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Canine Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (AIHA & IMHA) - Donor blood and thyroid testing?
| Does anyone know if Nollaig's blood could be sent there and cross matched for donor blood which if then a match is found the blood could be sent all the way from California to Scotland in the UK? I ask because if she does indeed need a fifth transfusion her vet has said it's unlikely they could now find a match as it took 14 dogs last time and we don't have the same amount of donors here as Dr Dodds has? Also the thyroid panel that Dr Dodds offers is this much more detailed and accurate than the thyroid tests that my specialist vet here would do? I just get the impression her research and tests are much more advanced. Any input much appreciated. Kathleen |
| Kathleen North Ayrshire |
| Kathleen, Your vet is correct that a fifth transfusion is more difficult. In fact, all transfusions for dogs after the first one are more complex than in humans as there can be 11 different "types" of canine blood. Each new dog that is used to donate adds an element to the blood that can cause reactions with subsequent transfusions. One way to get around this to some extent is to use universal donor blood that has been superwashed to remove elements that can cause transfusion reactions. Dr. Dodds uses multiple Greyhounds that have this kind of blood type to insure this kind of safety. But any blood purchased from hemopet.org should be arranged by your vet with their help. I am not sure if they are going to require actual blood samples to do this or if they can rely on a lab report. This information is far more detailed than I understand. When I had Chance typed and matched with my vet's donor dog, both samples had to be sent out together to a specialty lab at Cornell University. The risks of mismatched donor blood can be great, but there are steps that can be taken to minimize risk. Hemopet does this everyday so I would be confident that anything they supply and the instructions they give will be correct. Dr. Dodd's specialty is thyroid and she has been studying canine thyroid for many years. The thyroid gland plays a large role in regulating many of the body functions. It's role in the making of blood is significant. Chance was non regenerative and Dr. Dodds was convinced from his tests that this contributed to the non regenerative state. These panels she runs are extensive and expensive. But they will help with the diagnosis. The alternative way to do this would be to have the thyroid panel done at a university near where you live and then have Dr. Dodds evaluate the results. It might cost less, but it may not have the full results she is used to having. Here is a page that will explain about her thyroid testing. There is a lot of information on this page to read. http://www.itsfortheanimals.com/HEMOPET.HTM my best patrice |
| Patrice NYS |
| Kathleen, I was just wondering and maybe I'm wrong here....or if I'm missing something...sorry....BUT if they checked 14 dogs for a match and then transfused Nollaig with the matched blood then doesn't that mean that the blood used for the 4th transfusion is the proper blood....ie a match? I was always under the impression that the first transfusion is the "freebee" and the following transfusions (2nd & up) HAD to be a match if the blood was from another dog. Maybe I'm wrong. I think that you should take Patrice's advise and contact Dr. Dodds. Like she was saying the blood she uses is fully screened and superwashed so you are guaranteed good blood. I followed the advise of everyone here and contacted her after Tessy was diagnosed and she's been beyond helpfull. I have sent Tessy's blood down there several times now from Canada. Maybe it wouldn't hurt just to send it to her for a complete analysis anyway. She's so great at what she does and she treats each dog based on their breed, age, sex, spayed, neutered, etc. She's the best at what she does.....hands down! Good luck with whatever you decide. Prayers and good thoughts for Nollaig all the way from Canada. Johnny & Tessy |
| Johnny Nova Scotia |
| Yes Johnny the blood from the 14th dog was a match and that's why they used that blood but now that it's been transfused into Nollaig she then builds up antibodies to that dog's blood and therefore you couldn't use that dog's blood next time because she would now react to it.Hence why the more transfusions they have the more antibodies they have built up to elements within other dog's blood and so the more difficult to find blood that she has no antibodies to. Obviously since Dr Dodds has access to more dogs' blood( I believe she has about 175 greyhound donors)the more chance of finding a match. Have e-mailed Nollaig's specialist vet as he is back from hols on Monday to ask for a meeting as I want to sit down and talk over everything I have learnt from all you wonderful people on this forum and hopefully he will contact Dr Dodds with all info/test results etc of Nollaig as soon as possible as time is of the essence and I will also let him know about the blood donors she has in case we need that option.If he wont work with her directly then I will ask for all Nollaig's blood tests bone marrow biopsy results etc etc as I believe I am entitled to access these and e-mail Dr Dodds myself. I have to be Nollaig's voice, as she is in no way giving up. Honestly apart from her not so pink gums you wouldn't know to look at her she had such a terrible illness and considering all the different meds she is/has been on the only side effect is the urinating and drinking a lot.In that way she has been lucky. Thanks again for all your help EVERYONE and I will post an update as soon as I speak to my vet. Kathleen |
| Kathleen North Ayrshire |
| Kathleen, lots of people on this forum get copies of ALL their results from their vets. I get copies of Tessy's the same day I'm there. They shouldn't have no problems with it. I can't see him having a problem with you contacting Dr. Dodds either. If he's a good doctor then he should be ready willing and able to explore all options possible. Remember to try not to burn any bridges if you can. The urinating and drinking are common side effects from the drugs. Don't let her behaviour steer you to make wrong decisions though. Just because she is acting better doesn't mean she is. You should try to avoid excessive exercise and make sure she gets a proper diet. Keep her calm and let her get lots of rest. Avoid wheat, soy, corn and feed more green leafy & yellow orangish veggies like Italian parsley, spinach, zucchini, brocolli, yellow squash, white potatoes, sweet potatoes, etc. ... 50:50 mixture of each. You could also follow Dr. Dodds liver cleansing diet ... http://www.canine-epilepsy-guardian-angels.com/liver_diet.htm The drugs are really hard on the system and these diets help. You might also want to look to adding supplements to the diet. A diet rich in iron, vitamin B12, and protein is essential in helping the production of red blood cells. In particular, B vitamins are essential in strenthening a dog's BONE MARROW, which is responsible for producing red blood cells. I know that a lot of people in the USA use a product called Pet Tinic. I do not have access to this here in Canada so I had to mannage without it. I was giving Tessy a multivitamin for dogs at first but she no longer gets them. Heres a web site for Pet tinic that shows the mineral and vitamin contents as well as dosages.... http://www.allivet.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=15170&Show=ExtInfo Might be helpfull in case you can't get it there or are considering using. Did you say she is on anything to help protect her stomach? You may also want to check into this. This is also very important. Tessy has been taking Omeprazole for quite awhile now to protect her stomach from the drugs she takes. She was also taking ultra low dose aspirin in the beginning to help prevent blood clotting. Ask the specialist about this. A leading cause of death for dogs with this disease is from blood clotting and aspirin will help prevent this. I hope all goes well for you and Nollaig. Let us know if there is anything we can do. Johnny & Tessy Oh yeah....you can get rebates from Atopica (cyclosporine) so keep the boxes and receipts. I can't find the site right off hand but if you look back in previous threads you will find info on this. Good Luck |
| Johnny |
| Kathleen, I tried to post a number of websites to read about transfusions, but alas, sometimes Vetnet spam filters don't like that and block posters because of it. Joanne was kind enough to spend some of her free time this weekend and get me unblocked. I'm NOT going to post all those websites again because it will probably happen again. So here are two different things you can read about transfusions. The first is all information about hemopet and the second is a google reader of a book, Schalm's Veterinary Hematology. You asked how I learned so much. I have a medical degree in Physical Therapy so I am able to read medical textbooks pretty easily. I bought Schalm's and read it cover to cover in an effort to be able to save Chance's life. It's a pretty heavy read but you can skim this chapter and get a general idea of how complex transfusions can be. my best patrice |
| Patrice NYS |
| Here's the hemopet stuff: http://www.hemopet.org/files/IndicationsandUseofCanine%20Universal.pdf Here's a link to use to read the Schalm's Veterinary Hematology chapter on transfusions with google reader: http://tiny.cc/qtWHG |
| Patrice NYS |
This thread was discussed between 11/07/2009 and 12/07/2009
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