Canine Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (AIHA & IMHA) - NANCY is WORSE!

This morning Nancy is much worse... she had dark, liquid diarrhea (almost looks like val syrup). She was doing well when we got home at 5PM from her transfusion and she was hungry. She looked worse as the evening went on, she vomited up every drop of her dinner. During the night, she had this nasty looking diarrhea and was throwing up just yellow bile. She is refusing all food and water. She is just laying quietly and I think her breathing is rapid. At this moment, I have a call in to the vet and I am waiting.. I think it is time for Nancy to go to the bridge. She looks awful and I am starting to think she has had enough.... Pray for us... AnnaMarie

AnnaMarie Illinois

AnnaMarie, I know she had rough night and seem to be doing worse, but the symptoms you are describing are not uncommmon for everything she is going through. Please talk to your vet and find out if the symptoms are "normal" for the post transfusion period. They can always give them a shot for nausea to help as well as some pain medication. I have faith that she will pull through if given the chance. Good luck, and we will be thinking of you today. Stay strong! melissa

melissa

AnnMarie, I am heartbroken to hear that Nancy is doing worse this morning. But as Melissa mentioned, those symptoms aren't that uncommon post a blood transfusion. Tipsi went through the very same thing. After her transfusion she was doing better and then about 5-6 hours later she started going downhill with the vomitting that you are describing and the loose stools. I know you are worried about her suffering, but there still may be a chance for Nancy. I thought my Tipsi was at the point of going to the Bridge but she pulled through. So please talk to your vet before any decisions are made. I wish you nothing but peace and comfort in whichever decision you make. It know it's nothing to be taken lightly. Continued thoughts and prayers for you both. Layla & Tipsi

Layla Raleigh

AnnaMarie, Have you thought of trying to get in touch with Dr. Dodds for a second opinion? You do not have to live in Santa Monica or even in California to be able to access her assistance. I had heard that she may be in Chicago at the moment giving a presentation and don't know if she picks up her voice messages but you can access her contact info through the Hemopet website and she seems to make herself very accessible. That having been offered...from one (or actually two...I am just here to support my little guy Barkley) who have been going through many trials since this plague came into our lives I can both encourage you to keep trying...and to do your best to know when it is time. I guess the bottom line is that only you and your Nancy have the heart connection that will allow you to speak on that deepest level to find direction. I know all too well that painful place of not wanting to rob your little one of a moment of a life that she might still be able to pull out of the darkness...and not wanting her just to suffer in a place of no light. I hope that you, together, can find the way that is best for you. In the meantime...you have whatever moments you can cherish together...however many they might be. Peace and healing (of body and of heart) to you both. Barkley and Cheryl

Cheryl Medford

My heart hurts for you and Nancy. Cheryl said it best. Be there for her and hold her. If she is tired and chooses to go or chooses to fight, be there with her.........do not leave her. Keep a gentle touch and soothe her. This is no doubt the hardest thing you have ever done, but with God's grace and your love you will get through. We are here for you..........keep in touch here. Prayers for peace and comfort in knowing how much you love each other. sharon

sharon pa

I just got off the phone with the vets. We have a 4PM appointment. I also got a 'Nancy report' from my husband who sleeps during the day. My husband told me Nancy was HUNGRY and he gave her a small amount of chicken. We have an afternoon appointment for them to re-evaluate her and get a PCV. Any advice on how high the PCV should be to get a picture of what I am dealing with?? Her PCV was 13 before her transfusion yesterday. I have given her NO MEDS this morning at all... I was planning on putting her to sleep, but the vet says to wait and see what her PCV is and especially if she started eating again.. any suggestions?? AnnaMarie

AnnaMarie Illinois

AnnaMarie, While a pcv of 13 is very low, a transfusion should level that out to somewhere around 20 or slightly higher. What you can hope for at this point is that the major hemolytic damage has stopped and that what is required now is good nursing care. If you can maintain a pcv above 20 for a period of time then you will be looking at a much more optimistic treatment. I know that there have many folks on this board that have gone months with the pcv sitting only in the low to mid 20's. Keeping it level like this is done with an excellent treatment protocol that involves a number of meds, good home nursing and excellent veterinary care. She may look awful, but that is generally a side effect of a combination of the meds and the general poor condition she is in. If you have time take a look at these photos of Chance from last summer. You will see one photo of him that was taken at the end of the summer where he looks awful, his hair was mostly gone and he had lost all of his muscle tone. It's titled Chance After a Summer of AIHA. Then check out the one that says Chance pcv 39. (Copy the whole address and paste into your url) http://www.flickr.com/photos/patricel/sets/72157602714279765/ I hope your vet visit goes well, my best patrice

Patrice NYS

AnnaMarie- the difficult visuals you are describing is what my dog Sway went through for almost a month... she could not even stand or move her own body for 2 full weeks... 30 calendar days later her body was slowly building back up and now over a year later she is living (and has been living for a long while) a rather normal life... it is totally up to you but my advice and hope would be that you stay the course... also, i would consider talking to dr. dodds about possibly adding the anabolic steroid into your dogs med layout. i cannot stress enough how that has been the main factor in sways PCV beginning to hold.. before adding the anabolic steroid sway was getting transfused once, sometimes twice a week!!! her count was just continuing to drop and then bam...it began to hold literally the next week after adding the Durabolin injection. as far as body wasting and weakness, if u are experiencing a downward slide, it helped us to drastically reduce meds. most people dont condone doing that but we had no other choice, when it gets to the edge of dire you might want to consider it. the liquid stools can be assisted by adding tylosin powder to her daily food. I am praying for Nancy.

josh california

Josh, Thanks as always for being a wealth of information and a beacon of hope...for Nancy...for Barkley...for all of us. That goes for you, too, Sway! By the way...anyone have any feedback on Prednisone vs. Dexamethasone? AnnaMarie, Hang on...4:00 is coming...Dr. Dodds is just a phone call away...and we're all behind you and Nancy...those with two legs and those with four. Remember the saying: "It's always darkest before the dawn.". Barkley and Cheryl

Cheryl Medford

Thinking the best for Nancy. You know her best and what is right...with love, there are no wrong choices. Dr. Dodds is wonderful and I also recommend her.

Ronda So Cal

Also wanted to ask.....what was Nancy's bone marrow results?

Courtney Cali

Try to hang in there. The Neoral (cyclosporine takes time to start working as does Azathioprine, up to a week, so the corticosteroids are really tring to do the work in the meantime. If she can get to a pcv of above 17 for now, that is okay, not great, but ok. Best of luck today and we'll await your results.

COurtney Cali

Cheryl and Rhonda, Thank you, I did call Dr Dodds, she was so nice! I gave her our history and she told me that my vets were doing exactly correct! She also told me that Nancy's dark poo today can be fixed and to be sure to get a post-transfusion blood count before I decide to put her to sleep. She said we were doing good and didn't think Nancy was terminal at least not today. Courtney, Nancy didn't have a bone marrow test, her retics are good. See my next post for an afternoon update, I want to change the subject title... AnnaMarie

AnnaMarie Illinois

This thread was discussed between 19/08/2008 and 20/08/2008

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