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Canine Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (AIHA & IMHA) - Questions about AIHA
| Hello: I posted on another thread earlier in the week, but I have so many questions, I thought I would start this one. We lost our dog 2 weeks ago to AIHA. Roxy, a JRT, was 8 years old. She was a very active and healthy dog and within days she died from AIHA. We were all shocked and had no idea what AIHA was and we question the vet about all the shoulda's, coulda's, and woulda's. We all felt like if we had known the signs, we may have caught it earlier. I'm sure many of you have been in that position. As the weeks have passed, we have come to terms with what has happened and it has helped me by reading many of your stories. As I have been reading about AIHA, it has left me with more questions than answers. We have 2 other JRT dogs---one male one female---from the same parents as Roxy. I am wondering if this is genetic and should we be taking other measures to make sure the other 2 do not have this same disease. Also, I have read about the use of Frontline---which we use on our dogs and have used for 8 years with no signs of problems. The male JRT, Rocky, has seizures and has since about 3 years old. The seizures, (up to this point) are not severe--very mild---so he does not take medication. The other female, Rosie, appears to be fine. We have decided to take Rocky and Rosie to the vet for bloodwork....is this crazy to do? I will talk to the vet about Frontline, but what I gather from many of you is that the vet most likely will not say there is anything wrong with using Frontline. I don't want to become irrational about taking our other dogs to the vet for bloodwork and changing everything we have been doing for the last 8 years---but I can't help but think that something we did contributed to Roxy developing AIHA. If anyone has experieced some of the same things, I would appreciate in suggestions about how to move forward with our other dogs. Hopefully, we have had our only experience with AIHA. Thanks for taking time to read this long posting :) Chandra |
| Chandra OH |
| Chandra, Know you are not crazy. I am not an expert, but I would encourage you to have blood work done on your other animals. By drawing blood in their presumed healthy state, you will have baselines in the event sickness occurs. My Molson died about two weeks ago as well, complications from his IMHA. Never will I allow the vet to insist I must perform all the vaccinations or flea/tick stuff they suggest - only rabies is required by law. After Molson's diagnosis the vet declared Molson will have no more vaccinations, even rabies. The rabies would be waived as a result of his IMHA diagnosis. She also discontinued Frontline and Heartguard. As for my cats, their revolution will be discontinued. One would cry out as the application was being made. She then would lick herself in an attempt to get if off. No more for them. Again, you are not crazy. We all are searching for alternatives to keeping our pets healthy and vibrant. Pets can bring so much joy to the world. Although it would be easy to tell you not to use this, that or the next thing. It is a very personal decision for your family and pet(s). I know I will be very cautious with anything given to a new pet. Thanks for sharing your concerns. Ann Marie |
| Ann Marie FL |
| Chandra, We lost our 7 yr. old miniature schnauzer 2 days after diagnoses in Nov. 2006. At least in our case, vaccinations and Frontline had no role in his illness. We only used Frontline once per year and had applied it 4 months prior to Bailey's illness. We were never able to identify a trigger, but can only add we have his brother/litter mate, who at the age of 5 developed diabetes. |
| karen arkansas |
| Chandra ...I have all the same questions. We lost our yellow lab after a seven month struggle. We will get another dog but I don't know when and how we will handle the vaccinations etc. Daisy used to cower when I would get the tube of Frontline out. I assumed she did not like the smell, but she would act different for a few days after the application. I will probably not use any flea or Heartguard product for my next dog as they are primarily inside at night. I know people in parts of the U.S.A. that have bad mosquito problems have a more difficult choice because the heartworm is a dangerous issue. |
| Ron B San Mateo |
| Chandra, Once you have been touched by this awful disease it does make you seem paranoid to everything that involves your furkids. I had to part ways with my last Vet because I got tired of arguing with him over drugs and such. We have just adopted another dog who was left behind when his family was evicted. He had a cut on his hind leg and this Vet prescribed an antibiotic Smz-Tmp. I looked it up and the Merck manual showed one of the side affects being AIHA. I told the Vet I would not use it and consulted with Dr. Dodds and she too advised against it. He said she was a quack! He did call in a script for Clavamox at my insistance though. My big problem was getting him neutered. It seems most Vets will not even allow your dog in for treatment unless you can provide proof they have all their shots. I even went to one Dr. Dodds recommended and he insisted there was no problem giving him all his shots at the same time as the surgery. She was very disappointed that her peers who know of her work still don't listen. I was lucky and another Vet that did neuter him didn't ask and I didn't tell even though he has a sign posted that says the same thing. I don't know how we will deal with things in the future. I will probably go for the rabies because we live in bat country and he does have to be licensed. It is a battle but you are the voice for your animals so hang tough and don't give up on the hope if enough of us stand up they will have to make changes. Penny |
| Penny Lytle Creek Calif |
| I am sorry to hear that this "old horse" that Dr. Dodds is a quack pop up again. Unfortunately this happens in the veterinary community as often as not. Things like this happen in the human medical community as well. If you read history about some of the more important discoveries in human medicine you would find this common thread of "quackery" throughout. Visionaries often have to work outside the box to make discoveries or see things in a different way to make progress. This riles the old guard a great deal. The most important way that you can assure yourself, (or your vet can assure himself,) that Dr. Dodds is not "a quack" is to read some of her papers. I have posted, not too many days ago, a link to a paper written by Dr. Dodds about this very topic you are talking about. It will answer many, if not all, of your questions about why AIHA happens and why it happened to YOUR dog. Please look for my post titled: Canine Immune System and Disease Resistance Joanne also posted there to agree that indeed this is a very important paper to read if your dog has AIHA. What this paper does not tell you is how to stop the immune dysfunctions that occur because of something, for instance, like genetics. This last friday, Oprah dedicated her whole show to her beloved dog that she lost about one month ago. The topic was backyard breeders and the horror that occurs to these dogs. If you watched this show you might have more of an understanding of what genetics does to the dog population in our country. If you breed a dog that has poor health and genetic problems, you reproduce those problems for generations to come. Nearly 50% of all Dalmatians bred in this country have inherited deafness. The connection is known, yet breeders continue to breed these dogs because they can make money. Dogs can be bred that have immune dysfunctions that are expressed in many ways throughout their life. Allergies are just one of these dysfunctions. Some breeds inherit a certain genetic marker that make them overly sensitive to the products used for flea and tick prevention. Yes, there is a genetic test for this marker. A good friend lost her Golden at the age of 4 after a yearly vaccination booster. The autopsy showed an tiny liver unable to cope with the booster, a birth defect, probably from a genetic fault in the mother. The point is that each of our dogs has inherited genetics from either a single breed or a Heinz 57 of genetics. Unscrupulous breeders will pass poor genetic traits to puppies and we will buy or adopt these dogs. If you really want to make a difference to future generations of puppies, you can take steps to halt the proliferation of backyard breeders and puppy mills. If you buy a pure bred puppy, buy it from a reputable breeder who cares about each puppy. Don't buy your dog from a mall puppy store. This will discourage puppy mills. Go to Oprah's web site for more information about how to stop puppy mills. As for your own dog, if it is a pure bred dog and it has genetic faults that express as immune problems, consider yourself a rescuer that has saved this dog's life. If it had ended up with another owner, it might never have had a chance to survive. Chance is a pure bred dog that has inherited genetic problems. He is my heart dog and there is nothing I wouldn't do to keep him alive and well. I did "rescue" him. Patrice |
| Patrice NYS |
| Thanks everyone for the info. I will be meeting with Rosie's vet tomorrow and will share my concerns. I think with your help I am able to make an informed decision regarding Rosie's health. I feel like I am on a mission in honor of Roxanne :) Thanks again for being supportive! Chandra |
| Chandra Ohio |
This thread was discussed between 05/04/2008 and 08/04/2008
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