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Canine Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (AIHA & IMHA) - Wylies Muscle weakness
| Everyone here is a wealth of information. I was going to ask for advice, but i think maybe I should just leave Wylie alone and its her aging. She was diagosed 2 1/2 years ago with AIHA and has been doing great since, except for a relapse of the IAHA and a few scares Thromboceptemia which we caught early and she did well. She SHE HATES to go to the vet because oh her illnesses. So here is the story, she is 14 years old. The vet says she has arhritis in her back legs and over the months I notice her hinds legs have gotten much stiffer. She walks almost like a stick up her rear and even when she comes in he house over the little threshhold she hops over instead of walking. Now she has an issue with her front legs. My husband came carrying her in Sunday, he found her on the side of our hill with her front legs splayed in front of her not being able to get up. I just chalked it up to her old age and the hill is very steep. This a.m. she was standing on the tile floor and her front legs had done like a V. She was still standing but stuck in that position. So I just pull her up and she was fine. She can't be on any meds because of her chronic liver disease. Laurie |
| Laurie CA |
| Hi Laurie, Yes it is an unfortunate side effect of aging. There are many things that you can do for an arthritic dog besides giving them medications. Joint supplements (MSM, Chondroitin, Glucosamine) and herbs (yucca, stinging nettle, alfalfa) can provide relief. Aspirin may be another option. Get an orthopedic bed for her if you don't have one (as in, a foam filled one. I recommend Max Comfort which offers beds with combination of memory foam and regular foam, or Slumber Pet which offers beds with shredded memory foam, both can be found at allpetfurniture.com) Dogs with severe joint problems should not walk on slippery surfaces such as tile or wood floor, and not on slopes either. If you can, block off her access to these parts of your house with baby gates, or place out rugs. I have gone into work before (I work at a dog daycare) and seen exactly what you've described, except she was laying instead of standing.. doing a split... and couldn't get up. This can cause serious injury. Additionally, their exercise should be limited and should be gentle on the joints. Walks are OK.. choose a good soft surface (grass, sand, dirt, wood shavings).. but the BEST would be swimming. Hydrotherapy is fabulous but if you can't afford that, then a trip to the lake is fine. A good website for older dogs is http://www.seniorpetproducts.com/ . They sell mobility aids such as rear harnesses, orthopedic braces, and steps, orthopedic beds, joint supplements, etc. |
| Monet Sammamish |
| Monet, This is my first experience with senior dogs Unfortunately almost my entire house is tile. Thanks for the link to that site, They have no skid socks which should help. I also have a 14 1/2 year old that is on 3 types of blood pressure meds and 1o pills a day. Interesting about the alfalfa. I do give that to her along with synflex. I wlll ask about the aspirin. Laurie |
| Laurie CA |
| Laurie: I always wonder how Wylie is doing since she and Sheba were diagnosed about the same time. I'm sorry to hear she's having problems getting around. When Sheba's DM got worse and she had serious problems with her back legs we got a Bottoms Up leash. Wish we would have gotten it sooner! With Wylie's front leg problems now you may need to look at getting a mobility harness. You might look into traditional Chinese medicine, too. Sheba took a variety of herbs that we felt helped for a time. Acupuncture was also vey helpful and I would recommend looking into it. The vet we took Sheba to for treatment used a laser. Dr. Dodds recommended DLPA - even takes it herself. If you would like to try it, I might still have some here that I could send you. Just let me know and I will see if I can find it. We will keep you in our thoughts and prayers and hope that your dogs continue to be happy and healthy. Rita, Mike, (angel) Sheba, (angel) Greta and Jake |
| Rita IA |
| Rita, I am going to ask my vet about using the DPLA and check out a mobility harness. I would like to try accupuncture, but she gets so darned stressed just from car rides because she thinks she is going ot the vet. Laurie |
| Laurie CA |
| Hi Laurie, I am sorry to hear that Wylie is showing signs of ageing but thank heavens she is okay re: IMHA and IMT. I want to second what both Monet and Rita have said. Acupuncture is very good for pain relief and, with an IMHA dog, one does not have to worry about the side effects of conventional meds. Do you have access to a physiotherapy vet/clinic? They can help with the exercises and hydrotherapy. They can also teach you exercises to do at home with Wylie and teach you some massage to help her feel better. My IMHA dog was Benson. He also developed disc problems and hind quarter paralysis due to degenerative myelopathy. I did acupuncture, Reiki, and supplements to keep him comfortable. He was in a full body harness (he weighed 90 pounds) and he walked in a wheelchair. He was very comfortable with the management of his condition. There are a lot of things to try to help Wylie feel better. A very good site which discusses both conventional and nonconventional approaches to pain is (http://www.dogaware.com/health/arthritis.html). Check out the links to Chronic Pain Relief, etc... Good luck, I hope that Wylie will be feeling more comfortable soon. Please keep us posted. Take care, Aden |
| Aden Jerusalem |
| Hi Laurie, It sounds a lot like my elderly Dylan's issues, which started earlier in life and she has been okay with throughout her illness. She got really bad arthritis a while ago in her spine and she would turn into a horseshoe after walking. Also her knees turned outward and she could not walk at all. Then we started giving her Omega 3/6 fatty acid supplements and "Adequan" shots. Adequan is a glucosamine type substance ("polysulfated glycosaminoglycan")for injection that helps lubricate the joints and bypasses the stomach for greater effect. Omega 3 fatty acids are also supposed to help with this. Although she still has signs of the original arthritis (knees turned more outward), it is infinitely better than it was, walsk and runs just fine now, and she is not on any other supplements, or NSAID's. She went from not being able to walk at all 4 years ago to being reasonably fine for the last 4 years. Not sure if it would help in Wylie's case, but it sure has for Dylan. I have not been doing the Adequan since Dylan got sick (since Feb), but continue to give her lots of Omega 3 & 6 fatty acids in her diet and she seems to be doing just fine now without the Adequan. Best of luck with Wylie, Richard & Dog Dylan |
| Richard Burnaby |
| Thanks for all of your advice. She is moving better, I would love to take her to have accupuncture, but i feel the stress woudl be too much for her. She takes Synflex, 2000 mg salmon oil a day and 200 mg vitamin e. I am now worried about switching to anything and possibly removing something as I think her gallbladder sludge problem is coming up again. Friday her tummy was making horrible gurgling noise and I gave her a pepcid. She has been fine, then this am for about 2 hours, about every 15 minutes her tummy make a wierd noise and she was licking her lips alot, then all quiet. Laurie |
| Laurie CA |
This thread was discussed between 02/11/2011 and 08/11/2011
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