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Canine Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (AIHA & IMHA) - So confused!!
| I took Jack for the 3rd opinion. This vet pretty much said that my current vet and specialist know what they are doing. And that Jack has a 50% chance of survivial but looks bad seeing that he hasn't responded the drugs (2 months) of pred and Imuran. I spoke to him about Atopica but he said we should wait until the bone marrow biopsy comes back on monday. Jack's CBC came back with positive results today. White blood cells down to 24 from 26, Red blood cells up to 3.75 from 3.58. HCT was up tp 30.5 from 26.8. Rectriulytes are now considered marked regenerative and high from Monday saying nonregenerative at 3,000 or 0.1%. The bloodwork looks better but he doesn't clinical look any better. He is so shaky and unstable, very hard time getting up. Has anyone see these affects with their dogs??? He hates going outside because we live on the 2nd floor and he has to use the stairs. He is very pricky with eating. Any suggestions??? I want to start him on Atopica but no one wants to listen until the bone marrow results are back. |
| Robin NYS |
| Robin - Has anyone mentioned that the pred may be contributing to the unsteadiness you are seeing? I believe that can be one of its effects. And, is Jack on anything to protect his stomach (Pepcid is commonly used and sucralfate is another)? It may be the meds are upsetting his stomach and why he isn't eating. You might try plain meat baby food - it's usually a Stage 1 food (in Chicago, it's BeechNut) - just be sure it doesn't contain onions or onion powder. That worked very well with Murray and it's easy to digest and bland enough to not upset his stomach. I'm sorry he's not acting better but it's a piece of good news that his labs are moving in a better direction today. Hang in there. Bonnie |
| Bonnie Chicago |
| robin, side effects of the long term use of pred are causing the poor body condition. all that you are seeing is the same chance went through. i am sure many can chime in here about that please. that's excellent that you are seeing MARKED REGENERATION. do a blood test in a week and you will see increased numbers of red blood cells and the hct will be up. those reticulocytes will be maturing into rbc over the week, it takes them a bit of time to do that. try searing meats a little and see if the smell and the warm meat enhances his appetite. scrambled eggs cooked in a little butter is a huge hit here when Chance was sick. my best patrice |
| Patrice NYS |
| Robin, I can understand how frustrating this is for you. This is what people mean about the emotional roller coaster. It is indeed good that his latest tests do show regeneration happening. Most of our dogs to us look terrible while on the drugs. The muscle weakness,lethargy, the pot bellies, the skeletal look of the head etc. It is all part of the results from the drugs and the disease. Perhaps you can try some pee-pads and cut down on the trips down the stairs. Try to hold onto the positives no matter how slight or minor they seem right now. Go back to Joanne's site and read the success stories or search the archives here. In some dogs it takes a lot longer to see a turnaround. Almost all Vets give out the 50% number. Too bad they haven't read Joanne's success stories. Take care Penny |
| Penny Lytle Creek Calif |
| Robin, it is so hard to see your dog so sick. I had days when I was hoping Kahlu would get up, shake himself and it would all be over. Or that I would hear about a magic pill that would make him better in a few days. Unfortunately it all takes time. Seeing an improvement in Jacks blood panel is so encouraging. He is heading in the right direction and the clinical signs will follow. You just have to be patient. I remember lifting Kahlu into the van, but when we arrived at his favorite trail, he would not even get up and certainly not jump out of the car. It was so disheartening. I tried not to show my disappointment and just sat here and we watched everybody else go for a walk and did some chatting. 4 months later we go on one hour walks, he is swimming, back at agility training and playing with his ball. Take it one day at a time. Jack's body has a lot of work to do and that makes him tired. It could well be, as Bonnie says that he has an upset stomach from the meds. hopefully he is on something to protect his stomach. We never really had a problem with appetite once the prednisone kicked in. Initially Kahlu was on three different stomach protectants (Sucralfate, misoprostol and Ranitidine) I cooked a lot of Chicken, fish and veggies for him. Wellness toppers always enticed him to eat as well. and don't forget about the magic of pumpkinn! One table spoon for your big boy should be great. Canned plain pumpkin, not pie filling. We will be thinking of you and Jack. Best wishes, Brigitte and Kahlu |
| Brigitte BC Canada |
| Robin, Pred does have some terrible side effects. My Ren went from a bouncy little Chihuahua to a frail dog that neeeded to be carried everywhere. Even now after almost a year she still has leg shakes. It takes a long time for these dogs to fully recover. First from the disease itself and then from the drug side effects. Jack's blood work is looking better. Now he just has to get something for nurishment. Baby food, cooked chicken, beef, etc. I hope that his biopsy results will allow your Vet to place Jack on Cyclosporine. I believe that Atopica aided in Ren's remission. Sue & Ren |
| Susie delaware |
| The signs of Prednisone didn't show its ugly face until two weeks ago. Jack has had AIHA for almost 3 months. He went from a bouncy 125 lb boy who love to chase balls and jump on mommy's bed to a fragile, lame boy. He is having trouble with his legs. He tends to walk on the top of his toes (sorta bends them back but does straighten them when he walks.) It is called knuckling. He is so tired and lame. I am currently looking for another apartment because living on the 2nd floor is adding to his stress. WE can't carry a 125 lb dog down 14 steps. My husband has been out of work for 6 months so we have to stay within our current rent range which is difficult. Jack is eating but is very pricky. He also has a bad sinus infection and is on Clavamox (1500 mg a day). So, I don't know if the med is bothering his stomach. He is on Prilosec for stomach protection. When I first put him on the Predisone, he would eat anything in sight. Now, he picks and chooses if and what he wants to eat. I really hope I can put him on the Atopica after Monday. I want to lower the pred. dosage but we need it right now to stablize his blood. |
| Robin NYS |
| Robin, The poor body condition is absolutely a side effect of the Pred, and one that we have to tolerate until we are in a position to reduce it once PCV has stabilised. It was heartbreaking watching Millie struggling to walk and not being able to jump or climb stairs without a HUGE effort. She's a different dog now the pred is significantly reduced, amazing the turnaround. Please be patient. Jack's latest bloodwork is great news and fingers crossed he is on the way to stabilising. You should be very relieved. Unfortunately we do have to watch our furbabies struggling with the Pred side effects, but please keep in mind that it is for the best in the long run. Take care, Samantha. |
| Samantha Geelong |
This thread was discussed between 21/08/2009 and 22/08/2009
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