Canine Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (AIHA & IMHA) - Bentley--why is he trembling?

We saw our specialists today at Louisiana State University. They repeated Bentley's CBC and did xray and Ultrasound of his belly, as he vomited all his supper last night. CBC showed slight improvement in RBC, HCT, HGB since 10/23 (Monday), and a BIG jump in Retics, from 84.0 to 207.0...also his WBCs went down from 39.4 to 27.9. His HCT is now at 30.2. He still has no spherocytes and no toxic bands, so no destruction going on. The docs think he has a case of gastritis and are treating with cerenia and antibiotic (3 day) for that. He has eaten a bit tonight, and is no longer vomiting. Otherwise, all meds are kept the same. The only other symptom is an almost constant trembling since I got him home from the hospital. Any ideas on why he would be doing this?? I'm really worried about how much more this pup can take...Have I mentioned lately that I HATE this illness? Sally

Sally Louisiana

Sally, OMG how frightening for you. I'll take a guess and say that he may have pancreatitis. It is very painful and a dog will tremble and may arch their back, showing other signs of discomfort. It is a constant companion of prednisone. Pancreatitis doesn't necessarily show up on an ultrasound. I had a very special ultrasound of my pancreas. They actually fed the sound head down my throat and into my stomach to look at the pancreas through the stomach wall. This is really the best way to see areas of inflammation. The pancreas is nicknamed the "angry organ" because if irritated it can respond with terrible inflammation. The digestive enzymes can leak into surrounding tissues and begin to "digest" those tissues. You can ask for a SPEC cPL (“specific canine pancreatic lipase”) test. This is the gold standard test for canine pancreatitis. It's a little more expensive and they may try to talk you into doing just a chem screen and looking at the values amylase and lipase (two pancreatic digestive enzymes) but those can be high for other reasons or they may not be high at all. But if the cPL returns positive then you will need to take special care with diet. Dogs are just more sensitive to pancreatitis and this can make them very very sick. The general emergency treatment for this is fasting (with water) and then following a day or two later with an extremely bland, low fat diet. If you can avoid the vet's canned foods for this, do so. You can make very good food at home that is far more nutritious. For maintenance look for a diet with less than about 8-12% fat per meal. Less fat is better, but can be very unpalatable. Only your vet can decide if pain medicines are appropriate. However, I know when I have a flare up, I need some kind of pain relief or I cannot think straight. I often use heat to calm my pancreatic pain. Try a hot water bottle filled with warm water and wrap it in a towel. Place it according to the picture on this website: http://leerburg.com/pancreatic.htm He will either push into it with relief or he will pull away from the heat. Let him decide what to do, but keep it close to him in case he changes his mind. my best patrice

Patrice NYS

Sally, On Facebook you mentioned that Mr. B has been licking his lips. this can be a sign of nausea. that would certainly go with Patrice's thought of pancriatitis. If you google "Dr.Dodds liver cleansing diet" it will take you to a recepie for a good lean diet based on fish and sweet or yellow potatoes. hat would be a good way to go. best wishes to you and Mr. B. Brigitte

Brigitte BC

Will Continue Good Thoughts for You and Bentley. Prayers going out to you. It's such a terrible disease. I hope tomorrow will be a better day.

Kathy Calif.

Yes, Tori had the samw shaking when she would have an attack of Pancreatits. She would just not eat, but offered her clean water. Within 24 hours she would improve and begin eating healthy foods, low carb and low protien, as has been suggested. Still had to wrap some of her meds in non fat cheese (simpy bits). I think Pepsid is helping us this time, because I did not use that the first time last year. Praying for it to pass quickly. Blessings, Cindi & Tori (Evans Syndrome)

Cindi FL

Thank you guys for your comments.... Mr. B's ultrasound and xrays were ok yesterday, so that is good news. As I mentioned, his retics are way up, so hoping his RBC numbers rise soon as well, especially if we can further reduce his meds in the near future. He has refused his regular canned Science I/D food today. He is drinking lots of water, so I know he is well hydrated. The trembling is still there, but to a much smaller degree. I talked with the tech at LSU just now, who consulted with the associate doctor. They checked his pancreas via ultrasound, and reported it looked perfect...no other test was done specifically for pancreatitis. So to be safe, I think I will fast him tonight...he's only had a very few bites of Science E/N today...if he's not better in the morning, I can get him to my regular vet and have the pancreatitis check done. Patrice, I'll try the heat....so far, he has preferred the cool tile, but I will give him the option. Thank you all so much for your help....I would truly be lost without the help everyone else here and on FB! Sally and Bentley

Sally Louisiana

Try heating the food up, also mixing it with chicken or turkey baby food. A couple causes for trembling- "Nausea. Just like people, dogs can get nauseous from motion sickness, medication, eating too much, or eating the wrong thing, such as a toxic plant. They also can get nausea from kidney or liver disease as well as other diseases. Shaking is one sign that your dog is nauseous. Other signs include listlessness, lip smacking, swallowing or salivating more than usual, hiding, yawning, and vomiting." "Chronic kidney failure can lead to tremors. So can neurological problems that may include inflammatory brain diseases or seizure disorders. An Addisonian crisis, a condition related to an underactive adrenal gland, may also lead to shaking in dogs." http://pets.webmd.com/dogs/my-dog-shivering-trembling

Monet Sammamish

Hi all, Bentley seems much weaker this morning....we are making a trip to our regular vet for a consult. He is still drinking but won't eat anything...even his favorite yogurt and canned pumpkin. He's already on Cerenia for nausea.... Bentley may be telling me he is tired of the fight....I will update later. Sally

Sally Louisiana

Please know we are sendidng our prayers for Mr B. Keep us updated on how he is doing. Cheryl & Ginger

Cheryl & Ginger

This thread was discussed between 28/10/2011 and 29/10/2011

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