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Canine Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (AIHA & IMHA) - Buster's IMHA and adopting a new dog
| I have been reading about the Forrest City Arkansas animal shelter and decided to rescue a cocker spaniel from them. If you haven't heard about this place, please Google it. I do believe they are in the process of cleaning it up. Anyway, I found out from the vet in Arkansas that the new dog has some bloody diarrhea and was full of fleas. They gave him a flea treatment and put him on antibiotics. The vet isn't sure what he has. The dog is still in Arkansas and at the moment I am regretting adopting him. My question is how long should I keep this dog quarantined from Buster, who is very immune resistant from all of his IMHA drugs? Should I cancel the adoption? He is such a sweet little thing, but I cannot risk Buster getting sick. Does anyone need a little blond cocker spaniel? Any thoughts, suggestions, or comments? |
| Ronda Illinois |
| Rhonda, Since I am lightly involved in Giant Schnauzer rescue I think I can give you some small advice. When we rescue and place Giants, we never expect the new forever family to deal with the basic issues of intervention veterinary care. These items should be taken care of prior to any dog being placed. So in other words, there should be a complete health check up done, neutering or spaying, and any health problems should be identified and correction begun. In addition, we usually keep any Giant in a foster home for a bit to evaluate their ability to interact with a new family and determine whether this dog will need house-training etc. We want new placements to be successful! So here is what I would do if this were me. I would contact the rescue organization and ask a lot of questions about the history, current veterinary care and temperament evaluation. If they are unable to give you that information I would be leery. If there is a Cocker Rescue group in your area or state, contact them to get more help. They will advise you how to proceed and may in fact take the dog out of the shelter and do what I have described. If you did this all the time and knew what you were getting into, I would say, sure, this will be hard but you can get over the problems. If this is your first time, assess your own ability to handle these serious problems! Rescuing sick dogs sounds like a really good thing to do but it is not for everyone and being honest with yourself up front is best for everyone involved... Including Buster. If you are having second thoughts, it's a good indicator of how unsure you are. I would be too. my best patrice |
| Patrice NYS |
| Would it be possible for you to board the dog at the vets for a few days and have the vet run a few tests and see if he can come up with a diagnosis and the proper treatment, maybe something minor or perhaps not. I to am with a rescue and have boarded a few dogs at the vets until they got a clean bill of health. I understand the lack of funding at the local rural shelters and I assume you will have to pay for this out of your pocket. I would try to call the vets office again and see if you can find out more information on the dogs condition. Is Buster still on medication of his AIHA? Keep us posted. Cheryl & Ginger |
| Cheryl & Ginger Pineville PA |
| Buster was diagnosed with IMHA in April of this year. He is doing wonderful!!! His last blood test was on Monday and his PCV was above 40. We are just starting to wean him from some of his drugs. Compared to some of the sad stories I have been reading, I realize we have been very lucky. When we were in the middle of the crisis we didn't feel very lucky. I am remembering that fear and just am not sure I want to risk his life. He's my baby. The pound in Forrest City is not a good one. Dogs die without water or die in fights with other dogs. Basic care is not a given. This dog was in a foster home, but they took him back to the pound because they couldn't afford his food. This is a kill shelter. My daughter lives down there and she is involved with the Arkansas humane society. She is the one who took the dog to the vet for me and we were going to have him neutered next week. I was going to pick him up the weekend of the 4th of July. I will feel so horrid if the dog has to go back to that shelter now, but I don't know what to do. |
| Ronda |
| I know how you feel, and perhaps the dog will be fine with the proper vet care. Would it be possible for your daughter to foster the dog for you for a few days or find a foster in her area just until the cocker can get a clean bill of health. Can't you call the vet and get more information on what is wrong with the cocker and pay for a detailed exam before you send the Cocker back to the shelter. Also as Patrice stated if you are not going to take the dog search the internet for a cocker rescue in that area and see if they will come and pick up the dog. Find as many as you can as rescues are often full and you may have to contact more then one. Also maybe you could contact a cocker rescue in your area and see if they would be willing to take it once you have it vetted and can give the pup a ride. Cheryl & Ginger |
| Cheryl & Ginger Pineville PA |
| Rhonda, Contact this organization: http://www.ilcockerrescue.org/ my best patrice |
| Patrice NYS |
This thread was discussed on 24/06/2010
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