Canine Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (AIHA & IMHA) - Shaunna's progress

Hi I tried to update days ago, but for some reason, I couldn't post a new thread so i hope this one is more successful. Even though I haven't been able to post, that hasn't stopped me from following the ups and downs of everyone on the forum. This is quite hard to believe - and indeed, we are still pinching ourselves, but two days ago, we had Shaunna's pcv checked and it was 41 - which is just inconceivable given how seriously ill she has been...at her lowest point her pcv was only 9 ! As some of you will recall, Shaunna was admitted to the animal hospital during the second week of August and she stayed for 8 days. She had a second blood transfusion and it took her pcv from 14 to 21. However, we were told immediate transfusion that her pcv was 32 and it had dramatically dropped to 21 - two days later we were informed that this was a mistake...you can imagine our absolute panic and worry over those two days. In actual fact, her pcv had reached 22 post transfusion and then leveled out at 21. Although, this wasn't a huge increase, we nevertheless took heart from knowing this would buy her some valuable time for the drugs to start working. The vet who performed the transfusion, however, told us rather bluntly that the only change we would see in Shaunna is her pcv dropping over the next week. These words left us feeling stunned because she has PRCA and not hemolytic aneamia. As we were being pressurised to perform another bone marrow aspiration (when there were no clear medical grounds) and we had also been told to consider euthanasia, we didn't hang around in bringing Shaunna home. Indeed, we couldn't get to the hospital fast enough. As she had been allowed to go 5 days with hardly any food (wasn't syringe fed during this time), she was seriously wasted and it seemed pretty clear that the vet we had been assigned during the first week had simply given up on our girl. Upon bringing Shaunna home she has gone from strength to strength. She is still a poorly girl - probably side effects from drugs; she has additional muscle wasting from the pred. But she is more like her old self. So one week after being discharged, her pcv increased to 32 and two weeks later it's 41, which is just truly amazing. While we clearly have a long way to go, these are all steps in the right direction and we have lots of small celebrations along the way. Yesterday, we started to slowly reduce her drugs - the atopica is being reduced first and we'll have her pcv checked again in just over a week to see how it's doing. The fact that Shaunna has reached this stage (we still have a way to go yet and we are fearful of relapses) just shows that dogs can start to recover from PRCA. Best wishes, Claire

Claire Cumbria

That's brilliant news Claire-well done Shaunna,I said for you not to listen to the nay-sayers in the hospital and that she could get through this and thank God she has.The vets would have had you,as you say,performing another unnecessary bone marrow biopsy, so it goes to show us all that they don't always know what's best for our dogs and that a lot more study and research has to be done into various causes and treatments for IMHA and AIHA(PRCA in particular as a lot of vets don't seem to know that the precursor red cells in the bone marrow can be attacked very early and it's not that the dog can't produce red cells anymore!) Maybe it was that infected tick bite,right enough, that got into her system and attacked the bone marrow, so I presume she's still on ronaxan for the moment? So pleased for Shaunna and yourself, as I know how worried you sounded at one point.I pray that she continues to improve quickly and gets back to her normal pcv of 60%, so that she can enjoy being the speed demon again, that her breed naturally are! I can't wait for the day when I'm posting fantastic news on Nollaig. Kathleen and Nollaig

Kathleen North Ayrshire

Thats great news Claire - so pleased for Shaunna. Sounds like she is making great progress now. Do you have any idea of a trigger for her PRCA? Mitch has clinically been great this week too and he has gone back today to see how his bloods are doing. I will hear later. My experience of the vet school has been in stark contrast to yours I have to say - they have been fantastic. How unfortunate you had to deal with negativity as well - good that Shaunna proved them wrong! Kath and MItch

Kath Scotland

It just goes to show you that miracles can and do happen. We celebrate in your good news. Cheryl & Ginger

Cheryl & Ginger Pineville PA

Claire, How absolutely dreadful that you had such a doom and gloom Vet. I am glad you got Shaunna away from there. It is indeed a tough battle but right now you can see that it is worth it. Penny

Penny Lytle Creek Calif

So great to hear Shaunna is home and recovering with you. If it were me I'ld be seeking out another vet sooner rather than later. By the sounds of things the vet you had couldn't be more wrong. I really don't understand some vets with their doom and gloom. WHERE THERE'S LIFE THERE'S HOPE......ALWAYS! What drugs is she taking? I know that most vets would rather leave the cyclo till last. Unless the price is a problem. Especially with the muscle wasting and side effects the pred might have been the better choice to get to a lower level first. I guess the only other advise I can give is to keep a really good eye on her and keep her eating a proper diet. Also remember not to reduce the meds too fast....this can cause a relapse. I'll be keeping her in my thoughts and prayers. Johnny & Tessy

Johnny

Hi Thanks everyone for your messages, I do appreciate them. Kathleen you're right and I too wish there was more research out there on this dreadful disease and especially the seemingly less studied variant of PRCA. I think this disease has been a steep learning curve for most of us and the knowledge we gain often proves crucial. Indeed, Shaunna probably would not be here now if I had not immediately set about researching the condition upon her initial diagnosis of AIHA at the end of July - a diagnoses changed to PRCA after a bone marrow biopsy. Much of that research has come through this site, reading and digesting other people's experiences and drug protocols. Rather frighteningly, some folk who do not discover this site or the work of Dr Jean Dodds and Joanne might do as I was advised three weeks ago and have their poor dog euthanised because they don't realise the condition can take weeks or even months to go into remission. I"m fortunate in that I have a great local vet treating Shaunna and my husband and I have every confidence in her. Shaunna may have benefited from receiving the second blood transfusion at the vet hospital, but other than that, we firmly believe the experience was detrimental to her...and it was certainly detrimental to our purse. Kath and Gill both received brilliant care, which is why we chose the hospital. I put our personal experience down to being assigned a different vet - a vet who I think confused AIHA and PRCA. Mind you, being sent home with insufficient drugs to get through the night, being billed incorrectly, and still awaiting blood results 3 weeks later don't really equate with a service that cost nearly £1,800. I think issues like these will undoubtedly arise in a large vet hospital were numerous vets are dealing with anyone case and we were unlucky that it was us. Shaunna, however, is eating like a wonder dog and is starting to enjoy small walks even though her muscles are badly wasted. Her drugs are - Prednisolone 25mg x2 daily Atopica 50mg x2 daily anti-acid Ronaxan 100mg x2 daily - 1 day left then discontinued. I'll keep you posted Claire

Claire Cumbria

Fantasic, what more can I say. Our babies are beacons of strength. Keep up the good work and keep letting us know how it goes.

Mardi Northern Cali

Dear Claire and Shaunna So very sorry to hear of your experience at the Royal Dick, especially as I highly recommended them. As you say, you must have received the attention of a 'rogue' vet who does not have much understanding of Shaunna's condition, this, however, is no excuse and I am so pleased you had the wherewithall to take her home - sometimes it seems the mum's know the animals better than the experts - in our case though I cannot praise Dr Marg Chandler, Alisdair and Adam enough - especially as she was in the intensive care unit. I cannot express how pleased we are at her progress, 41 PCV is FANTASTIC and testament to your nursing, nuturing, love and care. You are very luck to have Shaunna and she you!! all the very best wishes Gill & Phoebe xx

gill uk

I know its probably on this site somewhere, but what is PRCA again?

Pam Illinois

Pam, PRCA stands for Pure Red Cell Aplaisia which many belive to be the most difficult form of AIHA since the red cells are destroyed in the bone marrow. You can learn more about PRCA by reading these Success Stories at the Meisha's Hope AIHA/IMHA Website Macy May, 2006 http://www.cloudnet.com/~jdickson/archives16.htm Kobi, October, 2006 http://www.cloudnet.com/~jdickson/archives17.htm And then following the links at the end of the stories to sites with more info on PRCA

Joanne MN

This thread was discussed between 04/09/2009 and 06/09/2009

Canine Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (AIHA & IMHA) forum index

This thread is from the Vetnet archive. The live Vetnet forum is active now.