Canine Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (AIHA & IMHA) - Brinnie's in emergency vet

Okay, so Brinnie developed some complications from the prednisone and is in emergency. She was doing so well, and then started having diarrhea last night and today and vomited twice today without having food in her belly. They think she may have gastroenteritis because of her swollen belly which we noticed before, but our vet never mentioned it. I'm worried. Anyone out there have this happen? What if she can't be on the pred? What are our options then? I'm freaking out. Christina

Christina Nashville

Christina, I am so sorry to hear that things aren't going so well for you right now. I am also sorry that I can't offer any answers to your questions. I just went through a similar situation with my girl. But our problem isn't AIHA; now I am sort of wishing it was. I just wanted to let you know that we will be thinking of you and Brinnie tonight. Our thoughts and prayers be with you. Jess & Toqua

Jessi BC

Christina, what tests did they do while you were there? At the minumum they should run a cbc, chemistry panel and a urinalysis and you should probably take a stool sample in for a fecal to check for parasites. What did the diarrhea and puke look like? Any indications of blood (darkness/black or red)? Has she puked since? You say she puked twice...was this one right after the other? Other tests could include radiographs (xrays) or ultrasounds. What did the vet recommend or give to treat this?

Johnny

Johnny, The vomiting was a couple hours apart and both that and the diarrhea were dark and at first I thought it was the pet tinnic, but when I cleaned it up, i noticed it was a dark red. The ER vet is doing CBC, diagnosic health profile with electrolytes, vet test, vetlyte, radiology, IV of fluids, and it says additional diagnositcs. She is supposed to call us by 10 tonight so we're just waiting. Oh, and they're giving her something called Normosol R by IV, don't know what that is. My husband took her because I was out of town, but called our vet to see her and they sent him to ER vet for treatment. That's all I know for now. Thanks for getting back to me. Christina

Christina Nashville

I'm glad you have her in the care of the professionals. The Normosol R is used to treat dehydration or maintain hydration. This is likely because they are fasting her for a given amount of time to rest the GI tract. I wonder if she puked while there. I'll be looking forward to hearing an update. It's midnight here so hopefully i don't fall asleep to early! :) My thoughts and prayers are with Brinnie. Johnny & Tessy

Johnny

Thanks for your support Johnny! I totally appreciate it! I knew there would be ups and downs with this, but I guess I was hoping the downs would come much later (guess that was naive of me). I feel better that she's with the ER team. I just hope they don't have bad news for me. I'm going to ask about putting her on Azathioprine or dexamethasone instead of the prednisone to see if that might be gentler on her belly. The vet tech called a few minutes ago saying that it would be closer to 10:30 before the vet called, they were running her blood work. Christina

Christina nashville

Hi Christina Brinnie is getting the best treatment she can - her tummy has probably reacted to everything and there may be some peritonitis going on - i.e. inflammation. My Riley had these symptoms and the treatment is to go onto a drip and withdraw food - giving him/her a rest and then very small low fat meals often. You can get tests for this to make sure, and it sounds like your vet is doing that. My best wishes to you - this illness brings so many things to the forefront, along with the impacts of the medications, that it makes you dizzy. Get well for your mother Brinnie! Silka

Silka Melbourne Australia

Dear Christina, So sorry to hear of this sudden turn of events. Please let us know the results of the tests - it will be good to get some answers, as we can only speculate as to what is wrong. My Millie received Dexamethasone intravenously upon diagnosis with IMHA, but it is not used in the long term med regimen. On the Maristavet website, it does say that dexamethasone is approxiamately 10 times stronger than prednisone. Here's the link - www. maristavet. com / html / dexamethasone. html , if you were interested. Certainly Azathioprine is an option as well. My Millie did really well on this drug. Please keep us posted on Brinnie's progress. Thinking of you, Sam & Millie.

Samantha Geelong

Christina Have you heard any news on how Brinnie is doing today? Hopefully this will just be a small set back and she will be home with you soon. You also might want to ask the vet about cyclosporine, it is very expensive but sometime is added and seems to have less side effects for most dogs. Please know that I am praying for Brinnie. Cheryl & Ginger

Cheryl & Ginger Pinevile Pa

Well, I fell asleep not even 30 minutes after I was talking to you last night...on the couch! :( Just checking in to see if there is any news. Sending out all the extra good vibes I got for Brinnie. My thoughts and prayers are also with you and Brinnie. Johnny & Tessy

Johnny

This thread was discussed on 30/03/2010

Canine Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (AIHA & IMHA) forum index

This thread is from the Vetnet archive. The live Vetnet forum is active now.