Canine Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (AIHA & IMHA) - Our Dog has AIHA

Hello. Our 4yrs old Jack Russell mix dog, Milo was diagnosed AIHA last week. He had only 10% HCT, and he got blood transfusions doen on 1/6. His PCV was up to 19 when we left the vet on 1/18. However, it went down to 13% on 1/10 and still was 13% on 1/12. He drinks and eats okay (I cook his meal - beef ground meat, steak or liver with little bit of green veggies and cooked rice), he goes to bathroom okay too. But the vet has no idea what causes this and why he cant keep PCV increese. I am taking him to another blood test and see different vet for another oppinions. He has been laying around and sleeping most of the day like last 3 weeks.... We just hope someone can point out what the problem is and he gets better soon...

Meg

I am so sorry to read that Milo has been diagnosed with AIHA. Please go to Joanne's site and read the treatment protocol and the success stories, they will give you hope http://www.cloudnet.com/~jdickson/index.html You have found a great place of support. Cheryl & Ginger

Cheryl & Ginger Pineville PA

Cheryl & Ginger, Thank you. I am sorry too.. I'm simply upset that noone seems to know whats wrong with him.... and the meds he is on seems not working fast enough! I know it will take time to kick in.... but I just can't see him like this any longer.. it makes my heart ache... He has been on since 1/10 : Prednisolone 5mg x2 twice a day Mycophenolate - 0.75ml twice a day Doxycycline - 100mg twice a day 50mg once a day Amoxicillin 250mg twice a day I misread doses of Predisolone, and I gave him 5mg twice a day, not 10mg... I don't know if it makes a big difference... Thank you for the link, I have been reading the articles on the site... it sure does give me hope.....:) Meg

Meg

How much does Milo weigh? Most vets will and another drug besides the pred. Azathioprine, sold under the brand name Imuran may be added or Cyclosporine. Please ask you vet about adding one or both of these drugs. I do think it does make a difference in giving him the correct dosage of pred. and just make sure you do from this point forward, the drugs do take a few weeks to work. Try to order some pet-tinic on line, I just ordered some on amazon.com for $10.40 a bottle. Others here will give you excellent advice too, just learn all you can and be Milo's voice. keeping Milo in my prayers. Cheryl & Ginger

Cheryl & Ginger Pineville PA

Milo is 26.5lbs at the moment. Okay.. it takes that long the meds start working.... we hope he will get better in the end. That's only we hope, nothing more... I have another appointment tomorrow for blood test (PCV) and I was going to ask about Azathioprine. I already wrote up on "questions" list. I have seen the name "Pet-Tinic" on another websites.... I will ask if our vet carries it. If not, I will order online tomorrow. Thank you so much for your advice... it is very helpful!! Meg

Meg

I am sorry you are going through this. It seems both our dogs had the transfusions around the same time. Lucky's was at 20% Tuesday and now it's down to 14% today. (posted a update in my thread) I understand how you feel. It's very stressing. I hope Milo the best. Hang in there. Jerry

Jerry

Jerry, I just posted in your thread.. sorry about your Lucky... we thought blood transfusion would fix everything and he would be normal himself... we didn't think it would be up and down like now.. It is very stressful and I can not sleep at night - wake up alot making sure if he is breathing.... Between work, kids activities and vet appointment, I am running around everyday... and I am exhusted emotionally & physically.. Thank you, and same to you too. Lucky will be in my thoughts & prayers..

Meg

I made an appointment with different vet for tomorrow morning to see if I can get different oppinions about Milo's condition.... While I was gathering all the information and making the question list... this med came across: Cephalexin It's said that one of the rare side effect is anemia. Milo was on this for a week from 11/9-11/15. Do you all think it could be this that triggerd him being anemic???? I am taking all the pills with me tomorrow.....

Meg

Please take the suggestions here and visit the Meisha's Hope website to learn more about what is happening to Milo.http://www.cloudnet.com/~jdickson/index.html Second, I recommend you e-mail Dr. Jean Dodds - hemopet@hotmail.com She is an expert on this and gracious with her time to help your local vets with treatment advice. I wish I had done so sooner in the course of Juliet's illness. I am not a vet, but have just gone through this and lost my dog. If you can afford cyclosporine, the most aggressive way to treat this awful disease,and your vet agrees, use it. Waiting for some of the other drugs to kick in may put Milo behind the curve. Has Milo had a vaccination in the last few months? Sometimes these can trigger IMHA/AIHA. All the best to you and Milo. I hope you will find successful treatment for your beloved dog. Pat

Pat Vermont

Meg, Thank you for your condolences. Much appreciated. There are many on this board who are far more knowledgeable than I. Everyone here will be a great help and comfort to you. Good Luck with Milo!

Pat Vermont

Hi Meg! Sorry you had to seek out this group but take comfort in knowing you found a wonderfull group of folks here that offer advise and support. you're not alone in this battle! Cephalexin ... it's been some time since Milo's been on this so I can't see this being the trigger...but there's still a remote chance it might be! 50mg of what once daily??? Couple of things for you to do... a)Milk thislte (get the powder if you can) b)Pet Tinic (you may have to order it online but call around...you might find it) c)stomach protectant (either sucralfate, pepcid or prilocek is good choices) d)Thyroid test ...have them check the thyroid OR as others have mentioned, if you can afford to send blood to Dr. Dodds in California then even better! e)MAKE SURE Milo does not miss a single med dose! Important!!! f)lots of rest and fresh water...be prepared for frequent potty breaks g)GET COPIES OF ALL TESTS done so far. Find out the retic counts (baby red blood cells). By having copies of each visit you can answer our questions more easily! Where are you located? My thoughts and prayers are with you and Milo. Johnny & Tessy

Johnny

Pat ~ Thank you for your advice. Yes, I have e-mailed to Dr. Dodds and I am waiting for her e-mail back. cyclosporine is on my "question" list and I will ask my vet about it tomorrow. Johnny ~ I'm sorry! There are 2 different Doxycycline he is on... capsules and pills. Thank you for the list I should do(get)! I will ask my vet about #1-#3 if I can get there or tell me where I can find. I asked about thyroid but my vet deosn't think that is the problem. so no we haven't done the test yet. I only have one copy of the test -which is done on 1/5. That's it. After that, he only had PCV test and they told me what % was. I don't belive he had the retic counts test..... I will ask the vet about it tomorrow. My "question" list is getting bigger and bigger!!! We are living in Pennsylvania. Thank you for all your help and support! We sure need them. Thank you!

Meg

Meg, I am glad you are getting Dr. Dodds involved! I am a big fan of hers. She observes the Jewish Sabbath, so you will probably not hear from her until Sunday. I am also a big proponent of checking the thyroid. Because of advice from this board I insisted on having my dog checked. It was good my vet was listening, because he was low and a small amount of supplementation made a big difference in his recovery. I think the prednisone dose is on the low side and I am glad you are getting a second opinion tomorrow, hopefully this vet has more experience. Best wishes, Brigitte & the poodle boys

Brigitte BC Canada

Brigitte ~ I am concerned Milo's thyroid more and more after I am reading the posts about it. Since we haven't checked it yet, there might be the problem there... you just dont know until check it... I don't think the vet I go to doesn't have many experince dealing with AIHA, but they are very thoughtful and helpful... they would answer every question I have without acting "annoyed". Dr. Dodds replied me a few minutes ago but she said she was ill atm but promised me she would get back to me within this weekend... How sweet is she? She replied even she was sick..... Thank you.. I need wishes and prayers now as much as i can get.. thank you.

Meg

Meg, just wanted to pop in and lend you my support and prayers. Summer god her diagnoses on December 23. We have already been through so much. She has had a blood transfusion and is on heavy doses of meds.I too have had sleepless nights just listening to her breathe. But the wonderful folks here have been so supportive, listen to them. Make sure you take care of you so you can help Milo. Summer has to urinate several times during the night, it is tough. But she is my heart so anything I can do is worth it! Carrie and Summer

Carrie Donnelly

Good Morning! Carrie ~ Thank you. It's been only a week after Milo was diagnosed as AIHA.. and I already exhousted... I don't know what I am gonna do after my college classes starts next week... I am already running around like a headless chicken... between work, kids activities, and Milo's vet appointments. We rescued him from the local shelter in the end of May... our other dog passed away with cancer around the time and he helped us to heal the emptyness... alot.. now our turn to heal him, at least make him comfortable as much as we can... I am so sorry your Summer has the same nasty disease like Milo... I sure pray for her completly recovery....Yes indeed. People on here are very helpful and supportive. I just found this site yesterday and look how many responces I got? I am very grateful.

Meg

Meg, I am so sorry you have had to join us but glad that you found your way here. This is an exhausting journey for everyone so remember to take care of yourself too. I am glad you have a Vet that is open to your input and hope that they research this more or refer you to someone who is well versed on treatment. Keeping you all in my thoughts and prayers

Penny Lytle Creek Calif

Penny, Thank you. One of docs at the vet lost her dog for this disease. She said her dog was older and also had cancer too so she passed away in the end... So she is very aware of what it might happen. Today Milo is not doing so well. Maybe too much running today - 2 vets apppointments... too much excitment for him... he sits funny now, I think he doesn't have enough strength to sit up. His back legs look like flat when he sits up.. He ate and drunk good and went bathroom fine tho. I keep praying for miracle... that he will get better soon...

Meg

It is normal for dogs to be lethargic and the Prednisone does cause muscle wasting. It was a huge celebration in our house when Millie could jump up on the couch next to us again! Can you let us know Milo's reticulocyte count? This will tell you if he has regenerative or non regenerative anemia. This is important in terms of treatment and prognosis. Do not give up hope. It is a GREAT sign that Milo is eating well. Hang in there, dogs DO survive this disease. Hugs, Sam and Millie.

Samantha Geelong Australia

Dear Meg, I am so sorry to hear about the diagnosis of IMHA of Milo. My cocker spaniel, Gracie was diagnosed on Oct. 13 and it is now three months later and she is still here with me and fighting. I just now got Dr. Dodds on board and I am so glad you are seeking her out early on. This disease is exhausting on us with all of our responsibilities but our fur babies are so worth it. I found I needed to take a few days off from work just to catch up on the regular daily things I needed to do in my life. Keep praying. Miracles DO happen and keep reading the Meisha's Hope success stories. They always get me through the times when Gracie seems to be having a rough day. I wish you, Milo and your family the best. You will be in my prayers. hugs, Gwen and Gracie

Gwen Rhinebeck

Samantha & Gwen Thank you for your kind words and support... His Retic count was 4.2% (40.4 K/ul) on 1/5. I think the vet checks every time when Milo has PCV check but they hasn't told me exact %. I can not tell you if this number is normal or not... Milo seems more tired in morning, when we came back from the chuch at noon, he seemed better than when we left. He follows us around in house and he wants to go outside when my kids go out.

Meg

Hi Meg, So sorry to read about Milo's battle with aiha. Keep in there as many dogs do make it albeit after a long roller coaster ride. I have a Jack Russell Archie, he was diagnosed on the 1st March 2010 at eight months old, at it's lowest his pcv was 10% and there were so many times that I thought we would lose him. Now he is bounding about getting into mischief and even told off at times. It seemed a long time but the thing that gave me the most hope was the support on this site, I know a lot more about aiha nowadays but a fraction compared to the experts on this site particularly Johnny, Patrice and Brigitte amongst many others. Those of us that aren't experts have experienced the pain of watching our beloved dogs fight this so keep popping in to update us as we do worry about others. Take care, Sue and Archie

Sue and Archie Cambs UK

Sue, Hello! Yes, everybody on here are very helpful and suportive...that is what we need right now. As long as there is hope, I will never give up... will fight against this nasty illness with Milo,,, Your experience with Archie sure does give me hope, someday Milo will get better like Archie... Thank you for sharing... Meg & Milo

Meg

a little update... Milo had PCV test today... 1% up from last Saturday.. 14%! and everything else started looking better.... still we can't jump for joy yet, but pray for everything turing around and getting better.....:) Meg & Milo

Meg

That is very encouraging news, and we have our fingers and paws crossed hoping that Milo beat AIHA. Cheryl & Ginger

Cheryl & Ginger Pinevile PA

Meg I was just wondering how Milo is doing? Please give us an update when you have time. Keeping him in our prayers. Cheryl & Ginger

Cheryl & Ginger Pinevile PA

Hi, Cheryl. I'm so sorry for my late responce... my collge classes have started mid of last month and it's been really busy with working, being mom things, housework and college... sorry about that... Milo had been doing so well, his PCV went up to 44 % last week and we were so excited about the result. Today he had another appointment and the PCV went down to 36%, my husband took him and the vet wasn't available at that time, so she didn't really check Milo... so I have to take him again tomorrow and she will review his results and discuss what we can do... He has been eating well, he is now eating dry dog foods. Maybe I should stick with meat and liver.. I don't know what to do now. We thought he was doing good but actually he isn't... I am exhusted with up & down roller coaster ride....Thank you for thinking of us.... Meg & Milo

Meg

Meg, a drop like this is of course a worry. But before you panic I would look at a few things. Was the blood draw done at the same time as usual? Was Milo more stressed at the draw than usual? Was it checked with the same machine or manually? Was Milo dehydrated from diarrhea or throwing up at the last draw? There are so many factors. I am glad you will see the vet tomorrow. I think it would probably be a good idea to do a full CBC and Chem panel. Ideally you would get a pathologist to look at the blood. If there are spherocites (damaged blood cells) present, you would look at a relapse. It sure is a roller coaster ride and a bumpy one on top of it. I think you also have consulted with Dr. Dodds? Why don't you get back to her and ask what might be going on? Has Milo's thyroid ever been checked? (sorry this is my standard question) If you are feeding kibbles, make sure they do NOT contain grains, corn or soy. Only feed the best quality you can afford. I know it is time consuming, but I would still stick with home cooking if you can. Have you added a vitamin and mineral supplement to Milo's food? I hope the vet will be able to give you some answers tomorrow, please keep us posted, Brigitte & the poodle boys

Brigitte BC Canada

WOW.....it went from 14% last you mentioned to 44% then back down to 36%!!! The crit went up fairly quickly and the retic count backs this up! You are still very early into the battle. Is Milo still taking the same dosages of drugs? It's FAR FAR too early to be reducing drugs yet....in case the docs are considering this. When was the last time you had a chemistry panel done? Now might be a good time to have one.....as well as have the thyroid checked! This reading of 36% is a good example of why a CBC would come in handy. By having the CBC you could compare the other numbers to see if they are also declining...rbc and hgb more specifically. Brigitte summed everything up perfectly and if I were you I'd be going beack near the end of the week for another FULL checkup...unless you think Milo is getting worse. There's always the possibility that there's destruction still occuring. The sudden rise in the hematocrit is due to the large retic numbers (meaning the bone marrow is producing lots of new baby blood cells) and once the body realized there was finally no more need to overproduce new blood it stopped...leaving the destruction to continue...probably on a much smaller scale now due to the drugs....unless the drugs were reduced already. This is just one other possible scenario. If it were me...the second I saw that the crit had dropped by 8% I would have asked for FULL bloodwork just so I could compare the other numbers AND I would have also asked them to look at the blood under the microscope to make sure there wasn't destruction occuring by the presence of spherocytes...as Brigitte mentioned above! Keep a good eye on him and remember that he is still very early in the treatment stage. The crit can rise very fast but we still have to treat the primary disease cause it's still there! Keep us posted. Lots of thoughts and prayers for Milo (and you). johnny & Tessy

Johnny

This thread was discussed between 14/01/2011 and 08/02/2011

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