sally Louisiana

When Cookie was reduced on prednisone, her cyclosporine was increased to make up for this. I also assume you have 10mg tabs... they come in 5mg tabs, and these can halved easily (vs 10mg quartered... I tried to eigth 20mg tabs and that didn't work so well) So with the 5mg tabs, you could give 7.5mg each dose which could help but also helpful if you want a slower reduction (eg from 20mg to 17.5mg rather than 15mg)

Monet Sammamish

Sally, I am sorry to hear that Bentley is having a drop off. I will keep you both in my thoughts and prayers and hope this is something that can be corrected quickly. Penny

Penny Lytle Creek Calif

Sally, New poster here. Keep the faith and stay positive. While she has dipped a bit, the trend is still up. I am not a vet but I imagine that you, in tandem with Bentley's vet's supervision probably just have to modify her dosage upwards until she is more stable. This is only a temporary and minor setback. Sometimes we just have to reset and trace back our steps. Cheers, RobertN

RobertN Superior

Thanks for the warm wishes and thoughts, everyone.... Bentley is unfortunately already maxed out on Cyclosporine and Mycophenolate, in addition to the Prednisone. It took max doses of all three to stop his RBC destruction and get him in remission. So he has just had his very first TINY med reduction, and there really is nowhere else to go with other meds to make up for it. Monet, I see what you mean about the 2.5 mg reduction....I'll ask our doc about that.... We see our specialist on Thursday....I'll post again after that visit. Today his is eating well, drinking well, and seems content....just resting an awful lot. Thanks again, Sally and Bentley

Sally Louisiana

Sorry to hear that Mr B is not feeling as well as we all hoped, but praying for him to stablize. Keep us posted. Blessings, Cindi & Tori (Evans Syndrome)

Cindi FL

Dear Sally and Bentley, It certainly is a roller coaster ride, and one becomes an expert on bloods etc. I do wish you both well - and hope Bentley picks up. I look forward to seeing what Thursday brings for you, and I pray that its all good, and there is a good reason for those numbers dropping. You have a great support here with lots of knowledge. All the best to you both. Silka

Silka Oz

Sally and Bentley, Hoping and Praying that today is much better for you both? Sally, Lucky's little girl is still having a really hard time(We all are) Lucky was such a sweetie.(RIP Baby Girl). We did get the Portrait in and it's hanging in our daughters room. It's Beautiful! Lucky's in front of Rainbow Bridge. They are using the Portrait on their site. Lucky will live on in our Hearts, our Thoughts and Memories and in the Portrait. Okay enough of this... How are you both doing today? I check back on these threads as I hope to see Success Stories. It is a hard Disease to cope with but I have heard of more success stories than just the ones posted on this site. I really do wish you the Best and want to read of Bentley's success story. Hugs to you Both, Kathy

Kathy Calif.

So sorry to hear that Bentley is not feeling well. Hope you get some better news Thursday Pat and Lola

Pat New Jersey

Thank you all for checking in on Mr. B....He seemed to be feeling a bit better today, so I am HOPING that his numbers reflect that tomorrow! We see the specialist at 9 a.m., and I will post updated results as soon as I can. I was hoping for another reduction in pred in the next few days, but that may not happen now. We'll have to see, I guess....Just praying that his numbers are no worse, as we really have few if any options left med-wise.... Will post again tomorrow, Sally and Bentley

Sally Louisiana

Sally, Praying for the Best News Today. Hope Mr. B is feeling better.

Kathy Calif.

This thread was discussed between 25/10/2011 and 27/10/2011

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