Canine Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (AIHA & IMHA) - new dog(Molly) update

Well the vet just called today, she had her transfusion on Monday and pcv went from very low...about 8 to a 19. Today Molly was at 17 and he said he believes the thrombosis or AIHA(not sure which yet) was probably caused by a secondary infection since her blood smear showed bacteria. He wanted to work on treating bringing her blood up before he got agressive with the bacteria. The option of euthaniazie was mentioned if her numbers continue to drop and also a possible 2nd transfusion which he said..."may buy you a few more days".....I am devastated and am afraid I can not afford to do much more as I am already planning to borrow $ from my parents to help pay this bill. I am a single mother no support and a teacher's salary..... Does anyone have any thoughts? I am beyond sick over this......Molly is a cocker and he said this is one of the breeds that shows this the most.......:((((

amy txgoldenhorse@yahoo.com

I forgot to say too that the vet said she seems to still be bleeding/hemorraging since she developed hemorages in her eyes and on her gums.....:( Heartbroken here.......

amy txgoldenhorse@yahoo.com

Amy, I am so sorry to hear about Molly. This suddenness of this has to be very frightening for you. It must be very hard to understand what is happening. I hope that as I write this Molly is improving. From the description you are giving of hemorrhages in her eyes I am going to suggest you ask your vet if they have done an Idexx Snap 4DX test for 3 tick diseases. This can be done in house very quickly. Also, if you are in an area where there are other tick diseases (and your vet should know this) they should also be testing for those diseases as well. This particular sign of bleeding in the eyes is symptomatic of a tick disease. The lab to do this with would be Protatek labs. Your vet can call Dr. Holland to determine what particular tests they should do for your area. ProtaTek Reference Laboratory 574 East Alamo Street, Suite 90 Chandler, AZ 85225 Telephone: 480.545.8499 Fax: 480.545.8409 Cynthia J. Holland, Ph.D., Director Web site: http://www.protatek.com/RefLab/index2.htm good luck patrice

Patrice NYS

Amy: My best to you and Molly - it is not fair. The stress and the worry (and the costs) can be all consuming. We are here to listen and some of the gals really have an excellent big picture of the disease, treatments, etc. and they are great resources for quick answers, ideas. I'm hoping tomorrow that you will report that Molly is a little bit more stable. Try to just take it one day at a time.

Cynthia Grosse Pte

Thank you both for your kindness. Patrice I will keep them in my mind but I have never seen ticks on any of my doggies, even my outside dog, only fleas which I do treat for. Cynthia I am trying to just breathe and take one day at a time i am so hung up on her pcv dropping it has just ruined my day. I ate everything in site today due to stress and Monday after her diagnosis I could not eat at all. I am reaking havoc on my intestinal track I am sure. Will keep you posted. :) Amy

amy txgoldenhorse@yahoo.com

Amy, We are hoping the best for Molly, I loved your tribute to her...I too felt that way once about tiggs, he was a pain in the butt puppy for a long time. Now I can't bear the thought of losing him. Patrice is really knowledgeable, I say ask the vet about the tick thing anyways! Also, remember, the PCV will almost always go down before it goes up. Tiggs was a 10 when dx, and then began the yo-yo-ing post transfusion. It will 'buy you time' but that is exactly what these dogs need...a little time for their system to react to the meds. Most vets won't do another transfusion unless the PCV drops quite low, I can't remember what our vet said, but it was something like 13 or something. I've also heard good things about the Oxyglobin, or whatever the synthetic blood is...it gets the oxygen they need to the cells without a chance of reaction. Maybe others can comment on that. On Joannes' site, it can be so encouraging to read the success stories...so many dogs seem like they are at death's door, only to turn it around at the eleventh hour. The hard part is that a lot of vets don't treat aggressively enough, or have a lot of experience with the disease to know how far they can push it. None of us wants to watch our babies suffer, but if their is a sliver of hope, we have to try. Our thoughts are with you, please keep us all posted! melissa and tiggs

melissa slc

Wow thanks you have given me some hope and maybe I can sleep 2nite. Thank you Melissa. :) Amy

amy txgoldenhorse@yahoo.com

Amy, I know it's possible that you haven't seen any ticks. Keep in mind that even ones the size of the period on this sentence can transmit a tick disease. You might never have seen one this small. I am on a tick discussion group and we have new members coming in all the time that are shocked to discover that their dog has picked up a tick disease without their knowledge. Also, the particular tick disease I have in mind has many stages that can last many months. It is possible to have a tick transmit a disease and not see the full-blown results of the disease for many months. This is just one small diagnostic tool out of many your vet can use to rule out causes. Tick diseases are treatable with high dose, long term doxycycline. When I was searching for an answer for my dog Chance, I was praying that he didn't have AIHA but a tick disease, because I knew how relatively easy it would be to treat him for the tick disease and how hard it would be to treat him for AIHA. I remember how stressful the first few weeks were. It can be very difficult to function when your world seems to be falling apart. I decided that if I was going to save Chance's life, I had to put my own feelings aside and focus totally on getting him well. I thought to myself, "if he gets better I will wait until then, and then I will allow myself to cry about this." When he was finally on his way to recovery, I didn't feel the need to cry anymore. But I did finally take a night off and go to a concert! my best, patrice

Patrice NYS

I hope and pray that Molly shows signs of improvement soon. It does take a few weeks for the medicine to being doing its job and that is why buying more time could definitely be worth it. Please keep us posted. Cheryl & Ginger

Cheryl & Ginger Pineville PA

Amy, I am so sorry to hear about Molly, praying for an improvement. As Patrice suggested I would do a tick panel and a full one at that. I had one done on My Wylie and she tested positive for Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever which we do not have where I live and my vet was shocked. So do not rule out tick disease and they are very easy to do. Have both an inhouse one done and a comprehensive one that is sent out. Laurie

Laurie CA

OK I will take the advice, thank you! Since you all really seem to know the best course of action. I called my vet earlier to find out blood count today( but he is not in until 1) and ask about additional meds other than the pred. I know he said yesterday she was on Vitamin K just in case it was rat poison. I am not sure if he is doing the cyclosporine or azithropene but I will ask. He did say he was NOT going to try and treat the bacteria right now since her blood is the issue...does that sound right? Also, should I request a Coombs(SP) test? I don't remember him saying they did that and isn't that what they do to determine the AIHA? TIA!! AMY

Amy txgoldenhorse@yahoo.com

Hi Amy, the Coombs test can frequently indicate negative for AIHA/IMHA. Tiggs' was negative, though he was still dx with IMHA. There are other indicators, and I forget what they are, but I know autoaglutination (when the blood bubbles on the slide when saline is added) and marked spherocytes (weird shape blood cells) are indicators. Patrice or Joanne probably know the other ones. Most treatment courses start with Pred, but at our initial dx, my vet started Tiggs on Azathiaprine as well as Pred, as this drug takes longer to work, but often has less side effects (though it is very, very hard on the liver). Many people eventually do the liver cleansing diet to help with this, but in the initial crisis, what is important is trying to help your dog eat at all. Hills A/D is a high caloric easy to digest food we gave Tiggs for a couple of weeks. You can also try boiled chicken and white rice. Many dogs are very nauseous, and vomit a lot. You can ask about some nausea meds to help keep needed calories in. Also, many vets will add a low dose of aspirin, as many dogs perish as a result of blood clotting during the initial crisis. The blood is very thick and agglutinated initially. Most vets believe that you shouldn't give Pred and an aspirin together, but in the case of AIHA it can save their live, and the dose should be small. Others may have more advice here. Tiggs was on an antibiotic at diagnosis, I can't remember which one, but because they are essentially squashing the immune system, it's important to keep infection from brewing. If a Tick disease is suspected, then Doxycylcline is the antibiotic of choice. Good luck with everything, a second opinion never hurts either, your vet needs to be willing to try aggressive tx to help Molly turn the corner. thinking of you, melissa and tiggs

melissa slc

Thanks everyone for you advice. You all have been so good for me!! I spoke to my vet today and he gave me hope! He said her pcv is now at 17 but she ate for the first time since Friday and he thinks she may be turning the corner. I asked all the questions today since I knew nothing( and not much still) until a few days ago and have been trying to learn what to do for my girl. He has her on the good high dose of pred. and on the aziathiprine as well as a stomach pill for her tummy. Along with some antibiotics...can't remember which....and an iv drip. She looked really good today(may just me being hopeful) and actually tried to jump out of her top floor kennel when I opened it to hold her. The vet told me she was not out of the woods by far but not to give up hope yet either so I can only think he is doing all he can to save her. He seems REALLY good and knowledgable and hopeful. I have not used this clinic long but am so happy it is local and the vets seem to know what they are doing and almost as importantly seem to really love the animals and respect their lives. I will ask about the aspirin and see what doc says. I may have my girl home for the weekend! Guess that means ALL of my plans are cancelled to be with her but I can say the thought of havingher home thrills me! I even told my principal that I may have to take a week or so of personal days to nurse my dog if she needed me. I know they think I am nuts but who cares, it is my days to take. Hopeful but trying hard not to be too hopeful here in Texas. :) Amy

amy txgoldenhorse@yahoo.com

Amy, That is some pretty good news! Yes it is early but rejoice in every positive sign and I hope you get to enjoy having your baby home this weekend. Penny

Penny Lytle Creek Calif

Amy -- thanks for letting us know that Amy showed improvement today. I will keep you, Molly, and your son in my prayers. Come on, Molly!

Brenda VA

OK she ate a little yesterday and today the vet said she was drinking AND eating. ANd she peed and pooped....that is good right??? Her pvc is holding at 17. She is always happy to see us but I can tell when I am petting her that her tummy is upset as she keeps kinda making a burping noise. He is testing her again in the am and MAYBE I can nring her home. :)

amy txgoldenhorse@yahoo.com

My dog also had hemorrhages in his eyes - first very serious in one eye, then a little in the other eye, and in a few days this cleared up in both eyes. Neither three local vets nor an Internal Medicine specialist felt that this was important, and they weren't able to give me any explanation for this. I questioned a tick borne disease, specifically Ehrlichiosis, but none of the vets took my concern seriously and they didn't test my dog for Ehrlichiosis or other tick borne diseases. I wondered if you found out what caused this in your dog, and how your dog is doing. Sue

Sue PA

Hello Sue, I don't know he suggested that a bacterial infection trigged the AIHA and anemia/hemorraghes possibly. She had lots of bacteria in her blood when he looked at it. He did a full screening for tick disease and said it was negative. Molly came home today and is almost herself. She went outside and peed twice and even had a bm. She is eating everything I am giving her but I am limiting it. She still can not jump on on the couch and does seem tired. I am hoping she will continue to improve and am taking her back to the vet on Monday or Tuesday for a blood check. The vet seems pretty unconcerned that her number is 17 and has been for about 3 days. I guess holding is good compared to dropping. :)

amy txgoldenhorse@yahoo.com

Bacteria is a possible cause of anemia. That's very good that he screened for tick diseases. You are narrowing things down now. The more you know, the easier the treatment will be. Other causes that Dr. Dodds mentions: "neoplasms (tumors), exposure to certain medications, recent vaccines (w/in last 3- 45 days), Sertoli cell tumor, lymphoma. Other conditions: Hypothyroidism, especially autoimmune thyroiditis; Cushing’s disease; Addison’s disease; diabetes; any other recent illness or surgery or stress event including sudden change in temperature?" It can take several (as many as 3-4) days for the baby blood cells made in the marrow to mature and be counted as red blood cells. You may see improvement soon if she is regenerating her blood properly. my best patrice

Patrice NYS

This thread was discussed between 10/12/2008 and 14/12/2008

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