Canine Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (AIHA & IMHA) - MacGuinness diagnosed yesterday

So glad to find this forum. Our 4-year old border collie was diagnosed with IMHA yesterday. PCV started out at 16 around 6pm last night, dropped to 10 by about 8:30pm. All blood work conclusive: IMHA. He had 2 transfusions last night. He'll have another one sometime between now (9pm 1/19) and tomorrow mid-morning. The big fear is that he is autoagglutinating like crazy, visible to the naked eye. We are so worried and scared, this boy is so young, so sweet, and he's just wiped out by this. It all came on so fast (the symptoms, anyway) --- dark urine and lethargy, no appetite, all within about 36 hours. Thank God the vet sent us immediately to the emergency center last night where the blood supply is and ability to do elaborate tests and transfusions. My best to all of you who are also facing this terrifying disease with your pups. My prayers go up for all of our wonderful companions. Nancy

Nancy Mechanicsburg

Oh Nancy my heart goes out to you !! I'm going through the same thing right now, or sort of same thing ! This site is a wealth of information and things to try. I hope everything works out for the best for you and will keep you and you baby in my prayers ! love, jacki and Gunner :)

jacki Phila

I am so sorry to read that MacGuinness has been diagnosed with AIHA. Please go to Joanne's site and read the treatment protocol and the success stories, they will give you hope http://www.cloudnet.com/~jdickson/index.html You have found a great place of support. Cheryl & Ginger

Cheryl & Ginger Pinevile PA

Dear Nancy, I am so sorry to hear your Border Collie has been diagnosed with IMHA. What is his name? Please do not be frightened by the agglutination. My IMHA survivor Millie also had severe agglutination, which my vet showed me on the slide. It was amazing but very scary when I realised what it meant. My dog survived - so can yours! The key is to make sure the immune system is sufficiently surpressed to ensure the red blood cell destruction stops. Your vet may have injected dexamethasone - a strong immune surpressant that should kick start the "slow down" of the immune system. What drugs is your boy on? What doses and how much does he way? The general rule of thumb with Prednisone is 2mg per 1kg of body weight. It is also important to discuss the use of low dose asprin with your vet. Blood clots claim the lives of many dogs with IMHA, so adding this as a preventative might be a good idea. Also your dog should be on some form of stomach protectant as the medications can be very hard on the stomach. Many people here have also added Pet Tinic (a blood builder) and Milk Thistle (for liver protection). Can you also find out if he has regenerative or non-regenerative anemia? This is also important in terms of prognosis and how you plan to treat this disease. Please do remember there is hope. Dogs DO survive this disease. Read the success stories on the website that Cheryl mentioned above. These gave me hope during the darkest days of Millie's battle with IMHA. Please stay on this site for support and advice. There are some very knowledgeable people on here that can help. All the very best to you both, Sam & Millie.

Samantha Geelong Australia

Thank you so much, Jacki, Cindy and Sam, for your welcoming and supportive messages. I am grateful beyond words for finding you and this forum. MacGuinness is getting top-notch care and has now been hospitalized in a 24/7 emergency facility for 48 hours. They are using all the big guns of meds (I'll ask for the list and dosages today when I visit) and will ask about aspirin, Pet Tinic and Milk Thistle. He is responsive/regenerative, thank God, and producing lots of baby red cells. Last night when the vet called at 10pm, she said that his PCV had turned direction from 14 earlier at 6pm to 19 at 9pm. So the first bit of positive news, though we know it can rollercoaster before it finally (hopefully) climbs and holds. We've got the local vet (also very knowledgeable and progressive-thinking) all set up to monitor PCV and meds as soon as he is discharged, which may be tonight or tomorrow. Blood type is negative, so I'm having our other Border Collie tested for his type so hopefully he can be a donor, since the type is more rare. Hope he's a match, but the staff at the hospital has been so willing to bring their own dogs in who are a match. It's the kindness that people show that makes me emotional, and I'm finding kindness under every rock through this journey, including right here on this forum. Thank you, all of you, for your words of hope and your pearls of experiential wisdom! Nancy

Mancy Mechanicsburg

I was wrong, he was not regenerating when they first did the CBC on Tuesday, 1/18. And he's back down to 14 PCV this morning. The doctors will repeat the CBC and PVC at 1:00 today. If need be, he'll have a 3rd transfusion later today, after those results. Folks, what's next if he's not regenerating red cells? I'm really scared --- is that doom? Any input and guidance here is so appreciated. My thanks, Nancy

Nancy Mechanicsburg

(((NANCY))) Sorry to hear you're dealing with this disease with MacGuinness. Where is he being treated? The university? I'd be wanting to get copies of all the blood work that way you can answer our questions more accurately. If MacGuinness isn't regenerating new blood then have the vet send out for a FULL thyroid panel...you'd be VERY smart to send to Dr. Dodds at Hemopet in California. If you were interested in doing this you could likely get it there by tomorrow if you priority ship the blood. Regardless what you decide I'd still push for them to add thyroid supplementation to the med schedule. This'll help stimulate the bone marrow to produce new blood and is completely safe to do! Sam mentioned Pet Tinic above and that is another great idea! Gotta make sure the body is getting the nutrients needed to actually build and make the blood. Lots of dogs here are diagnosed as non-regenerative and eventually get better. It just takes a little more time. In lots of cases an underactive thyroid is a culprit. Please keep us informed and I'll be keeping him in my thoughts and prayers. Johnny & Tessy

Johnny

When you have a chance read those success stories on the Meisha's Hope website they will show you that there really is hope even though MacGuinness is not regenerating red cells. many dogs have survived. Right now you have to buy time so the med's get a chance to kick in. http://www.cloudnet.com/~jdickson/index.html Hopefully he will stabilize soon and won't need anymore transfusions . Try to get a list of all the med's he is on and post it. Sending my prayers Cheryl & Ginger

Cheryl & Ginger Pineville PA

Nancy, Sending thoughts and prayers your way. Penny

Penny Lytle Creek Calif

Nancy, just want you to know we are praying for you guys as well. Carrie and Summer

Carrie DFW

Hi Nancy, It is a rollercoaster but many dogs make it and surely with a dog with a super name as McGuiness deserves the luck.Hang in there, we did and so far so good although had a few hiccups along the way. Sue and Archie

Sue and Archie Cambs UK

Oh, it breaks my heart to hear about MacGuinness. This site is a great source of information and consolation. BUT IT MAKES ME MAD AS HECK! I WANT TO KNOW WHY? WHY IS THIS DISEASE ON THE RISE? WHAT IS TRIGGERING IT? I DON'T BELIEVE THIS IS A COINCIDENCE! Best wishes anto you and Mac!

Pat Vermont

Nancy~ My 8 year old poodle is doing well, 5 months into medication and she almost died, had a blood transfusion and many meds in the beginning. Her liver was not doing well, but she finally turned-around. I have a great team of vets who fortunately quickly reached the right diagnosis and treatment. Main cause was a metal ring that she had swallowed and overdose of selelium causing Zinc toxicity and anemia very suddenly...like MacGuinness quick onset. Thank goodness you were quick to notice the changes and to respond seeking help ASAP! Good "doggie momma"! MacGuinness has as much of a chance at beating this as some of us are experiencing with our pets, but it is a roller coaster ride, so hang-on! Gather as much information as you can on this site and it will help you ask the right questions with the vets. Keeping a schedule of daily meds with a place to note and changes in behavior, activity, eating, etc will also proof helpful. My prayers are with you. Blessings, Cindi & Tori (IMHA)

CIndi PCB

Pat, getting mad is not getting you anywhere. I too have thought about why this disease is on the rise. I think there are a few factors to look at. I think in the last few years we definitely have over vaccinated our dogs. We want to do the best and protect them. Or so we thought..... I also think that the disease was there before, it was just not diagnosed. If a dog got this sick 50 years ago, it just died or was put down, nobody would have spent the money or would have had the knowledge to treat it. Of course just as with us, I think these days our dogs are bombarded with a lot of chemicals and toxins that could contribute to AIHA. There is one thing you could do to make you feel better. After my poodle died I started fund raising for the Meisha's Hope Foundation. I participate at Agility trials and it is fairly easy to put together a little raffle. We also collect 25 cents for course maps. It is not much, but it all adds up and last year I was able to send about $400 to Meisha's Hope. The Foundation sponsors research and studies into the disease. This is our hope!!! http://www.cloudnet.com/~jdickson/newhope.htm I have learned so much in the year my dog Kahlu was sick. He fought for a year and died at only 3 1/2 years. It still makes me very sad, but I refuse to think his short life was meaningless. When ever possible I try to help people on this board, with the knowledge I gained from some of the great people on here. This and the fund raising for Meisha's Hope is my tribute to Kahlu. Best wishes, Brigitte & the poodle boys

Brigitte BC Canada

Nancy, please don't feel discouraged by my post to Pat about my dog who died after a year of being diagnosed! That was NOT my intention. This is a serious disease, but it can be beaten, just look at all the success stories on Joanne's website! The best chance for Mac to survive is that you have a knowledgeable and experienced vet on board. If you have nobody like that in your neighborhood I would urge you to contact Dr.Dodds and your vet can work with her. Even the best vet can always learn. I also think it would be a good idea to put Mac on a small dose of aspirin. Usually vets raise their eyebrows if you mention it, but there have been studies (sponsored by Meisha's Hope foundation!) that prove it can help prevent blood clots. If your vet just shakes his head, tell him/her to at least look into it. (until he gets word from Dr. Dodds:)) You and Mac are on a long and rocky road, but it will bring you even closer together. Stay positive and let him know you believe he can beat this! Best wishes, Brigitte & the poodle boys

Brigitte BC Canada

Brigette, Here is a new study about to begin by the Morris Animal Foundation comparing the effectiveness of heparin vs aspirin. my best patrice http://www.morrisanimalfoundation.org/our-research/results.html?animalspecies=&study_area=blood-disorders&vssstudy=no-vss&page=2 Comparison of Aspirin and Heparin in Treating Dogs with IMHA Immune-mediated hemolytic anemia (IMHA), a common form of severe anemia in dogs, is associated with high mortality rates. Many dogs die due to related blood clots. Investigators will expand their previous research on heparin therapy, which showed that individually adjusted heparin dosing was significantly better than standard-dose heparin therapy in reducing mortality. A recent retrospective study reported improved survival in dogs with IMHA that received low-dose aspirin therapy, which resulted in aspirin becoming standard therapy for dogs with IMHA. However, multiple studies comparing aspirin to heparin in humans have shown marginal to no benefit with aspirin as opposed to significant reduction in blood clots with heparin. Researchers will establish whether aspirin or individually adjusted heparin therapy is more effective in enhancing survival in dogs with IMHA. Principal Investigator: Dr. David J. Polzin, University of Minnesota Co-sponsors: Meisha's Hope AIHA/IMHA Fund #338; Arlene & Ron Klein, in memory of Buttons Study ID: D10CA-026

Patrice NYS

Nancy, My heart goes out to you. My 5 yr. old cocker spaniel, Gracie almost died 3 months ago when her PCV level dropped to 9! It was one of the toughest weeks of my life but here it is 3 months later and her PCV level remains steady at 39. It can take up to three weeks for the medicine to start working so the blood transfusions help to keep our fur babies alive until they kick in. I wish you and your precious baby, MacGuiness the best. big giant hugs, Gwen and Gracie

Gwen Rhinebeck

Dear friends, With a very heavy heart, I tell you that MacGuinness lost his battle with IMHA on January 20. I haven't had the strength to post about it, it's been so painful. The vets gave their all, but when it became clear that his marrow was not producing red cells, his white cell count put him on the bring of sepsis, and his agglutination was visible to the naked eye, plus even with his 4th transfusion, he was back at 7 PCV in mere hours, we did what we felt we had to do out of mercy for our precious boy. In case I didn't say it before, the vets had run all the tests possible to identify a cause. Finally it was determined that his IMHA cause was unknown, perhaps genetic. As part of my personal grieving process, I'm telling all my dog owner friends and all their dog owner friends to learn all they can about this killer and to know the symptoms. Unfortunately for us, if MacGuinness had any symptoms just four days before he passed, he sure did a great job of hiding them from us. This dog was an angel, just like all of your dogs. He was diagnosed on a Tuesday and gone just Thursday. His condition plummeted like a rocket, despite all the wonderful efforts of the specialty hospital staff. I will continue to participate on this site. You all were so helpful in our time of greatest need. I will do anything I am capable of doing to help someone else. Oh, our other border collie, Willie, is MacGuinness's first cousin, born just 3 weeks later. (MacG was born on St. Patrick's Day.) When MacG was still here and having transfusions, I took Willie in to see if he could be a blood donor match, as MacG's blood type couldn't be determined, so he needed the rarest blood. Willie was a match, but it was too late for him to be a donor ( a couple of the staff had been bringing in their own dogs for MacGuinness's blood donors when the supply of the rare blood was depleted). Now that MacGuinness is gone, we hope to have Willie be a blood donor and are making these arrangements. One very good thing, aside from the ability to maybe help save another dog's life, is that Willie will have to have very frequent blood work to be sure he continues to be an excellent source of healthy blood, at not cost to us. I feel that this will at least give us a chance at finding out early, should IMHA rear its ugly head again. I'm praying it doesn't, but I'll always be on the alert. To all of you who are holding hope and keeping the faith for your sweet dogs, don't let my post discourage you. We were told that MacGuinness had the worst case of IMHA that the vets (5 of them) had ever seen. He was in the minority for sure, and there is so much hope for dogs to recover and live the remainder of their lives with careful care and monitoring. Today I will go pick up MacGuinness's ashes. He was a serious "shadow herder", so this spring we'll plant a flowering tree near his favorite "shadow corral" (he tried his best to get them all to stay in one place, and it drove him nuts when they'd follow him as soon as he turned his back!) and put some of his ashes in the ground. I'll never forget him. God bless you all, my kindred dog-loving friends. Keep the faith!! Nancy

Nancy Mechanicsburg

I am very sorry to read of the loss of your most beloved MacGuinness. Please accept my heartfelt sympathies on your loss. When you feel up to it, I urge you to visit the Loss & Grief page at the Meisha's Hope AIHA/IMHA Web site: http://www.cloudnet.com/~jdickson/loss.htm Keeping you and your family in our thoughts and prayers during this difficult time. Cheryl & Ginger

Cheryl & Ginger Pineville PA

Nancy, I am so sorry for your loss. I am sure MacGuinness is running and herding his shadows at the Rainbow bridge. How wonderful that you are going to have Willie available for dogs in need as well as the bonus of keeping an eye on his blood work. I know I sometimes probably make people crazy with my constant warnings about over immunizations/chemicals etc. but if it saves just one dog that's all I care about. The swiftness of this disease I think is what makes it so hard to deal with. Our dogs seem fine and all too soon they can be taken by something most of us had never heard of. I hope the planting of his tree in the spring reminds you of all the joy he brought into your life and helps ease the pain of these awful days. Hugs Penny

Penny Lytle Creek Calif

(((NANCY))) I'm so sorry for your loss! The flowering tree near his favorite spot is such a beautiful tribute to such a great dog! LOL @ the shadow corraling!!! Please don't tell my dogs they have shadows! Willie sounds like a wonderfull furkid and I'm sure you'll do what's best for him! My sympathies and condolences for you loss! Run free MacGuinness...where you're at you can corral all the shadows you want (and they won't follow you!) HUGS Johnny & Tessy

Johnny

Nancy,thank you for having the strength to come back and share what happened with us. I am in awe of your strength, getting Willie ready to help others. What a legacy MacGuinness is leaving behind. God Bless you and your family. Carrie & Summer

Carrie DFW

Nancy, My heart breaks for you. I loved hearing your herding memories of MacGuinness. May all your memories help see you through the rough times ahead. Sympathies, Ronda and Buster

Ronda Illinois

Nancy, I am so sorry for your loss. I lost Lucky on January 20th also. It's been rough. I like what you plan to do with his ashes. I believe I will do something similar with Lucky's. Take care, Jerry

Jerry

Hi Nancy, So sorry to hear that MacGuinness lost his battle. Our thoughts are with you.

Sue and Archie Cambs UK

Hi, Sorry to hear this.Our Border Collie Joey was diagnosed at age 2 years 5 months.Keep on going.It's a hard long road but hopefully a worthwhile one so don't give up all hope. Joe is now 4 years and 7 months and getting back to his scatty self. I guess he missed out being ill so young!Best wishes, Kind Thoughts and all our love, Corrie & Joey. xx

corrie dagenham essex

This thread was discussed between 20/01/2011 and 07/02/2011

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