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Canine Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (AIHA & IMHA) - Patrice, et al vet input on Maggie
| Just wanted to follow up on the initial suggestions by follow care givers regarding Maggie's situation. Based on Patrice's, Brigitte's and Sally's feedback, I asked my vet for feedback on the following items: * Relative low dosage of Pred and Aza Maggie weighed in at 87.9 lbs her last visit and she is on 80/milligrams per day. My vet's response was that in consultation with the hematology expert at Colorado State U. veterinary hospital, and that Maggie is not in a crisis situation, that a moderate dosage is better since she will be on it for awhile and to minimize the side effects. * Suggestion to take sucralfate or carafate for the stomach My vet suggested as a preventative that she take 10 mgs of Pepcid with each meal My vet is fine per my suggestion with Maggie taking PetTinic. She also said Maggie does not have liver issues since in her case; the bone marrow is producing plenty of RBCs they are just getting destroyed before being released into the general blood stream. She said that she and the internal medicine specialist could see exactly what the problem is and that while good nutrition is essential to her recovery, that she does not have nutritional absorbtion issues. She says that the fact that Maggie seems to be showing some visual signs including bursts of energy and overall stability are pretty good indicators that her meds are working but we won't know for certain until her CBCs. She wants Maggie to get a CBC two weeks after her med start date but overall she thinks Maggie is doing well. She is happy to provide me with the blood count numbers. Finally, I shared the food that I am giving Maggie - Nature' Variety Prairie kibble, beef liver, Nature's variety raw foods, broccoli, pumpkin, squash... basically this dog eats better than me. She said that her diet sounds excellent. So overall, I feel good about my care for Maggie. BTW, I took Maggie's resting pulse and it was 71. My vet said she is happy with that reading. Overall, it was good to get confirmation that we are on the right track and that my vet was aware of all the insights everyone has brought up. She is very thorough and has a good network of specialists |
| RobertN Superior |
| Robert, Ok, that clears up a lot of things. This is exactly the same condition my dog Chance had, autoimmune destruction of the precursor cells in the bone marrow. In fact, all three lines, red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets are made from these precursor cells. So Chance had a loss not only in red blood cells but he also was not making white blood cells either, called neutropenia. So Chance had bicytopenia or losses in two lines. The first place most vets go when they see this is cancer. That is not what this is. If we could not get him to make blood he would either eventually die or we would have to continue to give him regular transfusions. His multiple bone marrow biopsies were totally devoid of cells. I was given a bottle of prednisone and was told "you have a beautiful dog." This specialist felt there was little we could do and that he would die. After a long period of time on only prednisone Chance was seriously ill from the side effects of this medication. His PCV was dropping and we had to give him constant antibiotics because his white blood cell count was seriously depleted. He had a few transfusions. A friend called me and said I needed to call Dr. Jean Dodds, here's the number, do it today. I did. I thought that she must be some kind of quack. A vet that answers her phone from callers she doesn't even know? NOT on my radar.... But Chance was going to die. So I screwed up my courage and did it. She answered while I was leaving a message. She held me on the phone asking me all kinds of questions and wanted me to immediately fax all the bloodwork and diagnostics to her. She sent me a treatment protocol. I took it to my vet very hesitantly. Would they allow some stranger to tell them what to do? My vet, Dr. C, smiled broadly when I handed her the papers and said, "Wow, Dr. Dodds is really famous, how did you get her on the phone?" Fast forward many months. Chance survived the treatment. He never had a relapse and was able to actually meet Jean later that year. He lived another 3 years and eventually died at 12 from a heart condition. I stay here on this forum to help owners like you in remembrance of Chance. Please write a concise email and attach the last two CBC's and chem screens, plus any diagnostics that have been done. Email it to Dr. Jean Dodds at hemopet @ hotmail .com (remove spaces to send) You will hear from her very quickly and she will send you a protocol that will save Maggie's life. Your vet may find this very disagreeable and I will let others here describe how they handled that tricky situation. I am blessed with two great vets who loved to have Dr. Dodds advice. Jean Dodds will help you for free, but if you wish to, she will accept $45 as a consultation fee. Hemopet.org is not for profit. my best patrice |
| Patrice NYS |
| I will definitely write to Dr. Dodds. So far Maggie is doing pretty well, so it may be premature to abandon this treatment protocol, but I do want to find out what Dr. Dodds thinks. Maggie gets another CBC next week, so we should be able to see if her current treatment has started to work. If they aren't improved, I will ask Dr. Dodds to suggest a new protocol. My vet made it clear her losses were only in the RBCs, confirmed by the bone marrow biopsy. However, her platelet cells are getting pushed out before fully developed. They are large and somewhat clumped together which gives an inaccurate machine reading. That was an indicator that it was in the bone marrow, even prior to the biopsy. She said her WBCs and platelets are working fine. As for superficial indicators, Maggie's pulse rate is down, and her respiration has slowed. She has even started to play with her toys again, something she hasn't done since she started the pred. We just had an early snow storm, and she took off on a "silly run" through the snow during one of our short forays/bio-breaks. I am glad that Chance was able to enjoy your care for 3 more years. It sounds like many on the forum have Dr. Dodds to thank. So I am anxious to see if she is satisfied with my vet's line of treatment. Thanks Robert and Maggie |
| RobertN Superior |
| So glad to hear that your Maggies had a run in the snow! That sounds good! We are taking Tori in to the vet for her CBC and hopefully another small reduction in Prednisone. She has only had a few "accidents" but her UTI seems checked. Like Patrice says, it take time to improve and go into remission. Tori relapsed due to her platelets not producing....which caused the IMHA to start up, but we are working hard to get back to remission. Best to all of you and your furbabies! Continued prayers for ALL! Blessings, Cindi & Tori (Evans Syndrome) |
| Cindi FL |
| Cindi, Best wishes and prayers to your and Tori for favorable results on the CBC. I am anxious to see Maggie's numbers next week. Robert and Maggie |
| RobertN Superior |
| I was just wondering how long Maggie has been on the 80 milligrams of pred per day? And is she also on cyclosporine if so what dosage is she on? I would really try to get the Pet-tinic as soon as you can and get her on the pepcid to protect her stomach. Sending prayers and hugs Cheryl & Ginger |
| Cheryl & Ginger Pineville PA |
| Cheryl and Ginger, Maggie has only been on the prednisone for a little over a week. Her diet is excellent, in addition to Nature's Valley Kibble, I rotate and mix in bison meat, chicken, liver, pumpkin, sweet potato and broccoli. She eats well, and her BMs have been regular and healthy. She is also on Azathroprine, 50 mg every other day. Yesterday, she had a burst of energy and jumped up to my hands when I put them on my chest. She has not done this in months, well before we started her on the Pred. She chased bunnies and ran around quite a bit. I have to remember not to overdo it with her because today she is more quiet. May have something to do with the fact that last night I kept getting up throughout the night and waking her (not intentionally). She needs her rest, but it seems like the overall trend is good. The Pepcid has made a big difference for her. I try to give it to her between an hour and 15 minutes before a meal. This morning, I was up late, so I gave it to her right before her meal. While she eats well, I am going to look for PetTinic in order to provide her an added boost. Really expecting some improvement on her CBC next Thursday evening. All I want for Christmas is a reduction in her Prednisone dosage accompanied by continued improvement in her CBCs! Best wishes to all and their furry friends. Robert and Maggie |
| RobertN Superior |
| Robert, we celebrate the improvement in Maggie! It always makes my heart happy to see our pets want to do their usual routine BEFORE this disease! Tori, brought me her stuffed toy yesterday and she fetched about 6 times! That is an improvement here as well. Continued prayer for all our furbabies! Blessings, CIndi & Tori (Evans Syndrome) |
| Cindi FL |
This thread was discussed between 26/10/2011 and 29/10/2011
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