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Canine Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (AIHA & IMHA) - Blitz has AIHA :(
| My sweet Border Collie mix Blitz was diagnosed with AIHA this week. She is 9 years old and a little chunky at 45 lbs. I brought her into the vet on Tuesday morning because she didn't eat on Sunday night or at all on Monday, and Monday afternoon she finally got up to use the bathroom after laying around all day and her back legs gave out and she was having a hard time walking. I thought she must have lyme disease or another tick borne disease because I pulled a tick out of her about 3 weeks ago and then another one on Saturday. I still think this may have brought on the AIHA. On Tuesday morning her PCV was 19%, and it went down to 16% by Wednesday morning. The vet then sent her to an internalist at the emergency animal hospital for a blood transfusion. The transfusion actually made her PCV go down to 13%. She has been stable at 13-14% since Wednesday afternoon, and it is now Friday afternoon. I'm hoping the prednisone kicks in soon and her PCV starts going up. I'm not sure the exact mix of drugs she is on. She isn't eating and her skin is yellow from jaundice. We visited her yesterday and she recognized us, but she just layed down while we pet her and loved on her for about an hour. The doctor doesn't want her to leave the hospital until she is about 20% for at least 24 hours, but the bills are ridiculously expensive. Day 3 and we have already spent $3200 including an x-ray and ultrasound to check for cancer, which were luckily clear. I just hope she doesn't need the Oxyblood because it is $1200! They said we might owe them up to $3000 at the end of the weekend with the Oxyblood and I have no clue where we are going to get that money. We just love our girl so much and want to give her the best chance she has at beating this thing! I've been studying about the disease all week, but if anyone has any tips or ideas of things that could help her I would really appreciate it. Is it good for us to visit her or stressful for her? How long did it take your dogs to respond to the medicines and did their PCV go up immediately? Thanks! |
| Liah Charleston |
| I forgot to say that they sent out a lab to check her platelets and see if they were clotting, and the test came back negative for clotting....at least that's a good sign! |
| Liah Charleston |
| I am sorry to read about Blitz being diagnosed with AIHI. I don't have much time right now but please go to the website below, there is a ton of information. http://www.cloudnet.com/~jdickson/index.html Sending prayers for Blitz. Cheryl & Ginger |
| Cheryl & Ginger Pineville PA |
| E-mail Jean Dodds at Hemopet@hotmail.com She may be able to give some advice to your vet...if you email me, I will share the information she sent to us last week. She will also consult with your Vet by telephone. Her website is www.Hemopet.org Also visit the Meisha's Hope website that Ginger provided a link to. Best of Luck Pat |
| Pat Vermont |
| Liah, sorry you are dealing with this disease! Blitz's PCV is pretty low so it's likely they'll do another transfusion if it doesn't become stable! I don't know why they're using oxyglobin as it's much more expensive than Whole Blood. Most vets have their own donor dogs that they get blood from! If I were you I'd contact Dr. Dodds tonight and get her to consult with your vet. She'll do this for $45 I think...which is well worth it! She's the leading specialist in this field and you'd be surprised how fast she gets back to people! I've sent blood to her all the way from Nova Scotia for around $200 and her knowledge helped turn my Tessy around to the road of recovery!!! Knowledge is power!!! Find out everything you can about this disease. Find out the drugs Blitz is on and the dosages also. Are you near any veterinary schools? You'd likely get much better diagnostics for much cheaper! I pondered the same question when Tessy was in the hospital...should I visit her or not? I ended up visiting every chance I got...I don't think I'd be able to live with myself if something happened to her and she didn't see me for days! I'll tell you what to do....take in an article of clothing to leave with her...something soft and cuddly! That way she's got something of yours with your scent on it to keep with her! Please keep us posted on how she's doing and don't be scared to call for updates to the vets. I'll be keeping Blitz in my thoughts and prayers! Johnny & Tessy |
| Johnny |
| Dear Liah, I am so sorry to hear that Blitz has been diagnosed with IMHA. Do you mean there is no agglutination present? This is definitely a good sign! I also recommend consulting with Dr Dodds. She is by far the expert in this disease, and so many on this forum have consulted with her. I went to visit Millie when she was in the hospital. I couldn't stay away. It certainly perked Millie up. We just had to make sure she didn't get too excited when she saw us! Please do tell us what meds Blitz is on and the doses. Do you know if Blitz has regenerative or non-regenerative anemia? This is important in terms of the treatment protocol and prognosis. Please do read the success stories on the website Cheryl mentioned above. They gave me hope and definitely showed me that this disease can be beaten. We beat it - my girl Millie is the May 2010 success story. Our thoughts are with you both in this fight, Sam & Millie. |
| Samantha Geelong |
| Just want you to know Summer and I are praying for Blitz. There is help for vet bills out there. Actual help not just Care Credit. I posted somethings in another thread. Can't repost now, because I am on my phone. Hopefully you can fund something there. God bless you, Carrie and Summer |
| Carrie DFW |
| Liah, I am so sorry that Blitz has been diagnosed. I would do some more research on the tick boards as well. I am sure Patrice will post a link soon. It takes a while for the Pred to kick in so don't panic just yet. I would definitely go to see her as often as you can. Be sure to read the success stories at Joanne's site. Sending thoughts and prayers your way. Penny |
| Penny Lytle Creek Calif |
This thread was discussed between 14/01/2011 and 15/01/2011
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