VetNet®
VetNet® AIHA discussion forum
VetNet® Forum
Lifelong Learning Network
www.vetnetlln.ac.uk
Veterinary Recruitment
Premier Partner Program
Canine Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (AIHA & IMHA) - cyclosporine any advice
| Hi all Just to let you know that my vet at the Royal Dick Small Animal Hospital has suggested that we now give Phoebe Cyclosporine x 4 twice a day. She began them last night and has had her second dose this morning. Vet said she might have tummy upset, but I am well prepared for this with my canned pumpkin which I get online from a store in London (thank goodness for american pumpkin pie!! otherwise would not have been able to source this in the uk), it works much better than pro-kolin (which the vet has now discontinued due to the success of the pumpkin!!) and I await to see what the next blood test on wednesday will bring - hopefully good news. here's wishing everyone is progressing well - my prayers are with you all each sunday at mass and I now light a candle for all IAHA canine buddies each week. kind regards gill & Phoebe PS if anyone has any comments on cyclosporine or another 'cure' I have been reading about called 'Transfer Factor' can you please let me have your information - I'd be most grateful. xx |
| gill uk |
| Gill, Cyclosporine is the drug name for a specific immunosuppressive drug. In the veterinary community, the brand name would be Atopica. In human medicine there can be a number of brand names, but Neoral would be one. Both of these are manufactured by Novartis. This drug was developed a number of years ago to help patients who received organ transplants avoid rejection. They had been originally given prednisone but they found that long term use was causing too many serious side effects. Cyclosporine targets a specific part of the immune system, the killer t-cells, which are a group of white blood cells that have a specific role to play in immunity. They are generally the WBC that are responsible for the destruction in autoimmune hemolytic anemia. So therefore, cyclosporine targets just the wbc that are doing the damage, rather than suppressing all of the immune system. This is a good thing, however, this drug isn't appropriate in the very early days of crisis because it takes a bit of time to begin suppressing the immune system. So prednisone must be started immediately and many vets will add Atopica or another generic version of cyclosporine soon after. The side effects of this drug tend to be mostly gastrointestinal, diarrhea, vomiting etc. and usually diminish after the first few days. This is significantly less than the side effects of long term prednisone. Overall it is considered a very safe and effective medication. I used Atopica for Chance and it saved his life. This is an expensive med but it does work for most dogs very well. Transfer factor is not be a drug and can not be considered as a medical treatment. I would be very suspicious of things on the internet that claim a lot, cost a lot and haven't made front page news as a miracle treatment. However, good nutrition and vitamin rich food are part of the treatment of AIHA. Your vet can help you with this or you can browse the posts here on this forum for help with vitamins and diet. Dr. Dodds often recommends Pet Tinic and I think in most cases, it is very appropriate. my best patrice |
| Patrice NYS |
| thank you patrice that was most helpful - Phoebe's medicine is Atopica and we had vomitting on second night so took phoebe along to vets - she reduced her dose from x8 per day to x4 per day. took PCV test and already Phoebe's PCV up to 24 - could not believe it - has stuck at 22.7 for weeks now. reduced meds to x4 per day but she is still being sick - early days yet - does anyone know of an anti-sickness drug that can be given? such at motilum that humans take? where can I find information from Dr Dodds and what is Pet Tinic and can I get it is UK? Many thanks Kind regards Gill & Phoebe |
| gil uk |
| Hi Gill, hope Phoebe is getting better. How many mg's of Cyclosporine does she get per day? I was/am a little confused with what the 4XDay means. I'm not sure about the pricing over in the UK but here in Canada the veterinary form of cyclosporine (Atopica) is fairly expensive. The maximun recommended dosage is 10mg/kg in the beginning. This drug induces rapid T-cell suppression (the WBC's responsible for the RBC destruction) within about 48 hours and has been safe, effective, and well tolerated at these doses. The thing to make certain of is that you get the right medication every time. The preferred brand is Atopica by Novartis. It is easier on the dogs stomach but is more expensive. You also want to be carefull not to accidentally switch from a modified version (Atopica) to an unmodified version. YOU WANT THE MODIFIED. Switching from a modified version to an unmodified version could put the dog at risk of underexposure (Neoral to Sandimmune)...or an overexposure if switching from Sandimmune to Atopica. Sandimmune mixes poorly with gastrointestinal fluids and will result in low and inconsistant absorption rates. The Neoral brand was created to allow a higher, more consistant abosrtion into the body. This would be the prefered formulation if not using the veterinary form of Atopica. What I'm trying to say is that it is important to stick with the same brand (modified or unmodified). If money is not an issue then try to get the veterinary brand Atopica. If using the human form cyclosporine it may be best to go with the Neoral modified version over the Sandimmune. I remember reading an article before stating that 1 in 5 patients could potentially receive a wrong formualtion from a pharmicist. When I asked our pharmacist about this she knew exactly what I was talking about. You may also want to avoid giving her dairy around the same time she takes the cyclo. I've been told that dairy affects the absorption rates also. A trough test could also be done after she's been on the cyclosporine for 3-5 days or so. Some vets say this isn't needed but if you can afford it then why not. This test will show the levels of the drug in the system. I hope this helps some. Hopefully I'm not wrong on some of this. If I am hopefully someone can correct me. Hope Phoebe gets better soon. She'll be in my prayers for a speedy recovery. Johnny & Tessy |
| Johnny |
| Hi Johnny and Tessy Thanks for the info on cyclo - the brand Phoebe is taking is Atopica (yes very very expensive!!) but only the best for my girl!! Having had her PCV stablised at 22.7 only two days into cyclo and her PCV up to 24 - then on Wednesday another blood test and her vet says between 24-25 and sent them off to the lab for a more in depth reading. Pheebs was initially given 4 x ten mg tablets twice a day - that was 80mgs. She was quite sickly at first so vet dropped dose down to 40mgs per day - says it may take longer for her bloods to rise but at least she will be able to manage the cyclo better. Know that we're on a long journey but having you guys to come to for information is so comforting - knowing that when Pheobe has a good day - like yesterday - you will be feeling the elation, and on a bad day - like today - you will be feeling the pain!!! talk about roller-coaster ride. Keeping you all in my prayers kind regards gill |
| gill uk |
This thread was discussed between 27/06/2009 and 03/07/2009
Canine Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (AIHA & IMHA) forum index
This thread is from the Vetnet archive. The live Vetnet forum is active now.
