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Canine Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (AIHA & IMHA) - Synthetic erythroprotein ever used in PRCA?
| Hi I was looking on the web yesterday, trying to find as much info as possible on PRCA - not an easy task and I came across a site www.vintagegoldens.com/tick.htm where a dog had been given synthetic erythroprotein to stimulate the bone marrow to produce red blood cells. Does anybody know anything about this kind of treatment? I believe it is used in us human folk. Thanks, Claire |
| Claire Cumbria |
| Claire i discussed this with dr. dodds in 2007. my vet had offered this as a possible treatment. she said that she would prefer to try other things (like the cyclosporine) first and leave the erythropoietin for a final, last treatment if all else failed. at that time we were looking at a human product. this would have possibly caused the body to produce antigens to the foreign proteins and create more trouble than it was worth. i don't know about the synthetic product, how it is made and where you could obtain it. erythropoietin is a hormone produced by the kidneys that stimulates the bone marrow to produce new red blood cells. it is sometimes used in humans in cases of chronic anemia. it would be very difficult to obtain for a dog and would be considered a human medication. my vet's source is a local prison that must discard out of date meds. they donate it to her for use in animals. sometimes a local congressperson can intervene and make this happen. but the laws are very specific about discarded human meds. let me know what you find out from your vet patrice |
| Patrice NYS |
| Hi Claire, I used the human version - epogen - in the last few months with kent. It did stimulate his red blood cell production and he had enormous pep in his step - almost too much - he would run 5 times further than he had, but then would faint (he had developed a tumor we did not know about around his heart). You have to careful about the dosage, and really do your research and have the vet do so too - there is great controversy about the correct dosage, and i had found a study suggesting that 1/4 of the 'normal' dose produced the same outcome with less side effects - and there are side effects. Keep the treatment in mind, but i would try other things first. Let me know if you have any questions, Christine and Kent |
| Christine FL |
This thread was discussed between 15/08/2009 and 16/08/2009
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