Canine Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (AIHA & IMHA) - symptoms are still 'new' for me

Thanks to everyone who read and commented on my 1st post. I do have some addl. questions... "Popeye" is the 9 yr German Shepherd Dog newly diagnosed AIHA. When I picked him up from his 3 night stay at the vet hospital, the first thing I noticed was a big droopey belly. He was pretty fit and trim before going in. Now his stomach looks like a water ballon and he keeps on drinking water. Yesterday I noticed he was leaking urine while walking around and didn't seem to notice. Has this happened to anyone else? Is this from the Prednisone? Can anyone explain the reason it is so difficult for him to get up and walk? At his few attempts of moving faster, he nearly fell over. Is this part of AIHA or the Prednisone? Still sad and confused over all of this. Allison

Allison TX

Hi Allison, you have come to the right place. the extended belly, excessive thirst and urination "leeking" are the prednisone. tess used to pee in her sleep, when she got up, pretty much all the time. What is Popeye's PCV count, when low the body is not getting as much oxygen as normal and this makes them very weak. As his levels improve he will get better but the prednisone will again come into effect as it does waste the muscle tissue (this will come back). Also you may want to be prepared for a ravenous appetitite from teh prednisone....you may want to try low (or no) sodium canned green beans mixed in with his food. Claudine

Claudine Milton

Claudine, Not sure I remember what vet said about PVC...7 or 17 is stuck in my head. His appetite has not been very big though. What are the green beans for? Thanks, Allison

Allison TX

Hi Allison, With a PCV below 20 he will be very weak, that is normal. I used to have to carry tess outside to do her business and up and down the stairs. When his appetite comes back the prednisone will make him hungry all the time (like the thirst you are seeing now), the green beans are like a "filler". they are high in fiber so they fill him up, but low in fat and calories. Tess learned to love them and it was the only thing that kept her from begging for food 24/7. Claudine

Claudine Milton

Something I think is funny we have had two pred reductions thirst has gone down some but not the appetite. Thank God for green beans:) Teresa and Cranky

Teresa Smithfield Ky

Even when Holly's PCV was down to 8 she was always starving, the prednisone just increased it more and we have decreased many times and the hunger is still always there. Linda

Linda Sapphire

Hi Allison, I read your first post. It seems that most dogs are going home with a prednisone dosage of about 1mg per pound split into two doses. Along with that, one of two immunosupressants. Either Cyclosporin or Imuran. The goal is to have the prednisone reduce the destruction of the RBC's while waiting for the other drug to take effect. As Popeye's red blood cells increase you will probably notice his other tests for liver function may get worse. The drugs that are needed to reverse this disease are very hard on the dogs system. Something to protect the dog's stomach (Pepcid AC or similar type of drug) is needed. Milk Thistle capsules help the liver functions. Dr. Jean Dodd's has a website that has a liver cleansing diet if Popeye's liver enzymes go sky high. You can expect Popeye to be constantly hungry and thirsty. Since they drink so much water, they need to pee very often (i.e. you will be up in the night) They feel hot and pant constantly.(try a small fan on the floor). Get some "Pill Pockets" to make giving all the pills easier. Whatever quantity of food Popeye eats in a day, put the whole amount in a small plastic container and then spread the amount into three or four meals every four hours. This way you may not be so likely to overfeed him. Daisy and I are three months into this and it is just now starting to get easier. Read all you can. You will get good advice from the people on this forum....Good Luck, Ron

Ron B San Mateo

Allison...I forgot to mention in my post above that I have a lab with AIHA and bumped into this site that has some information. http://www.labbies.com/aiha.htm in addition Cloudnet.com is an excellent resource.

Ron B San Mateo

It is the pred that causes muscle weakness, which is why he is having trouble getting up. This is not permanent, and reverses when the pred dosage is reduced. At his worst, Boy could hardly get up from a lying or sitting position (end of July); now, after 3 pred reductions, he has just managed to go upstairs again. I did not believe this would ever happen, so don't despair. Give him time. Good luck.

Hilary Hampshire

Allison- everything you have detailed, me and my dog sway have experienced also... it is the side effects of the medication

josh california

This thread was discussed between 29/10/2007 and 31/10/2007

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