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Canine Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (AIHA & IMHA) - Charlie needs help
| My dog Charlie is a shizstu-pom cross just over 4 years old who was diagnosed about 3 years ago with AIHA-we nearly lost her but for a wonderful vet who was fast-thinking. Mega prednisone kept her going and evetually we were able to wean her off the drug. In the meantime she gained weight and lost all of her hair which went from "swiffer dog" to "poofy pom" over the course of a year. She relapsed not long after and was put on pred again. We kept the dose small but she developed ITP--she is now not showing signs of either when on about 5mg every other day. We moved to a new province and now have a new vet. When we tried to reduce her pred by 1/4 tablet her red cell count dropped although the platelet count is still in the average zone. About 18 months ago she started developing sores on her skin- mainly on the trunk, not face or feet. The sores were yellow blisters that eventually dried up but were very itchy. We put her on antibiotics 5 separate times and every time after the dosage ran out she started up again. She also developed a greasy spot down her back much like seborreah and a strong bacterial odour. She licks her legs all night long. Now she appears to be losing her hair in clumps and her skin is bright red off and on.She still has a lot of energy and a good appetite.She doesn't drink much water so I semi ruled out Cushing's. This time I didn't use antibiotics. She has had skin scrapings which ruled out all the normal causes of skin itches. I think it is a result of an auto immune disorder and that horrible love-to-hate-it prednisone. We bath Charlie at least 2x a week with sebolux, use all the omegas, grape seed extract, and an antihistamine. The vet is suggesting allergies are the cause and a skin biopsy is the next step. We put the dog on hypoallergenic dog food but it isn't doing much. I am wondering if anyone out there has seen this happen in their AIHA dogs and if they know of a vet who might help. I have been searching everywhere for a vet who is familiar with these symptoms and have been all over the internet. Charlie and I would appreciate any suggestions.... thanks, Susan and Charlie-Bear |
| Susan and Charlie Sidney |
| grape seed extract ??????? Is this ok for dogs? She sounds like a cutie. The licking could indeed be an allergy of some kind. My dog has terrible allergies when ragweed comes out..she's on a fish dog food, NO CORN! Corn can be one of the top culprits if it's a food allergy...doesn't help with dogs who have other allergies either. Just my 2 cents. Ms. Gates |
| Ms. Gates Michigan |
| Hi Do you think it could possible be sacoptic mange, which usually does not show up on the skin scrapings. Ask your vet about the possiblity. http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=2&cat=1589&articleid=764 |
| Cheryl & Ginger Pineville PA |
| Hi Susan. I haven't had any experience with the skin condition you are describing. But I see that you live in Sidney and someone was telling me about a Animal Wellness Center located in Vancouver. They focus mainly on holistic treatments at that clinic BUT they also work on site with conventional vets. I wonder if they could help you. Just a thought. Good luck deb and Duck |
| Debbie BC Canada |
| Susan, First of all let me tell you how happy I am to hear that your dear Charlie is a 3 year AIHA survior. It sounds as if she is like my Meisha who could not handle being taken off prednisone. She too would relapse each time she was taken off that drug. Thankfully she was was able to remain on a low dosage of pred for many years with not too many side effects. It is possible that this skin problem could be a result of the prednsione usage. I know that I have heard from many who have had skin issues while on pred, including some of the SUCCESS STORIES at the Meisha's Hope AIHA/IMHA Web site: http://www.cloudnet.com/~jdickson/successstories.htm If you have not read these success stories as yet, you might want to do so when you can and see if you can find a situation in there similar to yours. Also you might want to have your vet consult with one of the fine Veterinary teaching hospitals in Canada in regard to Charlie's problem. Big hugs to your dear Charlie from me and my little canine red-headed gal, Maddie. |
| Joanne MN |
| Thank you Ms Gates for your "2 cents"we appreciate it--I think anyone can take grape seed and a holistic vet suggested it to me. I was hoping it was a food allergy but I don't think so. Sorry your dog is alergic to ragweed--I am now trying Benedryl for kids and it seems to be helping with the itching. Thank you Cheryl--don't think it's mange-pretty sure that the hair falls out from all the scratching!! Debbie--thanks for the suggestion. I'm going to the mainland this weekend and mat try to contact the wellness group--I went to a holistic vet in Winnipeg but she was suggesting a spleenectomy- not too sure about this as Charlie has had ITP and there is the possibility of her bleeding to death. Joanne--I have email talked to you before from your website. I was going to submit Charlie as a success story but she has so many problems that I'm not sure she is a success!!-I will check some of your stories- Thanks for your input Susan and Charlie |
| Susan and Charlie Sidney |
This thread was discussed between 31/01/2008 and 01/02/2008
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