Canine Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (AIHA & IMHA) - Clifford

Well, we are in panic mode again. Cliff seemed to be holding his own but has taken a sudden downturn in the last 24 hours. His breathing is labored, he has no appetite, extremely lathargic again...I'll provide an update when we get back from the emergency clinic.

Janice Newnan

Dear Janice -- I'm sorry to hear that Clifford has taken a downturn. I hope that he can get help and will stabilize again. I'll keep you in my thoughts and prayers.

Brenda VA

We are praying for Clifford your family and the vets who are treating him. Please keep us updated. Cheryl and Ginger

Cheryl & Ginger Pineville PA

Well, all is not well. Cliff's blood has dropped to 17 which is very disappointing. (It had gotten down to 12 and we were encouraged when it rose to 23.) Also, his white blood count is "off the charts". The emergency clinic quickly admitted him and outlined his treatment while there. He is being put on a much larger dose of prednisone, some antibiotics, IV fluids....we all know the drill, unfortunately. Although this hospital sees much more AIHA than his regular vet in Newnan, he is particularly concerned about Cliff because of the heartworms. He stated that even with the best care that 50% of the dogs he treats do not make it. Anyway, Curt was there with him and walked with him to his "hospital bed", and we could tell he was heartbroken again to leave his brother, and vice-versa. He will remain in ICU and it is a 24/7 facility. We feel that he is in good hands. I'll be there early tomorrow morning and keep you posted. Thanks for keeping Clifford in your prayers. Cliff & Curt's Mom, Janice

Janice Newnan

Dear Janice -- I am hoping that Clifford responds to treatment. This latest setbck has to be terribly hard, but at least you know what's happened and you've got experienced vets who are treating him 24/7. I'll keep Clifford, you, and Curt in my prayers. Please take care.

Brenda VA

Janice, I am sorry Clifford has had to be re-admitted but like Brenda said he is in good hands. Hopefully this is just a small bump in the road and he will be back home soon. You are all in my thoughts and prayers. Penny

Penny Lytle Creek Calif

Janice, It is just heartbreaking to hear of Clifford's setback. Take care of yourself through this ordeal, and we will keep you and Curt in our thoughts and prayers. jeanne and matilda

Jeanne Texas

Cliff spent the weekend in the emergency pet hospital and showed a steady decline. They have added more prednisone and a medicine I can't pronounce that is used to supress the immune system. The hospital is only open nights and weekends, but has 24/7 care during that time. I went and picked up Cliff at 7am and he was very, very weak. They phoned ahead to our regular vet letting her know we were coming. So, now Cliff is back in ICU at the Newnan facility. She is very concerned that Cliff may not recover from this setback due to his weakness. I will know more later and will keep you posted. Thanks for thinking of Cliff. Janice

Janice Gabriel Newnan

So sorry to read of this setback. Saying a prayer and keeping good thoughts for Clifford.

Ronda So Cal

Janice, I am sorry that you didn't get better news from the ER hospital. I hope the change in Clifford's meds gets him back on track. I will be holding you both in my thoughts and prayers. Penny

Penny Lytle Creek Calif

Not a good day. Our Newnan vet called and told me that Cliff had taken a turn for the worse. He needed immediate transfusions and she was afraid that even that would not turn him around. She referred us to the Georgia Vet Specialist group north of Atlanta, an hour and a half away. We rushed him there and they carried him in on a gurney. He will be given transfusions and lots of other tests overnight and tomorrow morning. The internal specialist will take over in the morning and provide a prognosis. It's an amazing place and our last stop. His PVC had dropped to 11 and he is extremely weak. They will call tonight with an update. Visiting hours are 3pm-5pm and 7pm-9pm. Janice

Janice Gabriel Newnan

Dear Janice, I am praying for Cliff and also for you and the vets that are treating him. Cliff is a lucky dog to have such a loving mom.

Leslie Oceanside

We are all praying for you, your family and all the vets who will doing their best to help Clifford. Cheryl & Ginger

Cheryl & Ginger Pineville PA

Janice -- I am sorry to hear that Cliff is not doing well, but I am glad that he is now with specialists who can give him a better chance. Leslie is right that you have been a wonderful caring Mom to try and do whatever you can. I will keep Cliff and you in my thoughts and prayers. Please keep us posted and please take care. Come on Cliffie!

Brenda VA

Janice, I am keeping you both in my prayers. Penny

Penny Lytle Creek Calif

I am so sorry your Clifford has taken a turn for the worse and i hope and pray they will be able to turn him around.

Sandra Tex

I'm praying for you and Clifford. Bless you for providing him the very best of care.

Betty Dallas

Continued thoughts & prayers for Clifford.

Ronda So Cal

my thoughts are with clifford, wishing for the best and his bouncing back strong

josh california

An update... We visited Cliff last night at Georgia Vet Specialists...a very well tuned, well run place. They led us to a private room where they brought Cliff in and he laid on a comfy quilt. It was so heartwarming to see Curt cuddle up next to him and lick his battle wounds. He had a rough day yesterday...blood transfusions, ultrasound and then the painful bone marrow test, to see why he is not regenerating his own red blood cells. His doctor is not ready to give a prognosis, but is very concerned. Cliff is 8 and has been taking pheno for a long time and we haven't even been able to start treating the heartworms yet. My husband, son and I were saddened by his appearance, shaved belly, shaved top coat for the bone marrow test, IV insert, but it was so wonderful to hold him and lay down next to him. We shed lots of tears and it seemed like the 2 hours flew by. He didn't want us to leave, and we didn't want to leave him. I'm not ready to let him go, as selfish as this sounds, but have assured the doctor that I will be ready if he tells me that continuing treatments will be detrimental and the risks outweigh a possible miraculous turnaround. Please continue to keep Cliff in your prayers and thanks for your support. Janice

Janice Newnan

Miracles do sometimes happen and we will pray that Clifford will be one of them. I am sure it really helped lift his spirits knowing that you and your family were there last night. Clifford is lucky to have such a terrific and loving family but I am sure you feel like you are the lucky ones. Just take one day at a time with him and look for baby steps in the right direction and whatever happens know that you did everything you could possible do and more and we admire your and Clifford' courage during this fight. You are always in our thoughts and prayers. Cheryl & Ginger

Cheryl & Ginger Pineville PA

I was in a similar situation as you at one point 5 years ago. Bone marrow, IV, shaved, ultrasound, etc... Clifford knows you love him and are doing everything possible. Whatever you do out of love is the right thing. Clifford is in my prayers.

Ronda So Cal

Hi all, We went to visit Cliff last night and he looked a little bit perky, but still slept during most of our visit. We took some cute pictures of he and Curt. The doctor advised us that the bone marrow test was fine and there is no cancer. His PCV did drop to 17, down from 18 the day before. They are hoping to see encouraging results today in his blood tests, but mentioned that they have one more card in their back pocket if all else fails. It is an injection that coats the red blood cells in order to protect them long enough to rebuild new ones. The doctor indicated that it is a pricey procedure and they wait until all signs are pointing that desperate measures are needed. That procedure will be done tomorrow, depending upon the bloodtest results today. If all the stars became perfectly aligned his results would improve today and we could bring him home. The wonderful doctors at GVS are doing everything possible to make that happen. Nevertheless, we are preparing ourselves for the "what if"...a place that nobody likes to visit. Thanks for your continued thoughts and prayers for Clifford. Janice

Janice Gabriel Newnan

I'll be thinking of you and Clifford and pray that today holds a miracle for him. Give him a sweet hug from his buddies in Dallas. Bless you andClifford.

Betty Dallas

Thanks for the update and we have our paws crossed that Clifford will pull thorugh this. Cheryl & Ginger

Cheryl & Ginger Pineville PA

They went ahead and started the infusion today, along with heparin to help prevent blood clots. We can go see him tonight but he will have to remain in his cage hooked to the IV. This is the IVGG, which I have tried to research all day and there is not much info on it. From what I found, there is no reason to believe that this will buy Cliff more time. Janice

Janice Gabriel Newnan

Janice, If you look on the Treatment page of my Web site http://www.cloudnet.com/~jdickson/treatment.htm you will find four links that contain info on IVGG.

Joanne MN

Hi Joanne, Yes, you do have a wonderful and informative site. It was one of the sites I visited yesterday and it was there that a report said: "may be useful for short-term stabilization of some dogs with IMHA; however, it did not appear to improve long-term survival." We don't yet know the results as they relate to Cliff, but of course we are hopeful. Thanks again. Janice

Janice Gabriel Newnan

This thread was discussed between 05/07/2008 and 11/07/2008

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