Canine Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (AIHA & IMHA) - New here and worried

Hi - I found this site as I was searching for info on my dog Bella's diagnosis. When we took her in to the vet on Wednesday, her blood count was 7. The Dr. was surprised she was able to walk and told me that she was dying. She put her on 60mg of Prednisone and Doxycycline while we await the results of the Rocky Mountain blood test (to rule out tick related trigger). She said the only other treatment is blood tranfusions but the prognosis (50/50) would be the same so she didnt really stress getting one. She did not seem optimistic of my dog's survival. However, Bella has definetly perked up since then. She is eating and is able to walk up and down the stairs without a problem - she just overall has more energy. She still has no color to her gums, ears or tongue though so I am cautiously optimistic. We are going back to the vet today for a Reticulyte (not sure of spelling) test. I see on here that many of you had success with blood transfusions. Would you suggest that I get one for Bella? I will talk to the vet about it more today... Thanks for listening! Tracy

Tracy New Jersey

first thing i would suggest is changing vets and going to a specialist... it is extremely important that you have someone in that position that has a can-do attitude and believe that things will improve. if she/he is being pessimistic in any fashion then it is time to change to someone who has far more experience dealing with these things. im not saying its an easy disease to deal with, but for your vet to 'suggest' that you dont even bother with a blood transfusion is downright ABSURD, esp if your pup is acting ok from the outside. my dog Sway has lived with a PCV count of between 16-28% for the last 13 months, and many dogs recover fully in time. good luck with Bella

josh california

Tracy, I am so very sorry to hear that your most beloved Bella has recently been diagnosed with AIHA. While AIHA/IMHA is very difficult disease, dogs who have been diagnosed with it CAN and DO survive and go on to live happy healthy lives. If you have not read my Web site on AIHA/IMHA as yet: http://www.cloudnet.com/~jdickson/ I would urge you to do so when you can. Be sure to follow the links on the first page to many other sites on AIHA/IMHA that will be very helpful to you and do read the SUCCESS STORIES pages. They will show you what has worked for other dogs in terms of treatment options as well as give you a lot of HOPE. If your vet says that prednsione and blood transfusions are the only options available for the treatment of AIHA/IMHA he/she is not up to speed on the disease. While prednisone is the cornerstone of treatment for AIHA/IMHA and blood transfusions can "buy time" until the meds start to kick in, there are many other treatment options available including Azathioprine (sold under the brand name Imuran), Cyclosporine (sold under differnet brand and generic names) as well as IVGG (human immuglobin). You can find out more about these treatment options on the TREATMENT page of my Web site. This page also has links to sites which contain more info on these treatment options. With a PCV of 7, it is imperative that Bella have a blood transfusion to buy her the time she needs until the prednsione(prednisone takes 5-7 days to start to work and during that time the PCV can continue to drop, at a PCV of 7 you have very little space to drop) and other meds that could be added do start to work. Most vets will give blood transfusions when the PCV reaches the mid to low teens. It would be very wise for you to get another opionion for a veterinary internal medicine specialist or at the very least have your vet consult with such a specialist on Bella's behalf. Dogs can and do survive AIHA/IMHA but to do so it is IMPERATIVE that the be treated very agresssively by a vet who has a lot of knoweledge and experience with th disease. I will be keeping both you and Bella in my thougths and prayers.

Joanne MN

Sorry that you have had to come find us, but glad that you did. I second what both Joanne & Josh say. It's usually not an either/or situation with this disorder. Often it is a combination of many things. I believe that both a blood transfusion and starting cyclosporine are what saved my dog's life. (She did not respond well to the prednisone). And she is still here more than 5 years later (she is still on medication, but many dogs are able to be sucessfully weaned of meds). Please go onto Joanne's site and read some of the success stories, they will give you hope and also show you some of the various treatments that have been used. I know when I was going through this roller coaster in the first several months, the success stories gave me a lot of hope for my girl, Sierra. Thinking good thoughts for your Bella.

Ronda So Cal

Tracy -- Josh and Joanne and Ronda have given you the best advice. Your Bella needs to a vet who knows IMHA and is positive. Fighting this disease is hard enough -- if you have handicaps such as an inexperienced/unknowledgable vet and a pessimistic vet, the challenge is even more formidable. I don't know where you are in New Jersey, but my understanding is that Oradell Animal Hospital in northern New Jersey is a top notch facility. You can also go to the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine website (www.acvim.org) to find an internal medicine vet near to you. Best wishes to you and Bella. I'll keep you in my prayers.

Brenda VA

Tracy, I am sorry you are gaving to deal with this while having such a negative Vet. It is not an easy fight by any means but the battle can be won. You need to get Bella to someone that believes that too. Keep us posted and know that everyone here has been where you are and will answer just about any question you may have. Penny

Penny Lytle Creek Calif

Tracy - First of all, Bella has the number one thing that she will need if she is going to have the chance to survive this unbelievably difficult disease - she has you, an owner who is willing to be her best friend and advocate in spite of others who are saying that the battle is already lost. With you in her corner her options and her chances and her odds have all taken a definite turn in the right direction. My dog Barkley and I have been confronting this unthinkable disease since the middle of June and are currently working with four and possibly five veterinarians who have all joined our team to try to make this a winning rather than losing experience. He just had his 5th transfusion today and everyone involved is now truly invested in him and his outcome. One other veterinary resident who was involved in his case early on gave me the similar "face facts, no false hope" speech that it seems you have received but when I looked in Barkley's eyes and furry face I found the strenghth and the courage to not be angry at the vet - he had shared a story of feeling terrible himself when he had encouraged an owner and then their dog did not survive - but to remember that the moment we open our hearts to love another we also open our hearts to eventual loss. Whenever that may be we can either make the choice to love fully while we can and then understand our pain as the mirror reflection of that love when the time of loss comes...but not bring about that time before life does, by protecting our emotions by keeping away "false hope" and "facing facts". The moments I am being given with Barkley...begging him to eat, cleaning up his accidents, driving him to yet another vet visit,...and then those golden moments after another transfusion of watching him role in the grass or play again for a few moments with one of his toys...or even just watching him still breathing while he sleeps...those moments are what life is all about to me...not false hope. They may or may not mean later moments and a future...but they are each precious in their own right. And they let me leave behind the vet who was afraid to risk the vulnerability of giving "false hope" again and turn to those who are still willing to fight for his eyes and his furry face. You are not wrong to do the same for Bella. I concur with the others...do those transfusions with wisdom but do them...and enjoy your moments. I also learned about Dr. Jean Dodds through this website and she is one of Barkley's team members, even though we live in Oregon and she is in southern California. Hearts and commitments don't have to have geographic limits in this technological age. You are fighting the good fight...and I am sure that Bella knows that when she looks in your eyes... Warm best wishes and thoughts of healing to you both. Barkley and Cheryl

Cheryl Medford

I can only repeat what the others are saying. With treatment our pets may be able to survive this. We are managing this everyday...and Trooper looks fine to everyone (but I know). We have an internist. You can find them on the VET websites...Internal Medicine trained has worked for us.

Chris Connecticut

My Border Collie was just diagnosed with ITP which within 2 days also turned into Hemolytic Anemia, She has had a blood transfusion and is on 40 mg of prednisone and 50 mg of Azathioprine...is there anything else dietary wise or natural remedies that can also help the process. I have been feeding her liver and chicken and lean hamburger to keep her iron, protein and b12 vitamin up. I have also been give her 2 vitamin supplements with meals. She is 9 and I feel she wants to fight this but is very weak due to severe blood loss before the transfusion. Any help would be greatly apprecaited!

Pam milwaukee

Tracy, I agree with Josh and everyone else about getting Bella to an internal medicine specialist and someone who knows about this disease. My dog Spencer was given a 50/50 chance as well and he is just over a 3 year survivor.. don't give up hope!! Spencer's story is on Joanne's page in May 2007. Transfusions can be lifesavers to buy time for the meds to start working. My thoughts and prayers are with you and Bella. Kim and Spencer

Kim Ny

I would also like to add that the vet I originally saw suggested euthansia at the very start of Sierra's battle. And this was before her anemia was lifethreatening, though her platelets were at that time, only 16 thousand. Declining her suggestion was one of the the best decisions I ever made. Sierra is the April 2005 Meisha's Hope success story and is still here today.

Ronda So Cal

Hello.... I'm so sorry about your dog. I just wanted to let you know that my dog has suffered a same disease, and her lowest pcv was at13. Doctor recommended blood transfusion at pcv of 13, and she received 2 transfusions within 3~5 days until the drugs started to kick in. You really need a vet that's more optimistic and who can give your dog an aggressive treatment when needed. PCV of 7 is very low, and almost all vets will recommend blood transfusion. It will help your dog until she can build and maintain her own blood cells. Hope you get a second opinion about Bella's conditions, and please don't lose hope. My dog's pcv is at around 45 right now, and it's been pretty steady for over a month. This is a horrible disease, but can be cured. Wish you and Bella the best.

Ellen Rockville

This thread was discussed between 01/08/2008 and 03/08/2008

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