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Canine Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (AIHA & IMHA) - My Little Princess Daisy
| My vet diagnosed my little a 9 lb. maltese as having IMHA on 1/24/08. Her pcv was 10. On the advise of my vet we rushed her to the Univ of Penn when the diagnosis was confirmed and she received her first blood transfusion. Upon further testing the underlying cause of the IMHA was bone marrow targeting. She has been on Prednisone 5mg 2x daily, Cyclosporine 10 mg daily and Pepcid 10 mg daily. Upon her release from the hospital on 1/25 her pcv was 25. The specialist at UofP told me to have my vet periodically check her blood and didn't want her transfused until she reached 10. On 1/30 her pcv was 20 at which point my vet thought she might need another transfusion. At the UofP ER she was checked out and I was instructed to keep a close watch when her pcv dropped to 15 she would need another transfusion which my vet agreed with. On 2/2 pcv dropped to 17, on 2/4 pcv 16 and on 2/6 pcv 14. At this point my vet felt it was crucial that she receive another transfusion however the specialist felt we should wait. I'm so glad I agreed with my vet. He was able secure her blood type from a local blood bank and she was transfused the next morning. With alot of love and supervision from the entire staff at his hospital her pcv rose to 34. She was retested today and her count dropped to 30 but we are all very hopeful that the meds will start to kick in soon. This is truly a rollercoaster and life altering. My other dog, a bichon is a diabetic and receives insulin twice daily and that seems easy compared to IMHA. How long does it normally take for the meds to start working? |
| Evelyn So Jersey |
| Evelyn...The normal amount of Cyclosporin is 10mg/kg to start and then reduced to 5mg/kg. At that ratio, your 9 lb. dog should be receiving about 40mg of cyclosporin. The prednisone is right at the lowest level to start. 2mg/kg b.i.d. There is a protocol on this forum if you search. If you can't find it send me an e-mail and I will forward it to you. Good luck, Ron |
| Ron B San Mateo |
| Evelyn, It is not unusal to see a drop after a transfusion, the transfusion is just to buy time until the drugs kick in. If you haven't looked at Joanne's site yet please do. It will answer a whole lot of your questions. http://www.cloudnet.com/~jdickson Know that you can come here and find someone just a keystroke away that understands what you are going through. Penny |
| Penny Lytle Creek Calif |
This thread was discussed on 12/02/2008
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