Canine Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (AIHA & IMHA) - why Heidi

I have been reading everyones comments about aiha and I am so mad that I had never heard of this before. I have had 3 schnauzers and have never had health problems.(very lucky). But sweet little Heidi was just 7yrs when she passed Oct. 5 2010. I am so hurt and mad she got sick on Sunday the 3rd and passed on the 5th. She woke up on Sunday not wanting to eat very weak by the evening she had blood in her urine and had a very high fever. We took her to our vet he new right away what was wrong by looking at her eyes and gumes. He did tests and meds and blood trans. but nothing was working. How can a very healthy dog get so sick so fast and how come people are not talking more about this so we know what to look for. I just lost my father to cancer on Sept 12 and now Heidi. I guess I am trying to find out what caused this and what I need to do in the futher. Is this something we can prevent. I know this is alot of questions but I am so desperate to understand why. Thanks for any information.

Elizabeth ohio

Dear Elizabeth, I am so very sorry to hear that you have suddenly lost Heidi. I have always owned Schnauzers too and I am particularly sad to hear that you have lost your Schnauzer. You ask important questions. Some of this can be answered, but sometimes the specific causes of this condition are not known. This is called idiopathic. There are many possible causes. Tick disease, ingestion of coins containing zinc or onions, neoplasms of certain organs like the spleen (tumors), infections, kidney disease, hypothyroidism, reactions to recent vaccinations or even exposure to certain heavy metals or pesticides can trigger the immune system to begin attacking itself by destroying red blood cells. And sometimes the body just begins to do this without any apparent reason. Why is this is not well known? It certainly would be quickly diagnosed and treated in a human. But veterinary treatment for small animals is attempting to catch up in the diagnosis and treatment of AIHA. This forum you are on, started by Joanne Dickson, is for owners whose dogs have been diagnosed. She has a website, http://www.cloudnet.com/~jdickson/ that has a lot of information about AIHA. In addition, Joanne works closely with The Morris Animal Foundation. They have been very active in studying the causes and treatments of AIHA. You can read about the many studies they have done recently. http://www.morrisanimalfoundation.org/ I was just there a few nights ago to read about the upcoming studies that they will be doing. So there is research and general knowledge of this condition. In a crisis situation, it is possible that a vet can do all that they know to do and still not be able to save a beloved pet. I often say that I am sure most vets go into veterinary medicine because they love animals. I wonder if your vet was privately as sad as you were about losing Heidi? When you are feeling up to it, schedule an appointment with this vet to talk about this. Express your frustrations about how sudden this was. I suspect your vet will be very willing to talk with you privately about this and help you understand more of what happened. Please accept my sincere condolences, patrice

Patrice NYS

Elizabeth, I think everyone on this board shares in your frustration of being blind sided by a disease most had never heard of. I have had dogs for almost 60 years and until my dog was diagnosed I had never heard of AIHA or even knew anyone else that had a dog diagnosed. I do not use any chemicals on my dogs and it had been over a year since the last Rabies shot or vaccine of any kind when my Salome was diagnosed. We lost her a month into treatment. Sometimes we will just never know why and you can make yourself crazy trying to find the answer. I hope that the memories of the good times with Heidi eventually ease the pain I know you are feeling. Take care Penny

Penny Lytle Creek Calif

Dear Elizabeth, My heart goes out to you for your loss of Heidi and your father and so close together makes it even harder. I had never heard of this disease until my 5 yr. old cocker, Gracie was diagnosed on Oct. 11. I never thought to look at her gums for signs of anemia but I definitely will now. I think I'll do that in the future with any dog I will have. Don't blame yourself though because this disease does come on quickly and our poor babies can't tell us they are feeling a little tired and weak. They seem to keep going strong until they are so sick they simply can't keep going. By then it is often too late. We humans would start to feel tired and go to the Dr. before we reached that point. I agree with Patrice to schedule a private visit with your vet to try to get any closure you might need. Blessings to you and God Bless Heidi. Gwen and Gracie

Gwen Rhinebeck

Elizabeth, My heart breaks along with you over the loss of your dear Heidi. Mini schnauzers are so special; I'm owned by 5 of the little guys. Your experience with this rotten disease sounds very similar to mine. Next week will be 4 years since we lost our 7 yr old boy within the course of 2 days from first symptoms. We never were able to identify a trigger. Heidi surely is playing with Bailey and his brother Teddy at the bridge, while they to see us again. Until that time we each have little bearded angels watching over us. God bless, karen

karen arkansas

I lost my beautiful girl within 3 days of diagnosis...looking back I am convinced overvaccination caused the AIHA. 2 weeks ago I lost my husband to cancer. It's almost more than one can bear. You did all you could. I am sure your baby has met mine by now. :)

Ms. Gates Michigan

Ms. Gates I am so sorry that you have lost your husband. He has now met up with Stormie and I am sure they are both watching over you.

Penny Lytle Creek Calif

Hi, Am so sorry to hear of your loss. I have had two dogs that have had this terrible disease and like you have tormented myself as to why.I now have come to believe that there isn't a credible answer. My thoughts are with you, love, Corrie. xx

corrie dagenham essex

I would like to thank everyone for the prayers and comments about Heidi. I have one more question(probably more). What do I do now! Do I change the type of food or change the way we vaccinate our new dog. We are thinking maybe spring for a new dog but I am so scared. What do you all feed your dogs how often do you vaccinate and what kinds. Or am I just way of with the food and vaccine idea. Thanks again

elizabeth

Elizabeth, I am so sorry you lost your girl to this awful disease. I also totally understand the fear of getting a new dog. When I came home after loosing my poodle, my first reaction was, from now on only goldfish and I will not name them. Well everybody that knows me knew that would not last very long. I contacted Kahlu's breeder the same week and got my puppy 3 months later. I must say that for me it was the best thing I could have done. Enzo is my clown in pajamas and makes me so happy! This does not mean I have forgotten Kahlu, he will be in my heart forever. Since my new pup is related to my AIHA dog I contacted Dr. Dodds for questions. I copy and paste them for you with her answers: Here is my plan and my questions: I will follow your immunization protocol for this new pup. Good. When should I test his thyroid? First test would be around puberty – at 10-12 months; then annually thereafter until about age 5. When should he be neutered? I’d wait until after puberty. I will try and give the best food and supplements. Good – grain-free food and/or raw please ! Is there anything else I can test or do? NO; just give lotsa of TLC, which I know you will. Here is Dr. Dodds Vaccination protocol: http://www.weim.net/emberweims/Vaccine.html Before vaccinating we did titers to check for Enzo's immunity. He was immune more times than not so we only had to give him one distemper booster and one parvo. We gave them separate. I had to go to a holistic vet to do this, my regular vet does not (not yet!) carry separate immunizations. Enzo is now 9 months old and he will be tested again when he is a year old. Try and find a vet that you can work with, one that understands your fears and will do titers. I am not as paranoid as I was at first, but I still have my moments. The joy I get from my pup is well worth it though. Here is one of my favorite sayings: Every time a dog leaves me it takes a part of my heart and every time a new dog comes into my life it gives me a part of its heart. So if I am lucky and live long enough I will have the good heart of a dog! And an other one: Dogs are not my whole life, but they make my life whole! Good luck and best wishes, Brigitte & the poodle boys

Brigitte BC Canada

I try to stretch my Rabies shots out for as long as I can. Titers can give you the protection levels your dog has. Try not to let paranoia spoil the joy of having another dog. (easier said than done) I hope you will consider a rescue no matter what age. Heidi will always be in your heart and would want you to share your love with another dog. Please keep us updated. We all enjoy stories of healing whether it's your dog or yourself. Penny

Penny Lytle Creek Calif

Well we did it! We are the proud owners of two schnauzers yes I said two. We went to a rescue two weeks ago and came home with a mom and baby. Baby is fine but mom has bad teeth and will need dental work and dry skin. Does anyone have info on a good solution for dry skin and the name of a dog food grain free that is easy to find. I have heard about oatmeal soap(what kind) and baking soda for dry skin but would like some info. The mom is already spayed but the baby is 20weeks and will need neutered when is a good time. Sorry my questions are all over the place sometimes unexpected things are the best even in twos. thanks for any help. Elizabeth, Sweet pee and Bentley

elizabeth ohio

Elizabeth - How great that you were able to open your heart and home to rescue these two schnauzers! So often, the "older" dogs are overlooked - it's wonderful that you were able to do this. For foods, if you are looking for a dry food, I would look into Wellness CORE and Orijen brands - both are grain-free and are available in some "mainstream" pet stores (like Pet Supplies Plus in Chicago). And, with respect to the neuter, I would suggest contacting Dr. Jean Dodds at Hemopet in California (you can find her contact information by searching this site). Others may chime in but I recall seeing that Dr. Dodds has guidelines about spay/neuter ages and she is an expert in the field of immune-mediated diseases. And, as you probably know, it's important to stage vaccines for your puppy if you are able to and Dr. Dodds has a vaccine protocol that can help you with that (the link is posted above). Good luck and, again, congratulations. Bonnie

Bonnie Chicago

Elizabeth, Congrats on the new additions to your family. I would double check to see what vaccines they were given before you adopted. I know the shelters like to bombard them with everything before they are adopted. Hopefully Mama dog's coat will sort itself out and you can deal with her dental problems farther down the line when you have put some distance between the shots she has received.

Penny Lytle Creek Calif

Elizabeth, Congratulations! Two Schnauzers! We say in our house they are like potato chips, you can't have just one. Schnauzer's coats are not like most dogs, they don't have fur, but rather have hair, just as you and I do. Other breeds like this are Poodles and Portuguese Water Dogs. They shed less than dogs with fur and do need their hair cut because it will grow like ours. They can be washed much more frequently and that is why you will often hear them recommended for homes where there are allergies to dogs. The Obama's got a PWD, Bo, for their daughter with allergies. Your female Schnauzer may be experiencing the kind of coat problems that are common to Schnauzers. They can get a type of dermatitis and may even develop what seems like pimples. This are called Schnauzer comedones. There is plenty of information on the internet about this. Here is just one website: http://www.terrificpets.com/articles/102126865.asp My older Giant Schnauzer had terrible allergies and we struggled for a long time with his apparent dry skin. It was really a combination of dermatitis and bacterial and fungal infections that caused his skin to flake all the time and be very itchy. After a lot of messing around with dozens of shampoos and other treatments I found that the special shampoo my vet suggested, Malaseb, used about every 10 days was the best treatment for him. It has antibacterial and antifungal agents that help clear the skin up and keep it less itchy. Keep the coat brushed out on a regular basis to move those skins oils out onto the hair, just as you do in humans. For diet you cannot beat fish oil capsules (omega 3 fatty acids) as the best supplement for helping coat issues. Once in a while a good treat would be a few sardines from a tin or canned mackeral. I feed a home made diet but I do keep kibble at home for emergencies. I have settled on Orijen as the best grain free kibble for my purposes. It is expensive, but the quality is worth the expense. In general, these grain free kibbles require a little less quantity to be fed each day than one that is full of wheat and other grains. I have asked dozens of folks who breed or show their Giant Schnauzers about spaying and neutering. The general agreement is to at least wait until the dog has developed or matured into the adult size that they will be, or in other words spaying or neutering too early leads to stunted growth. This is to allow the natural hormones to develop the body properly. Females that are spayed too early can develop an immature bladder that leads them to "leak" the rest of their lives. However, the timing in females is a bit more tricky than it is in males. Females that are spayed prior to their first heat are subject to this spay incontinence but waiting until after several heats highly increases their risk of future mammary cancers. So over and over, I have heard, spay between the first and second heat. Males are slightly less susceptible to these problems but can develop certain testicular cancers if they are never neutered. They also tend to be more apt to roam and mark in the house. So a male that is probably around 10-12 months can be neutered. The larger the breed, the longer you should wait. my best patrice

Patrice NYS

This thread was discussed between 27/10/2010 and 28/11/2010

Canine Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (AIHA & IMHA) forum index

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