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Canine Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (AIHA & IMHA) - Daphne's Progress
| Hi Everyone! I apologize for not getting back sooner. I would have thought that your comments would be sent via email, but they weren't. I will start a new thread just in case you are not able to read this. Well, I have some very good news. As you all know, Daphne went in for her 3rd transfusion last Wednesday/Thursday. All went well. She also had a bone marrow test done to see if there was anything like Cancer,etc. Well, I brought her saturday to get her pcb's checked and it went from a 26 up to 32! Now I didn't want to get my hopes up too high, since it's not at all common for her count to rise so soon after a transfusion, but I was pretty happy. Monday, her doctor called and said that the bone marrow test came back negative of any cancer, or disease. It showed that her bone marrow is in fact producing which is a very good sign. I brought her yesterday(Tuesday) to get her pcb's checked again, and it jumped another 5 points....up to 37! I did a happy dance right there in the front lobby. The doctor came out and hugged me too!! We both feel and hope that she is on the right track..and that her bone marrow needed to heal, so it could start working again. The cyclosporine she was on in the beginning was a generic drug that was spun so I could administer it in a liquid form. For some reason, we seem to think that it wasn't working that well, so we started her on Atopica 25mg pills twice a day. It's been a little over 3 weeks since we switched, so who knows! And to answer your question, Richard,...yes she is on pepcid twice a day. I also had brought up Vitamin B12 shots last week before even seeing the info on here, and her Dr. thought that was a great idea. I will try to answer all of you individually, again I apologize for not getting back on here sooner. Thank you all so much for the support and love. It means the world to me. Please feel free to use my personal email as well to share stories, questions, etc. Love you guys! Give kisses to your fur-babies. :) Kelly |
| Kelly Massachusetts USA |
| Hi Kelly, Good news to hear for sure. I am always hugging and kissing Dylan (and my other dogs too). Life is prescious and a gift not to be taken for granted. I am very grateful for Dylan's second life, post AIHA diagnosis. I am sure you are giving Daphne lots of hugs and kisses too. I am very happy for you both, but still keeping my fingers crossed. I also suggest you keep an eye on the signs of Iatrogenic Hyperadrenocorticism that occur with prednisone use. There is no doubt that if it is working, it will also be doing some other damage, but the good news is they can recover once prednisone is reduced. This is why I posted the photo album and some video of Dylan. After 1 month on high dose prednisone she could not lift her head due to muscle loss. She also lost the use of her back end before that. But as long as the anemia stays under control, then prednisonne dose can be reduced. Fortunately for Dyulan she had a strong recovery. Daphne apprears to be having a good recovery too Dr. Dodd's is also very good at this. One reason Dylan is healthy today is the seriousness with which I regard the drugs used to trea the disease. I know them from their use in Crohn's disease, so I know to be wary of them, but they are necessary and some of the efffects will be unavoidable. High dose prednisone (2 mg per pound per day is very high) can inhibit recovery so, as I said to Sally, keep a close eye on what else you see. Muscle loss is very different from anemia (the eyes and ears stay alert). This is not necessarily something to worry about today, but it is something I think everyone fighting this disease should be aware of early on. http://www.kateconnick.com/library/cushingsdisease.html Every dog is different and these things occur at different rates and to different degrees. The trigger of the disease and ongoing nature can be very different too so the timeline for treatment can vary drastically. All you can do is do your best and we do know how difficult and stressful it is. Once again, glad to hear the positive news. Richard and Dylan |
| Richard Burnaby |
| That is a great way to start a day....fantastic news xx |
| Lola Marlin London |
| Kelly, Those are some very positive signs! Keep up the good work Daphne. Penny |
| Penny Lytle Creek Calif |
This thread was discussed on 14/07/2011
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