Canine Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (AIHA & IMHA) - It's back ...

Ren, my 10 year old Chihuahua suffered from AIHA one year ago. At first she simply stopped eating. That was followed by days of vet visits and testing. She finally required a blood transfusion to by some time until the steriod medication could take effect. Thank God it worked. She was eventually weaned off all of the meds over a period of many months. Exactly one year later, to the day, Ren started having "fainting" spells. I right away took her to my vet who suspected a heart problem. Ren wore a heart monitor for 24 hours. During that time I started to notice all the tale tell signs of that horrid disease,AIHA. She had the pale gums and tounge, the rapid breathing and the lack of energy. I was so beside myself because of this reoccurence. I remembered all the days and nights that I spent holding her and crying my eyes out in helplessness. Now I have to face all these things again. This disease is not for a non-commited pet owner. It is a heart-wrenching thing for any pet owner to have to endure. Ren is now on her fifth day of meds. She is still not responding but I am hopeful that in a day or so she will show some signs of recovery. Please pray for a total healing of my dear little companion.

susie Delaware

Susie, How terrible for you and Ren. I am so sorry that you have to deal with this all over again. I will keep you both in my thoughts and prayers and please keep us posted. Penny

Penny Lytle Creek Calif

Susie, I am so sorry to hear that your most beloved Ren has suffered an AIHA relapse. While relapses can be very difficult it is important to remember that dogs CAN and DO recover from these relapses. My Meisha had several relapses and recovered from them well. If you have not read the Success Stories pages at the Meisha's Hope AIHA/IMHA Web site: http://www.cloudnet.com/~jdickson/successstories.htm you might want to do so when you can. These stories will show you what has worked for other dogs in terms of treatment options as well as give you a lot of HOPE. Some of these dogs have had relapses and if that is the case I have tried to update the stories whenever possible to reflect these relapses and recoveries. I truly do know how hard this is so please know that you and your dear Ren are in my thoughts and prayers during these most difficult days.

Joanne MN

I am Praying for Ren. My Wylie just had a relapse on the 25th. There are a lot of dogs that relapse and get better Hugs to Ren Laurie

Laurie CA

Hi Susie So sorry to hear about Ren's relapse. Hopefully she will beat this disease again. Our prayers are with you.

leslie ca

Ren has not responded to any medication this time around. Today is the tenth day of Pred and related medications. For some reason her abdomen has filled up with fluid. My regular vet suggested putting her to sleep. In a last hope, I took Ren for a second opinion. The new vet took x-ray and ran more blood work. Ren's PCV was only 17. Her x-rays showed that her heart and lungs were in good shape however, her abdomen was totally filled with fluids. The vet said that it may be blood or simply fluid buildup as a result of the disease. We opted for an abdominal aspiration. I was somewhat relieved when the fluid came out clear. She seemed to have much better breathing after the procedure. She also had a very high white count, suggesting that the white blood cells are being mass produced. As a last hope we are placing her on cyclosporine. I questioned the dosage; 50 mg BID for a 12 pound dog? Seems very potent to me but I'm not a vet. Ren will have to have blood tests in two days to check the absorption of the drug and her PCV. I feel as though I must exhaust every possible medical option for her. Please continue to keep her and all these other precious souls in your prayers. Also let's pray for the courageous dog owners out there that cope with this terrible disease.

Susia Delaware

Susie, Our thoughts are with you. Keep the faith, Ren kicked this terrible disease once, I'm sure she'll do it again. Chihuahua's are tough little birds. Please update us, we'll be hoping for the best. melissa and tiggs

melissa slc

Susie, I am glad you got a second opinion. I hope with the new Vet who is willing to give Ren a chance you will be able to beat this awful disease again. Penny

Penny Lytle Creek Calif

Ren's abdomen is once again huge! I suspect that it is her spleen. The new vet was very knowledgable about this disease. Have any of the other pet owners here encounted swelling of the spleen in their dogs? Ren goes back in two days for another blood test. If her numbers are very low we may consider ending her suffering. God help us.

Susie Delaware

Susie, I'll be praying for you and Ren. Karen

Karen NC

We definitely noticed a massively engorged belly on Ethel after her discharge from the vet ICU. The size of it worried us into thinking it was gastric torsion, but the vet felt her food intake was too high due to how hungry she was due to the prednisone. Now (three months later), well into tapering down her prednisone, the stomach distension has reduced significantly. Ultrasound revealed some enlargement of the spleen (and liver), but not severe. An ultrasound should help confirm whether Ren has true splenomegaly and/or hepatomegaly.

Brian Vermont

An unusually large spleen is normal and can almost be expected with this disease. Lola's was huge, more than double the size. Usually they want to biopsy to rule out cancers.

Courtney SLO

Thank you for your comments. I am glad to hear that Ren is not unique to this spleen enlargement. When I arrived home from work today, her stomach was noticablly smaller and I could tell that she was feeling a tad better. Her color had also improved. (praise God!) These little blessings once again give us the hope for recovery. Thank you so much for your prayers and thoughs. As I read these threads, I too pray for each and every little creature that is affected by this horrid disease. Hopefully, in the near future, there will be a complete cure for this disease.

Susie Delaware

My golden retriever's spleen got huge. I understand that is very, very common and sometims the spleen is removed. Here is praying your little gilr goes into remission soon and that it lasts many, many years.

sandra Texas

I have some good news to share. Ren is a little better! She has some color and her appetite has really picked up. Most of the swelling in her abdomen has gone down except for the area where her spleen is. She has a vet visit tomorrow am. I will get a reading on her PCV. I pray that it is much higher, and near normal. It has been three weeks since her relapse. This was defiantly a harded battle this year than it was last year. Once again, thank you all for your prayers and thoughts. I will post in a couple of days with her results.

Susie Delaware

I hope Ren is still getting better. When Missy had her relapse it seemed to take longer to recover and seemed mor severe than the first time if possible. It was the same way abotu 8 months after being med-free. I don't recall the abdomen being distended though. I wish you well in your fight. Missy is the Sept 06 Succes Story and is still going strong 5 yrs after the initial episode (with some health issues but overall good).... Mary and Missy in Tx

Mary Tx

Ren went to the vet on Monday. Her PCV was up to 16. That is encouraging. Overall, she is really looking better. I have to agree with Mary; this bout is much worse than the first time. It is now almost 4 weeks and she is finally coming around. Ren has a vet visit again on Monday for more blood work. And she has an ultrasound in two weeks to "look" at her spleen. The vet did x-rays and found no evidence of tumors in the spleen. Thank God! I will update in a couple of weeks. I will continue to pray for all the pets and owners on this website. And thank you all for your prayers and words of hope.

Susie Delaware

Susie, Anything PCV going up is always a good thing. I am glad to hear that she is better overall. Hopefully things will continue to improve and you will have more positive news at your next update. Penny

Penny Lytle Creek Calif

Ren had a vet visit today. Her PCV was up to 25! Praise God! Her blood work showed numbers all over the place from the normals. Her white count is still high and now she has an elevated BUN. The Vet was very happy with Ren's progress considering she gave her a guarded condition at first visit. Her spleen is still swollen but I understand that this is a common thing with AIHA. I have a question... what is this "milk thistle" stuff that I read about on here? What does it do and can I buy it over the counter? Should I consult with my vet before using it? Thanks again for your prayers and help. SUE

Susie Delaware

Sue, I'm so glad to read that Ren's PCV is up to 25! Boy, "roller coaster ride" is certainly a fitting description of this stinking disease. News like this though, along with what the others have said on this thread will certainly make me fear relapses a little less. Here's to a healthy and happy Ren!! -Reid

Reid Hanson Wisconsin

Sue, I think the Milk Thistle must be a natural anti inflammatory - something to help the liver. My vet has Alex on liquid vitamin E, not the kind for the nose that I mentioned earlier. This liquid Vitamin E is supposed to aid the Denosyl (Sam e) in helping the liver. He hates it - I've tasted it as it is for humans and it tastes terrible - $40 a bottle too! I asked the vet originally about the milk thistle and she said she preferred the vitamin E. I think I want to pursue the milk thistle with my vet again. I was afraid to switch on my own as I was concerned about a drug interaction with the other meds he was on. Good luck!! Chris

Chris PA

Sue, Milk Thistle is to protect the liver. You can buy it over the counter and I strongly recommend it. We buy the raw seeds and gring up and put 1/2 teaspoon in lunch and dinner. Lots of people here just buy the capsules. In fact Dr Dodds recommended giving our Holly Demosyl which is combination of Sam-e and milk thistle but that you have to order on line or get from the vet and very expensive, but works much faster on bringing those liver numbers down. We are actually waiting until next weeks blood work to see what Holly's liver count is at before I purchase it. Linda

Linda Sapphire

Ren had an ultrasound and blood work done on Monday. I was nervous about the ultrasound since Ren's belly was still a little swollen. When the test was done and the vet came out, she had this startled look on her face. That horrible feeling came over me for just a moment. She explained to me that the ultrasound showed Ren's heart, liver and spleen to be NORMAL!!!! I think even the vet was surprised at the wonderful healing that Ren is having. Ren's PCV was at 35! That is fantastic. Up from a low of 11 on first visit. Her color is once again pretty pink and she actually picked up her favorite toy yesterday. It is amazing that these tiny activities can bring so much joy to my family. Ren still has some issues with her blood work. Her BUN was really high (not sure what causes that) but things are looking up, Praise God! I must share this...all of you special people that post on here, gave me the encouragement to fight for Ren's life. You all know how hard it is when you see your dear companion fighting against this horrid disease. Every day my Husband and I pray for you and your blessed pets. Thank God there is this web site that allows folks like us to share joy and grief. We are like a family. Thank you all! I'll update in a couple of weeks!

Susie Delaware

This thread was discussed between 12/11/2008 and 11/12/2008

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