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Canine Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (AIHA & IMHA) - Positive news for Tessy
| I had Tessy in for her checkup yesterday and her HCT/RBC/HGB all went up....but only slightly. In other words she's basically where she was last week...with the exception of a half point increase. ALSO...for the first time since her diagnosis her platelets are finally within normal limits (486)! The other good news is that she had blood sent off to Hemopet to have the full monty done. I almost had to cut off and arm and sell it just to get it down there! Hopefully I'll get some new answers and opinions. Results may be back this week. Will keep all posted. Just a quick question concerning weight loss. For the past few weeks I've been giving Tessy more food than usual because she was not gaining any weight. Foods like more fish, spinach, beens, etc. After feeding this to her for a few weeks she's lost a couple pounds. I am probably just being paranoid but is there anything I should be watching for? It's probably nothing (hopefully), but just incase....you know how it is...better safe than sorry. Johnny & Tessy |
| Johnny |
| Hi Johnny, good news! It looks like Tessy is stable, even little improvements are great. I gave Kahlu lots of home cooked fish and chicken over the last few months. I found that with the fish he was always hungry. I also mixed in potatoes, according to Dr. Dodds liver cleansing diet. He became so hungry, it was like living with a crocodile. I started adding a coup of his kibble. NOW (that is the name of the brand) with turkey, salmon, duck and no grain) Kahlu seemed much happier with that. For one month I changed it to a lower fat formula (seniors) and that was ok too. For us it is more a problem of not gaining too much weight. Are you adding potatoes too? For about 2 moths I also added about 1/2 cups cooked beets. Kahlu liked that a lot. the vet was scared one time when he came in and she thought he had blood on his muzzle, but it was just beet juice! To bad it is so terribly expensive to send blood from Canada to Dr. Dodds. We plan on doing that too, once Kahlu is down to a sub clinical dose of prednisone. I think the actual tests are not more expensive than the blood tests here. I think having that expert advice is going to be worth it. My vet wants to have Kahlu's thyroid checked by Dr. Dodds too. Best wishes to you and your special girl, Brigitte & Kahlu |
| Brigitte BC Canada |
| Johnny, that is great news, But the weight loss would be a concern since she is a small dog for 2# in 2 weeks, I wonder since the weight loss is coinciding with the change in diet she is not getting enough GOOD fats, protein and calories. Have you seen this liver cleansing diet. It gives you a good overview and if Tessie is aabout half this, then you would do half of this diet. For a fifty pound dog, a sample diet would look like this: - 4 ounces low fat cottage cheese - 4 ounces cooked chicken - One egg - 6 ounces (3/4 cup) of cooked oatmeal - 4 ounces canned pumpkin Using the ingredients listed above, this diet could be varied. Variety is important not only for nutrients, but for the interest of the dog as well. Here are some additional examples: - 4 ounces cooked Cod - 4 ounces low fat yogurt - One egg - 6 ounces (3/4 cup) of cooked oatmeal - 4 ounces steamed or cooked broccoli, cauliflower or sweet potato Another variation would be: - 4 ounces drained and rinsed canned or cooked Salmon - 3 scrambled eggs - 6 ounces cooked barley - 2 slices of whole wheat bread Please note the metabolism of dogs can vary. Watch your dog’s weight carefully. If the dog starts to look thin, serve more food. Conversely, if the dog gains weight, reduce the quantity. You should be able to easily feel the ribs, but not see them by observing the dog. It can also be helpful to serve small frequent meals daily than to serve one or two larger ones. Home cooked diets are naturally low in salt, so this can help prevent acsites (fluid retention) in some forms of liver disease. Do not add extra salt to the diet, and be sure to drain and rinse canned fish thoroughly. The second part of this diet includes supplements. Since this diet is devoid in calcium, save the eggshells and dry them overnight. Grind them in a coffee bean grinder and add them back at 1/2 teaspoon per pound of food served. |
| Laurie CA |
| Tessy pretty well eats better than me. For her main meal (11:00am) she gets a mixture of potatoe / egg / spinach (sometimes beat greens) / chicken / haddock / and sometimes I'll also mix in some hamburger / squash / brocolli or whatever other healthy stuff I have. I lick my own fingers when I prepare it! She doesn't get food 3 hours before or 1 hour after meds....except I put her 5:00 meds in a handfull of food on doctors orders (50mg pred/37mg azath/8mg aspirin/ and her omeprazole). She gets her cyclosporine and eltroxin at 8am/8pm in a scoop of pumpkin...also give her a very tiny bit of food with it. I don't give her dairy because someone said it can inhibit cyclosporine absorption. Don't know the facts on this yet. I used to give all her meds in a scoop of icecream but also stopped doing that. Just something I've been trying out to see if there's a difference. I also NEVER give her wheat products. Dr. Dodds said not to give wheat, corn or soy products. I wonder if oatmeal is OK for dogs with AIHA. Wouldn't it be similar to wheat? I've often considered the eggshell thing but haven't heard any reviews about it. Johnny & Tessy |
| Johnny |
| I always say my dogs eat btter than I do!. Thats because I am so tired for cooking for them I have no energy for me. I followed the diet I posted for Wylie and she had no problem with oatmeal. "Complex carbohydrates also contribute soluble fiber, which helps absorb ammonia and reduce nitrogenous wastes. Some carbohydrates, such as oatmeal, contain much more soluble fiber than others and are therefore recommended in diets for liver disease" While not specifically AIHA mentioned it says its good for cleansing the liver. I would then stay awya from dairy and not take an chances with the cyclo. As for homemade diet, if you are not giving any kibble and only home made its extremely important to supplement calcium. I used the eggshells. I baked them at 200 for 15 minutes to kill off any bacteria and then ground them. I was also told is very important to supplemnt with a digestive enzyme for dogs with liver issues so I do that too. Laurie |
| Laurie CA |
| Oatmeal has calcium, so that would be a good choice. Brigitte |
| Brigitte BC Canada |
| Great news about Tessy! Sounds like she is in remission. I do not think you could feed her a better diet. I know that Pred causes muscle wasting so perhaps she is losing some muscle weight....just a thought. Sue & Ren |
| Susie Delaware |
| Hi Jonny, Sounds like great progress to me, well done Tessy.. I have the opposite problem Madison has nearly doubled in size - she is a little fatty... She is nearly off the Pred now so hopefully she will get her nice little figure back soon.. Samantha & Madison |
| Samantha Perth Australia |
This thread was discussed between 03/06/2009 and 04/06/2009
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