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Canine Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (AIHA & IMHA) - Reposting for Kelly CA
| My dog coco was just diagnoised before Christmas she weighs about 50 lbs and her vet had her take 50 mg of predisone per day for a week then dropped it to 30 the second week which started this last Sat. She has started having diarrhea with what looks like blood in her stool occasionally, her gums are also very pale..of course her vet is out of town for the holidays until the 29th...any suggestions? they would be greatly appreciated |
| Kelly CA |
| Samantha, Geelong, Australia Hello Kelly, I am so sorry to hear about Coco's diagnosis. One thing that concerns me is that the drop in Coco's Prednisone has been done to quickly. If she was diagnosed just before Christmas, then that would only be a week at 50mg of Pred? Dogs are usually on the super high doses of Pred until their PCV's stabilise in the normal range. Please go and see a vet ASAP. I am concerned when you say her gums look pale - this disease is deadly, and the treatment must be exactly right to give Coco the best chance of pulling through. I don't want to alarm you, but I don't like taking any chances with this disease. How much does Coco weigh? The dosage of Prednisone should be around 1mg for every pound of body weight, even higher if necessary. Someone else will post to confirm this. Prednisone should be reduced only when the dog's PCV has stablilised in the normal range, and then only at around 25%-33% of the dosage at a time. Please also discuss with the vet using Cyclosporine or Azathioprine has a further treatment in the drug regime. I used Prednisone and Azathioprine with my dog Millie. Please keep us posted and see a vet ASAP! Good luck, Samantha & Millie. |
| Samantha Geelong |
| Kelly, Per Patrice's post in the previous thread I started for you (under my name), please get Coco to an Emergency vet ASAP. Samantha. |
| Samantha Geelong |
| Thanks for the advice everyone...as I have the predisone at home with me I am upping her dose to 50 mg daily and have spoken to her vets emergency answering service. I am able to take her in tomorrow. I also gave her the pumpkin recommended although she was not thrilled about it. What are the recommended foods to feed a dog with aiha? Are there foods to avoid? |
| kelly ca |
| Kelly, i hope this will not get confusing, because there seems to be 2 threads going on here for you. i am glad you are seeing somebody tomorrow. Don't be shy and ask how experienced they are with AIHA. Read as much as you can on Joanne's site so you will be as educated as possible when you see the vet. Like somebody said before (i think Samantha?) see if Coco can be put on a second immune suppressive drug, like azathioprene or cyclosporine. Most dogs are put on a second or even third drug. Also very important, that Coco is on a stomach protectant that has to be given a couple of hours before food and other drugs. These drugs are very harsh on the stomach and it is not unusual that AIHA dogs get ulcers. You want to prevent this as best as possible. For food, i started to cook for my dog Kahlu, although before this ordeal I always thought people cooking for their dogs are crazy. Well guess what.... We followed the Dr. Dodds liver cleansing diet with variations: http://www.canine-epilepsy.com/Liver%20cleansing%20diet.htm It is important to keep it lean. Some dogs get ravenous pretty quick because of the prednisone, some are not happy to eat, you never know. Always have lots of fresh water available for Coco. She will drink lots and therefore also pee lots. That is the result of the high prednisone dose. Best wishes, Brigitte & Kahlu |
| Brigitte BC Canada |
| I am so sorry your Coco has been diagnosed with this awful disease. Knowledge is power. Read all these threads and get onto Joanne's site. Everyone will be very helpful and offer a wealth of valuable, necessary information. Lot's of vets aren't real familiar with treatment for AIHA. You need to get yourself familiar and provide info to the vets if necessary. I will be keeping Coco and yourself in my thoughts and prayers. This disease is treatable! |
| Mardi Northern Calif |
| Kelly, I am so sorry to here about Coco. Ruger was diagnosed on December 12. He weighed 95 lbs and was put on 120 mg of prednisone a day. He is also on immuran. The vet teaching hospital iat CSU has a lot of sucuss in beating this awful disease and they do suggest and immunosuppresant (or 2) such as the azzothiaprine. They have not started to wean his prednisone yet. He is still on the very high dosage but things are looking up for him. What was Cocos PCV when she was diagnosed? Ruger was only a 12 and perhaps this is why it is taking him long to rebound, but he is rebounding. Good luck and keep us posted. |
| jaime parker |
| This the second time I have heard the term pcv now. I don't know what it was I wasn't told. I did post the results of her blood work,maybe you can help me figure them out? |
| kelly redding |
This thread was discussed between 28/12/2009 and 29/12/2009
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