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Canine Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (AIHA & IMHA) - Question for Patrice
| Patrice, Darcy is doing so much better since going back on the Doxycycline. She has been on a dosage of 100 mg. twice daily for about six weeks now. I questioned the vet about the dosage and she said that this is a very high dose. I told her that I want to continue the doxy for a period of at least three months. What are your thoughts on this? Darcy's tests for tick/parasite/fleas came back negative, but I understand that the tests are not always accurate. I just know that something or a combination of somethings are working. She's on 5 mg. of Prednisone once a day and a low dose of Soloxine twice daily, plus lots of supplements, good healthy foods, and ALWAYS prayer. Karen |
| Karen NC |
| Karen, I am no expert in this. Usually treatment of a *non-symptomatic* dog isn't warranted unless there has been direct observation of an attached, engorged tick or you live in an area that is known to have a high level of positive tick disease. If there are symptoms that seem to indicate exposure to a tick disease, but the tick was never found and the preliminary SNAP4DX is completely negative, it's a very gray area. We've had many discussions about this on Tick-L. I say "we" and I really mean the experts on that list. Some people will go for a more comprehensive and costly lab test with Protatek Labs to see if it is another tick disease that isn't tested on SNAP4DX. Others will treat with doxy and see if the symptoms resolve, indicating that the doxy is doing something good. And it's important to realize that doxy is an antibiotic and at high doses can behave as two different "kinds" of antibiotics and act against a number of things, including inflammation. So positive response to doxy isn't necessarily diagnostic for a tick disease. Some very savvy owners do feel that it is however. My friend Gil maintains a website that draws its information directly from discussions we have on Tick-L. Here is are two snips about doxy dosages: "The dosage we recommend on Tick List is an aggressive one: 5 mg. of doxy per pound of body weight given every 12 hours for 8 weeks. For those who prefer to figure body weight in kilograms, this is approximately the same as 10 mg per kg, the difference being not enough to mention." "This is twice as high as the dose that is generally recommended - and here I should probably remind you that I am not a veterinarian or a medical professional. Well, that's true. At the same time, I should tell you that your vet is the one to decide what dosage to use. I can't do that." So you can do the math and see if you are at the correct dosage that they recommend. If you want to continue for two more weeks, I would highly advise having a blood test done to monitor the liver values. They can become high in a dog treated with doxy. That would be the main reason to halt the drug if there is no indication of a tick disease. I hope I have helped somewhat. patrice |
| Patrice NYS |
| Yes, that is helpful. Thanks so much. |
| Karen NC |
This thread was discussed on 06/04/2009
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