Canine Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (AIHA & IMHA) - Knight

Some of you may remeber that my Lab Maggie died in 2008 of AIHA. Out Black Lab Knight had to have his spleen removed last week due to a huge hematoma. He has been on AZ and such. His red count is down to 25 and white count is up. He isn't eating. He's been in and out of Doggy ICU. I have tried chicken, turkey, eggs, liver, 4 types of canned food and 2 types of dry food and we can't get him to eat a full meal. Any idea's

Karon SC

Karon, I am so sorry you are once again having to deal with medical problems. Have you tried baby food? I know a lot of people have had success with it when other things haven't worked. Just stay away from any that have onions in it. Hopefully Knight will have a quick turn around soon. Keeping you both in my thoughts and prayers. Penny

Penny Lytle Creek Calif

Karon, I am so sorry Knight is not feeling well. How old is he? It sounds like you have tried everything to have him eat. Maybe his body just can't tolerate a full meal yet? You know how we feel when we are not well. I know there are several people on this list who's dogs had this operation, maybe somebody knows how long the recovery is. I can't imagine to watch a Lab not eat... Best wishes to you and Knight, Brigitte

Brigitte BC Canada

Wylie had her spleen removed after being diagnosed with AIHA a growth was found on her spleen. But she did fantastic. Are you saying Knight is on Azithyropine? Many dogs here have not tolerated it all making them extremely sick. That would be my first thought. Maybe someone else can chime in, but I would questions being on Azi with a number like 25 which is not great but not real bad either. Is he on prendizone? I would talk to the vet about possibly removing the Azi. just a thought. He is not eating anytihng? I would think they would want to do intraveneous feeding. I read somewhere sometime this is need to get them to jump start them eating, once they start getting nourishment of sort, it helps them to get their appetite back. I have always had good luck with a little canned food and chicken broth. Laurie

Laurie CA

Karon, I am so sorry to hear about Knight. You have had quite a time with him in the ICU. I am very familiar with the surgery he has had because my dog had the same in 2007. If your vet did not tell you, this growth that was removed (along with the spleen) is not malignant and there is really no chance of there being any other growths such as this. I am concerned, however, about the lower PCV (and of course the higher white cell count). When you talk to your vet next time ask him or her if they believe that Knight is non-regenerative. This is what happened to Chance a month or so after his surgery. If this is the case, then Knight will need special treatment. Ask for copies of Knight's latest CBC and chem screen results and keep all future vet paperwork in a folder. Keep posting up to date information. my best patrice

Patrice NYS

my best wishes are being put forth for Knight...

Josh California

Patrice - His spleen was healthy, it was just this massive blood clot that was attached. If we hadn't have cought it in time he would have bled out. It seems that his PVC has dropped again overnight. They are planning on doing blood work again tomorrow. It does seem that he in non-regenearative. What special treatment is needed? Laurie - Knights spleen was healthy. He just had this huge hematoma that was attached to it. It weighed about 8lbs. I saw it and it was massive. Yes he has been on a very small dose of Azithyropine, but can't have predizone due to some other meds that he's taking. The PCV being 25 wasn't a concern in view of the massive blood clot that was removed however, it dropped to 21 yesterday. He has been on IV fluids, he ate about a can and a half of food yesterday. When we brought him home he ate some more but threw up. Come to fine out that they had taken him of the antisickness meds as he hadn't been sick while at the vets. We are thinking that he might need to be force fed through a tube, that would have to come from a specialist, so we are working with our vet on that. We have tried many different canned food and the chicken broth. Penny - I have not tried baby food, thanks for the idea. Brigitte - Knight is 11.5 years old Josh - Thank you

Karon SC

Karon, I would ask about getting back on anti-nausea meds. I think the Azi may be the cause. Your case sounds like Patrices Chance, I think he also had a #8 growth. and he was also non regenerative and is doing great. Good luck to Knight

Laurie CA

I have just got off the phone with the vet. Knight is not eating at all. The vet feels that they have done all that they can. We are faced with the fact that he will be 12 in March 2010, he has lost his spleen so his natural immune system has gone. I thought that our vet had sent off the spleen for testing, but found out that he didn’t. We don’t know if he could have Cancer, which caused the hematoma in the beginning. Everything looked good, but we had been waiting for test results to confirm or if he does have AIHA. Can you believe our luck to have BOTH our labs have the same thing? Maggie was only 7. We have to make a tough decision tonight, not sure that I could go through all the pain again or send him the university of Georgia to be tested.

Karon SC

Karon, I am so sorry your latest news. Wylie was about 11 when she had her spleen removed 4/08 and she is now over 12 if thats any encouragement. But I know if you have to make that decision :( I guess the one thing I would ask is did they put him back on anti-nausua meds. You probably know that aza can take some time to kick in prayers to and Knight

Laurie CA

Karon, This is nearly exactly the same thing that happened with Chance. Chance is now nearly 12. We were able to treat him successfully. Please don't limit your options by trying to decide tonight what to do. If this is non-regenerative anemia and the cause is the same as Chance's was: autoimmune destruction of the bone marrow precursor cells, then there is a specific protocol that can be followed. I would urge you to find a specialist, this is a very special form of IMHA. While it is not rare, a regular vet may not see this form very often and may feel that there are no more options. If you would like, you can email me and I will email you back with a special protocol for bone marrow failure. While a PCV of 21 is lower than normal, it is not in the life threatening range. Removal of the spleen does not signal the end of immunity. It is an organ that has multiple jobs and one job is related to the immune system. However, both humans and dogs can live very normal lives without a spleen. Many of the functions are taken over by other organs in the body. The only particularly dangerous side effect of not having a spleen is that it can protect us from one particular tick disease and without it, we must be very careful to avoid this disease. Don't worry that you didn't have the splenic accessory growth checked. I can reassure you that it was most likely exactly what they said, benign. A malignant growth would look very different and there would be no mistaking it as cancer. I sat in on Chance's operation and they removed a 7 lb growth, plus his spleen. It appeared to be very healthy looking. I am sorry his appetite is poor. This may be related to the surgery. He also may not feel well in general because of the lower PCV. Have they given him any prednisone yet? my best patrice

Patrice NYS

Dear Karon Im so sorry to read this, and it doesnt seem fair that you have to go through something like this again. Wishing you all the best for Knight, along with some great guidance from Patrice. Please let us know how you go. Silka

Silka Melbourne Australia

Oops sorry, forgot to say that I got the idea about baby food from this board, and it worked a treat - some great flavours out there, and easily digestible. Check the ingredients as well, I noticed a lot of them have onion in them.

Silka Melbourne Australia

Please know that my thoughts and prayers are with you during this difficult time. May God give you the strength and courage to make the right decisions in Knights treatment. Whatever happens please know that we are here for you. Cheryl & Ginger

Cheryl & Ginger Pinevile pa

Last night when I got home, my husband and I decided that we needed to explore all avenues. I cooked Knight a 12ox NY strip and he ate it! So I cooked another and he ate most of that and finished it up this morning without being sick. This gave us Hope. We took him to a specialty clinic today where they are going to take x-rays, ultra-sound and some additional testing. We should know more later today. Thank you all for your encouragement.

Karon SC

Karon....I'm so sorry you have to go through this again but I'm also really happy that you haven't gave up hope. Eating is such a good thing for Knight. Stay strong and shower him with love. Prayers and best wishes, Johnny & Tessy

Johnny

Karon, I am so happy that you have decided to get a second opinion. After reading Patrice's experiences with her Chance it sounds like Knight may be able to turn the corner on all this. Keeping you all in my thoughts and prayers. Penny

Penny Lytle Creek Calif

Karon, I am so glad that you both came to an agreement about further treatment. It may not be an easy time ahead, but if both partners are willing to do the hard work, you can be successful. I am always here to provide you with support during this time. I didn't always have someone who understood while I was treating Chance. It was sometimes very lonely. I was very lucky to have my local vets, they were very supportive and agreed to administer many treatments. It was a learning experience for both of us. Please let us know what the test results show. I will be thinking about you and Knight over the holiday my best patrice

Patrice NYS

Wanted to give you all an update on Knight: We have him at a specialty clinic in Greenville, SC. He’s holding his own. His blood count went up to 28 from a low of 21. They think that he might have a ulcer. He still has a lot of gas in his abdomen due to the surgery, and they can’t get a true look at what is going on until the gas disburses. They have taken him off all meds and are treating him for the ulcer and the gas. We will know more on Monday. He did eat half of another NY strip - He has good taste! Lets hope that it is just an ulcer and that it isn't anything else. I can't thank you all enough for your support and encouragement.

Karon SC

Sounds like he likes his NY strips! Good boy Knight...a jump up to 28% is really really good. Hope that everything gets resolved for poor Knight. I'll keep him in my thoughts and prayers. Johnny & Tessy

Johnny

Karon, that sounds encouraging! I hope Knight keeps improving and you can take him home soon. Best wishes, Brigitte & Kahlu

Brigitte BC Canada

Good luck Karon and Knight! Hope its good news. By the way, what is a NY strip? Dumb Aussie here.

Silka Melbourne Australia

Silka, it is a New York strip loin steak. One of the best and most expensive cuts of beef! :) Our dogs clearly live the life! Brigitte

Brigitte BC Canada

Wanted to give you all an update on Knight. He is home from the specialist. His PCVs is up to 36. He is alert, and moving well. It seems that he has an ulcer. We are not sure if the hematoma that was removed with the spleen was cancerous. Only time will tell. The specialist advised that it could be 3 months or so when a mass might show again. Hopefully it wont. We have to watch his immune system and have blood drawn weekly for a while. He is on the I/d food as his tummy is still a little sensitive. I have a lot to be thankful for. Once again, thank you all for being there for us. Karon

Karon SC

Karon, It sounds like you will have a lot to be thankful for on Thursday. Great news to hear Knight is doing so well. Penny

Penny Lytle Creek Calif

That's great news.... Keep up the good work. Johnny & Tessy

Johnny

I am very joyful that your Knight is doing much better. It is so scary not knowing what is going on. You feel so helpless! Good for you that you are asking questions and taking care of your puppy. Congratulations.

Mardi Northern Calif

This thread was discussed between 18/11/2009 and 29/11/2009

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