Canine Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (AIHA & IMHA) - Please help---Bugy

Hi All, Here is the lastest with Bugy. On Thursday he was admitted as I stated in my last post. We where allowed to take him home on Sunday evening. Some of his meds where changed/lowered. Bugy is refusing to eat !!! I am so worried that he is starving himself to death. He has lost so much weight and looks like the walking dead. He stil has no energy. I have tried everything I can think of. He has no interest in food. He is drinking. I just don't know what else to do. If I take him back to the Vet I'm sure they will admit him again and I really don't want that. Has anyone delt with this before. Is he tellinig me it's time and this is his way of letting me know ? PLEASE HELP !!!! Lisa :(

Lisa Rhode Island

Lisa, sorry to hear about Bugy :+( Have you contacted your vet by phone and told them about him not eating? I wish I could offer you more advise but I'm sure you will get more replies to your latest post Lisa. Tricia x

Tricia UK

Lisa, When you said that you have tried everything you can think of to get Bugy to eat what all is it that you have tried? Lack of appetite is a very common thing at the onset of AIHA/IMHA. But once the prednsione kicks in the appetite usually becomes quite huge. It should be noted that it can take 5-7 days for prednsione to start to work. In the meantime, until the pred does kick in it can be very normal for the dog to worsen and the PCV to continue to drop. If the PCV drops too far, vets can give blood transfusions to "buy time" until the drugs do start to work. If Bugy were my dog I would certainly call my vet and ask him/her their suggestions in regard to getting Bugy to eat. I also probably would be inclined to get Bugy into the vet for more blood work to see what is going on. At the onset of the AIHA/IMHA is so very important to have blood work done very often to keep apprized on what is happening. If things are improving there is a reason to celebrate, if things are declining, one can take action to get things back on track.I know you said you did not want to have Bugy admitted to the clinic/hosptial again but many times when dealing with AIHA/IMHA we have to do many things we do not want to but are necessary for the recovery of our most beloved canine companions. Be assured both you and Bugy are in my thoughts and prayers during these most difficult days.

Joanne MN

Hi Joanne, Thanks for your prayers. Bugy has been on 30mg of Pred since his diag. on Dec 10. He did have a transfusion on the 10th. On his second admission they did a liver biospy--still waiting on results. His PCV has been good. Last check on Sunday before his discharge is was 27. As far as food I've tried all types, canned and dry. Also human food--steak, chicken, turkey, deli meats, eggs and other. Last night the only thing he would nibble on was potatoe chip crumbs. Deffinetly can't live on crumbs !! I do plan on calling the Vet again. Maybe we will try an appettiete stimulate. I just don't know what to do. Lisa :(

Lisa Rhode Island

Lisa, What is Bugy's Weight, since that is tied to the prednisone dosage. Also many times, in fact most times prednisone alone will not be enough to get a dog with AIHA/IMHA to remission. The two drugs now used most often in conjunction with prednsione for the treatment of AIHA/IMHA are Azathioprine sold under the brand name Imuran and Cyclosporine sold under the brand names Neoral and Atopica and also sold under a few generic names. Has your vet mentioned these drugs to you, if not you might want to ask your vet his/her exeperience with these drugs in regard to the treatment of AIHA/IMHA. Many dogs who will not eat have chosen to eat cooked hamburger and rice or baby food (make sure there are no onions in the baby food). Whem my Meisha was very ill she ate the breakfast food cheerios. Calling the vet does seem your best option. I know my vet said he sold a gravey prodcut that sometimes encouraged dogs to eat. However the reason for the lack of eating should be found, Lack of appetite is usually a symptom of much larger problem.

Joanne MN

Hi Joanne, Yes Bugy has been on Cyclosporine since Dec 10th. When first started is was 60mg every 12 hrs. Now since that has runnied his Liver they dropped it to 30mg once a day. I have tried hamburger, cooked and even uncooked. I plan on buying baby food today. Although I don't have much hope since I just about purred the other things. Lisa :(

Lisa Rhode Island

In the early days of Ernies illness we were in exactly the same position. He was drinking but refused point blank to eat anything at all. The vet gave me some tins of high concentration convalescent food to force feed him. For some dogs it might be too stressful to even consider this but Ern didn't fight it at all. He wouldn't take the food voluntarily but if I actually put it in his mouth he'd swallow it without trying to spit it out. Fortunately I only had to do this for 3 or 4 days before he started eating on his own.

Sue Northampton UK

Hi Lisa, Our Kent would not eat on the cyclosporine and reacted very very poorly to it. He is on Pred and Imuran right now, plus a bundle of vitamins. Whenever he was unwell or back from the vet he would not eat. Usually babyfood worked, and when that didnt, i just went through everything to find what did. His latest thing was turkey breast meat, thinly sliced, from the deli counter. Another time it was canned dog food. For a week it was roasted sweet potatoes. Once it was chicken. etc. He has not been eating much at all now since he had a haircut and i applied frontline +. I was avoiding it and he had not had any flea treatments since november, and since then he is definitely off, even shivering sometimes and sleeping in bed (odd too). Anyway, keep trying different foods. Kent always goes back to apples and carrots eventually. You might ask your vet about switching him to imuran - i dont know the whole situation but it has helped kent. good luck christine

Christine Florida

Hi, Lisa. My Shadow also would not eat when whe was first diagnosed. She, too was put on cyclosporine and, like Christine's Kent, reacted poorly to it. For the past two months, she's been on prednisone and Imuran - and can't eat enough food to satisfy her appetite. At least one other dog on this site (I think it is Josh's Sway) reacted poorly to cyclosporine. You may want to discuss switching Bugy to Imuran with your vet, as Christine suggested, or cutting back the dose of cyclosporine. Sandy & Shadow

Samdu Utah

Do they have him on Famotidine? That helps with the stomach upset from the Pred. I work at a vet and we use a couple of different things for non eaters. Try some Science Diet A/D canned food, you can warm it up and if you have to, make it "mushy" and use a syringe to put it in his mouth. Also try canned cat food to get his appetite going. One other suggestion: get some Nutrical , which comes in a tube like toothpaste and squirt it in his mouth. Doesn't take alot, but once you get it on his tongue,he will have to swallow it.Very high in calories also.

Joanne Wyoming

This thread was discussed between 16/01/2008 and 21/01/2008

Canine Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (AIHA & IMHA) forum index

This thread is from the Vetnet archive. The live Vetnet forum is active now.