Canine Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (AIHA & IMHA) - Dachshund Diagnosed with AIHA

Hi Everyone, Once again, I must come to this forum. My 7 year old dachshund Nancy is my SECOND AIHA dog. I am completely overwhelmed. Don't have any idea why God thought it was necessary to give me a 2nd AIHA dog, but He must have His reasons.. Nancy started not eating about 2 weeks ago, not too unusual for an occasionally finicky doxie so I didn't think too much of it. When Nancy started refusing table food such as pot roast or italian chicken, I knew she was in trouble and got her to the vet. Fortunately, I am still at the same vet Specialty center that I was at with my first AIHA Dachshund, PIPPY. The vets there are internal medicine and oncology specialist so I trust them all. Anyway, they immediately suspected AIHA a week ago and began the pred regimen while Nancy was tested for tick diseases, cancers, blood tests/xrays/ultrasound and the usual battery of tests. Her PCV was 29 8 days ago and now it is 17. She has been seen every 3 days and her PCV has been slowly dropping, down to 17 this morning. She has now been ordered cyclosporine and that drug will arrive tomorrow... She doesn't look in too much distress and she is eating/drinking/pooing normally. However, I am scared to death as I know where this disease will go... Nancy is 13 pounds and is on 10mg pred, plus pepcid and doxyclyine and then cycolsporine tomorrow... Please pray for my Nancy and I will continue to keep all of you in my prayers too. AnnaMarie and Nancy, Frankie, Joey (all dachshunds) and Sammy the Papillon Our Websites: http://pippymemorial.sitesled.com/ http://www.geocities.com/nancyandfrankie/ http://www.nancyfrankiejoey.com/

AnnaMarie Illinois

I am so sorry AnnaMarie to hear this is your second bout. There never seems to be an answer that can make sense. Of course you will be in prayers for Nancy and you as this is such an intensive fight it overwhlems all else in our lives. I hope you will stay connected here as this family of friends does hold you up and get you through. You can always come here and "talk" to everyone. God Bless to you and Nancy and keep us informed sharon

sharon pa

Hi AnnMarie, I am so sorry about Nancy's diagnosis. I know it must be devastating to know that you have to battle AIHA with your second doxie. I too have a doxie who has now been battling AIHA for almost a year. But I am sure you know that they are strong little fighters. You and Nancy will be in my thoughts and prayers. If you ever feel like you need to vent or just talk to someone who understands what you are going through then you have come to the right place. Everyone on here understands the ups and downs of this devastating disease. Keeping you in my thoughts and prayers, Layla & Tipsi

Layla Raleigh

Thank you all, I am still crying my head off. Nancy is alert, but she seems weak and listless. I know we have discussed a blood transfusion until the cyclosporine can kick in, but I am not sure I want to put her through that. Plus I have been told there is no guarantee that it will help. Any one have any experience with transfusions?? My husband and I have already thought that if we got to that point, that it might be the time to give her back to her Maker.. but then I have my doubts as I don't want to let her go... I remember I kept my dear Pippy on earth way too long, she was tired and sick and yet we kept her...I always swore I wouldn't do that again, but now I have doubts... so many 'what ifs', kinda drives ya crazy... Thanks for listening... AnnaMarie

AnnaMarie IL

Ann marie, You should be considering Sulcrafate to protect the stomach from the pred. Also Costco (if your near) sells Neoral (cyclosporine) for a good deal. Our Dachshund, Grace gets hers there. 60 25mg. @ 93 bucks out the door. Good luck. We almost lost Grace twice. Went through the whole deal(2 transfusions, etc) but she is O.K. now.

mike los osos

Never heard of sulcrafate. Is that different than pepcid AC?? It is non-precription?? Can you give me more details of your transfusions?? I am not sure I can put her through that... I am open to all suggestions... Thanks AnnaMarie

AnnaMarie IL

I believe a transfusion is what saved Tiggs' life. Tiggs PCV was a 13 when my vet ran the inhouse PCV (later a different lab confirmed it was actually 10). At first my vet was almost reluctant to do a transfusion for fear of a reaction, but in the end, we pushed for it, and I truly believe Tiggs would not have survived the night if we hadn't. It bought us a little time while the meds were doing there thing. Good luck, little Nancy will be in our thoughts. melissa

melissa slc

Ps. Our transfusion was from a (live) donor dog, and Tiggs was given I believe 2 bags, at a very, very slow rate so that he could be monitored for any reaction. I thank our lucky stars that there are donor dogs, and I would love to meet the kind human and canine souls who made that happen for us. My understanding is that the first transfusion can be somewhat universal, ie)an exact match isn't always necessary, however if addt'l transfusions are needed, it becomes more critical to cross match. We had also heard good things about the synthetic Oxyglobin. You might inquire about this as well. Good luck.

melissa slc

Hi Anna Marie. Sorry to hear that you have a second dog with AIHA. This must be a very hard time for you and in light of your first experience with Pippy, I understand your not wanting to hold on to Nancy and put her through unnecessary suffering. Unfortunately, there is no definitive answer as to whether or not you should let her go or keep trying. When we were agonizing over the same question, our vet gave us some very good advice. She said that she could see that we loved Duck very much and she felt that because of that we owed it to him and ourselves to give him the best chance. She was right. At that point we decided to take him to a veterinary teaching hospital in Washington State where he got excellent treatment. Duck received two transfusions before his PCV started to rise on its own. The first transfusion definitely save his life as his PCV was down to 5 at the onset of this illness. The second one bought him time until the cyclosporine and azathioprine had time to kick in and start working. That was in May 2007 and even though Duck is still on these meds (albeit at much lower doses), he is healthy, happy and loving life. Just thought I'd share my story with you and hope that it might help with the difficult decision you must make. My thoughts and prayers are with you. Take care of yourself and Nancy. deb and Duck PS I would highly recommend sucralfate. It is different than Pepcid AC and acts to keep the mucosal lining of the stomach healthy which results in protection against ulcers that can be caused by the prednisone. It is a prescription medication but inexpensive. The internists at Washington State prescribed both Pepcid and sucralfate and Duck hasn't had any problems.

Debbie BC Canada

AnnMarie, In response to some of your early responses/questions..... Sulcralfate is an anti-ulcer medication given to coat the lining of the dogs stomach. It is tupically given in a slurry form. You will take the actual pill and mix it with water to form a coating liquid. This drug however, does interfere with the absorption of some medications; cyclosporine being one of them. I don't think I would use this as a protectant from the prednisone. Famotidine (Pepcid) may be an alternative here. I have used this on my dachshund Tipsi for 11 months and it has worked well. I also had to go through the ordeal of transfusions with Tipsi. She recieved one blood transfusion the first night of admittance to the vet hospital. Her PCV had dropped to 14. I do believe this helped save her life because it bought her time until the medications began working. Althought she only had to have 1 blood transfusion, she did have to have several plasma tranfusions because she also suffered from ITP which depleted almost all of her platelets. Tipsi also had a host of other issues during her battle. Including DIC (Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation), acute renal failure, pancreatitis, and a heart murmur. Just as you I questioned wether or not I should continue going forward in her treatment for fear I was putting her through too much and considering the vets told me she had a poor prognosis. But I did continue to fight for her and I am so glad I did. She is still here with me today and is doing beautifully. I know it's a difficult decision to make, but I think if there is a shot of saving Nancy then it may be worth taking. I wish you and her all the best. You'll continue to be in my thoughts and prayers. Layla & Tipsi

Layla Raleigh

i am wishing nancy well, i have faith she will pull through this

josh california

Hi Anne Marie,I remember very well when you were on the forum with Pippy. That was the same time as we were on with Lady, I am so sorry that you have to deal with this again with Nancy. How are the rest of the pack? I have been to Pippy's web site a few times and do have a link to her page on the Rainbow Bridge site. Having dealt with this before you know the routine but it is so devastating that you have to deal with it again. We will keep you all in our thoughts and prayers. Dolores. We lost our Tasha too so only have sammy the cat left.

Dolores Wi

Hi Anne Marie, Another dachshund owner here with Holly, who has been fighting for 17 months now and is on the road to recovery. But it has been a long battle. When Holly was first admitted to the hospital after a weekend of having seizures, her blood count was 8 and we did not have much hope for her. Luckily she responded well and only need one blood transfusion and was put on Prednisone and Cyclosporin right away after spending one week in the hospital. We were not told about pepcid or sulcrafate in the beginning, but after about 8 months Holly had a severe set back and was throwing up and pooping blood and was thought to have a bleeding ulcer, it was at that time we immediately started her on Sulcrafate to coat her stomach and protect from the prednisone and also on pepcid. And yes you cannot give it at the same time as the other meds. Like 2 hours before other meds. I learned all this through my friends here on the board. We also give Holly Milk Thistle, raw seeds ground up 1/2 teaspoon twice a day in her kibble to protect her liver. Our prayers will be with you and Nancy and hope that she is a strong fighter like so many on here. The pictures are beautiful of them. We used to have two dachshunds when we first moved to NC, one black one and one red one, but both have since passed away, and now we have Holly and Snitzell (our chihuhua). Linda

Linda Sapphire

Hi AnnaMarie, This is all so fresh in my mind as I lost my Murfi(Cocker mix) to AIHA just last Friday. I truly feel your burden as distress during this time. Murf was diagnosed 2 Fridays ago, and his PCV was 22. At Criticare, the next day it was 17, then 9 then 3. This was all new to us and so we went for whatever treatment there was to save him. He started with Oxiglobin transfusion, then a cross match, then we even tried human immunoglobulin, then back to cross match. All while waiting for his drugs to work. He passed away on his last transfusion with Oxiglobins. I know what you mean by not putting Nancy through all this. It broke my heart to see my Murf suffer as well, but we had to give him a chance and buy him time to live. After the shock is over, I am taking some time to think over what happened. If I had to do over again, I'd still do the same thing but not drag it on. I was holding on to him when truly after his first cross match and his PCV didn't kick up, I should have let him go and brought him home so he could pass away in his own bed. I will be praying for your family and Nancy. Chrissie

Chrissie Washington

My dachshund is a two year survivor. He required four blood transfusions every other week before he began regenerating RBC's on his own. He wouldn't have made it without the transfusions. They were done in a teaching hospital. He had no adverse reactions. The transfusions themselves are not painful. It may be your only hope. I'm sorry but I just want to be honest. I lived through the confusion about this diesease and its treatment also. I have learned a lot in 2 years. Don't wait too long. Do you have a vet teaching hospital nearby for a second opinion. Wish you the best, Jan

jan philly

AnnaMarie Prayers for you and Nancy during this stressful time. I especially pray you will know the right decisions at the right time. No matter what you choose you will have regrets, however unjustified they are because we want the best for our best friends. Use the information you get to the best of your ability and know that Nancy loves you for making the best choices possible with that information. Chrissie, I'm sorry to hear about the loss of Murfi. Brandy lost her fight Aug 10, so if you want to "chat" feel free to email me. I have gotten so much support here and have been reading lots of pet loss books to make sense of it all. love and hugs to all sharon

sharon pa

AnnaMaria, Prayers for your Nancy. I truly believe when we make our decisions (whatever they are) with love, they are the right ones. Chrissie, I'm sorry you lost your dear Murfi. May you find peace and comfort in time.

Ronda So Cal

HI Everyone, I am so sorry I havent responded back to all your kind messages.. I have just been spending every spare moment sitting with my Nancy. Not too much news today, her PCV went down another point. The vets decided to give her till Monday to allow the cyclosporine to kick in, if not, she is scheduled for a transfusion then. She isn't acting any worse at home, she eats if I give her really good stuff... today was grilled chicken and a fat free hot dog... plus some snacks in between. And Delores, I remember you and Lady too! Can't believe you are still here.. Sorry you lost your Sasha... I was never able to keep up this forum after Pippy died, it was just too sad for me... and here I am, right back here... Oh Chrissie, your story totally breaks my heart! I am so sorry for you and Murf! Our vets are telling us that what is saving Nancy is that her PCV drops very slowly, we were told if it drops rapidly as your dog's did, then it would be extremely critical. Do you think if the first transfusion doesn't kick up those numbers, that it would be best to give it up.. I don't want to drag Nancy through too much either.. just not sure when I should give up. Also, even though we are not at a teaching hospital, we are at a critical care hospital where I always take my dogs even for general care, as this was the place I was at with my Pippy. I was told years ago, that it is OK to stay with the center for general stuff as there are always more general vets to care for your puppies and general stuff. That is why we are still at this place. Plus the main vet used to be a professor at a University and is the main specialist, he oversees our care even though our own vet is an oncologist/internal medicine specialist too. So I think we are covered....at least I hope so... Please continue to pray for my Nancy... Thank you also to everyone who wrote... I appreciate it... how sad to see so many sick dogs here... seems to be more doxies than the last time too... AnnaMarie

AnnaMarie Illinois

Hi AnnaMarie, I'm so sorry you and Nancy have been dealt this blow. I don't know where you are in IL, but if it's the Chicago area, feel free to contact me about vets, etc. There are several of us around the area and we know who is good around here. My girl Slinky is just past 2 years old and 14 months past diagnosis. She is doing great! We did not have to go the transfusion route with her as she bottomed out at 17, but just as everyone else here, we know the difficulty of watching the numbers and fearing the outcome. Slinky is such a trooper and really hung in there with me as we worked to give her the best care. She's off meds now and holding in the low 50's! Hang in there-Nancy has a great chance with an experienced vet and owner who cares!

Stephanie Chicago

Hi Stephanie, We live in Elk Grove IL, near the airport. Our vet is from the Wright Specialty Center in Des Plaines. They are a group of specialists so I am confident they know what they are doing. Maybe we can meet sometime when things settle down. What kind of a dog is Slinky??? Thanks AnnaMarie

AnnaMarie Illinois

AnnaMarie, Sorry-Slinky is a dachshund too! I have 2 doxies, one with AIHA, one without. Slinky is our youngest, she was 13 months old when she got sick. It is great that you have a vet practice you are confident in. Having experience with the disease helps so much as well. Hang in there!

Stephanie Chicago

AnneMarie, I just wanted to let you know that in Holly's case her PCV was also a very gradual drop which is why they believed she survived. In fact I had looked back at her bloodwork and in Jan 2007 when she went into vet for blown up belly her PCV then was like 34 and she did not actually really start having problems until the end of March 2007, in fact March 26 when her PCV was 8 and having seizures. I asked the internist how she was able to survive and she told me because her body adjusted to the decline in PCV as it went down. Holly only needed one transfusion and then the prednisone and cyclosporin kicked in. Best of luck to you. Linda

Linda Sapphire

Hi AnnaMarie, Sorry I didn't get online for a few days. From hearing Nancy's condition I do think she has a chance. She's eating! Just be careful to feed her simple food like boiled chicken and rice without salt, just plain. Murf didn't eat for 7 days and couldn't walk by day 3 nor lift up his head at the end. Sounds like you have a good vet whom you have confident consults, we didn't. We were referred to a 24-hours ICU that was very high in technology and facility, but there was different vets everyday looking at Murf and no one really cared enough to advise us or take Murf's case seriously. So, you have a good chance at this...and sometimes it takes more than 1 transfusion. I'll pray that God will lead you in your thoughts and decisions. Keep posting. Chrissie

Chrissie Washington D.C.

Mike from Los Osos: if you are reading this, I got Neoral last week 25 mg #60 for $65 at Costco SLO!!

Courtney SLO

This thread was discussed between 13/08/2008 and 19/08/2008

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