Canine Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (AIHA & IMHA) - Just diagnosed with AIHA on Christmas Eve

My beloved boy Teddy was diagnosed with AIHA on Xmas Eve. I am so depressed and in shock over this. I adore this dog and hate the thought of losing him. Last Wednesday he started acting down. He was staying w/ my parents temporarily b/c I do dog rescue and had a new one in the home. We chocked it up to him just missing me and his home. He had been with them for 4 days. I decided would go pick him up the next day. Got him home and he had a fever of 103.5 - and white gums - rushed him to the vet thinking he had Giardia or some parasite or canine influenza - you know, something simple that is cureable. He had to be hospitalized that night, Christmas Eve. His RBC count was at 19. I had NO idea it would be this serious - came on so suddenly - all my pets are well taken care of and spoiled. He went up and down to the lowest of 17 and had to stay another night at the Emergency Vet, on the borderline of needing a transfusion. He was diagnosed w/ AIHA. We will do an ultrasound today to rule out cancer. I just can't believe this - how fast it came on, the fact that there really is no source of what brought it on - no recent vaccinations ... It's just surreal. I'm glad I found this message board to learn more... Will he ever be the same dog again ? He's lethargic, not much of an appetite... he's on like 10 pills 2x day - Cyclosporin, Pred, Doxycycline, Aspirin, Metradizanole, Prevacid, and a few others...will he ever be perky and the happy boy he was ? Do they ever recover from this disease ? Teddy is an American Pit Bull Terrier, 6 years old - the sweetest Marshmallow of a dog ever... (neutered male).

Jenn San Diego

I am so sorry about the news of Teddy and his diagnosis of AIHA. There are so many knowledgeable people on this site. Take time to read the success stories on Meisha's Hope following this link. These really helped me when my dog was first diagnosed in 2007 http://www.cloudnet.com/~jdickson/successstories.htm To answer your question yes they can survive this disease and go on to live perfectly normal lives. Just take it one day at a time and realize it does take awhile for them to begin to feel better and the medicines to begin to work. Sending prayers for Teddy Cheryl & Ginger

Cheryl & Ginger Pineville PA

Dear Jenn, I am so sorry that Teddy was diagnosed with AIHA. My beloved cocker spaniel, Gracie was diagnosed on Columbus Day and I remember the shock so well. However she is still with me and chasing her tennis ball today. It has been a roller coaster ride and we still are on the ride but Gracie and I are taking one day at a time. Today is a great day for her. There are many success stories on Meisha's Hope website( the one recommended above by Cheryl and Ginger). Whenever I need a lift I go back to the site and read about all the wonderful dogs who have done so well after seemingly no hope. I know how it feels to have to administer so many drugs to your dog but these drugs are exactly what Teddy needs to save his life right now. As things improve the dosages will be slowly reduced. I am sure you will get many responses from a lot of people who have dealt with this disease for a long time. You ask if he will ever be the same dog again. Gracie has struggled with a lot and although she is dong great she seems a bit more needy right now and won't leave my side. She still loves to wag her tail and chase her ball on good days but Gracie has only been fighting this disease for 2 and 1/2 months. She is also fighting pancreatitis as a result of all the meds. Try to keep Teddy on a low fat diet and don't let anyone feed him lots of table scraps. Best wishes to you and Teddy. You are both in my thoughts and prayers hugs, Gwen and Gracie

Gwen Rhinebeck

Dear Jenn, I am so sorry you have to deal with this, on top of it at this time of the year, when all should be merry and bright. If you go to the Meisha's Hope site you will learn a lot about the disease: http://www.cloudnet.com/~jdickson/index.html The link to the success stories will give you hope that Teddy can recover and be his old self again. But remember, AIHA is not a sprint, it is a Marathon happening on a roller coaster! You will need lots of patience. You certainly came to the right place. Please ask any questions or just vent when you are overwhelmed. There are a lot of very knowledgeable and understanding people here. We have a huge pool of experiences and knowledge right here. Some things I learned of first hand experience, keep a day planner and write all the medication given, down. With sleep deprivation and the whole roller coaster of emotions my brain was pretty overwhelmed those first days. I put all the daily medications in a pill box organizer. This way I would be sure not to forget anything. Then I still wrote it down into my calendar. Also what, how much food I was giving/eaten was written down. In the beginning even the bowel movements:) How much does Teddy weigh and how old is he? It seems your vet knows what he/she is doing. Having a knowledgeable vet on board is crucial. Of course it would be great to find out what caused Teddie's AIHA, but most of the times we can only guess. At this point the main thing is to get those RBC increasing. The 17-19 range is actually not that bad. As you can read in the success stories, some dogs survived after having been in the single digits! I would run it by your vet to eventually have Teddie's thyroid checked. Hypothyroidism can be a cause, or a side effect of the medications. Supplements can help tremendously. Many people here have also supplemented with vitamin B, folic acid and iron. All available in a product called PetTinic. Keep us posted how Teddy is doing! Best wishes, Brigitte & the poodle boys

Brigitte BC Canada

Jenn, we got our diagnoses the day before you guys did. I feel much better and have hope after reading the link Bridgette posted. Johnny and others have been wonderful too! If you have facebook there are two really good IMHA groups there as well, Dogster also has quite a bit of information. I too thought Summer was just depressed, because my husband was away on business. My heart still hurts, but there is hope! And I am holding on to that with all my might!

Carrie DFW

Oh, Jenn we so understand your shock. My 8 yr old poodle, Tori is going into her 5th month of treatment and is doing good. Still on her Prednisone and takes Sulfcrate to protect her stomach and Pet Tinic. You might want to make a written schedule of her meds, as remembering can also be confusing (especially if I get interrupted). I still use a record and write down changes in behavior/activity/the pinkness of her gums. It helped me to answer the questions the vet asked and gave me questions to ask them. The first thing right now is for your Teddy to get better. Each dog is different and so are some of the treatments they recieve. Others on this sight will be more helpful and give good suggestions. But, yes as they respond to the meds, Teddy will resume his lifestyle...but be patient and loving. Try to stay calm and always hopeful. Keeping them relaxed, rested and loved though fresh water and good food is important. Keep the "going out" short and sweet and to the point. I used to have to carry my doggie up and down our stairs in the first week or too because the Prednisone causes muscle weakness, but as the suppressants are decreased, their energy will improve. Many dogs do survive & keep believing and praying ours will one day be on Meisha's survivors' site. Praying for you and your Teddy as he fights this AIHA/IMHA. Blessings, Cindi & Tori

Cindi PCB

Jenn, Sorry to hear that your teddy has been diagnosed with this awful disease. I hope that you have taken a look at Joanne's site because it will give you the information you need right now. We are all shocked when we discover this disease "how could this happen, my dog was fine just a day or two ago" etc. Teddy is lethargic right now because of the low oxygen levels in his blood and the Pred which takes a few days to kick in will get him back to eating. A lot of times you will never know what the trigger was so save your energy towards helping Teddy now. Keeping you both in my thoughts and prayers. Penny

Penny Lytle Creek Calif

Jen, how's Teddy doing today? You've got my thoughts, prayers and healing vibes for Teddy! Johnny & Tessy

Johnny

Hello Jenn, How are you and Teddy doing? You are both in my thoughts and prayers and I truly hope Teddy is heading in the right direction. hugs, Gwen and Gracie

Gwen Rhinebeck

Just stopping by and checking on you two. You are in my thoughts and prayers. Blessings, Cindi & Tori

Cindi PCB

Hello Jenn, So sorry to hear about Teddy. Our experience was nearly the same as yours. No symptoms at all and then this. Juliet was at the vet for a routine annual appointment when she noticed how pale Juliet's gums were. We went through all the diagnostics - Ultra sound, heart and lung X-rays and finally a marrow aspiration. That confirmed the IAHA. She was on prednisone alone for about 10 days and her levels did not improve and went down a little. This week we added azathiothipine(sp?). Juliet is a spay female age 7, a boxer/lab-pit mix. She is a wonderful funny and loving dog and my heart is also breaking to see her just languishing. But we are keeping up hope so far as she is eating and eliminating just fine. In between however, she just wants to rest. Juliet is drinking gallons of water. I have changed her diet from dog-food to wholesome home food and she is loving that. You can read about it from others, but lean chicken, white fish, green beans, pumpkin smash, sweet potatoes, and basmati rice are among the new diet. And she is absolutely loving that. Best wishes to you and Teddy and hoping to hear news that he is beginning to recover soon. Pat

Pat Vermont USA

This thread was discussed between 27/12/2010 and 01/01/2011

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