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Canine Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (AIHA & IMHA) - Trixie swollen Lymph Nodes?
| Since Friday, Trixie I felt was going a little down hill. Her breathing has once again increases and didn't seem interested in going for short walks, her gums have been looking a little pale also, she still wags her tail though. I took her for a full blood test today, it will be sent to Bristol so I don't expect I'll have the results until Wed/Thurs. Our Vet seemed to think her tummy area still looks rather swollen and he went on to say there seems to be some swelling around her throat area. I actually have noticed she seems a little podgy there, but put it down to the weight gain. She has now been put on antibiotics and I will take her back on Thursday. The Vet went on to say, the fact that her lymph nodes seem a little swollen could indicate an infection, if so the anitbiotics will help with that. If there is no improvement by the time she has finished her course of antibiotics (this Thursday) the it could well be something else going on inside of her. I am now wondering if this could also be the cause of when she breaths, she sounds kind of throaty. I now await anxiously for wed/thurs for her blood results. Something tells me they will have dropped, I hope not, but I am very concerned now. Tricia |
| Tricia UK |
| Oh - Tricia, I will say an extra prayer for Trixie! My oldest dacshund - (NOT diagnosed with IMHA) has had allergy problems for a long time - after a nasty bought with nasal aspergillos - and she gets pneumonia very easily. She starts by sneezing, then has that load throaty kind of breathing. Her lymph glands will swell around her neck too. If that is what is going on, the antibiotics should kick it quick. I'll keep you in my thoughs & prayers jeanne |
| Jeanne Texas |
| Tricia, Is it spring where you are? It's a possible sign of inhaled allergies, especially to tree and grass pollen. Chance has had allergies since he was 2.5. The vet dermatologist showed me how to monitor his lymph glands in his neck, chest and back legs. I could always tell when he was highly allergic with symptoms because his back leg glands would swell quite a bit. Dogs don't express this kind of allergy in exactly the same way humans do. We sneeze and seem to have respiratory problems. Dog's eyes will goo up, but their symptoms seem more related to skin problems. Keeping the pollen off their paws and coat really helps reduce symptoms. Chance is suffering a bit now. This is the first year we are unable to give him his allergy shots, so his eyes have been gooping up and they look very irritated. His lymph glands are swollen a bit too. Allergies like this can "activate" the immune system mechanisms and make them go on alert for rogue proteins. It is a worrisome time for me. Let us know how your blood results come out. It will be very interesting to hear. How much prednisone are you on and what is her weight? My best, patrice |
| Patrice NYS |
| Hi Patrice. Trixie has been on 1/2 pred am and 1/2 pm @ 25mg for the past 2 weeks now. Her weight seems to have increased also, she is up to 32k, she was bordering on 30 about 2 1/2 weeks ago. Tricia |
| Tricia UK |
| Tricia, So you are giving 25mg per day and she is 32 kilograms? That would be 70 pounds US? While not extremely high, I believe 25mg is still is considered a therapeutic dose? So the potential side effects of weight gain, fluid retention, muscle wasting and fat redistribution are still there. Get me up to speed again. Has Trixie had any general x-rays done of the heart area and the abdomen? They shouldn't cost you a lot, and they won't have to give her anesthesia if she can lie quietly for a few min. I had it done with Chance, just to make sure his heart was ok. Anemia can be stressful to the heart and an x-ray can give an idea of the size and shape. I would also want a look at the abdomen. The x-ray is not perfect for looking at internal organs, but it can spot certain things that vets can interpret. Patrice |
| Patrice NYS |
| Hi Patrice Trixie had x-rays and ultra scan in the early days of this disease, she also had more when she spent 1 week in Hospital in January, nothing really drastic showed up. I was told that she has developed a heart murmur. Tricia |
| Tricia UK |
| Just had a call from our local vets, they have received the results from Bristol. They really moved fast on this! Trixie has dropped slightly (PCV), not an awful lot he said and he is unsure why she seems to have gone a little down hill, her white cells seem to be quite high, he said it could be to do with stress, infection if she has one. He is hoping the a/biotics will help if something is going on there (Lymph glands) He will see her again this Thursday and will no doubt be able to tell if the swelling has gone down around her throat area. Bristol will call me later today and Natasha will have a chat with me about the results. As of now, Trixie continues to breath quite heavily, as she is laying here her sides are going in and out like crazy, poor baby. I just hate what this does to our babies. Tricia |
| Tricia UK |
This thread was discussed between 21/04/2008 and 22/04/2008
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