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Canine Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (AIHA & IMHA) - Boogie transfusion
| Thanks for all the responses regarding Boogie's lack of appetite and the suggestions for what to feed her. She ended up having her fourth transfusion yesterday. On Wednesday, her count was 19 and Thursday it had dropped to 12. Therefore, the transfusion. Her appetite is better, but still not back to normal. I fed her baby food tonight and she liked that a lot. I'm giving her medication wrapped up in cooked chicken and that works fine. It was March 4th when she was diagnosed, and her PCV has not risen once without a blood transfusion. We have tried so many different drugs and nothing has worked. The internist has mentioned a possible splenectomy. I have to research this. I do want to give Boogie every chance possible. It's so hard to go through this with my little girl. |
| Sue Moorpark |
| Dear Sue, I am so glad that Boogie has responded a bit to this latest transfusion! Perhaps you can take that as a sign from her that she is willing to continue to fight to live. It can be very discouraging to continue on without knowing when there will be a sign that something positive is going to happen. Chance was diagnosed in May of last year. It was very late in August before we began to see any kind of sign that he was going to begin making red and white blood cells. For us it was the addition of cyclosporine that changed the situation. Each family that comes to this board has a slightly different story to tell about what it was that helped their dog get better. If you have not read Joanne's success stories check some of them out. It may help you to gain courage. http://www.cloudnet.com/~jdickson/successstories.htm I think at this point it would be ok to ask your internist some hard questions about the treatment you are using. While none of the treatments, with the exception of prednisone, are really approved or marketed exactly for the type of condition we are using them for, there are certain attributes to each medicine that seem to provide a slightly different action. It is the combination or "cocktail" of these drugs that can sometimes make the difference. And ideally, there should be a host of other supportive medicines that are given simultaneously to prevent ulcers, reduce the risks of inappropriate clotting and improve the nutrition of a animal that has inappetance. If you aren't already, keep a notebook of everything that you give her through the day and add notes to it about her condition and any medical events. Ask questions about what drugs can be given with what other drugs and ones that should be given away from foods and other meds. I would suggest that you consider contacting Dr. Jean Dodds for some advice about your treatment protocol. She has advised several people still posting to this forum, myself included. A few of us can say that our dogs are alive only because of her help. She has been involved with canine blood diseases for many years and is a great source of information. Be prepared with any paperwork from your vet, esp. the results of the latest blood work. She will have many questions and you should be ready to answer them. My best, Patrice PS How did you get the name Boogie? Here is the information to contact her. She will not charge you for advice but is always grateful for any donations you can make to http://www.hemopet.com/ Advisement: Callers need to be considerate, and in an Emergency, -- explain it clearly-- because Dr. Dodds may be near the answering machine. When dealing with a non-emergency situation, please don't call between 8 pm and 8 am Pacific Time, or Friday night through Saturday night, as that is her prayer time. Dr. Jean Dodds: Home Office: (Mon/Tues/Fri) Phone 310/ 828-4804 -- Pacific Time Fax: 310/ 828-8251 938 Stanford St. Santa Monica, CA 90403 USA Dr. Jean Dodds: HEMOPET / HEMOLIFE Office: (Wed/Thurs) Phone: 714/ 891-2022 -- Pacific Time Fax: 714/ 891-2123 11330 Markon Drive Garden Grove, CA 92841 USA e-mail: hemopet at hotmail . com (change the at to @ and omit spaces when typing in address) |
| Patrice NYS |
| Sue, I was just lokng at Choe's old records and wanted to tell you that he also was given four transfusions (every 12-14 days) in the beginning stages of his diagnosis. After the 4th transfusions his pvc rose to the 20's and then it took another four months for his pcv to rise from the 20's to the 30's. I was also told by (one) ER doc to do a spleenectomy by I decided against it. For quite a while, along with the pred Choe also took cyclosporin. I actually think it was not especially effective for him and the vet ultimately removed the treatment. But the bottom line is it may take Boogie some time to respond the way you would like to see. Dr. Dodds is very gracious and helpful and she may indeed along with your own consuting vet be able to make some suggestions for cobination of treatment(s). It's a very scary and upsetting time to watch your girl is such stress. Please know many of us have been through it. The memories actually never go away. Wishing you the best. Jan |
| jan phily |
| Patrice, Thanks for the information. I did email Dr. Dodds at the beginning of all this. She knows Boogie's internist very well, and she said she is very capable. Our internist has been in communication with Dr. Dodds about Boogie's case. Boogie is on 5 different medications right now - one is cyclosporine. I always feel better after the transfusions because I know we've bought her some more time. I wish just once we would see an increase in her blood count without a transfusion. About Boogie's name. I got Boogie when she was almost two years old and she came with that name and I decided to keep it. I got one of my other dogs, Sara, from a breeder. At the time, I met Boogie, and it was love at first sight. She was so beautiful and very loving towards me. I wanted to take her home too and tried to talk the breeder into letting me have her. But the breeder insisted she wanted Boogie to be a breeding dog. For the next year, I harassed the breeder every couple months about Boogie. Boogie had one litter in that year. Finally, after a year, the breeder relented and let me take my sweet girl home. I'm so glad Boogie didn't have any more litters. If there is a genetic component to this disease--well, I wouldn't wish this on any dog. Also, Boogie has had two back surgeries, and they think that can be hereditary in dachshunds also. So, Boogie is one expensive little dog, but worth every penny. Thanks again for your reply. Sue |
| Sue Moorpark |
This thread was discussed between 26/04/2008 and 28/04/2008
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