Big hugs Bully - how is she today? Any news? I have my fingers crossed for you.
Thanks everyone. I really appreciated and the thoughts and prayers. I know some people think it is silly but she really is like my child.
She was a little more peppy today but still pretty lethargic. I had to talk her into eating her food but she did end up eating it all. I got a few tail wags and kisses so I am hoping that is her telling me that she is going to fight this.
I will definitely know more tomorrow when they recheck her blood count.
Post by starburst604 on Oct 23, 2012 9:14:00 GMT -5
Glad to hear the positive update Bully! Fingers crossed that Nora continues to improve! I totally get it about her being your child, I'm the same with my kitty. They love us so unconditionally and it hurts to see them suffer even a little.
Oh no! I had a cat for 19 years so I know it is not silly to see your pet as a child. I am thinking positive thoughts and rooting for your baby girl to pull through.
Oh Bully! What happened? Poor baby, lots of good thoughts to you guys.
Thanks everyone. I can't stop sobbing...
I noticed over the weekend that her urine was really cloudy. I called the vet and they said to monitor her and they thought it was a UTI. This morning when I got up she was REALLY lethargic, not interested in her food and didn't finish her breakfast.
I brought her to the vet today and they think she has immune mediated hemolytic anemia caused by the vaccinations she got a few weeks ago. Apparently it is not that uncommon and the immue system basically starts attacking her red blood cells. A normal blood count is a range of 39-60...hers is 14. She is on steroids and immunosuppressants. I have to bring her back on Wednesday so they can recheck her blood work and see if her count is going up or down. The survival rate is about 50%.
Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry this happened, I can't believe it's caused by vaccinations, ugh!! I don't have children so my dogs are my children and I know how scared you must be, so sorry, hang in there and big hugs, I'm sending all the good vibes I have that she will make it through this!!
I don't usually post here but heard about your thread from someone else so I thought I'd chime in. My 4 yr old Bernese Mt. Dog passed away from IMHA last November after a 3 month battle. I lived and breathed the disease when she was sick and gathered a lot of information about it. And even though my Millie wasn't able to overcome it, it doesn't mean your baby can't!
The people are very responsive, knowledgable and helpful and usually reply right away. The primary poster seems to know more than our vet specialist about IMHA--she's dedicated her life it seems to learning about the disease. I would post specifics of your baby's case and see what suggestions you get--then discuss those with your vet. There are also several success stories on the thread which I found so encouraging.
My main piece of advice other than love, love, love on your dog is to find a specialist right away. I don't know where you live but a university hospital would be best. Millie responded to initial treatment (prednisone) extremely well so I didn't see anyone beyond my own regular vet until she quickly went downhill a month later.
And I hope my post doesn't discourage you. Millie had IMHA and thrombocytopenia (low platelets) so her case was fairly uncommon. Let me know if you have any questions/anything I can help with.
I was actually thinking maybe you should consider taking her to Cornell. It's not that far....maybe ask your vet tomorrow.
That is what I was thinking too.
It seems like my vet is treating it fairly aggressively compared to others. It seems like a lot of vets just treat with prednisone. My vet gave her a cortisone injection, plus prednisone plus immuno-suppressants. I will ask about Cornell though. It really isn't that far.
Any extra Ts and Ps would be seriously appreciated.
I am seriously beside myself right now...
I am so sorry to hear your baby is sick. I was sent over here because we dealt with IMHA too. I have to second the advice to find a specialist STAT. Even if they're doing just what your regular vet would do, you'll have more confidence. And if the regular stuff doesn't help, you will have access to a specialist for the next steps. We fought IMHA for seven months before losing our sweet girl. She also had an unusual case, though, and we know people whose pets survived and went into remission with just supportive care (transfusion(s)) and prednisone.
I'll be sending T&P your way and hoping your dog feels better very soon. It's great news that she's eating, hoping she's building some red blood cells that will show up in the blood work. :heart:
Any extra Ts and Ps would be seriously appreciated.
I am seriously beside myself right now...
I am so sorry to hear your baby is sick. I was sent over here because we dealt with IMHA too. I have to second the advice to find a specialist STAT. Even if they're doing just what your regular vet would do, you'll have more confidence. And if the regular stuff doesn't help, you will have access to a specialist for the next steps. We fought IMHA for seven months before losing our sweet girl. She also had an unusual case, though, and we know people whose pets survived and went into remission with just supportive care (transfusion(s)) and prednisone.
I'll be sending T&P your way and hoping your dog feels better very soon. It's great news that she's eating, hoping she's building some red blood cells that will show up in the blood work.
Thanks, Sarah and Nina, for coming over here and posting. It means a lot.
There is a pretty highly regarded University program about an hour away from me. I will ask the vet tonight what they think about getting her checked out there.
On the positive side, she has even more energy today and her urine is starting to go back to a yellow-ish color rather than the brown-ish red that it was. Crossing fingers this means her blood counts are going up...
I think the tricky thing with IMHA (or at least with our case and Sarahtoledo's) is that the dog can be doing ok and you think they're getting better and then, bam, they go downhill fast. That's what the specialist is important for and unless you already have a relationship, you end up wasting time. I hope that isn't too discouraging--I wasn't going to post it because I don't want to scare but you then I remembered it is definitely something I wish I had known when I thought Millie was on the mend.
On the positive side, she has even more energy today and her urine is starting to go back to a yellow-ish color rather than the brown-ish red that it was. Crossing fingers this means her blood counts are going up...
BIG T&Ps and keeping my fingers crossed that she is on the mend.
I think the tricky thing with IMHA (or at least with our case and Sarahtoledo's) is that the dog can be doing ok and you think they're getting better and then, bam, they go downhill fast. That's what the specialist is important for and unless you already have a relationship, you end up wasting time. I hope that isn't too discouraging--I wasn't going to post it because I don't want to scare but you then I remembered it is definitely something I wish I had known when I thought Millie was on the mend.
No, I appreciate it because that is what I have read from the research I was doing. That initially they seem to respond but then take a huge turn for the worse and go downhill fast. I work with a rescue group who is bringing a dog there for another reason. I just emailed them and asked for their experiences there as well as the contact info to make an appointment.