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Canine Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (AIHA & IMHA) - Timmy Update
| Hello Everyone, It has been awhile and i wanted to update on timmy's condition.I have spent the last months adjusting the pred.levels after weekly pcv tests....3 weeks ago he shot up to pcv of 49 and now 50 this week.He is still on 25mg of atopica twice a day.I still give him the thyroid supplement and pet tinic...He has had kidney stones from the start which the vet said was secondary and need to be addressed at some point.Has anyone had problems with the high pcv? Terry And Timmy |
| Terry Pa |
| It sounds like Timmy is doing wonderful! Congratulations. I always thought a high PCV was a good thing, but am a novice. Good luck and keep up the good work! |
| Mardi Northern Calif |
| Great to hear that Timmy is doing good. A PCV of 50 doesn't sound high to me. Sounds just about right. The reference range we use for a hematocrit is 37-55. Johnny & Tessy |
| Johnny |
| Terry, This does should like good news, what is his behavior like? Does he seem alert and feeling spunky to you? I am guessing that he does. This would be considered a good clinical sign that he is doing quite well. The normal range of PCV packed cell volume (or hematocrit HCT) can vary from dog to dog and breed to breed. Some special breeds have a very high upper range of PCV and that is considered normal. Your vet should be aware of this and would be able to ease your concerns immediately. If they find this seems to be abnormally high, then repeat your question here and I will help you further. My dog, Chance, had his spleen removed in early 2007. My vet has noticed that many of the dogs in her clinic that have had their spleen removed (including her own) have a lower, but normal PCV. Chance just had his full yearly exam and his PCV comes in at 39, which is very near the lowest end of normal. But all of the rest of the blood work points to a very normal range for him. There are no signs of anemia. In addition, if a dog is dehydrated when the blood test is done, there can be an artificially higher PCV because the blood plasma is reduced (less water content). Unfortunately, a 10-12 hour fast is the best thing before these tests and that can dehydrate a dog. Kidney stones, for the most part in dogs, are of a certain type that is likely related to bladder infections. This is not always the case, but a vet can do diagnostics to determine which kind of two they are. What your vet probably would like to do is nail down the type of stone and also treat the bladder infection. There are special diets that can be combined with antibiotics that would treat the infection and help dissolve the stones. If you have not already done so, at this point if this were me, I would consider having a full CBC and chem screen (and a urinalysis) done to determine his overall condition. From this you and your vet can make further decisions about decreasing the med dosages a bit more. I suspect that with him being this stable for almost a month that you are ready to do this. my best patrice |
| Patrice NYS |
This thread was discussed on 29/11/2009
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