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Canine Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (AIHA & IMHA) - Harvey's Seizure
| Hi everyone. Harvey was diagnosised with IMHA about a year ago. We've had a few bumps in the road, but overall he's been doing well. Lately, over the past 3 or 4 months he's had a couple of seizures. He's on 100mg of mycophenlate, .8mg of soloxine, 40mg of famotidine a day and weighs 80 pounds. My vet suggested we put him on some medication for the seizures, but given what he is already on I worry about doing this. Has anyone else had experience with this. thanks! Ashlie & Harvey |
| Ashlie Atlanta |
| Ashlie - I'm sorry Harvey is having seizures - I know they are terrifying to watch. My IMHA dog (almost 4 years in remission), Murray, began having intermittent seizures last year that increased in frequency to the point we had to begin anti-seizure meds. We are trying Keppra, which is a second generation drug that is thought to have fewer side effects than the first generation seizure meds. I read Keppra can affect blood chemistries in people but the internal med specialist that treated Murray for IMHA said it should be safe. Keppra is relatively new and my understanding is that, honestly, there isn't a lot known about the drug so we will watch his CBCs closely. Like you, I didn't like the idea at all but we were at the point where we didn't have a choice if we wanted to try to help him again. Do you know the underlying cause of Harvey's seizures? You mentioned he is on thyroid supplementation - have you had a full thyroid panel checked recently? Dr. Dodds (who you may have seen frequently mentioned here) co-authored a research paper that showed a large percentage of dogs who had seizures were hypo-thyroid and the seizures were mitigated when they were properly supplemented. If you haven't had a full panel run lately, I would start there as that could be an easy "fix" and perhaps you wouldn't need the seizure meds. Also, have you ruled out any cardiac issues? Initially, Murray's collapse episodes looked more like cardiac events than seizures and the cardiologist suspected vasovegal syncopy or an arrythmia. An exam would be another easy first step and X-rays, ECGs, and ultrasounds are non-invasive diagnostics that can help you rule that out if you are unsure. Lastly, if there's a veterinary neurologist in your area, it may be worth a consult as they can talk to you about what diagnostics & medications are available. I've found each doctor has a different threshold when to begin seizure meds (similar to opinions of when to transfuse IMHA dogs) but the two neurologists I talked to said to begin seizure meds if they are occuring more frequently than once every 4 - 6 weeks) Also, there is a canine epilepsy website that has good information about seizures in general(canine-epilepsy-guardian-angels.com). I've been trying to wrap my head around this for the past six weeks or so - happy to share any information with you that I've found with you or just listen - I know you are going through a tough time. Take care and please let us know how Harvey is doing. I know most people on the forum are in the thick of the IHMA fight right now but I think it is important to also share information about what we've faced with our IMHA dogs down the road as hopefully more and more people will get to that point and having IMHA in your history certainly adds a level of complexity. Bonnie |
| Bonnie Chicago |
| Bonnie, Thank you so much for the information. That is a huge help. Its bad that anyone has to go through this, but its so much comfort to know that I'm not alone. I wish that we could post pictures on the website so that I could post a picture of Harvey's smiling face...(because he does have the biggest grin in the world!)and to show newly diagnosed families that there is hope. Harvey is due for some bloodwork at the end of the month, so I'll ask the vet to check his thyroid levels. He's had 3 seizures and the first one started 1 month after he started the soloxine. I hope it is a "quick fix." That's where we'll start and go from there. Thanks a million, Ashlie & Harvey |
| Ashlie |
| Ashlie - hi, I wanted to mention that, if you are able, it could be very helpful to you to send Harvey's blood sample to Dr. Dodds at Hemopet to run a full thyroid panel - my understanding is that you need more than a T4 level for dogs that are having seizures and not all labs run a full panel or have Dr. Dodds' experience. I read on the website I referenced that she is able to compare results to a database of epileptic/seizing dogs which may give you better information. Also, as many of us on this forum have found, having her perspective on IMHA and hypothyroidism is invaluable and ,to me, it's interesting that the thyroid may be the common denominator between IMHA and seizures (how old is Harvey?). I'm not sure about your area but I have found her lab fees to be very reasonable given the level of information you get. Also, if your vet hasn't mentioned it to you, Dr. Dodds has told me that it's important to give the thyroid supplement twelve hours apart and at least one hour before meals (and 2-3 hours after meals - I can't remember the time frame for post-meal b/c Murray gets his before - but I'm sure you can find the information on her website if you search for "hemopet". Is Harvey currently on any anti-seizure meds? Please keep posting as to how he is doing. Thinking of you, Bonnie |
| Bonnie Chicago |
This thread was discussed between 16/02/2011 and 17/02/2011
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