Canine Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (AIHA & IMHA) - Standard poodle with AIHA

Our 2 1/2 year old Standard Poodle Kahlu was diagnosed with AIHA last Saturday, after I went to a different vet for a second opinion. Am I ever glad I did, i think we would have lost him over the weekend. His red count was 17 and is now up to 22. he is of course still very lethargic. He is on 45 mg prednisone 2x per day and 3 different medications to protect his stomach. He had vomited blood after 3 days prednisone with only sucralfate. He still has bad diarrhea. Any advice for this? I am so glad I found the vet I am with now and also this board. I feel very lonely at times. I feel fortunate to be at home with my boy, look after him pamper and love him. How does somebody do it that has to work out of the house? i keep reading and informing myself so we can beat this thing.

Brigitte Western Canada

Brigitte, I am glad you found this board but sorry at the same time that you had to. It sounds like you were very fortunate to get Kahlu to the second Vet. If you haven't found your way to Joanne's site yet please take a look. You will find a lot of answers there as well as it will help you understand the things you will be dealing with. http://www.cloudnet.com/~jdickson/ Keep us posted. Penny

Penny Lytle Creek Calif

Thanks Penny! Joanne's information and especially the success stories were incredible in those first days! I still go back to the pictures of dogs doing Agility every once in a while. I just want Kahlu to get healthy again, but we can dream of doing Agility, right? I just took him around the block very slow and he had a good time just sniffing around. His stool is still very runny and i wonder if that has an affect on the prednisone. He has a vet check on Saturday, so cross your fingers he is doing better. I will keep you posted, Brigitte

Brigitte

I am so sorry to hear your guy got hit with this diseae and am wishing him all the luck in the world. i lost my golden retriever, Hunter, to it Oct. 16, 2003, just 8 days after diagnosis. He never left ICU.

sandra Texas

Hello everybody, it is 12:30 here and I can't sleep. I am so anxious to go to the vet tomorrow morning. Kahlu is clearly doing better. He has more energy and i see glimpses of his old self. The thing that worries me is he is not putting on weight, actually i think he is loosing weight. He has gone from 62 lbs to 54 at diagnosis a week ago. He is eating lots, but he has horrible diarrhea. i read somewhere on this list to put them on digestive enzymes. I will ask the vet tomorrow. He has been such a fit and athletic dog and now he is just skin and bones. Any input is appreciated and cross your fingers he has a good result tomorrow, Brigitte

Brigitte BC

Hi Brigitte. My dog also suffered from loose BM's in the early days though he did put on weight and had a hearty appetite because of the prednisone. My vet recommended Forti Flora (made by Purina). It is a probiotic that you sprinkle on the food once a day. It took about three weeks but did the trick. Hope this helps. Please keep us posted about Kahlu's progress. deb and Duck (my dog)

Debbie BC Canada

Good news! Kahlu's red count is up to 28! The vet was very happy with all his results. He is getting used to have his blood taken, just standing there for them. She was not too concerned about his diarrhea, but will check on some Veterinarian board if Forti Flora would be good. She is a bit reluctant to ad something more to his regime. I could hug the world, I am so happy! Thank you all so much for your kind words, Joanne your website was a shining star in those dark days! Brigitte

Brigitte BC

Brigitte, I am watching your story with interest as my dog was diagnosed the same day....I am absolutely thrilled about Kahlu's red blood count and be so proud of yourself that you got a second opinion, I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for you both, Karen

Karen Thomson Portugal

I almost feel silly to post these questions. My problems seem trivial compared to what Josh and Sway are going through. Kahlu's RBC was up to 28 on Saturday up from 17 the week before. He seems to respond to the Prednisone (45mg 2x per day) He is also getting Sucralfate 1mg 3x per day and 2x per day Misoprostol and Ranitidine, to help with his stomach. He still has awful diarrhea and I have to get up 3-4 times a night (which I do gladly!) When I mentioned Forti Flora to the vet, she went on some Vet board to find out more. An internal medicine vet suggested to do more tests,fecal oval and parasite (?) bacterial toxins and Giardia. (he was immunized for giardia) If all this would be negative he could then be put on Metranitazol. Sorry about the spelling of all this.What do you think? Somebody recommended to give him pumpkin. Any opinions on that? Kahlu is eating alright (for a standard poodle) but his taste changes almost daily which makes it hard. He has probably about 6 BM in 24 hrs. Thank you for any advice, Brigitte

Brigitte BC

Brigitte, I'm sorry to hear that your dog has AIHA. I have a standard poodle that was diagnosed end of May 2008 after he just turned 3 years old. He initially was on about the same dose of prednisone with pepcid for his stomach. It was a rough summer as although his PCV increased he still was very sick and weak. It was only after starting cyclosporine for several weeks and getting him weaned entirely off the prednisone(after about 4-5 months on it) that he started to feel better. I think its great that your dog is getting some of his energy back. Things that I found really helped my dog survive this were - the support and knowledge of the people on this web site, Joanne's Meisha's website, and Dr. Dodds (hemopet@hotmail.com) help when the time got really rough. We went for a walk this past weekend for a little more than one mile for the first time since he got sick. He actually was pulling at the leash. We are wishing Kahlu many more good check ups! Chris & Alex

Chris Pa

Brigitte, dont feel silly, these are all valid questions. High doses of prednizone can cause diarrhrea, You could try some pumpkin, for his size I would try a tbsp or 2. It works great for both diarrhrea and constipation. And I would ask the vet if the enzymes would be okay. What are you feeding him? You might also try bland food like chicken and potatoes Laurie

Laurie CA

Thank you Laurie and Chris. I got a fecal check done for Kahlu and there was no abnormalities. We are trying Forti Flora for a few days and if it does not help metranitazol. He has a pretty good appetite and I feed him gastro formula medi cal, a Canadian made caned product, sold at the vet. I top that with a spoon of Wellness no grain salmon or chicken. I will try and add some pumpkin too. Our next blood work is Friday, lets hope for the best. My thoughts are with Josh and Sway, and all the dogs and owners fighting this. Brigitte

Brigitte BC

This thread was discussed between 30/01/2009 and 03/02/2009

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