Canine Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (AIHA & IMHA) - Jazmine, Ca

Sorry,this is 1st time doing this and I accidentally wrote this on "Kelly's" posting. I will start over. I have an 8 yr.old black kelpie (60lb.looks like lab with pointed ears)named Jazmine. About a month ago she & I were attacked by bees in our RV park where they were removing a big 2 yr.old hive under an RV. We went for a walk in the field next to it..not knowing about the bees. I was stung only 5times but surrounded. The RV I ran screaming to for help let me in and said they were after my dog too so they let her in. God bless them. They also had a smaller black dog & still let mine in, not knowing anything about her except she was being attacked. Less than a month later, one day she didn't eat dinner & 2 days later she almost died (12/26/09). Her HCT was 16(norm is 37-55). She is on 20mg prednisone & 50mg azathioprine daily. She is so weak & looks so sad. She always wagged her tail if we even LOOKed at her. We have not seen a way for a few days now..very sad!! I've boiled chicken & brown rice well to make a broth which now she will eat with a little of her ususal dry dog food. Anything else I should fix or give?? Thank you for the people who respond to hurts of others so we can get a better understanding of what we are dealing with........'Sam'.

'Sam' Palm Springs

Hi Sam You have come to the right place for help. From the numbers you have given, Jazmine is destroying both red blood cells and platelets. There is a name for this, but I cant think of it.PCV is basically inter changeable with HCT so Jazmine is at 16 which is very low. My first thought is that her Pred dosage is too low. Should be at least 1mg for every pound of body weight. This should be split in two doses, in this case 30mg in the morning and 30mg at night. Please speak to your vet about changing this dose urgently. It is critical to get this dose in to stop the destructing of platelets and red blood cells. Because Jazmine has a low PCV she may need a blood transfusion to stabilise her and buy time for the meds to kick in. Keep up posted but please get to a vet urgently. Samantha

Samantha Geelong Australia

Sam, I am so sorry to hear about Jazmine's illness. Dogs can get IMHA as a result of bee stings: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10200797?l If you have not read my Web site on Canine AIHA/IMHA as yet, you might want to do so. The URL is http://www.cloudnet.com/~jdickson/ Be sure to follow the links on the first page to many other sites on AIHA/IMHA that will be very helpful to you and do read the Success Stories pages. They will show you what has worked for other dogs in terms of treatment options as well as give you a lot of HOPE. Check out the FAQ page, it will answer many of your questions including what is PCV. The prednisone dosage sounds way too low. Did you mean 20 mg twice per day or 20 mg once per day. Either way it is too low. The least amount of prednisone a dog should be on at the onset of the disease, is 1 mg per pound of the dogs weight per day divided into two doses, one dose to be given in the AM and one dose to be given in the PM. So for a 60 pound dog this should be at least 30 mg twice per day. Many vets will give an even higher dose at the onset of the disease.Please talk to your vet about this low dose, but do NOT raise the dosage on your own!! It can take up to 6 weeks to see a clinical response with Azathioprine. We do see that drug start to work sooner in some dogs but in some dogs it does take the full 6 weeks to "kick in". Please make sure your lot of experience with AIHA/IMHA. If not have him/her refer you to a veterinary internal medicine specialist or at the very least have him/her consult with such a specialist for you. I know this is so hard so be assured both you and your dear Jazmine are in my thoughts and prayers during these most very difficult days. No problem about your post on the other thread, I will remove it to prevent confusion and people posting on two differnet threads for you.

Joanne MN

I am sorry to hear about Jasmine not feeling well To me her pred dosage seems low and usually a 60 lbs dog would be on a daily dosage of 60mg per day perhaps even greater in the beginning. Does your vet have experience with AIHA and if not I would try to find one that does. Read everything you can about this disease and be Jasmine's voice regarding her treatment. Has she had her PCV tested since the 26th and if not when is her next check? Also. please check out Joanne's website: http://www.cloudnet.com/~jdickson/newhope.htm you'll find valuable information and many success stories. Sending our prayers to you and Jasmine. Cheryl & Ginger

Cheryl & Ginger Pineville PA

Sam also mentioned in her post under Kelly's post thread that Jazmine had platelets at 66. Just wanted to alert everyone because it was not mentioned in this new thread.

Samantha geelong australia

Sam, I am so sorry to hear about Jasmine, I agree with Joanne though about her predisone being to low and getting her to a vet right away. I have found that Joanne and the others on this site have a wealth of information which has been enormaously helpful and everyone is extremely supportive. My Coco just became ill before Christmas and I have found that by reading the other threads I have learned so many helpful tips. I pray that your Jasmine has a quick rebound, my thoughts are with you both. Kelly

kelly redding

Alright...I must have missed the other thread! Sam, the advise above is great. I'ld also recommend you take Jazmine back to the vet to discuss her pred dosage. It might be a good idea to have them do a recheck on the blood and also maybe do a chem profile. You are in California so I'ld also highly recommend getting in contact with Dr. Dodds at Hemopet. She's an expert in this field and has helped countless others with their dogs. At the least you should probably get a specialist to look at and analyze the blood....get a morphology done. As for food there's several things you can try. When my dog Tessy first got sick I tried a little of everything.....Liver, roast beef, scrambled eggs, beans, rice, chicken, potatoes, etc. The main thing for now is to get and keep her eating. Is Jazmine on any type of stomach protectant? It would be wise to get her on one. Hope to hear an update soon. Prayers and best wishes, Johnny & Tessy

Johnny

Hi Sam, When both red blood cells and platelets are being destroyed it is referred to as Evans Syndrome (named after the doctor who first described it). Some of the success stories on Joanne's web site are dogs who had Evans Syndrome. My 2 two year old standard poodle was diagnosed with Evans last May. She weighed 45 lb then and started on 80 mg of prednisone a day and 3/4 of azathioprine every other day. Seven months later she is taking 5 mg of prednisone every other day and the 3/4 of a tablet of azathioprine every other day. It took her over four months until she was her old self and along the way we had to get antibiotics a couple of times for infections. Right now you would never know she has been sick. We get a blood test every 6 weeks and then a reduction of medication if things look good. Her hair thinned out but is returning. Our prayers are with you and Jazmine. Joanne's web site and our wonderful veterinarian have gotten us through the last 7 months. Barb and Tootsie

Barb Ohio

Sam, I forgot to mention that my dog also takes a stomach protectant. Barb & Tootsie

Barb Ohio

Hi Sam Im sorry to hear about Jazmine - that bee experience sounds dreadful - I too have heard this illness can start from bee stings. This is a great forum with good advice, but you do do have to find a vet who knows whats going on. My dog, Riley, has Evans Syndrome - though his platelets are under control - now we are working on the anaemia. Im told that it doesnt matter when each of them occur, if the dog has had them both, it is still called Evans Syndrome. I agree that the pred seems low for the initial stages - my dog is a little maltese/shihtzu and he is on 12.5mg 3 months later, and that seems HIGH to me. Wishing you and Jazmine a steady increase back to health. Silka

Silka Melbourne Australia

Sam, I am so sorry to hear about Jazmine. I had a black lab mix whose AIHA I believe was also brought on by bee stings, she was an avid bee killer. Please read up on Joanne's site and feel free to ask any questions. It is very overwhelming when you first get diagnosed so start taking notes on everything. You never know what you will need to know at some point down the line. The most important thing is to have a Vet who is experienced with treating this.

Penny Lytle Creek Calif

Hey Sam, how is Jazmine going?

Silka Melbourne Australia

Hey Sam..We haven't heard anything back about Jazmine, is everything going o.k.?...Kelly

Kelly Redding

This thread was discussed between 30/12/2009 and 05/01/2010

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