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Canine Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (AIHA & IMHA) - Maggie update - MORE enegy but paler gums
| Greetings all - Maggie's energy is nearly back to normal. She has even started barking at me when excited or impatient about going outside and romps through the new bed of snow that just fell. Last night, her gums were nice and dark pink. I checked them today after a mid-morning walk in the snow, and they were much paler. Needless to say, I am sensitive to any physical indication and it is much colder and snowy out today, but I can't help but take notice about her gums. I'll check her once she's warmed up a bit and after a good snack. I am thinking maybe being out in the cold may have be a factor. She likes to stick her head all the way into the snow to see what's down there. Tomorrow, a brand new CBC to see how she is doing. If I were to guess from her behavior, I would bet that her HCT/PCV is up (last Friday HCT at 29.5). But the gums, the gums.... (sigh). Maggie and Robert |
| RobertN Superior |
| False alarm on the gums! A half an hour later, and they are nice and pink. CBC results coming tomorrow evening to this thread. |
| RobertN Superior |
| Such good news, Robert. I know how you feel. I took Milly home last night, finally, after 9 days in ICU and 3 transfusions. Her counts are holding in the mid 20's for 3 days now - not the highest but the most stable she's been since her diagnosis. She's acting fairly well - bright and happy. Fine line between tired/bored/subdued and lethargic. Blood test scheduled for Saturday afternoon. On pins and needles till then. Up every 3 hours through the night to let her out. Checking gums, heart, etc. Working from home today and tomorrow to keep an eye on her. I hope Maggie's counts go up! |
| Judy Medford |
| Judy - From our experience and from what I've read here, being stable comes first. So celebrate that and look forward to better days ahead. You and Milly are in our thoughts and prayers. Maggie and Robert |
| RobertN Superior |
| Cookie's gums always look best away from sunlight. Whenever I check them outside, they always look so pale even though they aren't so I just check them indoors |
| Monet Sammamish |
| Robert, I remember getting totally obsesses with checking my dogs gums. I used to joke that he would show them to me when I approach:) I learned that they can change a lot over the course of a day. When my dog was laying down they were paler then after he got up. I recall reading somewhere (I think it was one of Patrice's awesome posts) that a dogs spleen has the ability get blood into the body after a rest period. A good test is to press down on the dogs gums with a finger and see how fast the pink comes back. The faster the better. Best wishes, Brigitte |
| Brigitte BC |
| A dog's spleen is a very active blood storage organ. In fact, researchers discovered that dogs can have a condition called "nocturnal anemia." The spleen will sequester so much blood during sleep that there is a state of moderate anemia in the body. Any stimulation, such as a door bell ringing, causes the "flight or fright" reaction, releasing adrenaline. Dogs can quickly go into a highly aroused state when this occurs. Strong muscles around the spleen will contract, putting much of this stored blood back into circulation. My vet calls it an "instant transfusion." I have read recently that dogs also move a large quantity of blood to the digestive tract after they eat, no matter what activity they are engaged in. I suppose this is similar to humans but I think humans tend to preserve more blood for the limbs and brain when they are digesting (because we spend much more time digesting food than dogs do and it would hamper our life if we had to go lie down for a few hours after eating!) In any case, dogs just seem to have a very "fluid" need for circulating blood and thus if you check their gums multiple times during the day you are probably going to see differences in color. Dogs regulate body temperature mostly through their mouths and pads. A dog that is overheated will have a "spatulated" tongue and it will be very very red. This is a dangerous sign of a dog that needs to be cooled quickly. They are moving a lot of blood through their mouth and tongue in an effort to cool down. Their gums will be bright red. When Chance began to have heart problems I found I could tell how he was doing by checking how warm his pads were, that indicated to me if his circulation was ok. Testing refill is a good evaluative tool that checks tissue perfusion. I'll bet a human nurse does this a hundred times a day without even thinking about it. The circulatory system is essentially a "closed" system that is pressurized by the pumping of the heart. If blood's not going back to the heart (and lungs), it is going forward to the tissues. If all is working well, this pressure will "push" the blood into the capillaries quickly. A low PCV will obviously impair this pressurized system as would a leaky or weak heart. my best patrice |
| Patrice NYS |
This thread was discussed between 01/12/2011 and 02/12/2011
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