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Canine Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (AIHA & IMHA) - Gracie, first post since August
| Hello! Although I read everyone's post on here weekly, I have not posted about Gracie since her diagnosis in August when i was seeking advice on weather to do a bone biopsy or not. I can't come to this site more than once a week because I literally sit at my desk at work and cry reading everyone's stories and struggles. This is such an awful disease and so terrible for our dogs and us to go through. My prayers and thoughts go out to everyone who deals with IMHA on a daily basis... from the constant checking of the gums and the obsessing over every little change in our dogs behavior, to the numerous drugs, dr visits, vet bills, and challenging decisions we all have to face during treatment. With that being said, Today is Gracie's first day DRUG FREE! In reading everyone's journey's, I know we are one of the lucky ones. After Gracie got out of the ER from having her blood transfusion, the specialist was dead set on getting a bone marrow biopsy and since she was nonregen, he told me there was NO WAY her PCV was going to come up with out doing this test to see what else was wrong. My regular vet who was my best friend since childhood, had only been out of vet school for 2 years, and was telling me not to do the test... that it would be painful, risky, and unnecessary and she didn't think it would tell us too much that we could actually do about... she was confident we just needed to give Gracie time to come around and that she would regenerate when her body was ready. I was stuck. Do I listen to a specialist who is well known, has 20 plus years of experience, and has treated numerous IMHA dogs, but doesn't "know" Gracie like her vet, Dr Wojo, knows her.. or do I go with my gut and trust my best friend would not let me down? I knew Dr Wojo would treat Gracie like her own dog, so against the judgment of the specialist, and everyone else I talked to...I went with her advice. She didn't want to put her on anything except the prednisone (and pepcid) at first to just see what happens, along with absolutely no activity. I was to keep her as sedentary as possible. I also kept her on the same food she was on before and the same treats. (which was just science diet light and boring milk bone treats with some peanut butter licks here and there) We did a full panel of blood work every 3 days for the first few months. her PCV fluctuated up and down every couple days, but never any huge swings down, so we still didn't add anything else. She was on 40mg of pred daily until her PCV stayed at 36 for 4 weeks straight. at that point we weened her off by 5mg every 2 weeks and tested her every other Saturday. We contemplated adding a liver protectant about a week ago, but we opted to just continue with what we were doing since she was almost off the drugs. Yesterday was her last day taking her 5mg of pred with breakfast. I am so anxious to see how her mood and behavior changes over the next few weeks and I pray to god she doesn't relapse. She will have a blood workup in 2 weeks from today and then if all is still well, once a month for a year. I hope Gracie's story just goes to show you that only you know your own dog and whats best for him/her. You can get all the specialist advice in the world and it doesn't guarantee your dog will be saved from this horrible disease. Please be patient with your dog. At one point I was getting up every 2-3 hours to take her out, which is not convenient when you live in a high rise in downtown Chicago, have to wait for the elevator, then walk 3 blocks to her nearest "pee spot". I know its frustrating and expensive, but don't get your hopes down. I will never forget the first night I left Gracie in the ER, and the tech brought me back there and told me I might want to say goodbye in case she doesn't pull through her blood transfusion. I literally felt my heart break in 2 looking at her sad face through the cage, but not even a year later, I have so much hope she is going to be ok, its amazing. Thank you for everyone that supported me when I needed advice and comforting. I am so glad I found this site. Good Luck to all of you who are fighting this battle and please pray that Gracie stays Relapse Free! |
| Morgan Chicago |
| Such Good news For Gracie! Yay! Will continue keeping all of these fur Babies and their People in my Prayers. |
| Kathy Calif. |
| Morgan, How wonderful that Gracie responded to the prednisone alone....I have "met" only a couple of other pet owners who have shared a similar IMHA story. Many dogs, including my Bentley, are not so fortunate. It took several weeks of three immuno-suppressants to stop his RBC destruction, and before we could reduce his meds enough, the side effects led to his demise. This is truly a heartbreaking illness, where a long road full of ups and downs is walked. I wouldn't trade the additional four months I had with Bentley for anything, though....I miss him like crazy!! I wish you and Gracie all the best, and hope she continues to do beautifully in her recovery! Sally and (angel) Bentley |
| Sally Louisiana |
| Morgan, thank you for sharing Gracie's story. Sounds like you all can enjoy each other and make more wonderful memories. Tori also went into remission on Prednisone alone and 11 months later her platelet count went down and we started her on all three meds, Pred, Cyclos and Imuran. They finally kicked in, but not before her IMHA was triggered. We now have everything stable and she is producing lots of platelets and her RBC is up and the WBC is down and her HCT is 36! A month ago we started decreasing the Pred. Now that she has been diagnosed as Evans Syndrome, we will have to keep her on alternating days of Pred and Imuran. We do not want her to go into a tail spin again. We caught it early and thank GOD we, like you have alot to be grateful for and looking forward to many many new memory makers! Once again, we celebrate with you and Gracie! Blessings, CIndi & Tori |
| Cindi FL |
| Morgan, I always love when someone is able to post a positive update. I am so happy for you and Gracie! Hopefully she can stay off the meds. It is so difficult when you are hit with a disease that you probably have never heard of and then have to decide which course to take on treatment. Penny |
| Penny Lytle Creek |
This thread was discussed between 02/12/2011 and 04/12/2011
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