Canine Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (AIHA & IMHA) - Urgent help needed, please!

Hello everyone, I have never posted to this site before but learned about it from my friend Betty Tunks. My seven-year-old Golden Retriever, Heidi, was diagnosed with AIHA on Tuesday. It started with her dry heaving and acting a little weak. Last night was a sleepless night for all of us. This morning, her legs collapsed out from underneath her when she tried to walk because she was so weak! She is on Prednisone, Pepcid, and Carafate (she had blood in her stool). I have no experience with this whatsoever, so I have no idea what to do. If someone could help us out and give me any ideas of things to try while we're waiting for the Prednisone to kick in (today is her fourth day of it), it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much, Blair

Blair Grove City

I forgot to add, she will not eat or drink...although last night she ate a hamburger from Wendy's, so maybe she's just being stubborn and holding out? I have no idea. Thanks so much.

Blair Grove City

Blair, I am sorry Heidi has been diagnosed with this awful disease. Please check out Joanne's web site as it will answer a lot of your questions as well as prepare you for what you can expect. http://www.cloudnet.com/~jdickson Penny

Penny Lytle Creek Calif

bumping up for Blair. Her sweet Heidi, a 7 yo golden retriever, is in crisis this am. She hasn't been on the pred long enough for it to kick in. Since we didn't have our Cody thru the initial crisis point, I am no help in additional meds until the pred works.... any input would be helpful for her.

Betty Dallas

Penny, thanks so much for your sweet comment. I have looked at that website and it is encouraging, definitely. I am just so overwhelmed by all of this. It has been so sudden, too!

Blair Grove City

Betty, you have been an amazing help talking me through all of this. You have no idea how much I treasure your friendship.

Blair Grove City

Hi Blair, I'm really sorry to hear about Heidi's diagnosis. There are a lot of wonderful people here on this board, and you've come to the right place for support. Definitely visit Joanne's site that Penny pointed you to. What are your baby girls numbers? Do you know her PCV, platelet and white cell counts? Also, has she required a transfusion? You might also discuss with your vet the possiblity of adding a drug like Azathioprine and a very low dose of aspirin to help prevent blood clots, which can frequently cause complications for IMHA dogs during early diagnosis. We will be hoping and praying for you and Heidi. Many dogs can survive IMHA, so it's important that you try and learn everything you can as quickly as you can so that Heidi is treated aggressively from the start. Please keep us updated, and don't hesitate to ask any questions here. We'll be thinking of you melissa and tiggs (my stripey dog and 9 month survivor of IMHA)

melissa slc

Blair, One other thing, it's normal for her to not have any appetite for a while. She may be nauseous and exhausted, and a major symptom of IMHA is inappetance. You can try boiled white rice, boiled chicken, boiled white or sweet potatoes, or if you need to you could add a soft canned food like Hills A/D which is high in calories. No more hamburgers though, because doggies with IMHA are very susceptible to pancreatitis, and that can be very dangerous for them, so no fatty foods. thinking of you and heidi! melissa and tiggs

melissa slc

Blair, I'm sorry to hear Heidi has AIHA. You've come to the right place. We've all been to that scary spot that you are in right now. Hang in there. She'll probably do alot of sleeping at this time. You mentioned she was just diagnosed on Tuesday, does she go back to the doc for more blood work soon to check her levels? Joanne's site that was mentioned above will educate you on this disease and we are all here to help if we can too. You'll hear Dr. Dodds name mentioned too as someone you can e-mail if need be. When my dog got sick I started out at my regular vet who said he treated this disease before. I ended up changing to an Internal Medicine Specialist and found that she had much more experience in treating this. My dog was diagnosed end of May 2008 and is doing well now. He had some tough times though. He is still on Cyclosporine but weaned off the prednisone. There are dogs that do survive and do well. Please keep us posted on how Heidi is doing. Chris & Alex

Chris Pa

Melissa, thank you for the information on the hamburgers. I was so determined to get her to eat anything last night, that I didn't even consider that. *smacking myself on the forehead* I will make her chicken tonight to see if she will eat that. I just want to do everything I can for her and this is all so new to me. The good thing is that my sister is our vet. So treatment costs are not an option or anything like that. Therefore, absolutely anything you guys can think of that might help her, we will look into.

Blair Grove City

Treatment costs are not an option! Boy are you lucky! Most of us are thousands into debt with this. Chris

Chris Pa

Chris, thanks so much for the sweet message. My sister is our vet, thank goodness, so Heidi is going to work with her every day to be watched and loved on Brooke, my sister, said if this doesn't start improving quickly, we're going to take Heidi to Ohio State.

Blair Grove City

Oh, believe me, I know how blessed we are that my sister is a vet. Brooke checks on Heidi 1,000,000 times per day down at the clinic. They're doing everything they can to make her comfortable during this difficult time.

Blair Grove City

Blair- i actually just posted this on another thread about a newly diagnosed animal, so i thought id paste it here also in hopes that you would find it some help... also, i see you are from ohio...so am i originally, the dayton area :) and 1 last thing, i 2nd what melissa said about the food...white rice and boiled chicken is usually a big winner!! ___________________________ first off i am sorry to hear about your Heidi... you are in the right place though for endless information and encouragement, as this board is very very good. AIHA is a very serious disease and unfortunately there is no 'standard' response time for anything... some dogs respond within days/weeks to the meds and never see the disease again. others (like mine) carry it for months or longer, weve been in this fight for 21 months now... i dont say that to scare you, hopefully you see the bright side of that...because even in the worst cases, if you have the right vet (very important to have a specialist or 2, or people that have deep experience with this specific condition) then it is possible to keep your animals living a good solid life. unfortunately this disease also has a high mortality rate, some of that is due to the sheer complicated mess that this disease can be...and its just hard to pin down and can quickly engulf some animals... but other times, owners might not have the resources to get deep in the fight, animals might be put down or misdiagnosed too quickly etc...that is why its just so important to have a specialist that has an open mind and a clear history and success rate when concerning this disease. as far as your specific question as to the PCV going up...again it all depends, some go up right away. some remain 'steady' - some need transfused and could be months before the bone marrow even makes new cells. my dog sway had 8 transfusions before her blood level even began to 'hold' steady, and then another 4 months before it went up at all... 21 months later the highest PCV count she has had since diagnosis has been a 28%. that may sound overwhelming and scary to you but if you choose to use that as inspiration then are going down the right road... chances are your molly will respond far sooner than that and people here are a testament to how dogs can recover and live out great futures.

josh california

Blair I am sorry your Golden Heidi has been diagnosed with AIHA. When Ginger was first diagnosed and had no appetite I pretty much had to hand feed her and she would only eat boiled hamburger or chicken with rice. Once she began to feel better her appetite did improve. I remember it took the pred. about a week before I saw any improvement and it was very slight. What was her PCV and how much pred. is Heidi on? Try to find out what else they are giving her and the dosages. Keeping our paws crossed for Heidi. Cheryl & Ginger

Cheryl & Ginger Pineville PA

So sorry to hear about your golden. I lost my labradoodle Nicky this morning - after promising blood tests and response to prednisone, she threw a clot in the middle of the night last night and her lungs gave out. I wish you much luck, and will keep you and your pup in my thoughts.

Christina Chicago

Blair... my heart is breaking for you. I am so glad that Heidi had you for these months so she could know the love and attention that she so deserved. Her sweet face is free and whole at the bridge and I bet your grandma and Hooch are showering her with only the best. Godspeed sweet Angel. And, Blair, you know your Golden Retriever Forum family will always be there for you. Hugs, Betty

Betty Dallas

Blair, I am so saddened to hear that Heidi has gone to the bridge. She was so lucky to have you and knows that you and Brooke did all that you could for her. Heidi is free now to play in the sun with a lot of our dogs. She will wait there at the bridge until you are reunited forever. Penny

Penny Lytle Creek Calif

For those that do not know, just 6 months ago Blair was hoping to find a forever home for this dog. She even made the statement that older dogs are harder to find homes for because we never get to have our dogs long enough, even getting them at weeks old, and people just do not want to adopt one who probably does not have that many more years. She did have a friend that was thinking about adopted Hedie and she was going to foster Heidi for a few days for the guy. But something went wrong..... she fell so in love with this sweet golden retriever who had a had a rough life that even tho she had 3 other dogs , she decided to adopt Heidi. How Prophetic her words about adopting an older dog turned out to be. She only had this beautiful girl for 6 months. But in this case, age was not the issue, it was this horrible disease. All of us were just sick over the loss of Heidi but we know that her last 6 months were filled with love and the best care a dog could get. So sorry Blair.

Sandra

I am glad that Heidi found her forever home even if it was for too short a time. Even though these last days were not what you would want for any dog, Heidi knew what love was. That is the memory I hope Blair can find some comfort in. Penny

Penny Lytle Creek Calif

Blair, I can only echo what others have said. How blessed both you and Heidi were to have each other these last six months, and that she had you to bravely fight her IMHA battle with. Sad tears for Blair, but thinking happy thoughts of her free at the Bridge now. melissa and tiggs

melissa slc

Hello everyone, thank you for all of your thoughts and prayers. As you know, my sweet Heidi girl is at the bridge now. Her hematocrit had dropped to 7 Friday morning by the time we got to MedVet, an amazing emergency veterinary facility in Columbus. After two blood transfusions, it was up to 19 and her gums and tongue were still pale, but a definite pink. They even gave her TWO turkey hot dogs on Friday night and she just about took my fingers off for them. They called me in the middle of the night and said she had dropped to 17, then they called in the morning around 7:00 and she was doing worse. She had gained 10 pounds since I took her in Friday morning (less than 24 hours earlier) and she was breathing heavily when my sister and I got to MedVet. She had a little bit of yellowing in her eyes. The doctors said they could do more transfusions and pump her full of medicine, but I felt at that point that it would be more for me than for her. We laid down with her and she was looking into my eyes as she crossed over to the Rainbow Bridge. Yes, I only had her for six months, but they were the best six months of my life and hers. I wouldn't trade it for the world. Thank you so much for all of your support, I really appreciate it.

Blair Grove City

Sorry to hear about Heidi. Know that you did what you could for her and that you were there with her when she went to the bridge. My thoughts and prayers are with you during these difficult times. Jonathan & Tessy

Jonathan

Blair, I'm very sorry about Heidi. I lost my dog to this disease also, so I know how you must be feeling. I'm sure Heidi knows that you did everything possible to help her. Again, I'm so sorry for your loss. Sue

Sue

Blair - I am very saddened to hear of your loss - another angel among us... Please know that I am thinking of you in these most difficult days....

Stephanie KY

Blair, I am so grieved to hear about Heidi. I think of her golden soft fur and bright eyes and wonder why a young dog like this is gone from this world so quickly. please accept my deepest condolences. patrice

Patrice NYS

Blair and Family Please accept my deepest condolence in the loss your beloved dog Heidi. The last months of her life were the best months and it was all because of you. Unfortunately I know exactly how you feel as I too fostered a golden name Maggie and then decided that I was going to adopted her as I felt that she belonged to me after only fostering her for a week. She died of cancer months later and I was devested. Now that I can look back a few years after she has passed, I ask myself would I do it again and the answer is yes, in a heart beat. I feel as I was hand picked to take care of her, just as you were picked to care for Heidi and as the saying on Maggie's grave marker reads "Those we have held in our arms for a little while we hold in our hearts forever" Heidi will now be forever in your heart. Sending Hugs your way Cheryl & Ginger

Cheryl & Ginger Pineville PA

Blair, I am so sorry to hear about Heidi. Her story sounds so much like my sweet Miracle's last year. I only had her for six months and when she was diagnosed with AIHA she crossed Rainbow Bridge within a week. Please e-mail me if you would like to talk. Cheryl & Ginger: Maggie's grave marker is perfect. It's one of the best sayings I've seen. I put the Stairway To Heaven plaque on Miracle's grave and have a small memorial marker to go with it. I always say she left big paw prints all over my heart. Hugs to all of you. Ramona

Ramona Lafayette

Blair, so sorry to hear about your dog. We had to put our Bailey down today. When we woke up this morning we found Bailey had thrown up 3-4 times. She could barely walk. By the time we got ready to take her in to the vet, she could not stand without assistance. At the vet, she became worse. She had a seizure and went into a coma. The vet and a specialist, after many test, believed it had to be AIHA. Putting her down was the hardest thing I ever had to do. I miss her so much. The four years we got to spend with her were so wonderful. Our 14 month old keeps saying, "Be". That was his name for Bailey. It has helped me to read other stories from people as yourself. Thanks! Todd

Todd Cincinnati

Blair and Todd, sorry to hear you've both lost your dogs to this disease. I know their passing will leave a big gap in your families, and you will miss them greatly. As you said Blair, they've had the best time of their lives with you so you've given them something very special- a life filled with love and kindness. Leonie

Leonie NZ

I'm so sorry to hear about your fur babies, Blair and Todd. It's so hard since I only had Miracle a little less than six months when she was diagnosed with AIHA then quickly taken from me by this horrific disease. Most recently, March 11th, I lost my beautiful thirteen year old dog, Sheba, but we have no idea from what just yet. We are waiting on final test results, but it happened so fast I'm still in shock. The vet thinks it was cancer, but I don't understand how it can come on all of a sudden with vomiting one day, bacterial infection then sudden death after she appeared to be doing better to the point of being released the day she crashed. I share your heartbreak with you. http://www.aplb.org/resources/rainbow.html

Ramona Lafayette

This thread was discussed between 12/03/2009 and 02/04/2009

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