Canine Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (AIHA & IMHA) - Canine Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia

Hello, I have some questions about Canine AIHA. Back in November, I lost my 10 1/2 year old male miniature schnauzer, Casey, to AIHA. I never found out a cause, the best that I could come up with is that he had his rabies vaccination 3 months earlier, and he had always been allergic to his vaccinations since he was a puppy, and had to be given epinephrine shots to counteract his vaccines. In hindsight, I wish I hadn't gotten his vaccines, considering that he was allergic to them, but it just wasn't a common practice, and the vets didn't support not giving them their vaccines. This was a devastating loss to me and my parents, I had Casey since I was 12 years old, he wasn't my first dog, but he was the first one that was my responsibility to care for. He started acting a little down on November 9th, he only ate half of his food, and then over the weekend, on the 10th and 11th, he barely ate anything, and my mom was able to talk the vet into letting him come in without an appointment on Monday the 12th, early that morning his temperature shot up to 105.7, and he started to wobble when he walked. Upon taking him to the vet, we were told that his hemocrit levels were down to 17, he still had the severe fever, and his spleen was swollen, he was diagnosed with AIHA. The doctor kept him overnight, gave him some prednisone, and his hemocrit went back up to 20 on Tuesday, after which the doctor released him back to us. He was fine Tuesday night, he ate more than half of his food, drank his water, even jumped up on the furniture and barked some. He feel asleep on the sofa that night, and so I just feel asleep with him next to me... I thought for sure that we had this beat, I was giving im prednisone pills along wit Pepcid for stomach upset, and he was supposed to be rechecked in a week. By Wednesday morning, he started deteriorating again, he wouldn't eat, he drank very little, and his fever went all the way back up to 104.7. We had to take him back to the veterinarian, and this time his hemocrit level was down to 10. They suggested trying IVs and steroid injections. This time, he did not respond to the treatment, and had to be taken to the hospital on Thursday morning, his hemocrit level was now down to 7, and he was very weak, barely responsive, and his body was pretty much limp. The hospital started blood transfusions and chemotherapy, and Thursday night said that he didn't have a reaction to the treatments, and he was even looking around a little. The vet said he would call again in the morning to give us an update. So, on the morning of Friday, November 16th, the phone rang at a little after 8:00. He was right on schedule, so I was encouraged. My mom answered, and the vet said that he had died. I wasn't prepared for this at all, I loved him so much, and I lost him so quickly, and I don't even know how or why this happened. We have spent our time since this trying to find answers, but we always come up empty... Now, last night, my little 3 year old Mini Schnauzer, Shania, started acting a little ill. She threw up a little bit in her crate, and I thought that maybe she had the flu, our other dogs had been fighting a flu, it would last 1-2 days, she had not gotten it yet, so we figured that she was probably just getting what the other dogs had. She did not want any food or water last night, and she was a little depressed/lethargic, she is normally very people oriented, but she just wanted to lay under furniture by herself last night. This morning after my dad left for work, Shania started whining, my mom woke me up and asked me to take her out, we were figuring that she had the flu, and probably had to go outside. However, I checked her crate, and it, as well as her, was covered in what I thought was diarrhea. So, I took her an her crate downstairs to rinse out the crate and give her a bath, but upon taking her out of the crate, I noticed that she was just covered in blood, I am not really sure where it came out of, although I know she didn't throw it up, it came out of her back-end somewhere. I told my mom to hurry up and call the vet while I bathed her. I was alarmed by the amount of blood that she had lost, but her overall condition seemed about the same, a little lethargic, but no fever, and she still seemed fairly strong, she was standing with her own strength, and even occasionally stood on her hind legs. So, after trying her off, we took her to the vet, he took some blood, and some x-rays. The x-rays looked fine, but the blood test revealed that she had the AIHA also. Her hemocrit level was down to 9, and during the appointment, he whole body turned yellow, and she started vomiting. He told us to get her to a hospital, and she started rapidly deteriorating. By the time we got her to the hospital, which was only 5 minutes away, her temperature dropped to 99.7, her heart rate dropped from 60 to 50, and her hemocrit level dropped from 9 to 3. They let me see her one last time, and they had to put ointment in her eyes because she stopped blinking, she was completely limp, and barely conscious, her eyes just kept rolling, and her mouth was half open. They said that her young age is about the only thing she has working in her favor, everything else looks bad. Again, the only connection that I have is that she too had a vaccination a few months ago. Thank you for reading all of this. I am mostly looking for some answers, what could be causing this? My dogs are house dogs, they never get into anything, they only go outside to go to the bathroom, they only eat top-grade holistic dog food, and they only drink bottled water... I am totally lost about what could be happening here... Like I said, the dogs are let outside to go to the bathroom, and that is it, they are let into a fenced yard, and then brought inside. I know that I have a neighbor who has made it known to m e and my family how much he hates our dogs, and he has a history of drinking and violence against people, so I wouldn't put anything past him, but I never notice anything suspicious in the yard. Could there be anything he could be doing that I wouldn't really be able to notice? Once again, thanks for taking the time to read this... Even if you don't have any answers, please just send your prayers... this is extremely devastating, especially after we just went through this... as hard as this is for me, (and my dad) I am very worried about how my mom would take it is something happened to Shania.

Chris Ohio

Dear Chris, I am in tears reading about your pets. I am so very sorry. I can't begin to answer any of your questions as this is still very new to me as well. My dog is still hanging in there but I keep wondering whether I did the right thing by administering medications. You should be receiving other replies soon as everyone is really good about reacting to stories like this. Take care, Gail

Gail SD

Dear Chris, Thanks for sharing your story with us. I am incredibly sorry to hear that you lost Casey and that now, Shania has been diagnosed with the same horrible illness. Over the last 9 months since my dog, Duck, was diagnosed with AIHA, I have talked to many dog owners, vets and specialists and the consensus is that very few people ever find out what triggered the AIHA in their dog. From what I understand (and please take into account that I'm no expert), dogs that get AIHA might have a genetic predisposition to it and it manifests when they are exposed to something environmental - could be vaccines, tick bites or ... who knows? So in essence, they are like ticking time bombs. One of the hardest life lessons is to lose someone you love with all your heart and to not be able to make sense of it - to not ever know what caused it. It sounds like you really loved Casey and I'm sure he knew it. I will be thinking of you and hoping that Shania can pull through this. Please keep us posted and if you have any questions in relation to treatments, medications or just need some support from people who understand, this is a good place to come. Big hugs to you and your family. deb and Duck

Debbie BC Canada

This is just a terribly devastating story. Obviously you want to find some answers. Other than the rabies shot did both your dogs have any other type of treatment such as heartworm or flea control product(s)? Please know these products can cause AIHA although many people do not realize such and many vets do not warn patients about the side effects. The people on this board try to help one another learn from their experiences. Thoughts are with you and Shaina. Jan

jan philly

Chris - I am so sorry to hear about your mini schnauzers - from the time I was your age, my family had two minis and they were my first dogs when I was "on my own". There is a thread that was recently posted - "8 yr old English Springer Spaniel" that contains the protocol used by Dr. Jean Dodds in diagnosing/treating IMHA. Several people on this board, including me, reach out to Dr. Dodds who is known as an expert on immune-mediated illnesses. In her diagnosis/history, she indicates ruling out tick-borne diseases, exposure to rat poison and zinc exposure in addition to any concurrent health problems and recent vaccines (3-45 days). You may want to take a look at this and mention it to your vet to make sure they have ruled out all possible causes. I will be keeping you, your family, and Shania in my thoughts, pulling for you, and hoping for a good outcome. Take care, Bonnie

Bonnie Chicago

This is so horrible. I am truly sorry for the loss of your beloved Casey. Of course there will be many prayers for Shania. I'm also new to this as my 8.5 year old Maltese Daisy was diagnosed with IMHA on 1/24 and it has been a rollercoster rise since. She has received 3 transfusions so far and today was the first time her pcv count had remained the same for 3 days. I strongly urge you to contact Dr. Jean Dodds of Hemopet. Her number is 310-828-4804 or 714-891-2022 as she has been a tremendous help to my local vet. I contacted her last thursday and late on Friday Daisy's meds were increased and since her last transfusion on Sunday she is doing much better (I'm keeping my fingers crossed and praying). But there are many on this message board that have been in contact with Dr. Dodds and have had much success. You can read more about Dr. Dodds at Hemopet.com. I do have a couple of questions if you don't mind. you said you have other dogs who had the some kind of flu, did they also receive recent vaccinations? And are you having there blood tested as a safety precaution? Did both Casey and Shania receive their vaccination at the same time?

Evelyn So Jersey

This disease can keep you up at nights guessing. My 5 1/2 month old GSD puppy came down with it on Christmas Eve night. Even my vet said she was one of the youngest ones he has ever heard of or seen written about. I still question whether it was a parvo vaccination three days before, I had just switched food two weeks earlier to a name brand food, did she get bit by a mosquito/tick? Nobody can give an answer to what sets them off. Please don't think it is something you have done, nothing further from the truth. I made myself sick, knowing my puppy was very very ill, saying "what if" How come" what did I do wrong". Don't make things harder than they are, it is a long road, but things go well and dogs get better. My Sofie is totally recovered, she looks and acts just like a typical 8 month old puppy now. Her Pred is down to bare minumum and we will be reducing it again in about 2 weeks. Don't give up hope, and put all your feelings towards a happy outcome. You did nothing wrong.

Joanne Wyoming

Hello Chris. I am so sorry to hear what you and your family are going through. My thoughts and prayers are with you. Tricia

Tricia UK

Hello, thank you all for your thoughtfulness, I have really been touched by the support, I've been receiving some e-mails too, so thank you everybody. Unfortunately, despite improving last night, Shania didn't make it today. She crashed again, and finally her heart couldn't keep up anymore. I am trying to get my thoughts together and everything, and then I will go over the questions and stuff... I know that with this disease, there are a ton of questions... I hope somebody finds a cure for this soon, this is just too hard to go through. I tried getting in touch with Dr. Dodds, but unfortunately she had a death in the family and she won't be around until March 11th. Again, thank you, I will be back soon to talk about this more, to share my experiences and hopefully contribute something that helps us find some answers to this. but I just can't think straight right now, I just wanted to thank all of you for the kind words. Take care everybody, and talk to you soon. Chris

Chris Ohio

Chris, I am so sorry. I have two Schnauzers so I am especially grieved to hear that you have lost your Schnauzer Shania. Things just happened too quickly for you this time. Please accept my deepest sympathy. Patrice

Patrice NYS

Chris I'm so sorry to hear about Shania. deb and Duck

Debbie BC Canada

Dear Chris -- I am so sorry to hear how you have lost two dear sweet dogs whom you loved dearly to this horrible disease. I lost my own dear beagle, Wiley, to this disease after a week-long fight in May 2005, still I can only imagine how hard it is to lose two dogs to this disease, and in such a short time. Please take care and know that you did all that you could do for them. You loved them and gave them an opportunity to fight this disease, but it was not meant to be. Your memories will be a great comfort to you. I hope you do stay with us here at the forum. People here know how devastating this disease is, and they provide a lot of help as you move through the grieving process. I'll keep you and your family in my thoughts and prayers.

Brenda VA

Dear Chris, I'm so terribly sorry to hear that Shania didn't make it. Please know that you are in my thoughts and prayers. Gail

Gail SD

Dear Chris, Im so sorry to hear that you lost Shania to this awful diasise so soon after losing Casey in November.My heart is just breaking for you right now i know the pain you are in .I just lost my Italian Greyhound Bella only 16 days ago,the day before Valentines day to this horriable sudden IMHA We delt with it for 1 month so many ups and downs.it was just devastating to lose her.It came out of now where. I Keep trying to go over in my mind what could have caused it?well never know.My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.Take care Kathy,bellas mama

kathy pacifica

Chris and Family, Please accept my deepest and most heartfelt condolences on the loss of Shania. Know that we are all here for you. Please stay in touch. Evelyn

Evelyn So Jersey

Dear Chris, I am so sorry for your loss of Casey and then Shania. That is way too much too much grief in one dose. I lost my 9 yr old male GSD to AIHA on January 3rd this year. My vet confirmed that his case was a direct result of his annual booster shots. (with the onset of the acute symptoms just 12 days after his vax.) I know what you are going through. Know that you did everything in your power for them. My sympathies.

Allison TX

Hi everybody, again, I just want to thank each and everyone of you for the support. I want to take some time and reply to each and every one of you... I appreciate the support so much, it means a lot to me. Gail: I am so sorry about your uncle, your friend Dennis and now Jennie... I know what you are going through... you are very much in my thoughts and prayers, it means a lot that you reached out to comfort me while you were going through these tough times... it is so hard, with the ups and downs of this disease, please e-mail me sometime when you feel like it, and deepest sympathies to you and your family... if there is anything at all I can do to make you feel better, let me know, please take care. Debbie: Thank you very much, I am so glad that Duck is doing well, keep up the good work, and give him a hug for me, I am so happy that he is beating this disease, best wishes to you guys, I am praying for continued improvements!! Jan: My dogs were not on any flea prevention medications. They were on heartworm pills though. Within the last couple of years, here in northeastern Ohio the vets have been pushing for year-round heartworm pills as opposed to seasonal. Casey was on Interceptor, and Shania was on Heartguard. Casey and Shania had heartworm pills about a week before Casey started to get sick last November. However, I stopped all heartworm medication since then. Despite what some vets may think, there really is no heartworm/mosquito threat here in the winter. Of course, it is starting to warm up again, and I will have to make a decision soon about the heartworm pills. I am considering giving half doses though, since the pills can work on dogs that are twice the size of my minis. Thank you so much for the kind words and thoughtfulness! Bonnie: Thank you for the kind words and the info, Ron sent me an e-mail and attached the protocol in a document to it... the best connection that I can make is vaccinations. Although both Casey and Shania had their last vaccinations a little outside the 3-45 day range, they both had adverse reactions to vaccinations as puppies. Casey developed a painful lump that lasted a few weeks after his second puppy shot, and after his third puppy shot, his entire face swelled up and he had to be rushed back to the vets for an epinephrine shot to counteract the reaction. Ever since, he had to be given an epinephrine shot with his boosters. Shania developed a small, painless lump at the injection site of her first rabies shot. We, along with our vet, monitored it carefully for months. However, since it was painless, and it never changed, the vet eventually dismissed it, and advised us to just keep an eye on it. Unfortunately, both dogs were treated in things that were mentioned negatively in Dr. Dodds' protocol, Casey was given Oxyglobin, and Shania was treated with Cytoxin. Evelyn: Thanks for the info, and I am so happy to hear that Daisy is doing well, I hope and pray for the improvements to keep coming. I was so hoping that I would be able to get ahold of Dr. Dodds, but unfortunately she is having rough times too. I was reading all of the documents, unfortunately Shania went so fast, and the fact that she was given Cytoxin probably didn't help. Out of my other guys, Monty was vaccinated at the same time as Shania, and he got the flu, he seems to be perfectly fine now, they were vaccinated about 4 months ago. Casey was vaccinated back in August, and he became sick on November 9th, and died on the 16th. I have not given any vaccines since Casey became ill, and I am going to be doing blood profiles and titer tests on my other guys. Both Casey and Shania had problems with their vaccines as puppies. Casey developed a painful lump after his second puppy shot, and his face swelled up after his third, and he had to be rushed to the vet for an epinephrine shot to counteract the reactions, and he always had to get an epinephrine shot when he got his boosters. Shania developed a small, painless lump at the injection site of her first rabies shot. We, along with our vet, monitored the lump, and after it didn't grow any more, and didn't cause her pain after a few months, we were told to just keep an eye on it for changes. So, adverse reactions to shots as a puppy, and vaccinations within 3-4 months of the onset of AIHA are the biggest link I am drawing between my two AIHA cases. I am definitely going to titer these guys and get some blood profiles, and I am going to completely re-evaluate these vaccines before I ever have another puppy, and considering that these vaccines last 7 years or longer, I seriously doubt that I will vaccine my other guys anymore, unless the titers show otherwise. We have to get rabies shots every 3 years in Ohio, but we can have a vet sign a waver, and fortunately my primary vet is being supportive of this. Joanne: Yes I know, this disease can really drive me crazy, never knowing what went wrong, never knowing a cause, all of the ups and down throughout the treatment... I am so happy that your little Sofie is doing well though, give her a hug for me. Tricia: Thank you so much for the prayers and kind words, all of the support means a lot to me!! Patrice: Thank you too for your thoughtfulness. Yes, things progressed so fast this time, Shania was perfectly fine as of late Tuesday night, and was gone by early Friday afternoon. Brenda: Thank you very much. I know that I did everything I could do, but that still doesn't stop me from wanting to have been able to do more. I am sorry that you lost Wiley to this disease, I k now how tough it is. But yes, I do want to stay around these message boards, we all need to be there for each other. Sadly, a lot of people just don't understand what we go through. Kathy: I am so sorry about your little Bella. I know how tough this is, there are always so many questions, and all of the ups and downs, these trials with AIHA have been the toughest things that I have ever experienced. Allison: Thank you very much, and I am so sorry about your loss. I know how hard this is to go through. I know, vaccines are so scary now... I never knew how dangerous they could be... Another concern that I have with vaccines is that I also had a reaction to a vaccine myself. Now, doctors give vaccines for Hepatitis B to newborns... they didn't go this when I was a baby... however, when I had to get my mumps, measles, and rubella shot for the 7th grade, the doctors started the Hepatitis B shots, and they made me take one with my MMR shot. The Hepatitis shot is given in a series of 3, and the first one was given at the same time as my MMR shot... A few minutes after getting the shots, me and my mom were getting ready to leave the doctors office, and I started to feel very strange. At first, my ears started ringing, then my vision became so blurry, I couldn't make anything out, I could only see fuzzy outlines and colors. Then, I started having this terrible headache, and extreme dizziness. I yelled out to my mom, but it seemed like I was in a tunnel or something, she was right next to me, but it seemed like it took forever for her to answer. I could literally feel my heart pounding. I actually thought I was going to die in that waiting room. I was rushed back to one of the examining rooms and they had me sit down, and eventually things started to return to normal, although I was extremely exhausted the rest of that day... I have heard many bad things about the hepatitis B vaccine in people, so I occasionally wonder about myself too. I am going to give some links to pictures of Shania. I still have to get pictures of Casey up... for a college kid, I am pretty bad with modern technology! Also, if anybody reads this, and you sent me an e-mail, and I did not respond to it, please resend it if you have a copy of it. I have a pretty strong spam filter, and when my latest e-mails were coming in, it shows the titles really fast, and I could have swore that one of them said something about AIHA, but it didn't show up in any of my e-mails. I have since lowered the spam filter, so like I said, please resend the e-mails if I didn't reply and you still have a copy of what you sent. http://images.kodakgallery.com/photos1746/8/72/44/0/64/0/64004472807_0_ALB.jpg http://images.kodakgallery.com/photos1746/8/72/44/0/15/0/15004472807_0_ALB.jpg http://images.kodakgallery.com/photos1746/8/72/44/0/55/0/55004472807_0_ALB.jpg Shania loved everybody, but she really loved my mom, I always told my mom that her and Shania were conjoined twins, they were always together! I also always said that I should give Shania a kool-aid bath sometime so she would look a wild color like green or pink, it just would have fit her personality perfectly. It's still so hard, she went so fast. She went to bed Tuesday night seemingly perfect.

Chris Ohio

This thread was discussed between 28/02/2008 and 03/03/2008

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