Canine Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (AIHA & IMHA) - How to deal with excess urination, also blindness?

Hi guys, So yesterday Cookie was rechecked at 35% PCV (up from 30%) The specialist we contacted again and said, no, don't decrease prednisone on set intervals and instead decrease at 35%. Since it was exactly 35%, my reg. vet said to keep her on same dosage for another week. Only problem is, my dad is fed up with her peeing during the site. She gets let out at 11:30 and someone is usually up no later than 6am, but she still pees at least once during the site on the floor because she's drinking so much. I don't want to restrict water but this is a problem. I cut the prednisone by 5mg (vs 10 mg) to see if this would make a difference. I check her gums regularly so this is why I was comfortable with it. Also, tonight we've noticed her eyes looking especially weird. They are cloudy and appear very wide. I think she went blind in her left eye. Definitely not that way this morning. Could this be related to the condition?

Monet Sammamish

Woah, I meant peeing during the night, not site.

Monet Sammamish

Monet, From what I've read, it is pretty common for these IMHA pups to have trouble holding their urine all night, since they are drinking so much more. Bentley can't go all night any longer, and that is definitely just since he became ill. I would suggest maybe confining Cookie to a smaller area, like a tiled bathroom, with some paper down so there is less area that might be soiled. That's what we do with Mr. B. I put a baby gate at the door, so he can still see out, and he sleeps there comfortably. I'm not clear on what you're doing with the Pred, but I would strongly recommend following the vet's instructions to the letter. Varying from the regimen can have a big impact, and you may be reducing the pred more quickly than Cookie is really ready for. I'm don't mean to sound harsh, but we as non-vets simply aren't qualified to make the call as to when to reduce or increase meds. As for her eyes, I would give her vet a call....I haven't seen anything like this with Bentley, nor read anything like it. I know Christina mentioned Lola's eyes appeared "off" one day, but seem ok now. I hope this helps....please let us know what you find out! Sending hugs to you and Cookie, Sally and Bentley

Sally Louisiana

Set your alarm and let your Cookie out sometime in the middle of the night. I know it is a pain but they can't hold it that long while on the pred. Hopefully one trip outside will be enough. It is only going to be temporary and you will get used to it and should stop her from peeing during the night. I would take Ginger out around 2:30am every morning. Wishing Cookie the best Cheryl & Ginger

Cheryl & Ginger Pineville PA

Monet, A simple solution for the urination problem might be to set your alarm for 2 or 3 AM and take Cookie out at that time. As the prednisone is lowered this urination problem will decrease. Prednisone can cause some eye problems. The Veterinary Drug Handbook states when talking about prednisone says and I quote: “Prolonged corticosteroid use (both systemic or topically to the eye) can cause increased intraocular pressure and glaucoma, cataracts and exophthalmos”. (Exophthalmos is abnormal protrusion of the eye).

Joanne MN

I think she is near completely blind now. I'm just wondering what happened. A month ago nothing was wrong with her. Just when things started to return to normal, it is apparent that she'll always be disabled in some way or another.

Monet Sammamish

The problem with peeing is an easy fix. She just need to take her out more often. As for her eyes, you really need to get her to a vet. The pred can make the eyes have sort of a "glaze" but not blindness.

Teresa va

Cookie's PCV is down to 34 (last week it was 38) so I am taking her off the herbal eye supplement I was using. We still don't have an explanation for the blindness. She has to pee so much and I swear it's even more now that she is on a lower dose of prednisone. Ever night, she probably has about 2 or 3 accidents at least between 12 (the last time she goes out) and 6(when I'm up to let her out).

Monet Sammamish

Maybe you should have Cookie checked for a urinary tract infection, frequent urination can be one of the side effects. Please ask your vet about this. Cheryl & Ginger

Cheryl & Ginger Pineville pa

Monet, Cheryl has great advice! My Beau had a dropping PCV and frequent urination and it was a urinary tract infection. The vet's office collected a sample for analysis to get the right antibiotic and after a few days he was much better with PCV rising. Best wishes! Hang in there! Sharon

Sharon PA

Get her eyes checked out by an eye doc. Don't for one second think this is a disability, your dog will surprise you. I had a dog go blind over night, literally. After a few weeks she had me believing she could see again. She went after a bird that landed on the end of the driveway, and I didn't have her leashed 'cause I didn't think she would jump off my lap; but boy did she go after that bird! She amazed me every day after a while, and then you could tell no difference in her except her eyes were cloudy and blue.

Darina CA

Hi Just a quick note to follow Darina for Darina, who I know you are very concerned bout your dog and who is now on Cyclosporine. Blindness is likely a side effect of Cyclosporine. This is an old post, so they would maybe have reduced cyclosporine to deal with that. Excess urination is simply a side effect of prednisone. Richard & Dog Dylan

Richard Burnaby

Cyclosporine is often used to treat dogs with Keratoconjunctivitis Sicca (dry eye), a condition of the eye that causes dryness and excessive discharge. Left untreated this condition can lead to blindness. In fact, cyclosporine is probably the most successful treatment available and is widely used. It does not cause blindness. http://www.petplace.com/dogs/keratoconjunctivitis-sicca-kcs-in-dogs/page1.aspx my best patrice

Patrice NYS

Sorry, once again. I did not really mean it causes blindness, but I have read it can cause visual issues and "vision changes" "loss of coordination" "confusion" which might be interpreted as blindness. Thanks gain Patrice for making sure we all stay on track. Richard & my happy go lucky, Dog Dylan

Richard Burnaby

Slightly off topic, but I know eyes can be impacted in Crohn's disease, an Autoimmune disorder of the intestines, in people. Eyes develop from the same tissue as the gut and skin and because of it, the eyes and skin are also attacked in Crohn's in some cases. I am assuming this is why treating it with Cylcosporine helps. Richard

Richard Burnaby

Monet~ I used baby/toddler "Swimmers" a pull-up diaper with a small hole cut out for Tori's tail when she was at her worst and it held the urine. Tori really didn't like to have to go out because she was so weak, so she adjusted to it quite well. As I recall, when it was dry in the mornings...I stopped needing them. Just an idea that might work for you and your doggie! Sorry about her eye sight, but maybe it's temporary, too. Stay positive and hopeful. Our prayers are with you and your furbaby! Blessings, Cindi & Tori (IMHA/ITP)

Cindi FL

Just a heads up to anyone who notices a weirdness in the eyes. Be aggressive and, especially if there is a green discharge, take your dog to the vet immediately. In a couple days my dog went from the discharge to blindness in one eye and is now in danger of losing the other eye. Boy, is this site teaching me things. When I first went to the vet I just reported that she was on antibiotic eyedrops and was kind of stupid about it. Unfortunately, my regular vet was away at the time and the substitute vet, who didn't have as much experience with AIHA, probably did not treat it aggressively enough. He did give me antibiotic drops but underestimated the severity of the condition (perhaps) and did not give broad spectrum antibiotics - which were recommended by people on this site. By the time my regular vet saw Lucy 72 hours later, she took one look at her and in addition to the antibiotic drops put her on two oral antibiotics, cyclosporin, lubricating drops, and did a corneal stain in the other eye and discovered what she could not see without the test, that the other cornea in the "good" eye was becoming ulcerated. So please, pay attention to any "eye weirdness" because apparently this is not all that uncommon in AIHA dogs and not treating it quickly and aggressively can have serious consequences.It also made me feel more confident in my vet that she immediately dispensed these drugs before I even needed to ask her to consider treatments that had been recommended to me on this site. It has been so helpful to go through the threads on this site as an informational reference for me and as a way to intelligently discuss Lucy's AIHA treatment with my vet. There is so much medical knowledge to be gotten from comments made here in addition to the wonderful emotional support.

Maris NY

This is old sorry.. Cookie isn't blind anymore, I believe she may have had temporary glaucoma due to high prednisone dosage. But I feel like she is almost her old self now that prednisone is almost done (except, her appetite is way up now that we are lower... which I don't understand)

Monet Sammamish

Maris, Keratoconjunctivitis Sicca, (dry eye), and other ocular canine diseases are generally thought to be related to hypothyroidism in dogs. Since dogs with AIHA can have altered thyroid function it stands to reason that these conditions will quickly develop. You have a good partner in your vet. Don't we sometimes wish our own doctors were as responsive to us at times? I hope that this treatment will be successful for your dog. Dr. Dodds excellent paper: "The Canine Immune System and Disease Resistance", lists the conditions that can be associated with hypothyroidism. Please see near the bottom of the page for Ocular diseases. http://www.canine-epilepsy-guardian-angels.com/ImmuneSystem.htm my best patrice

Patrice NYS

This thread was discussed between 10/08/2011 and 21/09/2011

Canine Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (AIHA & IMHA) forum index

This thread is from the Vetnet archive. The live Vetnet forum is active now.