Canine Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (AIHA & IMHA) - Schnauzer recently diagnosed with IMHA

I am starting a new Thread for Rita's Post so everyone will be able to see it. Joanne rita, uk, My beautiful little schnauzer was diagnosed with IMHA on sunday morning. she was fine the previous night however by sunday morning very lethalgic and not interested in food or drink. I am a nurse and as such checked her gums which were very pale. I was shocked and confused at her diagnosis as I had never heard of this disease before. She is on azathioprine, prednidale, zitac, baytril and cerenia for her constant nausea. My happy, alert energetic little princess is now exhausted and pretty listless. When I took her to the vets on sunday her rbc was 16 she was due to have a blood transfusion the following day but amazingly her count had gone up to 18. It has remained at this level so the vet is holding off a blood transplant to see if it will raise with meds alone. I am devestated I dont know how I can cntinue without my sweet little darling. How long is it before they start showing an interest in life again? Im so worried that she wont survive.

Rita UK

Rita, I am so sorry your most beloved Schnauzer has recently been diagnosed with IMHA. While AIHA/IMHA is a very difficult disease, dogs who have been diganosed with it CAN and DO recover and go on to live happy healthy lives. If you have not read my Web site on Canine AIHA/IMHA as yet, you might want to do so when you can. The URL is: http://www.cloudnet.com/~jdickson/ Be sure to follow the links on the first page to many other sites on AIHA/IMHA that will be very helpful to you and do read the SUCCESS STORIES pages. They will show you what has worked for other dogs in terms of treatment options as well as give you a lot of Hope! It can take 5-7 days for a drug like prednisone to start to work and according to the Veterinary Drug Handbook up to 6 weeks to see a clinical response with Azathioprine. We do see that drug start to work sooner in some dogs but in some dogs it does take the full 6 weeks to "kick in". If the PCV is holding at 18 and not dropping any further that is some good news. Many times the PCV will continue to drop until the medications do start to work. I know this is so hard so be assured you are in a place where people know what you are going through. You will find a lot of support and caring here. Be assured you are in my thoughts and prayers during these most difficult days.

Joanne MN

Rita, I am so sorry. Hang in there. Ruger was just diagnosed on December 12. For the first 2 weeks he was listless, slept most of the time, wouldn't eat, had a runny nose and then all of a sudden he was hungry again. He started to act more like himself. He is still very weak from the prednisone and has lost a lot of muscle but his rbc is 30 and he is starting to come around. We are slowly decreasing the meds and hoping for the best. Good luck and keep us updated!

jaime Parker

Rita..I am sorry to hear about yet another beloved pet being stricken with this disease. The good news is as said before is that many dogs do beat it. Its really good news that she is holding her own so quickly and I will keep you both in my thoughts and prayers..Kelly and Coco

Kelly Redding

Rita, I'm so sorry to hear that you have to deal with this terrible disease. What's your schnauzers name? You found yourself a great place here to get help. The people on this forum are great and most of us have been through the exact same thing. IT's NOT EASY!! I think I used to ask all the same questions. What have you tried for food all? If you know something that she really enjoys you could try that. I had success with numerous different foods when my Tessy was sick. Liver (small quantities) was a big hit with her when she wouldn't eat anything else. I also used to make her roast beef, eggs, steak (lean), boiled chicken, potatoes, boiled hamburger, etc. Even if you have to fry it for her to get her to eat the main thing is to "get" her ot eat something. The first few days that Tessy was sick we had to put her on a drip so that her body could get the nutrients it needed. I think this really turned her around. How much does she weigh? The doses of her meds? Any other blood records? Feel free to post any info you have. One of us may be able to notice something for you. Have they found a cause yet? ....Vaccines? Flea meds? Ultrasounds/xrays? Tick born diseases? I'll keep you little darling in my thoughts and prayers. Johnny & Tessy

Johnny

Dear Rita I am so sorry to hear about your beloved doggie contracting IMHA - many of us had not heard of this before, but here we are trying to deal with it the best way we can, with the advice of seasoned survivors who freely share their information - which is why I like it here so much. My Riley was diagnosed on 3 September 09 and has Evans Syndrome - both the anaemia and low platelets. He goes up and down and somehow keeps on going - we have done the transfusions, medications etc, and hoping to be able to keep reducing. It was also very sudden - one day playing and running, the next, very lethargic, and not able to do anything. Knowledge is power, learning everything you can - ask questions, tell us how things are going, what the results are - there is always someone here who knows something - some more than others - but it is all worthwhile. Even those like me who had no clue, offer something useful. All those medications will have an effect on the tummy, so a low fat diet is important, but at the moment, obviously you need to find something your doggie can eat - the hospital where Riley was, got me to bring in roast chicken, and I noticed they just left it near where he was, and eventually he ate it. I, along with everyone else, with you all the very very best with going forward - read Joanne's site as linked, also the archives here. Stay in touch, and tell us your doggie's name (Johnny's echo :) ) Silka

Silka Melbourne Australia

Dear Rita, I am so sorry that you have to go through this. We all understand what you are going through. It is a very worrying and confusing time. Our dogs become so very sick in a short period of time, and we have to understand this disease and it's treatments just as quickly. You have certainly come to the right place for advice. It sounds like you have a good vet who has done all the right things so far. Like Johnny said, if you have your dog's blood test results, please feel free to post them. There are some very knowledgeable people on this forum who might give you some valuable insight. One thing I will say from personal experience is that you have to be patient and take one day at a time. At PCV 18, your girl is very anemic, so obviously you can't expect her to be her normal self just yet. If she can pull through the initial crisis, the PCV will slowly rise over the weeks and she will stabilise. It took 8 weeks for my Maltese Shihtsu X Millie to stabilise to a normal PCV again. You will also notice the high doses of Prednisone will have an effect on your girl as she progresses. I'm sure you know this being a nurse. It wasn't until Millie's prednisone was significantly reduced that we had our little girl back to normal. Please keep us posted Rita. Good luck, Samantha & Millie.

Samantha Geelong Australia

Rita - I am so sorry your schnauzer has been diagnosed. My first two dogs were minis and my family has had six between us, so I have a soft spot for schnauzers. In addition to what others have mentioned, I'd add to be careful to avoid foods that are too fatty. Not to alarm you if your dr. didn't mention it but a side effect of aza and pred can be pancreatitis and, as you probably know, schnauzers can be prone to the disease so you just wouldn't want to add another "trigger" and have to deal with something else on top of the IMHA. When you can, let us know how your girl is doing. Bonnie

Bonnie Chicago

Rita - I'm so sorry to hear of your diagnosis - my Maltese Winston was diagnosed in July and, as with so many on this site, we've been up and down with this disease. When he was first diagnosed, Winston wouldn't eat either so I made a really soft mix and fed it to him by syringe. That's how I got him water as well. Stay strong. 7 months have passed and I still believe we can get through this.

Lisa TX

Rita, I think that all of us have been shocked how are dogs can go from seemingly healthy and happy one day and then be diagnosed with something we have never heard of. It sounds like your Vet is on top of things. It is also goos that her PCV is increasing without the transfusion. It is a very emotional roller coaster ride so brace yourself for the ups and downs. As Joanne said be sure to read the success stories at her site. They will show you that dogs can often regain a normal life even when they start out at crisis level. Know that any questions that you have you can post them here and surely someone will be able to share similar experiences and how they dealt with them. Your nursing background will be a big help in understanding a lot of the test results, most of us had never even heard half the terms on CBC's before we came here. Keep us posted Penny

Penny Lytle Creek Calif

Dear Rita, Welcome to the list, we are all here for you. How old is your schnauzer? What is her name? This disease is devastating, and a roller coaster. Hang in there! She needs you to be calm, and smart, for her, and as Patrice posted, needs you to 'drive the truck' for her. There is a wealth of information on this list - ask anything you need. I'm curious why she is on Baytril? Is that in case of an infection? Have they ruled out tickborne disease? I dont know if they have that problem in the UK, but if so, a tick panel is called for, and a course of antibiotics like doxycycline if there is a tick issue. Was she recently vaccinated? Frontlined? Do they have any idea of the cause? My schnauzer Kent was vaccinated, and frontlined, and i suspect this is what caused his disease. It can take a while for recovery. Its important to immediatly get on the right dose of prednisone, and to very very very sloooooowly reduce it to prevent relapse. A PCV of 18 is borderline, i would hold off on the transfusion and watch her closely for any increased lethargy, paleness etc, and have the blood checked very very often. Recovery is a slow process, but remember that though your princess is very lethargic, and not feeling well, she is still herself inside, just low on energy and feeling icky. Treat her like herself, and remember it is she with a disease, that you will battle together. Special foods are a good idea, particularly with the high doses of pred and more that she will be taking. As soon as she improves a bit, it would be a good idea to look at buffering the stomach and liver from these drugs. In the meantime, sweet potatoes (baked) are often a big hit, as is lean turkey, lean chicken, and other high quality proteins - salmon etc. Avoid anything excessiviely salty (canned tuna) and anything fatty (can cause pancreatitis, especially while on these drugs and especially as a schnauzer). I gave Kent carrots as treats instead of biscuits, and steamed veggies and rice for his dinner, and he liked this, with the additon of high quality protein. She will perk up soon, when her PCV improves, and her nausea decreases. I would look at adding sucralfate to buffer the tummy, and or pepcid (famotidine). Keep posting, You are in our thoughts and prayers, Christine and Angel Kent

Christine Florida

This thread was discussed between 07/01/2010 and 08/01/2010

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