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Canine Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (AIHA & IMHA) - Wiley's Vet visit
| We took him for a blood check last week. RBC is 34%, down from 36%. White cells and platelets were in normal ranges. Dr. didn't seem worried about the drop. He seems in good spirits, but he keeps having bouts of diarrhea. I have been feeding him only dry dog food w/pumpkin and some treats. It has been going on for about 2 weeks now. Dr. said to call her if it didn't clear up. Should I be concerned about the drop in RBC? |
| Lisa CT |
| Is the diarrhea watery or soft? Did you ever take a sample of the stool in for a fecal? If I were you I'd want to hold food for a little while to let everything rest up. I'd also add a good quality pro-biotic to the daily food. Forti Flora is a good one you can get from the vet. It's also a good idea to feed a bland diet after fasting for as long as you can (up to a day). Slowly introduce the bland diet little bits at a time. Rice and boiled chicken or lean hamburger works well. A drop from 36 to 34 wouldn't concern me too much BUT it would make me want to retest sooner rather than later...just to make sure it isn't slowly dropping. Give him some hugs for me. Johnny Tessy Sadie |
| Johnny |
| Lisa, as always, you got some expert advice from Johnny. The diarrhea could cause Wiley to be dehydrated, so the RBC could be inaccurate, i too would maybe recheck in a few days. We had Kahlu on metranidazol (spelling?) a couple of times, when he had bad diarrhea. This cleared it up fairly quick. Best wishes, Brigitte & the poodle boys |
| Brigitte BC Canada |
| Its just soft and its not all the time but it seems that it is happening more often than it used to. We didn't bring a sample because I just assumed it would clear up. I will feed him rice tonight and see what happens. Its so hard not to worry about every little thing. Thanks! |
| Lisa |
| You should add boiled chicken or boiled lean hamburger to the rice also. Given that it is just *soft* i wouldn't worry about dehydration...especially if he's drinking alright. You can tell when a dog is dehydrated by lifting up the skin on the back of the neck and letting it go. If it goes right back to where it was then he's likely not dehydrated. If you let go and the skin doesn't go back the way it was then you *may* have a case of dehydration. *IF* he were dehydrated then you would see a rise in the crit in almost ALL cases. Being overly hydrated can cause a crit to drop a couple points very easily. Tessy was severly dehydrated when she had pancreatitis and it caused her crit reading to be 59%...her norm was around 40%! Add a good probiotic to the daily diet and see if this makes a difference in a couple days with the bland diet also. Johnny Tessy Sadie |
| Johnny |
| Hi Lisa, I have had problems with Millie and diarrhoea ongoing also. She would have bouts of it, say every three weeks, even with reducing the medication - this is ongoing, but a lot less frequent now. I also fed her a bland diet, and found that keeping her food consistent reduced the attacks of diarrhoea. I would do a follow up PCV to confirm the PCV hasn't dropped any further. It is normal for it to fluctuate a couple of points. Millie was normally around 43... next test a month later showed 38... we followed up a week later and it was 44. It's better to be safe than sorry. Glad that Wylie is going well. Sam & Millie. |
| Samantha Geelong Australia |
This thread was discussed between 23/08/2010 and 25/08/2010
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