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Canine Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (AIHA & IMHA) - Update on Holly 9-4-08
| Hi everyone, It is especially hard to post Holly's good news with so much sorrow going on at this time. Our vets office has a new Dr helping our old vet and WOW, he is really good! He is working there 2 days a week and other offices the rest of the time. Finally after all this time someone with some knowledge. He knows of Dr Dodds and called me tonight and we discussed Holly for about an hour on the phone. Had taken her in last Friday to have a thyroid test done and we sent out to Dr Dodds to do the test. Great news her thyroid test came back completely normal. The new DR last Friday also wanted to run another CBC & retic and just got those results in today and her hematocrit is 54.1, her WBC is up again to 5.9 and her retic count came down just a bit, so at 1.4 from 1.7 two weeks ago. So very happy with all of this. He is going to do a little research and even consult with Dr Dodds so that maybe we can start the decrease on the Aziathioprine with the hopes that this is suppressing her WBC to much. Only twice since she has been on this has her WBC been just above normal. He also told me NOT to worry about the retic count it is basically fine at 1.4 and thinks that maybe the aziathioprine because maybe supressing her WBC that her red blood cells are having to work harder therefore why her retic count is up. I think I have explained that correctly. Holly's internist in Atlanta where she spent the week in the hospital has always told me oh need to have that retic count under 1 and even at 0 would be good, but this vet says no, told me to stop worrying. So as of right now, he had me up her pred last week back to 2mg a day and with hopes of reducing and eliminating the aziathioprine. Then he said we will slowly work on the prednisone. It sure has been a long battle and I know it is not over yet, but after 17 months it is finally encourging to finally have a vet who can really talk to me about this disease. He specializes in encronology. Linda |
| Linda Sapphire |
| That's great news Linda. What a breath of fresh air to find a vet that knows what he is doing and is willing to do research. We all love to hear good news. It gives hope to those who are really struggling. |
| Leslie Oceanside |
| Great news Linda, way to go Holly, thanks for sharing. We also have had a good week. I hope that it provides some hope to others who could use some hope, and gives comfort to some others whose special furkids are at the bridge. melissa and tiggs |
| melissa slc |
| Linda, great news for you and Holly. Really happy for you, deb and Duck |
| Debbie BC Canada |
| Linda, You sharing bad news or no news will not bring our sorely missed beloved babies back over the bridge. Nor would it ease our pain. Rejoice in your wonderful news...these battles are hard won and can even give us hope that the bridge is not always the inevitable path of this journey. I like to think of it as my Barkley's life that he did not get to live being transferred to another special canine soul, carrying life forward for him. Congratulations...now you can take a deep breath and just love her without the associated pain and fear. Cheryl (and always Barkley) |
| Linda Medford |
| Linda and all, Sorry about the error in the address line. That last post was from Cheryl in Medford, OR not from Linda to Linda! Oh, well, I guess my distraction is still peeking through. Again, celebrate, Linda! You both deserve it! Cheryl (and always Barkley) |
| Cheryl Medford |
| Linda, I think finding a Vet you can talk to helps so much in this battle. I am really happy for you and Holly. Penny |
| Linda Lytle Creek Calif |
| Linda, good news about Holly. It is amazing what a difference a new vet can make. We went from hearing that our vet felt "backed into a corner" with no clue as to why Brandy's abdomine was filling up with fluid and being told that we would have to make some "difficult decisions" ...... to have a new vet tell us that she has seen this before. The prednisone was causing Brandy to retain LOTS of water and her liver was not working as effectively as it should. Some new meds to help her liver function, a diuretic to help with the fluid and a slight reduction in her prednisone and she is like a new dog. A long way from having to make a "difficult" decission. I am so glad you found a vet willing to reach out to other vets with more experience with this terrible disease. We certainly learned our lesson. Hang in there and good luck!! Deb and Brandy |
| Deb Grand Rapids MI |
This thread was discussed between 05/09/2008 and 06/09/2008
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