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Canine Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (AIHA & IMHA) - Squirt showing signs of paralysis
| Squirt showed great signs this weekend of coming around. His tongue was pink, his step a little lively and his appetite has been really good. That was Sunday eve. I was awoke this a.m. by Precious (female) yapping, when I opened the gate and looked for Squirt he was over in a corner trying to stand, covered in urine. His "1,000 mile stare" and what appears to be paralysis of his right side is most disturbing. A trip to the vet showed his PCV count doing really well (33 I believe), but suspected he may have had a seizure. His eye on that side twitches a bit, so he tells me that and paralysis due to possibly a lesion on his brain. (?) Has anyone else experienced this? He is now on 1/2 25mg. tab of Meclizine as well as the predizone. He has basically been zonked out since, but at least he's not trying to get up and walk around. His appetite is really great if I hand feed him. I'm sorry I cannot afford to go all out on this, I am unemployed and my wife's job is minimal. |
| Ed Niagara Falls |
| Ed, I'm sorry to read your post. I haven't experienced seizures associated with IMHA but I do know that "brain lesion" can be a very broad term that some vets use to cover an array of suspected things. What is Meclizine? The reason I'm asking is I had a miniature schnauzer who developed neurological symptoms as a result of intolerance to the dose of a medication he was given for suspected IBD. It was not a well documented side effect of the drug but the ER doctor, who happened to train in Canada, remembered seeing it as a possible effect and the symptoms disappeared when they reduced the dosage. I hope it is as simple as that. Bonnie |
| Bonnie Chicago |
| Meclizine is one of a few drugs they give people for motion sickness. They also will prescribe it for nausea caused by middle ear infections that cause nausea. Will make people and dogs drowsy. Regarding the paralysis, have they considered a "stoke"..most of the time the dogs get a pulmonary embolism but it is possible a small clot could block a vessel in the dogs brain and cuse the paralysis much like humans who experience a stroke. Was Squirt on baby aspirin? Can Squirt stand? If you take your dogs head and gently move it from side to side do you notice any nystagmus? That is the eyes moving from one side to the other or moving up and down? Can be a diagnostic for central vs peripheral lesions. |
| RonB San Mateo |
| Dear Ed and Squirt, Kent, my mini-schnauzer, started out having seizures. He was not diagnosed with AIHA til weeks later. His vet also suggested a number of things that could cause seizures at the time - infection, genetics, age, ....Our vet though briefly he may have inherited a gene that though he had shots against (menengitis?) may have been exposed to something that caused it. He was collapsing, unable to stand, and unable to control his body, and he would often pee on himself and the floor or the bed, or wherever he was when he had an episode. He was put on phenobarbital (i think) but when he collapsed completely one morning was diagnosed with AIHA. He was taken off the epilepsy drugs, and put on pred and has never had another seizure, though he occasionally has accidents - usually in bed in the morning - i guess he is too deep in sleep to realize he has to go, then feels horrible when he wakes up all wet, very embarrased. I don't know what kind of tests are available to see what the causes are, but i do know that Dr. Dodds knows quite a bit about epilepsy and seizures, so i would contact her. If you dont have her contact info (its posted on this board in a few threads) just look up hemopet.org. I would ask her what she thinks. I hope this helps a little bit. I understand about not being able to put all resources behind testing etc, I have been in the same boat. I spoke with my vet and was able to make some arrangements with him - ie he doesnt charge for drawing his blood to send to hemopet; he ranks what tests he would like to see done and we do them as we can in the order he feels is most important. We are also able to save by getting some of his meds like pred from walmart on their 4$ plan, the vet just calls it in. Kent does not go to a specialist, though i was able to consult with a holistic vet last month who made some suggestions that appear to be helping him - diet, supplements, such, particularly my concern about frontline and flea products - kent is all natural now as far as flea protection goes. I hope this helps, please do not be too discouraged but do contact Dr. Dodds about the epilepsy and AIHA. Your squirt may not definitely have a brain lesion, it may be medicine related or other. Christine and Kent |
| Christine Fl |
This thread was discussed between 19/05/2008 and 21/05/2008
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