Canine Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (AIHA & IMHA) - my 11 year old precious shih tzu Phoebe's AIHA

Hi just need some support. My beloved shih tzu Phoebe has been diagnose with AIHA a two months ago. She was immediately referred to Royal Dick Hospital in Edinburgh where she was under the supervision of Alistair Stewart and stayed for the longest 3 weeks of our lives. She had never been left by herself at all but we knew she needed this time to be properly looked after. Finally two weeks ago we got Phoebe back home and since then it has been a whole cocktail of drugs starting at 7.00 a.m. and ending at 9.30 p.m. every day. I feel totally out of control and out of my depth as Phoebe's AIHA is in her bone marrow and is non-regenerative. I was absolutely delighted that her PCV has gone from 11 at worst to her most recent 22 this week (another test on the 12th). We lost her best pal Macauley a week to the year she has been diagnosd and cannot fact going thru that pain again. Can anyone tell me if any of their furry pals have made it thru the non-regenerative AIHA? Does anyone have any information regarding remission in non-regenerative AIHA. I know that dogs with regeneraive AIHA can make a good recovery but not sure about dogs with NR AIHA. She is currently on Prednesilone, Antepsin, Pro-Kolin, Pepcid, Azathropoline (the toxic and most dangerous one to lower her immune system), I have been giving her live goats milk yoghurt to help her digestion and slow cooked chicken and pasta/rice. So far she is eating well but has terrible upset tummy, but the pro-kolin seems to help. we love her sooooooo much and will do anything to help her so if anyone has any advice - just let me know. Thinking about all the owners & their pals with AIHA and keeping you all in my thoughts and prayers - it's good to know there are some others in the same boat!!!

gill morrison gateshead UK

Hi Gill, I'm so sorry to hear that your beloved Phoebe has been diagnosed with this horrible disease. You are in the right spot here for help and support. Dogs can and do recover from this form of AIHA where it is in the bone marrow and is non-regenerative. My dog Tessy does not have the nonregenerative form of AIHA but there are some VERY educated people on this forum who has/had pets with this type. It's is a really good sign that her PCV rose to 22 from 11. Did she have a transfusion or is she regenerating now? If you can give more info and specifics the better off you'll be with getting help form the people on here. For example...what's her weight, what tests have been done thus far, what are the results, the amounts of each drug, etc. The more you can add the better. If you get the time you should check the Meishas Hope website out: http://www.cloudnet.com/~jdickson/successstories.htm This website has helped countless people and the success stories are a real inspiration and gives us all so much hope. You may want to consider adding milk thistle to her diet. This helps to protect the liver from damage. For the time being the best tool for you now is to read, read, read! The better you can understand this disease the more equipped you'll be to handle whatever comes your way. This disease is definetly a roller coaster ride. Keep us posted on any news and if you have any questions feel free to ask. Your doing a good job thus far...just keep up the good work. I'll send a prayer out to Phoebe. Johnny & Tessy

Johnny

Hi Gill, I too just want to say how sorry I am to read that your beloved dog is suffering from this terrible illness. My minature schnauzer Lilly was diagnosed with AIHA at the end of May last year and it turned our world upside down at the time and I was so afraid we were going to lose her so I can totally sympathise with you. Lilly was on a cocktail of drugs and it was quite stressful keeping up with it all. For 4 weeks after being released from the vets we had to give her aspirin to thin her blood as she was at risk from blood clots, I don't think I've ever been on edge so much. I just want to stay be strong and stay positive. Lilly is completely off treatment now, it was gradually reduced over a long period and the side effects were awful, that at times made me feel incredibly guilty for putting her through that. I felt we would never get her back to how she was. She finished her medication in January of this year, she put a lot of weight on due to the side effects of the steroids but she is completely back to normal now, and I feel it was all worth it touch wood! They become such a big part of the family and I will be thinking of you and pray that Phoebe makes a good recovery. Shell x

Shell Campbell Worcestershire

Hi Gill, I am so sorry about Phoebe's diagnosis. Most of us on this board did not hear of AIHA/IMA before our own dogs got diagnosed. It is not an easy road, but there is hope and a lot of help out there for you. Joanne's site,(Johnny gave you the link) especially the success stories were my light at the end of the tunnel, when I thought I would never get through this. There are quite a few stories of dogs who were non regenerative. My dog Kahlu was not regenerating for a while and then it turned around for reasons I really don't understand. Maybe also look at supplements. Forti Floa (digestive enzymes) Omega 3, vitamin B12, iron, folic acid and milk thistle were recommended in our case. I went back in the archives of this board and tryed to learn as much as I can. It makes life easier when you understand which drug does what. If you know why some drugs have to be given with or without food etc. On Joanne's site there are links for several drugs that you can read up about. I sometimes tell people I should get an honorary degree in veterinary medicine with a specialty in immunology, hematology and pharmacology! Joking aside, it sounds like Phoebe is in good hands with your vet. Don't hesitate to ask them lots of questions and to explain things. As for the upset tummy, I think that is a pretty normal thing. When my vet told me about the side effects of the prednisone, I thought my dog won't get them because he was so healthy and athletic. I don't think there is an AIHA dog with no side effects. We did cooked white rice and lean chicken for a while until I learned that grains are not the best and of course rice is a grain. so we switched to white and sweet potatoes and beets. Also canned pumpkin ( not the pie filling, just plain pumpkin) can do wonders for their digestion. I have no experience with the live goat yogurt. We will think of you and your sweet girl and wish you all the best, Brigitte & Kahlu

Brigitte BC Canada

Hi Gill - I'm sorry to hear about Phoebe - I just wanted to let you know there is hope with this diagnosis. My dog, Murray, was also diagnosed with non-regenerative IMHA at the level of the bone marrow. It took several months before we started seeing any signs of regeneration but, once we did, he made steady improvement and has been in remission for some time now. Based on our experience, my biggest "watch-out" for you is to keep an eye on her white blood cells counts as well as the reds. Because Murray was non-regenerative, the internist got fairly aggressive with the doses of the immuno-suppressant drugs - he was on Pred, then they added Aza, then cyclosporin. At that point, his immune system became too supressed - he picked up an infection he couldn't fight, became septic and we almost lost him. I don't mean to scare you but we saw his WBC drop out of range the weeks prior to this and asked the internist if it was a problem. He wasn't concerned because, clinically, Murray was fine and I didn't push hard enough. If I had it to do over again, I would have insisted the doses be adjusted as soon as I saw the WBC drop. I hope you have none of these issues to deal with and Phoebe makes steady progress! Take care- Bonnie

Bonnie Chicago

So sorry to hear about Phoebe. I lost my little shihtzu x maltese to the same non regenerative IMHA a year ago. However my little dog made no red cell baby reticuylites at all less than 0.01 and I don't think you can get any lower than that. He was only on pred and imuron after a packed cell transfusion. I was offered nothing else. I believe cyclosporine is very good. Also I had very bad vetenary advice with a vet who told me nothing can be done. Don't believe it. You can fight this one although it is much harder than regenerative anemia and treatement can be prolonged. It sounds like you are in good hands with your vet as my dog was released from vet hospital after only 2days which I now know is rediculous. A good vet and the right meds is crucial also watch the WBC count carefully as my little dog get a severe infection whilst on drugs. The PCV rising to 22 is a really good sign as that was something I could not achieve with my little dog. He only ever made it to 17 after the transfusion. My best wishes for Phoebe and also the advice you will get from here will keep you well informed.

Julie Australia

Gill, Sorry to hear your Phoebe has been diagnosed. You have come to the right place for support. That is a very good sign that her PCV is on the rise. Penny

Penny Lytle Creek Calif

Hi, We have a a ten year old chocolate lab Shaylee that was diagnosed with IMHA and has been on prednisone for 7 days without any results. Her red blood cell count was 13.2 and then 12.4 on Friday and now 11.2 today. Our vet has now also perscribed Azathioprine. She is very weak, panting lots and her breathing is laboured. We are scheduled for a blood transfusion tomorrow and we are very worried about her pulling through the blood transfusion. Can anyone shed some light on anything that we can do to help our dog other than giving her the meds given by the vet. Also what are the complications of a blood transfusion for a ten year old dog and what can we expect in the upcoming days and weeks? Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks, Cam

cam canada (Wpg)

The vet is right to put Shaylee on Imuron (Aza). Some dogs pred is not enough and they need another powerful drug. The transfusion will buy time to give the drugs a chance to work and is vital so that Shaylee get enough oxygen to her organs. My best wishes during this difficult time.

Julie Australia

Hi Cam, I can really sympathise with what you are going through. My dog Lilly's blood count dropped to about 8 at it's lowest when she was diagnosed but crept up gradually after being put on Prednisone and Azathioprine,as mentioned these drugs do take a couple of weeks to kick in, she didn't have a blood transfusion. The side effects of the drugs are awful, Lilly's breathing was very laboured and she was also extremely weak. She didn't want to be held and seemed to find the coolest place possible to lie as she was constantly panting. She was extremely restless and on a few occasions she would literally gasp for breath making an awful snorting noise which was quite scarey at the time and it's awful watching them go through it. Ask your vet about the possibility of Shaylee's blood clotting. Our vet put Lilly on asparin, 0.5ml a day. We had to dissolve a tablet and give it to her through a plastic syringe, we did that for a month. You may also find that Shaylee will get extremely thirsty and hungry, another side effect of the drugs. Lilly put a lot of weight on during the time she was taking her meds but when she finally came off them 7 months later her weight went back to normal. I know it's so hard but try and stay positive they can get through this. Take care Shell Worcestershire, UK.

Shell Worcestershire UK

Hi guys I am sitting here with tears running down my face after reading all your posts. It is such a relief to know that I am now going to have to face this disease on my own. I think that these posts will be the one thing that will emotionally get me thru the next minute, hour, day, week, month - however long it takes. Phoebe is sitting here next to me with an electric fan on her face keeping her cool (it seems to really help with her breathing but is very noisy during the dead of the night) what things we do for our furbabies!!! One thing I did not mention in my post that Phoebe was diagnosed exactly to the day that we lost our beloved Macauley (her soul mate) to cancer in 2008. Feel like this last year has been a nightmare and then hit with this disease - but I am not giving up easily with Pheebs - I will fight all the way, ask all the questions and also follow the fantastic advice from you guys - already picked up great tips i.e. milk thistle, B vits etc. and will especially question the WBC as this seems to be a significant pointer in the deterioration of the condition. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart and look forward to a some great conversations and informative research. Kind Regards Gill & Pheoebe

gill uk

I am so sorry to hear abuot Phoebe, I have no experience withe the non-regenerative, but know several people here whose dogs were and are in remission living happy healthful lives. Laurie

Laurie CA

This thread was discussed between 07/06/2009 and 19/06/2009

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