Canine Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (AIHA & IMHA) - Is peeing every hour normal????

Hi Everyone, Cali is only 3 weeks into this & it seems like this week her urination has become much more frequent. She needs to go out almost every hour like clock work. Sometimes she makes it an hour & a half. At night it is 2 hours at best. Is this normal? What do you do when you want to go out for a few hours? I have tried puppy pads, but she doesn't always hit the mark. I feel bad because her & her sister have always had free reign of the house & furniture. Now they feel like prisoners trapped behind a baby gate in the kitchen & dinning room. I know UTI's are common with these dogs, but she is a Baytril because of her swollen legs (which have disappeared since dropping her pred.)& I read they use that to cure UTI's also. She is taking 40 mg Prednisone twice a day & 50 mg Azathiprine once a day. Dee

Dee WI

Hello Dee. I am sorry to hear about your CALI. We are only a week into treatment and I have noticed how much ZEKE wees. Same as CALI he used to hold it all day with no problem and had the run of the house. Since starting treatment it is about every 2 hours even during the night. We sleep with him and take turns to let him out! I have been told that this is normal with the medication. He seems to drink about 10 times more water than before so naturally he will have to go more often. Thought this was very short term but obviously not. We will have to change certain things in order to care for our Zeke! Sorry again but reading articles and this forum 3 weeks is a good sign! Terry, Carol and ZEKE

TERRY SPAIN

Dee, Urinary tract infections can be caused by different bacteria. Often it is necessary to culture the urine to find out what specific bacteria it is and then prescribe the one that is right. In any case, try to see your vet for a culture just to rule out a uti. This is a common symptom of one. It could also just be a reaction to the prednisone too. Is she a small dog? Little bladders are like having a little puppy. You won't always be at this high of a dose. As soon as there is a significant response that holds for at least three weeks, you may be able to begin slow decreases in the dosage. I am hoping for you that it is soon. My best Patrice

Patrice NYS

Hi, My dog Holly produces a large quantity of wee when we carry her out to the garden. I presume this is because she is drinking loads of water which I put on the settee for her. She isn't able to go and help herself. Janette

Janette Disson Abergavenny Monmouthshire

THis is a side effect of the prednisone. My dog is 50 pounds and came home on prednisone 30 mg a day and the azathioprine 50...(and lovenox twice a day) with the antibiotics. So...80- mg...yes she will need to drink alot and pee.

Chris Conncticut

Matilda was peeing all the time - and sometimes couldn't make it outside first - and I thought it was the prednisone (and so did my Vet). But then I noticed that it was taking on an awfully strong smell, so we cultured it and she had a UTI that was resistant to several antibiotics, so we were able to get her on the one that would help immediately. The smell was gone within 2 days of antibiotics, and although she is peeing a lot, it is not like before. After this experience I would strongly recommend doing a culture, as from what I was told any infection can cause the IMHA to "flare up" again. Matilda was schedule to start cutting back on the prednisone, but because of this infection we are going to wait for a few more weeks.

Jeanne texas

Thanks for all the responses. I knew this was going to be a long road & it's nice to know I'm not alone. I feel sorry for those who have to leave their dogs a long time while working. Our dogs are only alone for about 4 hours & my dad & stepmom have been nice enough to come over once during this time. I've ditched the puppy pads & put down towels now when I leave. Hopefully now that she's lost all the excess water she had she'll cut down a little. Her legs were literally 10 times there normal size. She seems to be feeling better so I am hopeful. Dee

Dee Wi

unfortunately yess if they are on a sufficient dose of pred and drinking water like mad men

josh cal

Hi Dee, I took a break from the boards after posting the loss of my dear Chip on March 31st, he was a min pin so a small dog (5 1/2 years at time of death). He survived over a year with this disease after first being diagnosed in January of '07, however, when I read the re: line to this I just had to comment -- it brought back memories of the 2 hour all night every night backyard walks (which now I dearly miss). VERY VERY shortly (maybe a month at most) after we got on meds, etc. he developed pancreatitis and diabetes (which he survived w/2x a day shots) but the biggest clue to this which went unnoticed by me until it developed into pancreatitis was the frequent urination and thirst -- mainly because they are side effects of the prednisone. As soon as he was diagnosed with diabetes (brought on by the pred) the pred was DROPPED like a lead balloon -- which of course struck me as strange because I thought that was what was keeping him alive... anyway, please ensure with your vet that this is truly a side of the pred and not developing into something more!!! Best of Luck! My thoughts are with you! Sherri

Sherri Pennsy

Hi Sherri, Sorry to hear about Chip. Thank You for your input. This is hard with any dog, but to lose one so young is even harder. I know the medication is hard on the dogs. I was reading the side effects of azathioprine & one was it may make them anemic! I just shook my head. Cali's PCV was at 35 this week & her Vet did lower the prednisone. This has helped with the peeing a bit. Especialy at night. Now she can go at least 3 hours. I am still concerned because I feel this is disease is secondary to something else that they have yet to find. She went through tons of tests, x-rays, and an ultra sound & found nothing. If she gets through all this she may still need surgery on her leg. That has been a problem since last october. There is a lot of clicking when she goes up the stairs & she has muscle atrophy in her front legs. 5 is too young to have all these problems. My Mom said I seem to pick all the sickly animals. ( Lost my cat to cancer in October & we had a 5 year old dog die of liver failure many years ago) I said I just pick the ones who need me the most. I like this site because it is full of people who truely love their animals & treat them as members of the family. Even my Stepmother said she didn't know if she'd get her dog a blood transfusion. Trust me she can afford it. Not every pet owner is as dedicated as the people I have seen on this site. Good Luck to all Dee

Dee WI

Dee, Oh Man! We are with you with the sickly animals--- we have zero now and are scared to get another! Fortunately we had learned a lesson or two and did have insurance when we got Chip -- helped a bit! History (w/my husband) first 3 cats -- 2 brothers kittens and a mature large gray cat... 2 brothers spent the 2nd night in emergency and then a week at the vet -- not expected to live long -- 2nd brother passed last summer at 15 years --- large gray cat (all were adopted from spca) learned why she was there -- made poop skids across all available surfaces -- tried special $$$ food diets thinking she was to large to clean --- grooming thinking her fur got in her way -- on and on next pet -- a yellow lab pup -- Megaesophagous -- meaning -- could not hold down food --- bad bad bad -- horrible -- last pet -- Chip - we bought with a broken leg -- fearing no one would buy him --- then of course the AIHA -- leading to the diabetes -- leading to shots at 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. every day for over a year -- and then of course.... we too are ... not the right people to pick our own pets... not sure how long we will go petless but it is mighty lonely! Best of Luck w/ Cali! Sherri

Sherri Pennsy

This thread was discussed between 04/05/2008 and 13/05/2008

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