Canine Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (AIHA & IMHA) - urinary tract infection?

Hi-- Our dog Bravy had AIHA in 2005. She has recently been diagnosed with a urinary tract infection and we got anti-biotics for that. What worries me is that her white blood cell count is elevated--and keeps going up. Her red blood cell count is nromal (and I hope will stay that way). She has gotten lethargic, refuses to eat, and trembles sometimes. She also used to make these shallow almost gasping breaths but last night was a bit better. Does this sound like typical urinary tract infection symptoms or do you think this could be the sign of an AIHA relapse? If the latter, can anyone suggest what the vet should test her for? Also, can anyone suggest something that we can give her to get her to eat. She is obviously hungry but won't eat her Candida (either wet or dry) she will occasionally eat IAMS (which I know is really bad for her--but it's better than nothing!). Thank you! Inna

Inna USA

Hi Inna, I'm sorry to hear that Bravy is having some troubles. Hopefully you will get her checked again to be sure it isn't a relapse. I think that the white cell count is naturally elevated when an infection in the body is present, but you can never be to careful, I would for sure have the full CBC run, and check her PCV/hematocrit. I would suggest making a few homecooked meals to get her over the hump- how about some boiled, shredded chicken with some steamed white or brown rice and some sweet potatoes? That usually does the trick around here. How are her gums looking? Hopefully nice and pink. Also, for UTI prevention, alot of us here supplement with cranberries to keep the bladder healthy before infections can creep in, it seems they are all prone to the. We just sprinkle a handful of dried ones into tiggs' food, others use the capsule variations. Hope Bravy is ok, please keep us posted! melissa and tiggs

melissa slc

Inna, I am not a vet so take everything I say with a bit of caution! However to me, it sounds like she may have a bladder stone. There are two types and they can cause the kind of symptoms you describe. One type of stone, oxalate, can be caused by high cortisol and this is exactly what prednisone is. This causes the body to excrete more calcium in the urine. This would be something to see the vet about this week if you can. Here are several webpages to read so you can understand why these happen and see if anything sounds familiar to you. http://www.bladderstonesindogs.com/bladder-stones-in-dogs-signs.php http://www.marvistavet.com/html/canine_oxalate_bladder_stones.html http://www.marvistavet.com/html/canine_struvite_bladder_stones.html Please let me know what happens. patrice

Patrice NYS

Thanks Melissa & Patrice. Our vet mentioned that bladder stones are a posibility but we decided that we would check her for that if she does not improve. (We've had 3 CBC's done-they have all shown high white blood cell count and normal red blood cell counts) She has been having fewer symptoms.. but what really scares me is the not eating. That's what happened right before she was diagnosed with AIHA. We spoke to the vet today (he was also worried about diabetes and she does not have that) and he said to bring her in next week if she does not improve. I'll try the chicken and rice. Maybe that'll help. Thank you! Inna

Inna USA

We gave Bravy chicken, rice and cottage cheese and she ate almost the whole bowl and afterwards had her pill in the pill pocket (she had been refusing to touch the pill pockets and all other treats for days). Thank you so much! Inna

Inna USA

Inna, good to hear Bravy ate most of the bowl. Hopefully he gets his appetite back and gets over this hurdle. Maybe you could keep his diet a little more bland for the time being until you find out what's wrong. Try to avoid the richer foods that are packed with minerals. I was always told that milk will help prevent stones. I'm not sure how much....maybe 1/2 cup every couple days? Maybe someone else has heard of this. In any case...if you are concerned with his health then take him to his doctor. One can never be too carefull. I'll keep you both in my thoughts and prayers. Johnny & Tessy

Johnny

Hi-- Bravy ended up having pyometra. Her uterus was removed successfully and she's home now and eating but not drinking. Her white cells are elevated and her red cells are a down (28). What should I do to get her to drink? Inna

Inna USA

Hi Inna, Wow, poor Bravy, but at least you got to the bottom of it. When Tiggs was really sick at first, our vet told us we could try a little Gatorade diluted. We didn't really find it to help too much, but sometimes it did. You could also give her some small ice cubes to help her hydrate. Do you know if they are planning on treating her anemia, or is it part of the recovery process that caused the little dip? hugs to little Bravy! melissa and tiggs

melissa SLC

Thanks for the ice cubes suggestion. Right now they're watching the the anemia to see if she stabilizes. Inna

Inna USA

At one point I had to give my dog water with a syringe when she refused to drink. Cheryl & Ginger

Cheryl & Ginger Pineville PA

Inna, Oh dear. Your vet was very clever to discover this and treat it immediately. I am so glad that she is home and recovering. The signs were certainly there for this, high white blood cell count, lethargy, anorexia, pain and a uti. Anemia can be part of the signs. From my reading, a closed cervix pyometra, along with only a slight increase in uterus size can be harder to diagnose. Doing a full cbc and chem screen along with evaluating liver and kidney function can help with the diagnosis. Your vet certainly could have been sidetracked by many different diagnoses. Bravy has had some pretty serious surgery so recovering will be a week or so. Ice chips are good, or freeze some ice cube trays with chicken broth. I keep a few Pedialite Popsicles in my freezer. You could also just freeze some Pedialite ice cubes. I think she will just naturally not want to eat right now. Offer her small pieces of scrambled eggs, they are very tempting and are good for her. Good luck with her recovery patrice

Patrice NYS

Thank you for your suggestions everyone and yes, we have the best vet ever. Had it not been for him little Bravy would have been dead thrice over. He's a miracle worker and I hope he continues to be one. Most of all, he has a golden heart. We didn't try the ice cubes because elsewhere online, my husband found the idea of soaking kibbles in water, letting them stand and then seeing if she'll eat. She loves the stuff! Can't get enough of it. And everytime she eats these soaked kibbles she also is getting about 1/3 cup of water. She is also slowly beginning to drink out of her water bowl. may that continue! Again, thank you everyone. Inna

Inna USA

This thread was discussed between 22/04/2009 and 29/04/2009

Canine Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (AIHA & IMHA) forum index

This thread is from the Vetnet archive. The live Vetnet forum is active now.