Canine Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (AIHA & IMHA) - Newly diagnosed, questions, please

Ok, my BC, Rain, was diagnosed just this past March with AIHA. We did the usual, blood transfusions, steroids, antibiotics, etc. Anyway, she seems to have relasped already. Fine and playful one day, staggering and white-gummed the next. We are upping her steroids again, but I have some concerns about side effects. March, while at the vet, my normally sweet dog attempted to bite 3 different people. I chalked it up to not feeling well - I'm a lousy patient, too. Once she started feeling better, I allowed her to tinker with the ducks and chickens again. She savagely attacked one of the birds that she previously worked well. Today, I noticed that when I snuggled with her, instead of her little bitty kisses, she attempted to nip my face. She didn't seems aggressive, just odd. She kissed a bit, than nipped and went back to snuggling. Do steroids in dogs cause temper tantrums or something similar. Is this a 'roid rage of sorts. Should I worry about my kids? I will continue to treat her, just micromanage her a bit better. I would just like to know if this is a symptom or a side effect. Thanks! Also, how soon after vaccines would AIHA manifest? She was vaccinated last June, than March she looked like a walking corpse. Just wondering if there was a connection. Nothing else was different in management. BTW, she's two years old (and spayed.) Thanks again.

Lisa Texas

Hi Lisa, I am sorry to hear that Rain has "relapsed".You said in your post that she " seems to have relapsed." Has she been back to the vet to confirm a relapse via blood test? If it is indeed a relapse it is important to catch it early. When my boy had a relapse, he went back into a remission much quicker than when he was first diagnosed. The prednisone did indeed make my boy Jacob a bit more snippy. If your girl is normally easy going it could be the prednisone. But there are other causes of sudden aggression such as perhaps pain. It sounds like she really needs to be checked out by the vet to try and get to the bottom of what is going on. Please keep us posted as time permits. Teresa

Teresa va

Yes, she has relapsed. Actually, I took her to the vet to have her PTS since I was told there really wasn't anything I could do. PCV of 24%, last time, it was 13%. I found this board and I am going to try to help her as best I can. She is not as badly off this time as last. I think it's because I now know what to look for. Next time, I should catch it even faster. I now realize that she 'told' me several days ago that something wasn't right. I will definatly notice these tiny little changes sooner in future. Either way, I will restart the steroids as soon as I get home from work. I also changed her diet since the last episode. I have placed her on a more 'natural' diet and put her on a much better premium kibble with RAW food being added. I have an order in for a top quality dehydrated food and will switch her (and all my dogs) to it and RAW food. I have noticed a difference in every one else already. I am hoping it'll bring her back. She is eating now, she wasn't last time. So, fingers crossed and prayers being said. I was reading through some of the other posts, where can I get her a St. Francis medal? I am willing to try most anything. :) BTW, is it 'normal' to go from playing and being silly one day to almost collapsing the next? It seems to hit her hard and fast. Thanks!

Lisa Texas

Lisa, I believe the vaccine reaction time frame is 4-6 weeks, it may extend as far as 2-months post-vaccination. If you want anything more specific than this, I would suggest contacting Dr Jean Dodds at www.hemopet.org Best, Ella Henri, West Highland White Terrier, 19-months old, 02/26/09 diagnosed at 5-months of age with vaccine-induced IMHA, stopped IMHA meds 06/21/10.

Ella Seattle

Lisa, the pred can cause LOTS of side effects! It's possible she may be nervous now and on edge. Can you imagine how misserable this disease probably makes them feel! I can't help but wonder if something might be bothering her. Do you know if she is in pain anywhere? Do a complete feel over applying slight pressure to see if she flinches when touched in certain areas. Pay close attention to the abdomin area! Did they ever do ultrasounds and/or xrays? I'd recommend so if they didn't. Could be something internal bugging or hurting her. Perhaps you can brew some camomile tea really strong and give it to her when it cools. You'll have to syringe it into her mouth but this works really well for calming and relaxing them. I DO NOT think this is vaccine induced. The time frame just doesn't fit. I'd recommend you wrack your brain to try and figure out the trigger. If you can find the trigger then that makes treatment all the more easier. Chicken poop maybe??? Toxins, poisons, onions, grapes, fertilizers/pesticides, household cleaners, FEBREEZE (I think this is what caused my Tessy's but not overly sure), flea/tick/heartworm meds, etc. I'd also pay close attention to the CBC numbers BEFORE doing med reductions. What dose of pred is she taking and what's her weight? You HAVE TO properly suppress the immune system to stop the attack on itself. If not you'll be back to where you started! Ask for and get copies of ALL bloodwork. That way you can post them here for us to look at (if you'd like). With regards to food....DO NOT FEED A RAW DIET WHILE THE IMMUNE SYSTEM IS COMPROMISED!!!! Not a good idea at all! Most specialists can concur with this! A good quality grain free, corn free kibble would be best and even somehting a little lower in fat would be best for now. Lots of us here home cook for them while they're sick and use Dr. Dodds' liver cleansing diet. This helps to protect the liver from damage to the drugs! Do you know her recent liver enzyme values? Could it be possible she's got liver damage occurring? This can cause chemicals to shunt to the brain and cause neurological changes ... a reason for hte nipping??? St. Francis medal????? Never heard of it!!! Hopefully someone else here has and can enlighten me. You should keep her calm and rested until she gets better. YES this disease can strike REALLY FAST. One day normal the next really sick! If you have any questions or concerns by all means just ask. Did you check out Joannes site yet? There's a wealth of knowledge there... www.cloudnet.com/~jdickson/treatment.htm Keep us posted on how she's doing. My thoughts and prayers are with her. Johnny & Tessy

Johnny

Lisa, Has Rain's thyroid been checked? I know that low thyroid can cause changes in temperament in dogs. Many AIHA dogs are hypothyroid and i would look into that for sureI agree with Johnny, a raw diet is not good right now. Just imagine when you are sick, you would not want to eat a steak, but a rather bland diet. Johnny, St. Francis is the patron saint of animals. I have been to Assisi, where he lived. It is a magical place. Lots of Vendors there sell medallions with his image. There are a few people on this list, that deserve a medal for sure! You and Patrice for one thing!!! Best wishes, Brigitte

Brigitte BC Canada

Lisa: Just wondering - you said that you were going to restart the steroids. Was Rain already off steroids? Her relapse may very well have occurred because she was weaned off them too soon. When our GSD/Cocker Spaniel mix was diagnosed in April 2008 she wasn't weaned from the pred until September 2008. And she was finally weaned from the Atopica in December 2008. Please post what Rain weighs, what meds she is currently taking and what the dosages are. This will help us help you. As for nipping - it could be a result of the meds. Many dogs exhibit different side effects. As for obtaining a St. Francis medal - try a religious bookstore if you have one near you. They may have one. Or, you should be able to find a reputable dealer online. Just search "St. Francis medals for dogs". Rita, Mike and Sheba

Rita IA

Rain weighs 31 pounds, she is back on pred 10 mg twice daily. I feed her raw meaty bones, well, I offer them, she is refusing all food again because I can't get her to eat kibble. She is even refusing baby food. She will nibble at beef. At this point, if she will eat anything at all, I would feel better. As far as painful spots, she is extremly stoic. I did feel a rather 'full' abdomen. I am going to call the vet in the am about a possible x-ray. I am hoping it's not her spleen. As far as timing of the disease issue, I am wondering if this has been undiagnosed for a very long time. Brief history. I looked at her as a pup when she was 3 1/2 months old. She was a friendly, outgoing wriggly (normal) puppy. I waited 2 weeks to see if 1. I really, really wanted her, and 2. to schedule time off work to spend with her. Anyway, when I picked her up, she was covered in fleas, ticks and sarcoptic mange. She was also no where near the friendly, outgoing dog she was. So, at 4 months old, she was getting dipped, vaccinated, wormed, etc all at once. She has been shy and 'off' ever since. Never a truely healthy dog. Dry, flakey skin, always skinney, etc About a year ago, we started the RAW diet, she gained weight, her hair grew in thicker, and strangly enough, she became friendly and outgoing again. I have a hard time thinking RAW is bab for her. BTW, I raise a lot of her food myself, a friend raises some of it, too (I raise chickens and quail- no meds/chemicals, etc. Friend raises goats - again, no chemicals) So, healthy home raised food that even my children and I eat. Right now, Rain won't even eat that. I work in a lab and run periodic blood work on the dogs, her liver has always been normal. And, no, I did not do bloodwork on her this time because I honestly thought I was going to just have her PTS. I thought I would try again after finding you all here. The vet did reiterate again last Friday that she is in really bad shape and to be prepared. I can tell she's really bad off if she's refusing food of all types. With her swollen belly, I wonder if I am just being cruel and selfish at this point.

Lisa Texas

That to me doesn't sound like near an adequate amuont of pred to properly suppress her immune system. Probably enough to slow the destruction down *some* and make the crit rise but not stop it completely. I know you have to worry about side effects of the drugs but this is a necessary evil in this case. First thing is to get the destruction stopped. To do this you'll have to have full blood work done to determine how well the med is working. How big an issue is money to you? Perhaps you could consider cyclosporine as an added drug now. Dry flakey skin and always skinny? Have you ever tested her thyroid? Sounds like common symptoms! Insist on them adding a small dose of thyroid supplement daily for her. Start at 0.1mg for every 10pounds of weight. THIS IS TOTALLY SAFE and WILL help!!! Raw diet! Actually I've heard absolutely nothing but good things about feeding a raw diet and the benefits from doing so. I also know of several other sich dogs with AIHA that used to eat an all raw diet and their owner switched to a cooked diet just until the sickness was beat. Too much room for infection and whatnot from hte raw food...regardless the quality! Almost every specialist will say the same thing! Even most holistic vets will concur! You can get really creative with trying different foods. For Tessy scrambled eggs, boiled liver or beef heart, lean roast beef, boiled chicken, rice, beeens, squash, etc were all big hits for her!!! Try anything to get her eating! This is so important right now! You could ask the vet for mirtazapine. This is actually an antidepressant but works really well for appetite. I haven't used it before but others here have. Perhaps they can chime in on this. Very good idea though to help a dog get the appetite back!!! Another thing you can try in Slippery Elm Cocktail. Could be upset stomach/nausea. this will help settle the stomach...fairly cheap to make also. If interested let me know and I'll send you the recipe. A swollen Belly!!!! If everyone who's dog had a swollen belly was put to sleep there wouldn't be too many survivors here!! Tessy's is still big and was for the past 1.5 years! This is a pred side effect! Don't overly worry about this for now. And DO NOT put her to sleep. I've seen dogs much worse than this pull through and make it. Just takes a little work and know how on your part. If I were you the first thing I'd do is get a full blood panel done. It's just so important to know where the numbers stand. You say you work in a lab....can you get full panels done there? Could be an excellent way to save on money! I'm always here if you need someone to lean on or offer advise. I've been in your situation and thanks to the people here Tessy's still with me!!! :) Feel free to ask whatever you want or if you'd like you can even contact me personally. My thoughts and prayers are with you both. Johnny & Tessy

Johnny

This thread was discussed between 04/07/2010 and 05/07/2010

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