Canine Hemolytic Anemia

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Our dog Kozmo, a purebred Shih-tzu died from the disease this morning. He was just diagnosed on Tuesday and today is Thursday. Less than 48 hours after diagnosis, he is dead. People should know that this is a fast acting disease that does not discrimminate between old or young dogs. Kozmo was only three. There is no time to waste on deciding to treat or not treat. He didn't start showing symptoms of anything until Sunday, was very lethargic by Tuesday and dead by Thursday. We began treatments before the diagnosis was completely confirmed as my Vet recognized the urgency, but it was still unsuccessful.

I'm so sorry to hear about the sudden lost of your dog Kozmo to AIHA. In some cases, when the hemoglobin is quite low, blood transfusions are used to help prevent a hemolytic crisis.

But symptoms are often insidious. The urine can be bloody or blood tinged in AIHA but this would be difficult to notice without directly observing the problem. Losing a pet is very hard, indeed, and I sympathize with you, Elaine

I'm so sorry to hear of your loss. I lost my 7 year old female pit Mieka in May, same scenario. She was diagnosed Tuesday 5/20 and passed away by Thursday 5/22. It's now been 3.5 months and still not easy to accept. It's so sad to have lost such a vibrant active friend in the blink of an eye.
D

Our beagle, Charlie, was diagnosed last Thursday and he passed away from the disease last night. He had shown lethargy and had a bloody stool which prompted the visit to the vet last week. He went downhill so fast we never thought this would happen so quickly.

Sorry for the loss of Kozmo - I share in your sadness.

Our Pokey a 7 year old American Cocker Spaniel passed away from AIHA last Monday with no warning at all. She was fine the day before, lethargic on Labor Day when we took her to the Emergency Vet and she began hemorrhaging from the rectum. We were informed that even a transfusion would not save her and possibly would be fatal to her. We can't believe there we no observable signs sooner. Is there a test for this, so that if this disease is present in our other dog we can use the steroids?

Hi,

I'm so sorry to hear that you lost Pokey.

With AIHA, you'd first want to look for signs of anemia. A complete blood count (CBC) is used to diagnose anemia. Symptoms that might prompt you to ask for a CBC include pale gums, weakness, loss of appetite, blood in the urine or stool, abdominal distention, breathing hard or panting, jaundice (yellowing of the whites of the eyes),vomiting and weight loss.

As you know, many of these symptoms are so common, especially in the hot summer months, that they're easy to go unnoticed. With the dog we lost, by the time we noticed she was sick, her normally black gums had become white. But ideally, a CBC would be used to diagnose anemia before it became severe. Since anemia can have many causes, your doctor would want to order a direct coombs test to determine if the anemia was autoimmune (AIHA).

Blood transfusions for canines aren't available in all cities. And to prevent a transfusion reaction your dog's blood would first have to be crossmatched with the dog donor blood the same way we do in humans. Since red cell antibodies in AIHA can also destroy the transfused red blood cells, blood transfusions are generally reserved for crisis situations. If available, artificial blood could also be used.

In 1998 the FDA approved the first artificial blood for use in canines, which is called Oxyglobin. The primary advantage of Oxyglobin over whole blood is that it can deliver oxygen to the cells several times faster then real blood and thus provide an "oxygen bridge" to the cells. This may give the body the additional time it needs for the drugs (corticosteroids, dexamethasone or immunosuppressants) to begin to work. Oxyglobin has a shelf life of up to two years and does not need to be typed and cross matched.

While blood tests sometimes seem unnecessary, a routine CBC and biochemical panel each year would help with early diagnosis and treatment. Best, Elaine

My Bullmastiff was diagnosed with this disease on Weds. of last week. He started to respond well and his red blood cells started to come up in number by Friday they were up even more. Yesterday I took him back to the vet for a re check only to find that they are back down to where they were last Weds. Our vet has put him on a stronger dose of preds and he is also on Cytoxan now too. All his tests came back negative for tick,coombs, etc. He did kill and injest a bumble bee last Monday and this is where we think all this is coming from. We are so very afraid we are going to lose him. He is just going to be three in Jan. I had never heard of this disease, I guess I have just been lucky. I have had Bully's since 1993. I am so scared that he may have cancer that is just not showing up yet. I take him back today for another re check to see if the cells are up. If they go lower our vet has sad that we have no choice but to then go for a transfusion which I have been told can open up some other issues and problems.

I am so very sorry for anyone who has to go through this. I think it is the hardest thing my husband and I have had to deal with, with dogs.

Thank you for letting me vent and share.

Hello,
I hope Bully makes a full recovery. You might want to ask your vet about using Oxyglobin instead of donor blood. Best, Elaine

In the midst of battling erythroid anemia with my whippet sized IG. He received a transfusion last week and is now on very high doses of Pred. My vet is considering introducing; Cytoxan, Imuran or Cyclosporin in an effort to raise his PVC count should additional medication prove necessary. No other cancerous were present on the bone marrow biopsy and all other counts were in the normal range. I want to thank my vet as well as the emergency center vets for their efforts and continued support as we fight to find a solution. My heart goes out to all of you who have faced this battle.

Thank you Elaine.

I just came back from the Vet and his count(My Bullmastiff) is up by one pt. Our vet feels the Cytoxan has kicked in and hoepfully we will be on an up swing. I go back again on Friday for another recheck. I did know about the blood you mention, but doing a lot of research on the web. Thank you for this site. It has give me a bunch of knowledge on this disease. I also think it is very important that everyone who can who has experience with this disease post. As it will only help others who come here. I know we are not out of the woods yet, but we take one day at a time and we are grateful for everyday that he is still with us and doing well.

Thank you again and I will post again on Friday.

Hi,
Thanks for the update on Bully. I wrote another article on canine AIHA today explaining how environmental triggers cause the immune system changes leading to AIHA and I describe some of the lifestyle factors that can help with healing. By the way, I love bull mastiffs. I always think of them as tall boxers. Best, Elaine

I lost my baby poodle three years ago. Did the transfusion thing and Prednisone and she still died. She was only 7. After reading all the sites on AIHA, I learned that vaccinations can sometimes bring it on. I had just had her shots, given her a heart worm pill, and then left her for a week on vacation. She got sick less than a week after we got home. It was a combination of all 3. Now I have a 3.5 lb. poodle that is now 3 and is due for her shots again. I really have a hard time now getting her shots knowing I could be killing her too. Is it really OK to only do the shots every other year. She is so small and only goes outside to do her business. Plus, I never leave town without her. I can't go through that again.

Hi,
I have several friends who now request blood antibody titers for rabies or whatever, before getting additional vaccines. The tests always show that they have sufficient antibodies (from their first vaccine) and don't need additional vaccinations. This is one approach.

Buddy in the picture above got very sick from a rabies vaccine he got when he was 10. Shortly afterwards he developed autoimmune myelopathy and died within a few months although he'd been perfectly healthy before that vaccine.

Last February I took our 6 month old boxer, Jezebel, in to be spayed. I had the vet give her her first rabies vaccine while she was there. She apparently made it through the surgery fine but stopped breathing after they reversed the anesthetic. They couldn't save her. There's no explanation for what happened but I suspect the vaccine played a role as I've since met people whose dogs died within a day after getting vaccinated.

There are some homeopathic vaccines that I'd consider if I thought our dogs needed vaccinations, but I don't plan on having them receive the standard "one size fits all" vaccines given routinely, ever again. If you check online you'll find that there are some alternatives to standard vaccines. Best, Elaine

My four year old Poodle, Tommy was diagnosed with this disease on Monday and died on Wed..He was hospitalized Monday morning, put on IV fluids with predsilone (sp) The only sign I had was that two weeks before, he was drinking a large amount of water and began to not want to eat. Thinking he had a UTI, he was put on Baytril for ten days. Hi s blood panel was all normal except for a slightly elevated white cell count.
He lost weight rapidly (three pounds between 08-18 to 09-08)and was very weak in a short time. I took him back to the Vet only to receive
this diagnosis. His blood panel was all over the place...some too high and some too low...a few normal. The drawn blood showed little bits of
coagulated (sp) blood. You could see it to the naked eye. I had never heard of this disease.
Jane O'Neil
Michigan

Hi Elaine,

We lost our Bullmastiff on Weds. I could not even bring myself to post until today. We are having a very hard time with all of this. As I am sure everyone who has lost a family member does.

Thank you again for all the info. And my condolences to anyone who has lost a pet to this disease.

Hi,
I am saddened to hear that you lost your poodle Tommy. Did the first blood count taken when the UTI was diagnosed show any signs of anemia?
If not, it's possible that the antibiotic Baytril triggered the AIHA. Antibiotics are a known trigger for AIHA. I just did a quick search and ran across a few other people whose dogs developed AIHA about two weeks after being prescribed Baytril. There's no way to know for certain what the cause was, but it would seem Baytril may be the presumptive cause. Although most dogs take antibiotics with no problems awareness might help people know what symptoms to be on the lookout for when starting a new medication. Best, Elaine

I am so sorry to hear that you lost your bull mastiff. It's just heartbreaking. My thoughts are with you and all the others on this board who lost their pets.Sincerely, Elaine

Thank you Elaine,

You try to do everything right. We feed the raw diet, give supplements and only run titers. I don't use frontline or anything else on my dogs. It is so sad that this disease comes out of no where and there is really not to much you can do, but try to stabilize the immune system so it stops attacking itself.

I am very sorry that you lost Tommy. I really feel we are very luck that our Bully did not die as soon as your Tommy did. My dogs diagnosed I have been told, die within 24 to 48 hours.

Thank you again Elaine for this site and your articles. I really appreciate it and I am sure others do too.

Dear Parents of
our beloved Caines, Kozmo, Tommy, Bully, Pokey, and Charley and Beauregard, Daisy and Jezebel. And Anyone Else Interested,

Despite our best efforts we're losing our precious best friends way before their time, and we're forced to stand by helplessly watching them suffer.

I'm contacting all of you as well as friends and strangers in the canine field to help us get the word out. I can find available data on vaccines, feeds, grain allergies, pesticide, flea control products, etc. FYI: This site has some excellent info:
http://www.elversonpuzzle.com/biospot.html

Over the next few wees I'll talk to some of the holistic vets regarding safer vaccines and optimal diets, and medication dosing by size. The I'll be going to the LDN conference in October to learn more abut its use in AIHA. If need be I'll raise money for as study on LDN in canine AIHA.

My goal is to get the facts together within the next few weeks and then I can start getting the word out, seeing who could help. Studies of drug safety are badly needed. Holistic therapies and their interactions are also important to learn about.

Please email me within the next two weeks at elainemoore@wildblue.net with any details you noticed that might be important, or suggestions for our study and its presentation, or anything that might help. Then as I write something up I;ll share it with you to help me edit and revise. We can keep the letter as a page on my website and we can send it to many people

Rather that say what someone should or shouldn't do, we can show how a dog of a certain size faired after using a certain flea shampoo or vaccine on our list. We could have follow-ups for what patients must look for if they use these products. We'd note their resposnse, relases after vaccines, etc..
I think you get the idea. I'll take this thread off the board for now. so email me at wild blue or mooredaisyelaine @aol.com and I'll start sending copies of papers I've found and all that I've learned. We can work together to help others. No one should ever have to go through this. And hopefully we'll all heal through our online action group. Best, Elaine

Our Peyton is only 9 mos old and is suffering from AHA. He became very lethargic and experienced "fainting" spells. After 4 visits to 3 different Vets, we found our Angel. He promptly put Peyton on Prednisone, an antibiotic. His PCV dropped to 8 and he underwent a blood tranfusion 3 days after diagnosed. His PCV is now 17 and we take him for PCV checks 2x per week. Please, please have some research done on Heartguard and Frontline as we gave Peyton his monthly dosage and this occurred 1 day following this. He has always experienced fatigue and lethargy after administering these meds. I and my husband think this was the culprit of his agonizing experience. How can a dog that weighs only 5 lb tolerate a dosage that is for 5 to 25 lbs. Thank you for all you do for those of us who are suffering. My heart goes out to those who lost their loved one!!

My 8 year old shih-tzu Jewel was diagnosed on 9/9 with sudden onset, she had a spell of respitratory difficulty and vomitting and we took her to the vet immediately. She had been active and normal till that day. She was diagnosed rapidly and started on high dose prednisone and azithioprine the same day with IV therapy. By the next day she had dropped so low in pcv abd hct and started with bloody urine that she required a blood transfusion. On 9/11 she was still dropping her pcv but was stable and making some new cells on her smear. On 9/12 she dropped again and our vet recommended taking her to Cornell Medical Center.
She has been scanned and tested completely and they can find no reason for her AIHA. She has had no recent immunizations, meds or diet changes. The only new exposure we can think of is a herbal Sargent flea treatment that we did about 4 weeks ago. Our vets looked at the ingredient list and could find no ingredient linked to the disease.
She has had 2 more transfusions and received Intravenous immunoglobulin therapy on 9/13. She is on aspirin and pepcid and iv fluids with potassium. It breaks our hearts to see our beloved dog so sick yet she still wags her tail and licks us when we come to see her. We are going to give therapy a few more days and pray that her immune system stops killing her cells. Is there anyone out there who has had similar treatment with immunoglobulin? We are looking for any encouragment anyone has. Lynne

Hello New Guests,

Intravenous immunoglobulins work well in humans although the effects are temporary. They're great for managing a crisis situation until other meds can kick in.

The products for flea control may not show a link to AIHA because they've never been tested for their role in contributing to autoimmune problems. I'd put them at the top of the list for suspected environmental triggers. I plan to continue researching this. Best to both of you, Elaine

We just lost our best friend, Gracie, to AIHA on Wednesday, 9/10/2008. She was perfectly fine on Sunday, 9/7. Monday evening, 9/8, when I got home from work she had thrown up on the floor and seemed very quiet. She got sick a few more times, would not eat or drink and remained very quiet - not her normal happy-go-lucky wiggle worm self at all. First thing Tuesday morning I took her to our regular vet, her blood count was 11 - extremely low, and she had a fever. They also did x-rays and noticed that her spleen was enlarged. They told me I needed to rush her to an emergency vet for a blood transfusion asap. We made it to the emergency vet within the hour and she received her first blood transfusion soon after. Early Wednesday morning her blood count was up to 23 and her fever had gone down. Later Wednesday morning she received another blood transfusion. Wednesday afternoon, shortly after her second transfusion, she started having neurological symptoms that were most likely due to a blood clot. The vet told us with tears in her eyes that she didn't feel that Gracie was going to make it. She had suffered too much damage from this terrible disease that she would not be able to recover from. It was the hardest thing I ever had to do, but I know after seeing her like that it was the best thing for her. She was suffering so much. She still managed to lick the tears from my face even though she could barely raise her head. She was still trying to take care of me when she was struggling to hang on herself. Gracie was a female Cocker mix that we adopted from the animal shelter 5 years ago. We believe she was 7 or 8 years old. She gave us more love and devotion in the time that we had her than we could have ever given back to her. We always called her our angel dog. Now she truly is an angel. This disease struck with no warning. I keep thinking back trying to put the pieces together to make it all make sense, but I can't. She showed no visible symptoms until Monday, and by Wednesday she was so very sick that we had to let her go. It is very hard coming home and not having her greet us at the door and having her snuggle up as close as she can get to me on the couch. I wish there was something that would have clued me in sooner that something was terribly wrong. I would give anything to turn back time to have her back. Our house feels so still and lonely without her smiling face. I truly feel for anyone who loses a pet to this terrible disease.

I'm so sorry to hear about your Gracie. My heart goes out to you and the others who've lost their best friends this week. I guess we can just be grateful for the many precious hours our pets give us. Dogs are such a joy. It's just so hard when they're gone. Sincerely, Elaine

First I feel for everyone going through the trauma of this disease. My Pug Cooper was diagnosed last wednesday, PCV 15. He had a blood transfusion and it went to 26. today it is 27 and he seems really good. when he felt his worst he gave me kisses and comforted me. i am still scared of a thrombus. he does not want to put all his weight on his right back leg. I pray he gets through this. Enjoy the time you have with your animals. Have faith.

Thanks for writing. Best wishes for your little Pug Cooper. I'm glad he's over the major hurdle and hope he recovers quickly. Please keep us posted, Elaine

My dog Andy, almost 3yr old rottie has just fallen to the same disorder. Thinking nothing of his sleepy, just lay around behavior, I thought he was just under the weather with the heat and all, and his sister always wanting to playand telling her to leave him alone. when just yesterday he came running to me and all of a sudden he collapsed and started shaking went to the bathroomand passed out. He just fainted. At first I thought he had a seizure, so we rushed him to the vet and after taking a look at his gums he said Andys very anemic. So they are running all types of test, and his pcv levels are now down to 15 and so far he's not responding to the prednisone. I'm still a bit in shock and don't want to hear that they can't make him better. He's not the get into trouble one, it's his sister who's always looking for something to get into so I was ruling out him eating the wrong things. Harley (his little sis) is so miserable along with us that he's not here, she keeps looking around the house for him it's so sad.

My heart goes out to all the wonderful people who have lost their dogs to this crazy, hit so fast disease. I'm hoping one day they will find some more info for the future. or a precautionary measure when they are puppies.

Thank you for letting me tell my story, will keep you posted when we find out more information on Andy and how's he's doing and the next steps to take.

My thoughts are with you and Andy and also your family and little Harley. While corticosteroids and immunosuppressants will help reduce autoantibody production and reduce the autoimmune process, Andy might need a blood transfusion to increase his PCV level. You might want to ask your vet about this possibility. We're all wishing Andy the best. Please keep us updated, Elaine

If anyone suspects a certain product of having an adverse effect on their pet they can report it to the FDA's veterinary medicine program; See http://www.fda.gov/cvm/contactCVM.html

In a preliminary study of the FDA database, products listed as causing autoimmune hemolytic anemia include ProHeart6 for heartworm, and EtoGesic, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug.

In other publications, certain flea control products and antibiotics are also reported as causes of canine AIHA along with the rabies vaccine, parvovirus vaccine, and other combo vaccines.

I too have recently lost my dog (ESS - female) to this awful disease which struck with such speed and ferocity that she was taken within hours of a diagnosis being made. I first noticed symptoms on Friday but no more than off food, put it down to a little cold as was sneezing but by Sunday morning she had collapsed by my front door and though I took her to the emergency vet she died at about half eleven that night just as I was on the way with my other dog to give her an emergency blood transfusion. Needless to say I am in a state of shock and devestated, Holly was only 7 and to see the speed at which this disease attacks.

To Holly's Owers,
I'm so sorry to hear that you lost your dog Holly. This disease is truly devastating. My heart goes out to you and your family, elaine

Our dog Swix is going through this right now. She just wasn't herself last Sunday and I brought her into the vet first thing on Monday morning when I noticed her pale gums. Her main vet is closed on Mondays and I had to try a differnt one who diagnosed her with a virus and put her on Baytril. She had 105 fever so they also gave her something to bring that down. We were told she was experiencing something as if you and I were to get the flu and it would take a few days for her to get back to normal. On Wednesday her gums were still pale and I brought her to her regular vet who diagnosed her properly and put her on Pretnisone right away. Her red blood count has continued to drop each day and was at 19 last night. Her vet has said that if it drops to 14 it will be time for a transfusion, however if we notice the medicine start to work and her count go up the transfusion may not be needed. We know she is in a danger zone and just hope she pulls through.
I did give her her regular monthly dose of heartguard and frontline on 9/11, just a few days prior to her syptoms showing up. I don't believe the Baytril has anything to do with it because she was put on that after. We feel that its awfully suspicious that this occurred right after the frontline/heartworm. -Danielle

Dear Danielle,
I hope that Swix recovers quickly. I've heard from several people whose dogs developed AIHA within two weeks of having Frontline treatments. You might want to ask about adding Transfer Factor too. Transfer Factor has been reported to help several dogs with AIHA according to reports on Shirley's wellness cafe. Best, elaine

Elaine, thank you. I am slowly coming to terms with what happened and have been over and over the events leading up to Holly's death and am so full of guilt that I did not react sooner to her symptoms as I wasn't around part of Saturday as it was my birthday and I was at a friends for tea and feel that I failed to to give her more attention, but I honestly thought she was just a bit under the weather and ensure she had fresh water and wrongly assumed she was going to the toilet as she had not soiled where she was. Well I know I cannot bring Holly back and I know that even if I had of taken her on Friday when she may still have not survived. It's just that I loved her so much and feel that I have let her down.

To anyone reading this article:

My little miniature schnauzer/yorkshire terrior mix got this awful disease sometime between Tuesday morning and Wednesday afternoon. She's just over 5. I got lucky. I took her to see her doctor and he noticed immediately that her gums were white, indicating a lack of red blood cells. A blood test proved to him that she was critical and within 30 minutes we were on our way 60 miles from home to a wonderful animal hospital. She was immediately put on medication and after a couple of days they did a liver biopsy and bone marrow biopsy. No cancer! And the marrow showed that she did indeed have IMHA, but that her marrow had already begun to fight. She was in the hospital 8 days and sent back to her doctor who, with the complete assistance of her doctor at the hospital are slowly making progress. She's not the dog she was before all this happened, but she is improving and I'm hoping one day I'll have my old Ginger back with me. My advise to anyone reading this is to take your dog to the doctor immediately! Even one day can make the difference. I wish you luck.

Hi, to the previous post, you don't know how many times I've berated myself for not taking Holly to the vets on the Saturday and blame myself for being so wrapped up in other things happening, I had my dad arriving the next day and as it was my birthday quite a few people popped in to see me, though I should have known as Holly was not her usual barking self and didn't really bother with them, but I just thought she was a little under the weather and kept an eye on her. How I wish I'd looked at her gums as I'm sure I would have seen how pale they were. And now after reading your post I feel even more of a failure to her and only hope she is forgiving me as I know I will never forgive myself for not acting sooner. To make matters worse my husband who also adored Holly as much as I did is away in the Falklands and whilst I had the opportunity to say goodbye to my darling girl he did not. The hardest part is knowing what to say to my 3 year old who loved Holly as much as Holly loved her. All I have are the memories and the knowledge that she had a very happy 7 years with us and she will always be in my heart but rest assured I will be extra vigilent in the future. A good friend of mine tells me that Holly will always be with me, and that there will be a day when we can be together again.

I am in a state of total confusion. I lost a 5 year old Cocker Spaniel to AIHA about 5 years ago. He was diagnosed on a Monday and died Wednesday afternoon. Now I have a 10-year old cocker spaniel that had just been diagnosed with the same thing, my vet said I was unbelievably unlucky. This vet is the same vet that treated my first cocker and now I am terrified whether he is treating the condition appropriately. He prescribed Prednisone (40mg) per day and told me to come back in 3 days for another blood test. I've done research on the internet and keep seeing this condition being treated with prednisone plus other immunosuppressive drugs. I am so conflicted as to trust this vet or to go somewhere else and get a 2nd opinion. There doesn't seem to be a consensus of what the right treatment is. I have gone through the pain of losing one dog to this condition, I want to be sure I exhaust all my options in trying to save this little guy.

Our 2 year old Cocker, Maggie was diagnosed with AIHA in April. She was fine one day and rapidly went down hill the next day. She has been on prednizone since April, slowing decreasing the dosage. She recently went on Anthromizine (sp), but every time her red blood improves, her white blood increases. She is now on Baytril. I feel like we are missing something as she does not appear to be getting any better, yet not necessarily worse. She is in great spirits, just overweight from the prednizone and tires easily. Is there anything else we can try to help improve the red blood and reduce the white? I'm ready to locate a specialist to review her records and give their opinion. This disease is so sad...my heart goes out to those who lost their pets. I want to do everything I can to help Maggie. Suggestions? Thank you. Julie

Hi,
It's good that Maggie is hanging in there since April. I'd look at the information on Transfer Factor on Shirleys-wellness-cafe and add that. If the AIHA was triggered by a vaccine, which is turning out to be a very common cause, this will help her immune system heal. There's quite a few good sources for Transfer Factor in Shirley's report. Best to you and Maggie and everyone else who wrote this week, Elaine

Hi,
My yellow lab,Eli,was diagnosed on Monday 9/22 and passed last nite 9/23. He was only 6 and my entire family is just devastated. The vet thought we may have caught it soon enough. He had started to have a little respiratory congestion on Fri, called the vet and they thought maybe it was just allergies,but his condition worsened by Sunday and we took him in on Monday. He was a wonderful dog and I miss him deeply. I feel somewhat guilty for not realizing he was sick. Please take care of your pets, they are precious. Flo, Wisconsin

My 6 year old poodle Mimi was diagnosed with IHA yesterday. Just like many of you I'd never heard of this. I left her in the care of my mom Wednesday morning, Tuesday at home she was running around as usual, actually she was pretty hyper. Friday when I picked her up the first thing that struck me was that she was not jumping or running around to greet me. My mom told me she had to be sick because she wouldn't eat any chicken. Mimi would swin the Nile for a piece of chicken. I picked her up and was immediately alarmed because she felt lifeless in my arms. I thought she ate something bad and was mad at me for leaving her for a couple days, she gets upset when I have to leave her. We don't have a regular vet so I got recommendations from co-workers. Guess I'm already blessed to have her survive until she made it to the vet Tuesday morning, she's really been holding on. Her PVC was 14 and we discussed a blood transfusion but the vet was not entirely in favor considering she was killing her own blood cells, she wasn't sure if giving her another dog's blood was a good idea. But she was afraid Mimi would die before the medicine could work. Her PVC went up to 15 today which isn't much progess but my mom and I went to see her and she perked up, licked our hands and even stood up on her own. She seemed to have some energy, she was probably just excited to see us. But for the first time in a few days I could smile. It has been a rough weekend, I didn't sleep much because I was watching her all night because I was scared she would die. Now that I've found out what is wrong with her, there is no consolation. It has been such an emotional rollercoaster. My heart goes out to all the pet owners who have lost their best friend and whose lives have been turned upside by this sudden, destructive illness. I haven't lost my baby yet but I know its something I may have to face and right now I just can't accept that she won't be at the door to greet me when I get home from work.

I now wonder whether Holly's condition was triggered by her vaccine which she had only had about a month and a half ago. Of course I will never know now but I am more aware of this aware of this awful disease and am telling all my doggy friend owners to look out for it as it is merciless. Good luck to anyone whose pet has been diagnosed with it and is receiving treatment!

Dear Flo,
I'm so sorry to hear about Eli. It's hard to tell when our pets are just a little under the weather or truly ill. Sincerely, Elaine

Mimi is doing fairly well. Her pvc count was 18 today and I brought her home. We haven't had to give the blood transfusion and I'm so happy that I was able to look beyong my emotions and grief and research this disease so that I could made good decisions about my dog's health. I decided to wait on the transfusion because my vet didn't sound 100% sure, she was concerned that Mimi would die before the medicine would have time to work. I couldn't afford the procedure and needed to calm my nerves and think about what was best for Mimi and I. She ate chicken and dog food at the vet so were pretty hopeful. I know she's not out of the woods yet but she's alert and perky but she's not supposed to move around much so I'm trying to keep her quiet. I know most of the people who have posted on this site have lost their animal but there are some people who are looking for information about this disease and will run across this site just as I have. I hope this will give someone peace of mind and some hope that some dogs can recover. We have a long way to go but I'm truly blessed for however much time God grants me with my baby. BTW, the nurse informed me they recently had a dog with AIHA who was almost dead when he was brought in but he made a full recovery and did not receive a transfusion. -courtney

Courtney and Ginger's Owner,

Thanks for letting us know your dogs have made it over the crisis. This is encouraging news for others. Please give us updates on Mimi and Ginger. Wishing you the very best, Elaine

We have just lost our beloved collie cross to AIHA. He collapsed on Monday 22 and died on Wednesday 24. He was elderly but still very fit. We had his teeth cleaned 3 weeks ago and he was prescribed Baytril as a precaution after his teeth cleaning. I know we will never know if that caused it or if there was an underlying tumour. I did notice that he had been sneezing occasionally but thought there was just something in the air. He still had a swim on the morning of the night he collapsed. Can't bear not knowing if I contributed to his death by letting him swim or cleaning his teeth. Could anything in water cause it?

I'm so sorry to hear that you lost your collie this past week. I've heard of Baytril being linked to AIHA, but it's often difficult to determine an exact cause. I haven't heard of anything in the water that might contribute. The rabies vaccine is also a known trigger and so are certain flea products. My thoughts are with you, Elaine

Our dog lexi started to pee blood. At first is was not bad at all but got worse and worse throughout the day, to the point where it was a dark red color. When we took her to the vet at first they found NOTHING wrong with her. Not to our suprise there was something wrong with her and after visiting another afterhours clinic that night they diagnosed her with this. She is currently on 20 mg of prednisone and 10 mg famiotidine. Her RBC was at 24%. We want to do everything we can to save her but also are not in the best financial situation but we decided we would do whatever we could if she has a chance. She is still peeing blood but its much better, and her gums are still pale but have gotten better. Does this mean she is responding well to treatment? The next option the vet suggested would be to do a transfusion, and still the vet did not seem very hopeful. I realy wish we could take her to a reliable vet because I dont feel like we are getting the best service. PLEASE help, we are trying very hard to save her

Wanted to update you on my Shitzu Jewel that I posted on 9/14. we have been very lucky so far. Jewel was treated at Cornell Medical Center with IGG IV therapy after 3 blood transfusions. She has been on prednisone and immunosupressant therapy Aziothioprine. Additionally aspirine therapy, prophylactic antibiotics, pepcid and carafate. She was hospitalized for 11 days and we took her home on the 19th. She continues to raise her pcv and everyday seems to be doing better as far as activity, eating and her skin color. We have been very lucky and although the price of her treatment approaches 5k we are optimistic about her long term recovery. I hope this gives hope and info for those who are looking for info. Lynne

Hi Lynne,
Bravo for Jewel! She definitely sees to have made it over the hurdle. It's great info to hear how well IVIG worked for her. Please keep us posted on her progress. Best to you and your family, Elaine

Dear ms. moore,

My Maltese Pearl has just had her second transfusion of packed red cells, and just had an exploratory surgery that showed her liver to be very enlarged, but no tumprs. Several biopsies were taken, but ZI don't have results yet, She si on large doses of Immuran, Prednisone, and Cyclosporin, ass well as Marin and Denosyl, and Transfer Factor. Her blood count is back down to 25 in only 4 days following the last transfusion. What do you think her prognosis would be? I am so afraid for her.

Thanks
Brenda 826aol.com

Hi Brenda,
I'm sorry to hear Pearl's blood count is falling and her liver problems continue. If her count would hold between 20 and 25 this would be a good sign. It sounds like her antibodies (that target red blood cells) are destroying the transfused cells. Intravenous immunoglobulins, while expensive, are another good option. I'd also continue the transfer factor. The herb milk thistle and the supplement N-acetyl-cysteine are helpful in liver problems, especially if a toxin was ingested. You might want to ask your vet about adding them. I'll keep Pearl in my prayers. best, Elaine

Today we lost our beloved 14 year old mixed breed baby, Nicoal to this disease. In July, at her yearly checkup, she was a healthy senior dog. She had no other illnesses, conditions, etc. blood panel and all enzymes checked then were good. On Sunday, Sept. 28, she was her normal self. On Monday, she followed her normal morning routine and we first realized something was wrong when she didn't beg at lunch. Monday afternoon for whatever reason I checked her gums and her inner ears;both were pale, so I called our vet and went at once. She was diagnosed at once. At that point, her red blood cell count was at 24, she was given a shot of dexamethosone(?) and I was given 20 mg prednisone(along with something to protect her stomach) to give orally. On Tuesday, she vomitted about 10 minutes after giving her the prednisone, so I called the vet and we went there again. She was given another shot and blood work showed her rbc to be at 15. We were referred to a clinic where xrays and an ultrasound were done with negative results. On Wednesday, her rbc was 6 so a transfusion was done bringing her rbc to 16. It held overnight and on Thursday we went to see her. Though she was weak, she was happy to see us. This morning, her rbc was back to 9,she was retaining fluids and was clinically worse than when the rbc was at 6. We decided to let her go before we got to the clinic. Once we got there, she was definitely a different dog than she had been yesterday. After 2 1/2 hours of nuzzling and loving on her, she let us know it was time.
I had never heard of this before our case but both the vets we dealt with were very knowledgeable about this disease. Both were baffled though, as we cannot find a cause for it. She had no tumors, no exposure to chemicals, pesticides, had had no recent vaccines, no bee stings, etc. The ultrasound showed all her organs to be clean and functioning as well as younger dogs. She was on no medications except an occasional coated aspirin for arthritis, which she had not been given since spring. We realize she was an older dog but with having excellent health, she could possibly have lived another year. We do know that she did not have pain, she was just very weak. She did not whimper or make any sounds this morning. she was restless until she had us surrounding her then it was as if she told each of us goodbye. She then laid on her side and her breathing was very shallow. Within a few minutes she left us. We sympathize with anyone that has faced this.

Dear Elaine

Pearl died in my arms on 10-4-08 at 6:15 a.m. I miss her so much and cannot imagine my household with out her in it. She was so much a part of my life.
Please continue to try to find a cure for this horrible disease. My Pearl put up a tremendous fight for her life and lived almost a month with it. The vet said she had a trmendous will to live. I will miss her every day. I loved her so much.

Brenda

Dear Brenda,
I'm so sorry to hear about Pearl. Sincerely, Elaine

I just wanted to pass on my thoughts to Brenda on her loss, I checked daily to see Pearl's progress and am so saddened that yet another faithful well loved companion has fallen victim to this evil disease. x

Keri Lynn

My sweet little puggle was diagnosed with IMHA yesterday afternoon after my rooomate found him in a puddle of bloody urine. After the diagnosis at my vet, we were immediately transferred to an emergency hospital that specializes in internal medicine. As of this evening, his RBC count continues to drop - he got a partial transfusion - now its the waiting game again to see how he responds to the medication and transfusion. I can't believe that this is happening to me. I lost my dear cat in January to this same disease and Fatty Liver Disease...which came first...I don't know. Could there be something environmental poisoning my animals and potentially myself? I just can't belive that two pets in less than a year from the same home have gotten this horrible disease. I am hoping and praying that Charlie will recover, unlike my dear friend Oskar.

Should I be testing my home for toxins of some sort? If so...where should I start?

My thoughts and prayers go out to all of you who have experienced this horrible disease.

Chase

Hi,
I'm so sorry to hear your puggle was diagnosed with IMHA and hope he responds well to treatment. Cats are especially sensitive to flea treatments used for dogs. Flea treatments could affect both animals and so could infection with certain microorganisms. Good luck, elaine

To Lexi and Nicoal's owners,

I hope that Lexi is doing better. Please keep us updated.
I'm so sad to hear about your loss of Nicoal. It just doesn't seem fair when our wonderful old senior pets die suddenly. With sincere sympathy, Elaine

Hi Elaine,

It's been almost a month since I have posted. I just wanted to tell everyone on here, how very sorry I am for all of your losses. My deepest condolences to all of you !! I was one of the earlier posts on here. My Bullmastiff Tasso died with this awful disease, he was only 2 1/2 years young.

I hope that more research will help all of us down the road.

Thank you again Elaine for this very informative site !!

I also am in terrible shock. I laid to rest my beloved Minnie on Sunday to this horrible disease. My Minnie was only 8 years old and always spunky and happy the most loving dog we have ever had. She took ill On Wed with bleeding I took her right in to the Vet they gave me meds and sent me home. On thursday morning she was covered in blood we took her to the emergency vet and she hung on with lots of blood transfusion thru to Sunday but her kidneys began to fail and there was no hope for recovery. Please let us know what to look for. I never expected anything like this. I feel like I have lost her way too early in her life. Now as I read the reports of vacines as a possible problem I am scared to death to ever get another dog. I could never go thru this again. Please do research on this we must keep our pets safe.

To Tasso's Owner,

Thanks for writing with an update. I know it's been a hard month for you and your family. All the best, Elaine

To Minnie's Owners,

I'm sorry to hear about the sudden loss of dog. Your story is truly heartbreaking. There are several known risk factors for AIHA, including vaccines. Many vets are recommending Transfer Factor to help the immune system handle vaccines. Many vets will also allow patients to get blood titers after the first vaccine to see if additional vaccines are needed.

Flea products and one Heartguard for heartworm are also known to cause hemolytic anemia. Weed killers and lawn treatments, certain antibiotics, and infectious agents also pose risk. Reactions to some foods can be toxic, including chocolate and grapes, which cause some breeds to go into kidney failure. Some dogs can also become allergic or react to different types of commercial dog food, and some dogs are allergic to beef.

Please don't be afraid to get another dog although I can understand how you're feeling. The joy dogs bring us can't be matched. Sincerely, Elaine

Dear Elaine,

I am writing to you again about my little Pearl who died in my arms on 10-4. I noticed while reading your posts from other guests that you feel the Rabies vaccine may casue this horrible illness. I know I made notice of your mentioning that before, but for some reason, it clicked in my mind when I read it today that Pearl had all her booster shots, including her Rabies booster about a month before she became ill. Could this have been the cause of her illness? I have another Maltese, Lily who recieved her shots at the same time, and is a lot older, and she is fine.

Thanks to you and Keri Lynn who wrote in with sympathy about my Pearl. I can't even walk to the mail box with out missing her. She loved to go with me to get the mail. I find myself walking out to her grave every morning to say good morning. I hope it gets better soon.

I took your advice and got a little Maltipoo, I named her Daisy. She can't ever replace Pearl, but she is a comfort. Should I delay getting her vaccinations? She has already had her first and is only six weeks old.

Thank you so much for your support in the last few weeks. It meant so much to me.

Sincerely
Brenda

Hi Brenda,

Welcome to little Daisy. I think she'll help you and Lily and your family heal.

The experts caution to not give multiple vaccines together. You can ask your vet about giving the minimum of vaccines. Usually, 3 separate vaccines are given (for parvo, etc) and studies show these provide lifelong immunity with annual boosters not needed. Some of the vaccines are directed against leptospirosis and other agents that might not be prevalent in your area. Let your vet know you want the minimum needed for protection in your area.

In most states the rabies vaccine is given after puppies reach 6 months. The sources at Shirley's Cafe recommend using Transfer Factor to help the immune system handle vaccines better. It's also better to give the rabies vaccine separately and not with any of the other vaccines. The rabies vaccine is a one size fits all so you might want to ask about a smaller dose based on body weight for a smaller dog. After the first rabies vaccines, you can request checking immunity with a blood test that measures antibodies to rabies. If antibodies are present, your dog has immunity and doesn't need another vaccine at that time.

If you post pictures of your dogs on Flickr or any of the online sites, let us know. Best, Elaine

Hi I just wanted to say to Brenda, that I also acquired a new puppy, I have called her Sapphire after the birthstone for September, which is my birthday month and the month I lost Holly. I didn't know if I was doing the right thing or if it was too soon but my other dog Ellie had just seemed so depressed as she had lost her companion of 6 years also. She has accepted Saffy with absolutely no problems and has really come alive again. I know that Holly can never be replaced, she was a unique doggy friend and I will miss her every day.
We have just been to the vets for our second lot of injections and I had a lengthy discussion with the vet about Holly and my concerns. He suggested that these are the most important ones that she has and that I look at the options available when her boosters are due.

Anyway Brenda I also wanted to say that if you wanted to e-mail me at all for chat about our lost doggies and our pups then please do so, my e-mail address is sugar.plumfairy@yahoo.co.uk. Look forward to hearing from you.

Keri Lynn

Elaine, thank you for this imformative site, it has helped me understand more about what happened and hopefully will help me preventing it from happening again.

KL

KL,
A big welcome to little Sapphire. Puppies do have their way of helping us heal. If you post pictures anywhere let us know. Best, Elaine

my shih tzu Marley who is 2 yrs old just got diagnose with hemolytic anemia today. Two weeks ago i changed his diet to the brand Max. I strongly feel it had to do with changing his food which triggered an allergic reaction that caused him this. His RBC dropped tremendously to 0.5. The normal is 5.0 - 9.0. His liver was also affected showing en elevated liver enzymes and bilirubin. He is fighting for his life right now and in the process of receiving a blood transfusion. Hope and pray that the outcome will be successful. Their sign and symptoms are : vomiting,weakness, paleness in mucous membrane, pale tongue, lethargic,drinking excessive water,and refusing to eat. If your dogs have any of these changes dont wait a minute take them to hospital right away before they lose too much blood.

my shih tzu Marley who is 2 yrs old just got diagnose with hemolytic anemia today. Two weeks ago i changed his diet to the brand Max. I strongly feel it had to do with changing his food which triggered an allergic reaction that caused him this. His RBC dropped tremendously to 0.5. The normal is 5.0 - 9.0. His liver was also affected showing en elevated liver enzymes and bilirubin. He is fighting for his life right now and in the process of receiving a blood transfusion. Hope and pray that the outcome will be successful. Their sign and symptoms are : vomiting,weakness, paleness in mucous membrane, pale tongue, lethargic,drinking excessive water,and refusing to eat. If your dogs have any of these changes dont wait a minute take them to hospital right away before they lose too much blood.

I stumbled upon this site tonight and it has helped me immensely. I lost my 9 yr old Cocker Tucker on 10/4 to this horrible disease. He had had an episode about 7 yrs ago when he was dagnosed. He was attacked at a kennel. My vet told me that AIHA was rare and we may or may not have any more trouble. He responded well to Prednisone therapy and recovered quickly. On Tuesday night, 9/30, he was his normal self. On Wednesday morning, his gums were gray and he wouldn't eat or get up off the floor. I immediately took him to the vet. His PCV was 9. We did a blood transfusion and IV medicines. I brought him home on Friday evening. He was so weak, all I could do was sit and cry. He died in his sleep on Saturday afternoon. I believe that he had a heart attack. The strain of the lowered blood volume was just too much for his heart to bear. It is the hardest thing I have had to face. He was truly my best friend and my child. Reading the posts here, I see that I am truly blessed to have had him recover 7 yrs ago. I was able to enjoy him for such a long time afterwards. But, like everyone here, the second time came on so quickly and before I knew it, he was gone. My heart goes out to everyone who has posted on this site. I truly know what you are going through.

I just also lost my 10 year old standard female dauchund to this disease. I been involved in veterinary medicine most of my life and was still unable to save her. I would like to pass along some things that may be of help to you. First if you are unsure of your vets coarse of treatment check with another. When a protocal has been set up ask about the use of blood thinners as this disease causes blood clots which is one of the leading causes of death. Ask about a product called Oxyglobin to by time and supply oxygen to the organs. A few things you can do on your own is checking the gums and tongue for a good pink color do this on a regular basis . If a pail color is seen bring the animal in for a C.B.C. Remember they age a lot faster then we do so blood work should be done often. I hope this can be of some help to all of you. Also search on the internet for things pertaining to anemia which can be a big help. Thank you Elaine for this great site and wealth of information and may God bless all of you and your pets!

Hi,
I'm so sorry to hear about the loss of your standard dachsund. I appreciate your taking the time to pass on treatment suggestions that can help others. I hadn't realized clotting could also occur in AIHA. Sincerely, Elaine

Hi,
I'm so sorry to hear about your losing your little cocker spaniel Tucker. It's encouraging to know he survived for 7 years after his initial diagnosis. This will help others. Sincerely, Elaine

Dear elaine, my 3.5yr beagle was diagnosed with AIHA 10 days ago. He had been sick for 5weeks already although the initial diagnosis was kidney disease since his inital symptoms pointed more to that. He collapsed on 10/1 after a mth of kidney support therapy but lukily, we managed to save with with a steroid jab. He had been on 10mg prednisone for 6days and was increased to 20mg yesterday. He seems to be getting weaker and more lethargic now, as compared to few days ago. His gums are also very pale now. We don't seem to have blood transfusions for dogs here in singapore. is there any other way out? he is so picky with his food that he will rather starve than to eat what he dislikes. I have tried many types of commercial dog food and he refuses to take them. How can i improve his appetite? He had moderately high white blood cell count and his rbc count was at the lower limit of normal (his was 5.1) last week. Do you think he can survive this?

Hi,
It's unfortunate that canine blood transfusions aren't available in Singapore. Prednisone can help reduce red blood cell destruction, but diet is important to help replace lost nutrients. Ask your doctor if adding lean meat would be ok? Some people use raw organic meat for their dogs, and frozen chicken necks. Might you have an herbalist in your area who could prescribe something to help build the blood up? Best, Elaine

Hi Elaine,thanks for your prompt reply. Problem is my dog is super picky on his food. He refused to take commercial dog food since he came down with the disease and any food with liver, he would refuse. This actually makes treatment very difficult. We have tried given him boiled mince beef and he would take some, probably a small bowl each day. He often would let himself starve than to eat something he doesn't like! Last night i got home to see him so weak that he could hardly walk and i sent him to the vet for his prednisone jab. It seems that the prednisone tablet isnt very effective (he was on liquid pred earlier). His heartbeat and body temp was normal. I let him stay hospitalised for a day to so that a drip would make him stronger. Vit B was added to the drip. Sometimes im really at wits end with my dog..

Hi,
I sympathize with you. Running back and forth to the vet and trying to arrange special meals for your pet can be trying. Can your dog eat chicken? Some people boil chicken and add it to rice. I hope the prednisone kicks in and your pet starts feeling better. Best to you, elaine

H Elaine,

As I read I have relived the pain all over again. My Benji died on Friday, October 10, 2008. We noticed blood in the urine on Tuesday, October 7, 2008. My Vet said it might be a urinary tract infection. I took Benji, Shih tzu, to the Vet and on Thursday and dead by Friday. I am so hurt. I feel like I did not do enough to save his life. This is the first time I hear about this disease, I have had dogs all my life.

Hello,
I'm so sorry to hear about the sudden loss of your shih tzu to AIHA. With sympathy, Elaine

Hi Elaine,

thanks for the suggestion. After the dog had his pred jab, he became so much better and started eating alot. In fact, he has started eating commercial dog food again, when he finished up his cooked food and is still hungry. I do not know whether its a side effect of the medicine or the multi-vit he takes, he seems hungry all day long despite having eaten 3 meals a day (2 meals comprising minced meat, potato and carrots, 1 meal of dry dog food). In any case, he is so much more active now despite being pale. I hope he can put on some weight since he lost 8lbs over the last 1+ month! Appears like his condition is under control now. Thanks for all the advice!

Elaine,
My daughters Blue Heeler suddenly died in June of this year from AIHA. She had been giving both of her dogs Brewers Yeast with Garlic.... up to 6-8 tablets a day according to the directions on the bottle....to keep them healthy and give their coats a good shine. The boys (as we affectionately call them), had a lot of bladder infections which I am beginning to feel may have been one of the symptoms showing up and we just assumed it was a basic bladder infection. Anyway, to make a long story short...this is what I found at the ASPCA Poison Control website:
I found this at the ASPCA Poison Control center:

I understand that garlic is poisonous for dogs, but why is it often an ingredient in dog treats?
—Michelle S.

Good question, Michelle. Garlic does have toxic potential to pets, and is generally more potent than onion, also a member of the Allium species, in causing changes in red blood cells in dogs and cats. This is true in raw, cooked or powdered forms. In theory, "deodorized" garlic is allegedly less toxic, since the disulfides, responsible for both the odor and the toxicity, are usually largely removed.

Even at low levels of exposure to garlic, some change in red blood cells is likely; it is typically only when a significant number of red blood cells are altered that their oxygen-carrying capacity is noticeably compromised and clinical signs develop. Generally, it takes either a fairly large single ingestion or chronic exposure. These effects are also somewhat more likely to be seen in cats, as their red blood cells have shorter life spans and they're more likely to have bone marrow issues. However, the possibility exists that some dogs may also be genetically more susceptible to problems from garlic ingestions.

The lowest observed effect level in dogs in the scientific literature that we are aware of is 2.5 mg/kg of encapsulated garlic powder; slow heart rates and increased urination were seen. For comparison, a 20-pound dog consuming 1000 mg of garlic powder is exposed to a dose of 110 mg/kg.

The bottom line, Michelle, is that we do not definitively know at what dose any given dog may experience problems. An occasional low dose, such as those found in most commercial pet foods or treats, would not likely cause problems. A conservative approach might be to avoid exposure to more concentrated garlic-based products.

You may want to see if garlic was in your pets daily food or treat diet and make a change. LizzyD

Hi Michelle,
I'm so sorry to hear that your daughter lost her blue heeler. Thanks for taking the time to share the information about garlic with us. I'd heard of garlic acting as a blood thinner but hadn't realize it could also trigger AIHA in canines. It sure makes sense. Best to you and your family, Elaine

I found the last post regarding garlic very interesting as I and I am sure countless other dog owners use garlic as a natural flea repellent. I knew onions were toxic but didn't consider garlic to be even though they are related. Makes me wonder about chives etc and other allium plants.

Keri Lynn

We just had our little show Boston Terrier euthanized the morning of her second show instead of competing. She started showing symptoms of hunching her back, trembling, depression on Thursday. Due to the bloody urine the vet was treating her for UTI with pain control and antibiotics. By Sunday she was unable to stand, white gums, labored breathing, incontinence, yellow skin. She went to RainBow Bridge instead of the showring.

Hello,
I'm so saddened to hear about the loss of your little Boston Terrier. Sincerely, Elaine

Three weeks ago I lost my "angel" Pickles who was a nine year old Mini-Schnauzer. Initially it was thought precipitated by a bacterial infection, but she neither responded to the three antibiotics she was on, nor the prednisone to suppress the hemolysis from the immune system. Coincidentally, three week before the onset we had treated our lawn with a Pesticide called "Spectricide" total weed control. Upon first onset she was taken to the Doggie ER and seemed to be improving simply from the fluid and palliative treatment. She came home and again went on our lawn when I had her out to potty. Within 1 1/2 hours, she became ill and collaped again. She was taken back to the ER and then transferred to the University of MN for three days. This time she was also put on Prednisone and three antibiotics to cover the immune system hemolysis and a possible infection if that was causing the reaction. She improved and came home with a "very good" prognosis. Again, I took her outside and she ran over to the lawn area that was treated three weeks previous with the weed killer. I immediately ran over and picked her up. I took her in the house and bathed her in the sick with extreme rinsing of her coat and feet. Again, within two hours she again collaped and I rushed her back to the University of MN. This time she was very severly ill. Her blood HCT had droped to point where she needed a blood transfusion. They found her liver and spleed were slightly enlarged and followed up with a "biopsy" of both which turned out to be normal. Interestingly enough, within the "limited" information I could find on the web there was a mention of this herbicide causing liver enlargement and one reference to "hemolytic anemias in mice" at "extreme oral dosages." Pickles had no hope of recovery after one week of fighting this terrible disease. I firmly believe that the Spectracide Weed Killer containing "quinilone" was the cause of her death. I believe the Quinilone attached to her blood cells stimulating her immune system to destroy her red blood cells. She was examined in every way possible and nothing could be found. Infection was questionable as her white count had elevated slightly, but a "toxin" can also cause this to occur. They looked for any tumor, or cancer which was not found anywhere. These chemicals are dangerious. There is no warning given by chemical companies to even "suggest" they could be harmful. I will NEVER use ANY chemical on my lawn again. My loss is almost unbearable!

Elaine, I just posted about my dear little angel, Pickles. I have read some of the guest comments and want to add that in June, I also used "Frontline" for the first time. I still do believe that the herbacide was involved with this as the "reexposure" seemed to trigger an exacerbation of the condition. I can say I will NEVER apply another chemical to my pet, nor will I ever use "weed killers" on my lawn. I would be interested it knowing that with these "unexplained" deaths, how many may have applied weed products, or used these "tick preventor's" on their dogs. Thank you, Joanna Hogan

Hi Joanne,
I'm so sorry to hear of the loss of your precious pet. I've heard from several people regarding Frontline. You might want to read the information on Shirley's wellness cafe.Here's a reply I received from the College of Veterinary Medicine at the FDA.
Please contact the EPA with your report. If everyone voices their concerns this will help. send them a link to this topic too in case they forgot my letter.

Dear Elaine Moore;

Thank you for contacting the Center for Veterinary Medicine. You can access a cumulative report from our Adverse Drug Experience database at http://www.fda.gov/cvm/adetoc.htm. The drugs are listed by generic name rather than trade name (i.e., Baytril would be enrofloxacin).

Another you you should keep in mind is that many of the flea control products available (especially those in the grocery store, pet store, etc) are actually pesticides, not drugs, and are regulated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (www.epa.gov) Office of Pesticide Programs. I know EPA working on mechanism for collecting adverse reaction reports, but I don't know how far along they are.

I hope this is helpful to you.

Sincerely,

CVM Home Page

We lost our dog,Zoe, to this disease 2 days after it was diagnosed. We had started her on the meds and on the second evening her abdomen became distended and hard. I called the on call emegency vet and he felt that this was just part of the disease. I was concidering having him put her down but then changed my mind as he said things ususally get worse before the get better. Four hours later her breathing became difficult and in 45 minutes her breathing stopped though her heart remained beating. We are so devastated. We did not know about this disease and I had taken her in thinking she had another infected tooth and we had placed her on antibiotics for a week. Her gums had apeared pale and her stool was orangy. She didn't want to walk but we thought this was her arthritis . I feel so guilty that I didn't get her in quicker or something. This is an awful disease and my heart goes out to all that have had to deal with it.
Thanks for letting me write about this
sincerely, Liisa

Our dog, Koda, was dianosed with AIHA July 18. He received a blood transfusion the same day we took him in and he's been on prednisone, azathioprine, and sucralfate since then. He was on misoprostol, but the vet replaced that with OTC pepcid about a month ago. His prednisone was lowered then, too. He's starting to seem like himself again, but his last cbc results showed lowered hematocrit. We're reducing his prednisone again Monday, but I'm worried about him developing anemia. I'm going to be supplementing his dry food with a little beef liver every few days to see if it helps.
We take our dogs backcountry camping a lot, so our vet prescribed Intercepter tablets for heartworm that we gave him June 1 & July 1. I think this is what caused his AIHA.
He's only with us today because we took him to the vet as soon as we noticed his white gums and lethargy.

I'm so sorry to hear all the pets lost to this disease. My dog was just diagnosed with AIHA on Saturday. I noticed that he was very lethargic which was so unlike him. His blood count was a 14 and I was told that he needed a blood transfusion. Between the transfusion, the 2 immunosuppression drugs, antibiotics and aspirin, his blood levels have come back up and he seems to be ok. He has been in the hospital since yesterday and if his levels are still ok tomorrow, I can take him home. Luckily he doesn't have cancer, lyme disease or bone marrow problems. I just don't understand how this happens to perfectly healthy pets. Can this be prevented somehow?

Our dog Cocoa is an 8 year old English Springer. She should absolutely no signs of any illness and then last Friday was very lethargic and wouldn't eat. I thought she might have a "doggy flu" so gave her baby aspirin. She seemed to be more responsive Saturday and ate a little food a drank. She had a bad odor coming from her mouth (not the normal "doggy breath") and I checked her gums. They were very pale so I called the Emergency. I took her in Saturday night at 11 PM. This morning at 5 AM the vet called to say her count was 9 and if she didn't get a transfusion she wouldn't make it. They gave her the transfusion and now it is a waiting game. I want to do the right thing for her and just pray that she recovers. Like all of you she is a valuable family member. I don't care if I have to work a second job for 6 months to pay the bill off!!

Our dog Cocoa is an 8 year old English Springer. She should absolutely no signs of any illness and then last Friday was very lethargic and wouldn't eat. I thought she might have a "doggy flu" so gave her baby aspirin. She seemed to be more responsive Saturday and ate a little food a drank. She had a bad odor coming from her mouth (not the normal "doggy breath") and I checked her gums. They were very pale so I called the Emergency. I took her in Saturday night at 11 PM. This morning at 5 AM the vet called to say her count was 9 and if she didn't get a transfusion she wouldn't make it. They gave her the transfusion and now it is a waiting game. I want to do the right thing for her and just pray that she recovers. Like all of you she is a valuable family member. I don't care if I have to work a second job for 6 months to pay the bill off!!

Our almost 2 yr old golden Cooper fell ill on Tuesday, Oct. 21st. Our vet wasn't open so we had to take him to another vet. He was diagnosed with AIHA, put on 20 mg prednisone, and doxycycline with instructions to visit our regualr vet on Wed. He was severly anemic at that point. By Friday, Oct. 24th he was rushed to the animal hospital for a blood transfusion as his PCV count was 13. After the transfusion his numbers never came up. Luckily another vet came on duty Sat. night and added azathipoprine 50 mg. once a day. Cooper was sent home on Sunday nite Oct. 26th. Since that time he has been making progress, his pcv on Monday Nov. 3rd was 33.5 which is almost normal. However, on Sunday nite, Nov. 2nd we lowered his dose of azathipoprine to 25mg. By Tuesday afternoon I noticed he was getting more and more sleepy. I do believe he was being weaned from the azathioprine way too early. My normal vet has no experience with this drug and I'm at the point where after 3 weeks I know more than she does. Anyone have any suggestions or positive results with the steroids and azathioprine? I'm almost to the point of finding a new vet in my neighborhood that might know more about this.
Kathi

Dear Elaine,
I have lost my Spooky (my 3.5 yr beagle) to AIHA "finally'... He was well after being resuscitated on 10/1/08 and i remembered i told you he got really well. I was all too kind to agree to help my friend look after her sick dog for 2 days while she was away. Spooky's pred dosage was halved during that time as we all thought he was well enough to take less. In the end, he caught an infection from the sick dog and never recovered. He was still well enough to walk last night despite being pale. When we found him unable to stand this morning, we sent him to the vet but by the time to vet came in an hour later (the clinic was not opened yet), spooky was gone. Why did i offer to help? Why must i bring such suffering to my dog after having taken such great pains to save him? I think i only have myself to blame for spooky's inability to fight this dreadful disease. i cant forgive myself...

Dear Elaine,
My 1 year old Labradoodle, Spencer was diagnosed 2 weeks ago with AIHA. He was in ICU for 7 days which included a blood transfusion. Currently, he is home and taking the typical medications for this immune disorder such as pred and 2 other immune suppresants. His blood count is rising a few points per week. I am so sorry to read about the sad experiences that other pet owners are enduring but is there anyone out there who has an AIHA dog that is living a long prosperous life? In addition, are there any online chat support groups for pet owners dealing with this. Any information would be greatly appreciated! Rene107202@aol.com

Our 2 year old Japanese Chin was diagnosed with AIHA last Friday. He seems to be responding well to Prednisone. His energy level and appetite have come back and although still lethargic, we are seeing positive signs of improvement. My advice to anyone- If you notice coughing directly followed by lethargy and pale/whiteish gums and ears, get to a vet immediately. There is no time to waste waiting and wondering whether your dog will get over it. It is not a bug. Time is of the essence. Please keep our Silvio in your prayers.

Hi,
I'm happy to hear that your labradoodle is making a good recovery. Besides this article, I have another article on AIHA at autoimmunedisease.suite101.com/article.cfm/autoimmune_hemolytic_anemia _in_dogs
If you read through all the comments after both articles you'll find a few people whose dogs have survived AIHA. Some have left their email addresses for others to communicate with them. There's also a link to Shirley's Wellness Cafe, and she's heard from other canine survivors. Best, Elaine

Hi,
It's wonderful to hear that Silvio is improving so quickly. Noticing the signs of AIHA early and seeking prompt treatment definitely helps. I'll keep Silvio in my prayers. Best, Elaine

UPDATE:
Our beloved Cocoa crossed the Rainbow Bridge on Saturday Nov 8th. After a second transfusion she experienced major complications that likely resulted from blood clots. It is so hard to come to grips with the fact that before this came on she was a totally happy, healthy 8 year old. AIHA is a terrible terrible disease. If I have learned anything from this it is to spread the word that vaccinations are a load of buffalo feathers. DON'T bother with them - find a holistic vet and educate yourself about this awful disease. We have lost our family friend and are left with nothing to show for it other than a huge bill and very empty hearts.

Hello,
I am so saddened to hear that Cocoa lost her battle with AIHA. My thoughts are with you. Sincerely, Elaine

my lab just got diagnosed with this. He ingested rat poision, went on Vitamin k to counteract, and 3 days later developed anemia that we thought was bleeding out from the poision, now we think its IMHA. Treating with prednosone, supposedly I should be also treating for the poision for 1 more week with vitamin K. We havnt had signs of internal bleeding(poision result) so Im wondering to scratch the vK, as a coagulant, I would think it would only harm the treatment of this disease?? Thoughts. Hes a lab, 8yrs. been holding at pvc of 14-18 for a week now, no transfusion yet.

Hi,
If your lab got into rat poison he should have had a high protime result along with an elevated INR. It can be difficult to pick up the actual warfarin itself. Treatment with vitamin K reverses the anticoagulant effects and helps the blood clot. You'll need to ask your vet about the need to continue vitamin K. If he or she thinks that your lab was not affected by warfarin but was actually developing hemolytic anemia, he may want to switch treatments to warfarin. It could be that your vet isn't sure if the blood loss is from the rat poison of AIHA. There are a few blood tests like a low haptoglobin in AIHA and a positive coombs tests that would suggest AIHA. Best, Elaine

To everyone who has lost a beloved pet to AIHA, my husband and I grieve with you. One week ago today our beautiful 4 year old male Bernese Mountain dog was diagnosed with AIHA. He crossed over the Rainbow Bridge Monday morning at 5:45 A.M. Our vet started him on Prednisone, Doxycycline and Azathioprine right away. Friday morning he doubled the dosage on 2 of the meds, but by Saturday we knew we were fighting a losing battle. When I couldn't get him to eat Sunday morning, I knew he was fading. I am so grateful that we had our precious boy home with us and we could be with him in his final moments. We are devastated, and it still doesn't seem possible that he could have gone downhill so quickly. Our only consolation is that he did not suffer and that we made the most of every moment we had with him. Until last Thursday I did not know that canine hemolytic anemia even existed. We miss our beloved "Baarchen" every moment of every day.

To everyone who has lost a beloved pet to AIHA, my husband and I grieve with you. One week ago today our beautiful 4 year old male Bernese Mountain dog was diagnosed with AIHA. He crossed over the Rainbow Bridge Monday morning at 5:45 A.M. Our vet started him on Prednisone, Doxycycline and Azathioprine right away. Friday morning he doubled the dosage on 2 of the meds, but by Saturday we knew we were fighting a losing battle. When I couldn't get him to eat Sunday morning, I knew he was fading. I am so grateful that we had our precious boy home with us and we could be with him in his final moments. We are devastated, and it still doesn't seem possible that he could have gone downhill so quickly. Our only consolation is that he did not suffer and that we made the most of every moment we had with him. Until last Thursday I did not know that canine hemolytic anemia even existed. We miss our beloved "Baarchen" every moment of every day.

My 8 year old border collie Bandit was just diagnosed today with AIHA. She pretty much stopped eating on Saturday and became really lethargic and depressed. Our vet has prescribed prednisone and antibiotics and her RBC is very low. She has never been sick and has always had way too much energy!! I have been feeding her pureed meat and veggies by hand and am so very afraid she won't make it. It is hard to believe that such a healthy dog can get so sick so suddenly. I had never even heard of AIHA before today. I did everything right, I thought--shots, heartworm pills, and now that might have caused this? My vet seems optimistic about Bandit's chances, so right now it is a watch and wait situation.

The hardest thing about AIHA is coming to terms with having a healthy dog one minute then one that is so sick the next. Cocoa has been gone now for a week and it seems like a year. It is so hard not having her greet us at the door when we get home. I encourage you to have open and frank discussions with your vet about AIHA if your dog is diagnosed. It is critical to have an internal medicine specialist looking after your dog. Treating AIHA is very difficult. It is like trying to put out a wildfire by starting smaller fires all around. Especially if you have to transfuse the dog which is common. Cocoa had 2 transfusions but sadly didn't make it past the second. The danger with all the meds is blood clotting. The best thing you can do in this whole process is educate as MANY people as you can to the dangers of vaccines and heart worm, flea meds. Like 99% of the people posting here I had never even HEARD of this prior to our precious puppy getting the disease. May heartfelt prayers go out to all owners who have dogs with AIHA. Keep the faith.

Hi,
I'm so sorry to hear that Bandit was diagnosed with AIHA. I join everyone here in wishing him a quick recovery. Best, elaine

My dog Johnny, a pure bred Dachshund died from this disease in June 2008 2 weeks after his 10th birthday he died within a day and a half of being diagosed, he was on 5 hours of IV and 5 hour blood transfusion which resulted in jaundice and renal failure

Our maltese, Bridget, was diagnosed yesterday morning with IMHA, she was fine on Sunday, Nov, 16, a bit lethargic on Monday and Tuesday, and by wed, I noticed her urine was dark orange. I took her to the vet, and was given prednisone, and told to come back Fri to see if her blood count was up. She was very weak last night, and like so many of you, I wonder if I'd gone sooner to emergency, would she be ok today? We took her this morning, and was gone before we got there. It came on so fast - I know I'm repeating what so many of you have gone through, it is so sad to know that our spunky little dog is gone. She was only 5, so healthy, never sick, I fully expected her to live a long happy life. Well, she lived a short, happy life. I miss her so much, I just want her curled up on my lap like she loved to do.
I hope those of you with dogs still fighting this will have a happy ending - to those of you who have lost so quickly like us, I'm sure you did all you could do. All your comments have been a comfort to me - I had never heard of this IMHA, and everyone's story here has so many similarities to mine.
Thanks, D.

Like many of you, I had never heard of this disease, until Nov. 13th.
My 8yr old, maltese, "Harley" fell victim to the disease IMHA.
Wed.11/12 After work he dosent greet me at the door like he does everyday. I get lunch meat out of frig. b/c that always gets his attention. He slowly walks into kitchen, I give him benadryl wrapped in lunch meat thinking it's allergies to blame. I take him, and my other maltese out for a walk. We dont walk far then he goes right back inside. I knew he was feeling bad, everyday I have to pick him up & carry him to make him come inside. That night he went straight to his bed. The next morning (11/13/08) he would not even get up. I brought him a piece of meat, he turned his head and would not eat it. I knew I had to get him to the vet. My vet did blood work, Harley's red blood count was at 10%. Then he did an xray of his abdomen, this showed his spleen to be very enlarged, possibly from a tumor. My vet told me that Harley was very close to death. He needed a blood transfussion, ultrasound of his spleen, and maybe surgery. He got me an emergency appt. with a local specialist. When driving there I began crying out to God, begging for him to save my baby. Specialists began tests, blood count was now at 15%, ultrasound ruled out tumor, chest xray ruled out bleed, needle through the spleen ruled out cancer, a series of other tests ruled out other cancers,the bone marrow was doing it's job. All good news so far. He stayed the night there, b/c a few hrs later his blood count dropped to 13% they started blood transfussion, iv fluids, antibiotics since he had a fever 104.5 to treat possible infection. Dr. said he would probably go home next day(11/14). Next day his temp. was 103.3 and blood was 26%, b/c of the transfussion. He could go home if temp. dropped to 103. That evening temp. was up to 104.5, I went to see him, when he heard my voice he jumpped up & into my arms(somehow). I held him 2hrs. then visiting hrs were over. Next day 11/15 Sat. I met the Dr. there, my baby was worse,labbored breathing,on oxygen. His temp was down to 102 b/c they started Prednisone that morning, his heart enlarged,had jaundice. they gave less than 50% chance, they would not let me stay to visit w/him after hrs. even though i pd $2700. I couldnt let him die there alone. Why didnt they start the prednisone the 1st day? My baby died 11/16 12:09am in bed w/me. I'm absolutely devastaed! 2wks ago he was here w/me I had no idea our time was running out

Like many of you, I had never heard of this disease, until Nov. 13th.
My 8yr old, maltese, "Harley" fell victim to the disease IMHA.
Wed.11/12 After work he dosent greet me at the door like he does everyday. I get lunch meat out of frig. b/c that always gets his attention. He slowly walks into kitchen, I give him benadryl wrapped in lunch meat thinking it's allergies to blame. I take him, and my other maltese out for a walk. We dont walk far then he goes right back inside. I knew he was feeling bad, everyday I have to pick him up & carry him to make him come inside. That night he went straight to his bed. The next morning (11/13/08) he would not even get up. I brought him a piece of meat, he turned his head and would not eat it. I knew I had to get him to the vet. My vet did blood work, Harley's red blood count was at 10%. Then he did an xray of his abdomen, this showed his spleen to be very enlarged, possibly from a tumor. My vet told me that Harley was very close to death. He needed a blood transfussion, ultrasound of his spleen, and maybe surgery. He got me an emergency appt. with a local specialist. When driving there I began crying out to God, begging for him to save my baby. Specialists began tests, blood count was now at 15%, ultrasound ruled out tumor, chest xray ruled out bleed, needle through the spleen ruled out cancer, a series of other tests ruled out other cancers,the bone marrow was doing it's job. All good news so far. He stayed the night there, b/c a few hrs later his blood count dropped to 13% they started blood transfussion, iv fluids, antibiotics since he had a fever 104.5 to treat possible infection. Dr. said he would probably go home next day(11/14). Next day his temp. was 103.3 and blood was 26%, b/c of the transfussion. He could go home if temp. dropped to 103. That evening temp. was up to 104.5, I went to see him, when he heard my voice he jumpped up & into my arms(somehow). I held him 2hrs. then visiting hrs were over. Next day 11/15 Sat. I met the Dr. there, my baby was worse,labbored breathing,on oxygen. His temp was down to 102 b/c they started Prednisone that morning, his heart enlarged,had jaundice. they gave less than 50% chance, they would not let me stay to visit w/him after hrs. even though i pd $2700. I couldnt let him die there alone. Why didnt they start the prednisone the 1st day? My baby died 11/16 12:09am in bed w/me. I'm absolutely devastaed! 2wks ago he was here w/me I had no idea our time was running out

Another cause of hemolytic anemia in dogs is eating onions. Many people don't realize that it is dangerous to feed their dogs onions or to leave onions in reach of their dogs.

Hello,
I'm so saddened to hear about your losing Harley and your poor experience at the veterinary clinic. Steroids can sometimes cause serious side effects, and there may have been something about Harley's condition that caused your vet to wait before starting prednisone. You bring up an important point though and you may want to ask your vet about this sometime and about their visiting hours policy. Sincerely, Elaine

My Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Sunny, just died from Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia. I wish I had paid more attention to her eating dirt this fall and in the last two weeks licking cement and trying to chew clay pots. I thought she was doing this because she was on WD weight loss food and intended to ask about this symptom. Three days before I took her to the Vet Hospital she was licking hardwood floors, bathroom floors, or any floor, kind of like she really had to do this. I wish I knew if I could have prevented her death. She was my only companion for 8 years. 12/1/2008

Hi,
I'm so sorry to hear about Sunny. I have to wonder if her diet led to calcium deficiency and this contributed to AIHA. Eating dirt sounds like a nutrient deficiency. Sincerely, Elaine

We just lost our three year old yellow lab this morning Mon. 12/1. She was fine on Friday morning by Fri night she was lethatgic. Sat morning we called the vet she went through 2 blood transfusions and various other treatments. This morning she died in my arms. I just can't believe she is gone. I have never heard of this terrible disease and connot believe she was fine one minute and less than 48 hours later she is gone. My heart is broken, she was my best friend.
Mona Sherard

Dear Mona,

I'm so sorry to hear of your loss. Sincerely, Elaine

Hi,
This article was very helpful. But do you know why female dogs are more susceptible AIHA than male dogs or whether there's any research done on this field?

Hi,
I haven't seen any studies in dogs, but there have been lots of studies is humans. Overall, gemales are about 9 times as likely to develop autoimmune diseases than men. There's a few exceptions like ankylosing spondylitis, which affects men more often. But out of the nearly 100 autoimmune disorders out there, women are generally more susceptible. Some studies cite hormones and others have shown that the immune system of women is more robust. This is why in infants, females have a higher survival rate. It's thought that this more vigilant immune system makes it more likely for females to respond to environmental triggers and develop autoimmune disorders. Best, Elaine

I lost sunny (Cavalier King Charles Spaniel) 11/28/2008 to Hemolytic Anemia and I have been seartching for answers that I could have done. I could have taken her to the vet when she first started eating dirt this summer. I could have been more aggressive with her frequent ear infections(but she hid from me when I wanted to treat her ears. Then lately I noticed she was getting white in her eyebrows at 8. At that time I also noticed she had a little droppyness to her eyes which I thought was old age coming. That sign I should have acted on at once. Please hug your per often and be more alert to any symptoms. I really blame Hills W/D for weight loss food as I don't think she was getting complete nutrition from it. Thank you for letting me vent --the pillow beside my head is so empty and at 85 I am so sad.

We lost our cocker spaniel on Father's Day from this disease. He was 12 yrs old. He was diagnosed in May of 2007 and we treated him for 14 months until he passed away. It was the hardest thing to watch.

My 4 year old pug was admitted to critical care today, although they have not 100% confirmed the disgnosis yet, they started her on the steroids (they hve a much more complex name but I can't remember it much leass cpell it).
What is hardest for me right now is the suddeness of this whole thing, she was fine Friday night, a lethargic on Saturday and Sunday she colapsed. Not 48hrs have gone by and the vet says she has a 40-60% chance of recovery.
This came out of no where.

Hi,
I hope your pug recovers quickly. Keep us posted. Best, Elaine

we have a 6 year old golden retriever, LuLu. She was diagnosed with this on Friday. She hasn't eaten since Wednedsay. She has collaped at least 3 times since Friday night, last night being the worse where she collapsed and fell hard. We believe she passed out. My husband shook her to revive her and she began breathing again. She is unable to keep anything down and has not been out to the bathroom in 12 hours? Why is this happening? and should I be telling my vetrenarian to euthanize her on Monday at her appointment? I don't want to, but I don't want her to suffer either. Please help!

Hi,
Is your doctor treating her with prednisone? Have you considered a blood transfusion? These are the usual treatments. I wouldn't have her euthanized without trying to treat her aggressively.

My dog Princess was a perfectly healthy 9yr old mixed breed terrier and became ill on Dec. 1 we thought she was not feeling well and took her to the vet on the 5th only to find out her PVC count was 8. We took her to a clinical care er and she received a transfusion but by Dec. 7 was back down to 15 and Dec 11 back to 8 . A repeat was done on Dec. 13 it was still 8 but she could not urinate or have a bowel movement. She died Dec 14 7:30 AM. I am in total shock because all of her tests were negative and she was in perfect health. She was walking and drinking on her own and just collapsed and died. I was never aware of this conditon and she did the prednisone, antibiotic, imuron aspirin therapy.PC

Hello,
I am so sorry to hear about your loss of Princess. More awareness of this horrible disease is definitely needed. With sympathy, Elaine

I just want to say that there are several website that are promoting the use of garlic as a deterant to fleas/ticks.DO NOT DO. My beautiful great pyrehnees dogs is at this moment in the hospital from sickness that no on could figure out and which I just put together now.
I had given him super-garlic tablets in August for a week and in september he collapsed from being perfectly healthly to on death's door within hours.He made it through that then had another episode two months later.He continued to lose weigh,be very lethargic,pale gums,heart arythemia, be very out of it and blood tests showed he had signs of hemolytic anemia and his liver enzmes were off. They thought it was from infection,or tumour but after researching online last night I feel it was caused by the garlic which is toxic to dogs.I am waiting now fo rthe hospital to open to let my vet know about the garlic that was given to him and I pray that the effects can be reversed in time.does anyone know if garlic induced hemolytic anemia can be reversed and how?

Hi,
Thanks for the cautionary note on garlic. I've heard from several people who've mentioned that garlic triggered AIHA in their dogs.

Treatment should be the same as in any other case of AIHA. Removing the offending substance is important, but once the immune system is triggered to develop antibodies to red blood cells, the disease course is similar. Transfer Factor could help in healing the immune system, and you might want to ask your vet about this. It certainly is worth a try. I hope to hear that your dog has made a quick recovery. Sincerely, Elaine

I lost a piece of my heart when my 2 1/2 year old mini-daschund passed away Sunday Dec 21, 2008. He began to act somewhat sleepy with a decrease in his appetite Thursday evening. On Friday I took him to the Vet - His hematocrit was 29. The vet put Jax on prednisone and doxycycline orally - even though I told him that Jax was not eating or drinking well. By Friday night he was not any better. On Saturday, I took Jax to a different Vet. He immediately diagnosed my baby Jax with Canine Hemolytic Anemia. He did another blood draw with this hematocrt being 15! He started and IV and gave Jax IV dexamethasone and IV antiboitics. He wanted to keep Jax - but after him telling me that his chance of survival was less than 10% I decided I would NOT leave him alone there. I took Jax home with me, with the IV in place and IV meds to administer as instructed. I stayed up ALL night with my best friend. By noon on Sunday I knew he was not going to make it. I held him in my arms - and at 1:45 in the afternoon he took is last breath and..... a hugh part of me and my heart with him to heaven. I loved this dog so very much and I am not sure how I will deal with such a loss. I feel that I was cheated out of years with Jax. What a quick and wicked disease. Less than 3 days from noting some lethargy, decrease in appetite, and dark urine to death. It has been comforting to read others stories and feel that I am not alone with my grief. Thank you.

I'm so sorry to hear that you lost Jax. My thoughts are with you. Sincerely, Elaine

My princess Piglet a translyvanian hound is in the mix of going through this right now. Tuesday night I noticed she was a little down but no real big signs but just laying around not wanting to do anything. She threw up a few times on Wed. and did not want to eat anything. Thursday was Christmas and my finace noticed she was very deyhdrated so we got her on fluids and took her to vet first thing Friday morning. Her PCV count was down to 10. They did some x-rays and more tests and determined she has anemia and will need a blood transfussion. We brought her home last night and monitored, she is having the transfussion Sat am. Im so nervous and I hope everything works out. I dont know how she came to get this...She hasnt had any recent vacinations or frontline lately. We dont have chemicals in our yard. I know her chances are slim but I pray everything works out..I dont know what I would do without her. She has been nothing but good to me. Im sorry for anyone who lost a pet due to this. It is hard to loose a pet.

My parent's 10 year old Standard Poodle was diagnosed with AIHA last evening (12/28) Sarah was diagnosed with Cushing's disease a few months ago. The treatment for the Cushing's was a chemotherapy drug for 10 days. The last couple of days on the , Sarah was really worn out and sick. The vet did bloodwork and said that Sarah probably only needed the chemo for 7 or 8 days. She was put on prednisone. Starting the week before Christmas (bloodwork was good), Sarah's vet told us how to wean her off the prednisone. She was getting 1 mg/day every other day at that point. At Christmas she was going down to 1 mg every 3rd day.

Sarah did not seem sick on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. She was eating well and full of energy. On the 26th, she didn't seem very hungry (we thought that it was because of Christmas treats). She also seemed worn out more than normal after family get togethers. We thought that she pulled a muscle or something when getting in and out of the SUV, or slipped on ice. On the 27th, Sarah seemed more lethargic. She did eat a little on the 27th and also did her business outside. It just seemed that she was really hurting.

Yesterday (Dec. 28), Sarah would not eat or drink. She acted extremely lethargic and didn't want to move. We got her to take some water out of a syringe. I carried her outside since she had not been out for over 24 hours at this point. When I put her down on the ground, she litterally fell over. It was at this point that we called the vets in our area. Sarah's internal specialist is about 1 1/2 hours away. We had no luck with local vets, so we called the emergency # for the specialist. She had us give Sarah 5 mg. of prednisone and told us to get her there asap. The people at the emergency clinic were great. They carried Sarah back and started testing. We gave them all the background info we could. They told us her blood count was down to 18. They put her on IVs and started giving her oxygen. We left the vet's after they let us see Sarah, it was around midnight. When we went back to see her, Sarah wagged her tail some and tried to lift her head up to give us kisses. I will never forget my poor Sarah laying on the table, so happy to see us.

The vet called today and said that she ate a little last night and was able to stand up, it sounded encouraging. Then they told us that her b.c. was down to 15. She is getting a transfusion today. We are going to see her this afternoon.

Our hearts all go out to everyone here who is going/ has gone through this. We can hardly believe how fast this hit Sarah. I will try to keep everyone posted here. We are praying for her and for all of you and your loved ones as well.

We don't know what caused this. We have heard that the chemo drug could have caused it. She could have been stressed out from Christmas. We thought she might have gotten Attison's disease (caused by treating the Cushing's). The vet is still hoping to be able to look into that, they have to get her stabilized first. They have her on high doses of steroids.

We know there are a lot of diseases in Poodles today. Many of them could be genetic. We lost a Standard Poodle (Marnie) about 11 years ago to Attison's disease. That is why we thought Sarah might have Attisons. Sarah acted just like Marnie did in an Attison's crisis.

We have been told that Attison's is genetic. Marnie had several Eaton dogs in her line.

We were told that Cushing's could be genetic too. Sarah has a lot of Dassin in her line.

I am not trying to scare anyone about Poodles with great pedigrees. I am also not trying to give any breeders a bad name. I am simply trying to give you some of the background of our Standard Poodles. Marnie was a Black Standard Poodle, so is Sarah.

Please pray for our girl Sarah, she sure could use them. We will be praying hard for her and all of you as well.

God Bless All of You

Hi,
I'm sorry to hear about Sarah and hope that she's responding well to the blood transfusion. Best, Elaine

Our hearts all go out to everyone here who is going/ has gone through this. We can hardly believe how fast this hit Sarah. I will try to keep everyone posted here. We are praying for her and for all of you and your loved ones as well.

We don't know what caused this. We have heard that the chemo drug could have caused it. She could have been stressed out from Christmas. We thought she might have gotten Attison's disease (caused by treating the Cushing's). The vet is still hoping to be able to look into that, they have to get her stabilized first. They have her on high doses of steroids.

We know there are a lot of diseases in Poodles today. Many of them could be genetic. We lost a Standard Poodle (Marnie) about 11 years ago to Attison's disease. That is why we thought Sarah might have Attisons. Sarah acted just like Marnie did in an Attison's crisis.

We have been told that Attison's is genetic. Marnie had several Eaton dogs in her line.

We were told that Cushing's could be genetic too. Sarah has a lot of Dassin in her line.

I am not trying to scare anyone about Poodles with great pedigrees. I am also not trying to give any breeders a bad name. I am simply trying to give you some of the background of our Standard Poodles. Marnie was a Black Standard Poodle, so is Sarah.

Please pray for our girl Sarah, she sure could use them. We will be praying hard for her and all of you as well.

God Bless All of You

my brittney Cody 9yrs old is going through this exact same thing. we thought is was a goner last Friday. His blood count was at 14. My son is away at school and I just didn't have the heart to put his beloved dog down without him saying his goodbyes. The vet told me there is a good chance he would not make it to xmas eve. I brought Cody back in on the Friday after xmas his blood count was down to 11. Pred. dioxin, and imuran are all the meds he is taking. Vet told me that he may have cancer or he may just need more time on the meds. Well cody made it through the xmas holiday but now he has no control of his bladder. I brought him back to the vet yesterday and he said his blood count was now up to 20. Sunday he started eating and he even played with the christmas toys we bought him. I thought this is a true christmas miracle.
Short lived I am afraid, now Cody is not eating again drinking only a little bit, urinating like crazy and now he is shaking. I don't want to lose our beloved friend but it breaks my heart to think he is in pain.

Hello, I am 10 yrs. old, and lost my best friend yesterday. She was a Lhasa Apso and Pekingnese mix. Her name was Baby and she was only 7 when she was diagnosed with Canine Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia.
We thought she had gotten into chocolate or, was, just a lil' sick from x-mas. Within the hour that my mom had seen her sick, she rushed her to the emergency vet clinic. When she told us what Baby had when she got home, we were all surprised. The vet gave her a 50/50 chance of living. We couldn't see her because the vet said she needed rest. The next day Baby was still sick, but we came up to see her and she was looking better. She had been given many drugs and pills and had an IV hooked up to her. We came again later that day and she looked a little better again. We petted her and tried to get to eat, we also told her to keep fighting. The vet said he would have done the transfusion in the morning, but that it's benifits may only be temporrary. He also said she had "Evan's syndrome", charactorized by low platelets, which may have a worse outcome than AIHA alone. Then, we went home without her, and tried to sleep. The vet called that morning and said she must have died during the night. We all we so sad that she had to go alone. I miss her, she was my best friend and every night she would come up and sleep on the foot of my bed and snore. When I got home from school she would jump up and greet us. It happened so fast, I still can't believe I'll never get to pet her soft head ever again...

I think vets should have warning posters up if it's so deadly and common. My family and I plan to donate toward research into it.

We are sad for our own loss, and for the loss of many others.
We believe this is a terrible way to go, and to lose a pet.

I'm so sorry to hear about Baby. My thoughts are with you, Elaine

I'm sorry to hear that Cody is not doing well. Ask your vet if a transfusion might help. This could help reduce the dose of meds he's on and reduce associated symptoms. I hope he makes a fast recovery. Best, Elaine

I just found out this week that my 13 yr old dog has anemia. I dont know what to do for her. Should I continue on with her treatment or should I go ahead and have her put to sleep? Please, someone tell me what to do. I love her so much. I dont want to give her up but I hate seeing her this miserable. Is this something she can come back from?

Hi,
I'm sorry to hear that your dog was diagnosed with anemia. Anemia can have several causes, one of which is autoimmune hemolytic anemia. Whatever the cause, treatment is available. Depending on how severe your dog's condition and how well they respond to treatment, your dog has a chance to recover. Following this article and following my blog on anemihttp://autoimmunedisease.suite101.com/article.cfm/autoimmune_hemolytic _anemia_in_dogs
you'll find many comments from pet owners whose dogs were diagnosed with anemia. You might find these comments helpful. Best to you, Elaine

My 6 year old german sheppard, Sadie, was diagnosed on December 22nd with AIHA. She is currently on Prednisone 50mg daily, Pepcid AC and Carafate. She has complete a course of Cipro due to a potential infection. Her initial hct was 23 and dropped to 17 on December 26th. Sadie received a blood transfusion (packed cells) on December 26th and seems to be doing well. Her post transfusion hct was 24 and a repeat hct on December 30th was 27 and she is producing new RBC's. She still appears depressed and the Predinose has taken a toll on her. Question, does Prednisone cause abdominal distention?

Hi,
It sounds as though Sadie is responding nicely to the treatment. Corticosteroid therapy www.suite101.com/blog/daisyelaine/corticosteroid_therapy
can cause fluid retention, and this can show up as abdominal distention. Your doctor may want to run some other tests to rule out other causes. I can imagine she is depressed if she's away from you, not feeling well, and is enduring unfamiliar procedures. Please let us know of her progress. Best to you, Elaine

I have a 1 year old female viszla named Annie. When she came to us we had her immunized for all of the standard canine diseases. Because we live in the Mojave desert and my husband is an avid hunter we also included the rattlesnake vaccine. Six months later Annie jumped between my husband and a Mojave Green rattlesnake and was bitten in the corner of her eye. Annie was very fortunate and survived. We thought all was well and she didn't seem to have any long term problems. We were wrong. On December 29th Annie was diagnosed with AIHA. So far she seems to be responding to treatment. Our vet thinks that Annie contracted the AIHA from either the snakebite vaccine, the bite it's self, or a combination of the two. I am getting another viszla puppy in a couple of weeks and I am wondering if I should get her immunized with the snakebite vaccine. Does anyone have any stats or experience even semi-close to my situation? I just want to do what is right for our new baby.

Hi,
I'm glad to hear Annie's responding well to treatment. Please let us know what her Hematocrit or PCV was and what treatment she had.

I haven't heard from anyone whose dog was given this vaccine probably because it's so rarely used. I found an interesting link http://www.covemountainkennels.com/rattlesnake-vaccine/
that you might have seen with some thoughtful comments regarding the vaccine. It seems that where you live, the vaccine is probably worthwhile. However, I'm not sure how well the number of vaccines needed, including the need for annual vaccines, have been studied. With rabies and parvo vaccines, studies show that immunity from one vaccine lasts a very long time, and lifelong immunity from one vaccine isn't unusual. I'd like to see more research on this, and I'll do some searches to see the incidence of AIHA in vaccinated dogs.

One thing I've learned the hard way is that older larger dogs tolerate these one size fits all vaccines better than small puppies do. You might want to hold off on the vaccine until you have more information and your new little dog is older. Best, Elaine

My beautiful Chinese Crested Powder Puff, Sukeda, died January 8, 2009 from AIHA at the age of 6 years old. December 27, 2008 she collasped. Took her to ER and on Monday they recommended she see a neurologist. MRI showed Sukeda had a stroke. Came home New Year's Eve. By Saturday she seemed to be getting better. Sunday OK, Mondy tired, Tuesday not so good, and Wednesday collasped again. Thought she had another stroke. Neurologist said she was very jaundice and we went immediately to an Internist. They started blood tranfusion the afternoon of January 7, 2009. Dr called at 5:15 am on January 8th that she passed away. I'm beside myself wondering how this could have happened. Even at 6 years old Sukeda acted like a puppy. The most loving smart dog I believe I've ever had. My house is empty even with 2 cats. There is no other love than that of a dog which is unconditional. She was my baby girl and deeply missed. Thank you for letting me share my story and my Sukeda.

My 13 year old lab-border cross "Rosalita" has been diagnosed. She didn't eat very well on Sunday night or Monday morning and had trouble getting back up the stairs from outside. Her stool and urine were normal, and no stomach upset -still, fearing her leg was acting up (she was found with her brother at just a week old, both had puppy strangles and she had a severely broken back leg which eventually healed to a big, ugly fusion of bone -dumped in a back alley!) I took her in Monday night. I was surprised that she had a slight temperature (its been too cold to leave the house for about a month so I know she hadn't come into contact with anything), we also thought she looked a little pale. She was stable so we decided to run tests the next day. Blood panel results indicated AIHA. Chest and abdominal x-rays showed no sigh of any tumors and we lucked into a great view of her spleen which looked perfectly fine. I sighed a breath of relief that we didn't find any evidence of cancer, then reality set in about the severity of this disease. I lost a cat to this 8 years ago. We decided to give conventional treatment a try and proceeded to "pump her up". Its been about 24 hours since her dex shot and 100mg of prednisone later and the appetite is "on". Fingers crossed, she will get another great year! Still at her age she doesn't owe me anything so if she has to go, I'll have to let her break my heart. She's such a good girl, smart (she taught herself how to use the cat's litterbox!) and a momma's girl. I'm grateful for this site as its helped me to re-affirm that with the severity of this disease, her age and healthy, happy life thus far, I don't want her to die overnight at the vet clinic, so if she takes a turn for the worse I'm going to keep heroics in check. In her case there does not appear to be any triggers -she's only had antibiotics once for her puppy strangles, she's only had 3 vaccines over her life time, had one dental cleaning six months ago, no bee stings and has always been fed a raw/real food diet. Obviously something tipped the scales, but its likely we will never know, nor that it could have been prevented.

Hello,
I'm so sorry to hear about the loss of Sukeda and Rosalita. It's so difficult when our beloved pets leave us. It's evident that more research needs to be done as to the causes of AIHA in our precious dogs. I'll continue working on getting the word out. My deepest symptathy, Elaine

Elaine Moore,I have a 3 yr old 36 lb. female english setter named Lizzy that loves to run and typically is run every day for 1 to 3 miles.Lately she pants more and has developed blue tongue or a lack of oxygen.All runs have been stopped.My vet analyzed her blood 3x and found her counts to be abnormal.An xray showed a slightly enlarged heart and veins visible in her lungs. Lymes and heartworm were ruled out as causes.She had a negative reaction after her august boosters (lymes and DA2LPPC) and an injury to her foot in october which required sedation,stitches,and amoxicillin which she healed well from.The vet's diagnosis so far leans toward auto immune and we are treating with 20 mg prednisone for 10 days and she is midway thru treatment.She does not seem lethargic,gums are pink,no blood in stool or urine.Do you have any thoughts as to what is going on ?

Ready these post has made me sad, but I will tell you my dog did live, $5000.00 later, blood transfusions (one) and lost aof chicken breast, love and luck. She completed treatment in May. Now I have another dog with cancer, did not think I woud treat but here I go again. He is doing well, we are able to take him every other week for treatment and he might live another year. I feed all of my dogs Broccli, green beans, and such just about every day...this might help? I just do it because they love it. Oh, the 5000.00, $3000.00 of it was for the emergeny vet where she had to for the weekend. My suggesting to all out there, find a vet that is open on weekends and has enought knowledge to treat your pet for things like this. I did and so far he is great ( new vet, after my dog almost died).

Hello, everyone. I'm new to this site, but have been doing a lot of searching about this dreadful disease. My 10+ year old dog, Lucia, was diagnosed with IMHA on Dec. 22. Her symptoms 5 days before were lack of appetite, diarrhea and some vomiting. Blood work was completely normal at that time. Her symptoms changed, and I ended-up at the U of M vet hospital where her PCV had dropped to 20. A blood transfusion and she increased to 23 and was released to me to take home for Christmas. It's been an up and down roller coaster and I have tried to spend every moment that I can with her. This is the hardest thing I've gone through and Lucia is my first pet on my own. Her PCV was climbing and we got to 36 just last week while on Prednisone alone. Azathioprine was started and a week later we took a dive to PCV of 29. Very elevated liver enzymes and suppressed bone marrow so Azathioprine discontinued after only 8 days. After one month of prednisone, it now is taking it's toll on her with the side effects: pot belly, mild diarrhea and although she is very alert she keeps getting weaker. I've also seen a holistic vet who has been giving me some vitamins and herbs to assist with keeping her body as nourished as possible while trying to fight some minor parasites. Each day and every hour I am constantly checking her gums and ears to see if she is pale, timing her breathing rate, checking her pulse and debating on whether I should take her in for another PCV test. I even left her at my regular vet 3 times this last week for monitoring during the day while I was at work. She continues on prednisone, aspirin (for anti-clotting) and famotidine, plus vitamin and herb supplements. Is anyone using Danazol along with prednisone? After many blood tests, xrays, ultrasounds and needle aspirations of lymph nodes and liver we do not know the cause. Best wishes to all of you out there that have gone through this and are in the midst of it like us. Sending positive vibes to all...it really helps!

Hi,
Sorry to hear that Lizzy hasn't been feeling well.
In the lab we perform hundreds of different blood tests so it could be that your doctor started out with some basic tests, saw some abnormalities, and ran more tests to rule out or help diagnose specific conditions.
For instance, her hematocrit or MCV could be normal, with no signs of anemia, but her blood count may have showed a low platelet count (thrombocytopenia); or she could have a problem affecting respiration, or a form of vasculitis. Without seeing test results it's difficult to comment.

It does sound like she's responding well to the prednisone, and later your doctor will probably do blood tests to see if the prednisone is correcting whatever abnormalities showed up. Some autoimmune disorders settle down on their own after treatment and some disorders require long-term treatment. The important thing is that she seems to be responding to meds. Let us know if you find out more about the lab tests. Best, Elaine

Hi,
It sounds like Lucia is getting some good medical care and careful monitoring. Sometimes, a lower dose of prednisone helps reduce side effects and allows you to wean her off the meds slowly to avoid acute changes. Ask your holistic vet about Transfer Factor to help with healing.
Oddly enough, I'm hearing of AIHA and other auotoimmune disorders associated with various foods, e.g. onions, garlic, grapes and switching to different types of dog food. Some people are reporting improvement using a natural bland diet of chicken and rice. Ask the holistic vet about this as well. best, elaine

My 11 yr old Lab mix Jamie was diagnosed with AIHA on Jan 10th. After noticing his loss of appetite, weakness and very pale gums I took him to the vet. They ran a blood panel and his PVC was 12. He was put on 40m Preds and 400 Doxy and I was told to bring him back in 3 days. Tues, 1/13 another blood panel run and PVC still 12. Vet suggested raising Preds to 60m per day and keep Doxy the same. He also, suggested getting an ultrasound to see if the spleen was damaged or had tumors.
After speaking to friends, I decided to take him to a different vet that came highly recommended. We went Friday 1/16 to the new vet. She took x-rays of his heart, liver, spleen, lungs and stomach (etc) all of which checked out ok, with no visible signs of any problems. She ran another panel and his PVC was 13. She also, said his protein had increased by several points. She recommended that we continue with the same doses of drugs for another week and run another blood panel.
As of today his appetite is very good and he has been much more alert. He is still very weak and is a bit bloated from all of the water he has been drinking. I am still not really sure what to do. Both vets agree that because of his age it make take longer for him to show signs of recovery. I don’t want to give myself any false hope. I hate seeing him like this. He has always been a very active healthy dog.
Thanks,
Debby

Ben, our 8 yr old Bichon 4 months ago was diagnosed with Cushings and diabetes. We were starting to get the diabetes controlled with insulin. In December we started to treat the Cushings by holistic means rather than the harsh Lysodren treatment. This was our second dog with Cushings. After about a month of Rehmannia herb treatment his diabetes seems to have dissapeared. We were overdosing him with insulin he didn't need. The vet seems to think the herbs did it. A few weeks ago over Christmas he started vommiting. Three weeks later his gums were white, not eating, larthargic, weakness in legs, spllen enlarged, then a sneezing started a couple of days ago. We took him in again and they have kept him and giving him fluids and will send off samples today for the anemia. From what I've read so far, he could be dead before the diagnosis is confirmed. I believe his red count was 26 last week, last night it was 24. This poor dog has been miserable for weeks. The panting and increased respitory are also Cushing symptoms. Now we are wondering if the Cushings has now gone to Addison's. I don't want to lose our dog.

Hi,
I'm sorry to hear Ben isn't feeling well.
If he truly has Cushing's the medication could have caused his adrenal hormone levels to temporarily fall. So he could have a transient episode of adrenal insufficiency, but not a true case of Addison's disease. It's easy enough for your vet to run blood tests and then use replacement hormone to correct the deficiency and watch for the cortisol to eventually rise.
A hematocrit or MCV of 24 is low, but a transfusion with artifical blood products can help raise his count and prednisone can help stop the red blood cell destruction.
Multiple autoimmune syndromes, especially multiple autoimmune endocrine disorders aren't unusual. I hope Ben makes a fast recovery. Best, Elaine

Hi,
I hope Jamie is doing better. His hematocrit or packed cell volume is critically low. You'll want to have another blood test sometime soon to make sure his count is rising. If it's not you might want to ask about a blood transfusion, using the artificial product. I have a boxer mix who's 11 and while he's slowed down and has hypothyroidism he can run like a puppy if he sees a rabbit, pocupine, deer, or sometimes a shadow. If his general health has been good, he should be able to tolerate a transfusion if there's not a rise in his PCV. Best, Elaine

Hi there, Sorry for anyone who has a pet with this or has passed from this.. My heart goes out to all of you.. My beautiful lil chihuahua Rosie Posie just passed away. She was diagnosed in 1995, and she lived 14 years. It is important to follow up with all your pets appts. and to watch your pet for those certain signs only you would notice about your pet that would be considered, not normal. I took my girl to get her blood checked if any lil thing was off about her and adjusted her meds accordingly. Talk with your vets!! I miss my girl so much!!

Hi,
I'm so sorry to hear about Rosie Posey. I can imagine how you miss her. Sincerely, Elaine

We have just begun this journey, as our sweet Sophie, a cocker/golden mix rescued dog was diagnosed with IMHA six days ago. After three days or refusing to eat, I took her in. Her wonderful vet immediataly did a blood test, showing her PVC level to be at a shocking 14. Five days later in the hospital, after a red blood cell transfusion, she has come home with a level of 22. She has begun an aggressive cocktail of meds -- 20 mg of prednisone 2x day, azathiorprine 1x daily, doxycycline 2x daily, pepcid for stomach. Today her diarrhea was so severe that the vet put her on diawin everu six hours, as well as metronidazole and centrine. Six meds plus pepcid. Have you ever heard of so much medicine? I worry about the future, wonder about all the medicine, but feel at peace with her doctor, who has been wonderful. I know it is a long road ahead, after reading all these posts. My questions to you, Elaine, other than being suprised by all the meds, is do you know many who have gone on to live totally normal after this horrible disease?

Hi,
I'm sorry to hear about Sophie but it does sound as though she's getting good care. Soon, she won't need all the meds but for not it's important to get the diarrhea stopped and prevent dehydration.
I don't have any statistics, but like all autoimmune disorders, there's a difference in disease severity, with some dogs having mild symptoms and others having acute episodes of severe disease. I do know that many dogs with IMHA remain on low doses of prednisone or other meds long-term to keep their conditions in control. And many dogs recover without further problems. On this board, we're more likely to hear from people whose dogs have had severe episodes. Let us know how Sophie does so we can add her success story to the list. Best, Elaine

Hello again. I first wrote about my dog Lucia on January 17. Her PCV has been going up and down a few times since she was diagnosed on Dec. 22. She's been steady this last week on daily doses of 37.5mg prednisone, 10mg aspirin (for anti-clotting), 30mg famotidine, and 2gm of sucralfate...plus vitamin and herb supplements. In the last 5 days, Lucia's PCV has risen from 29 to 36. She is alert and has the desire to be a little active, HOWEVER, she just keeps getting weaker and weaker. She walks very stiff and can barely make it up and down the stairs. When she is just standing, she seems wobbly. Is this the Prednisone doing this or something deep that we have not yet discovered? She's had all the obvious blood tests (and more) for tick born and other diseases, aspirations of lymph nodes and liver for cancer (all inconclusive), multiple xrays and ultra sounds. My holistic vet today put her on echinacia-c and something called Heavy Mineral Detox. Because her PCV is rising, yet she gets weaker and weaker...is this something other than just IMHA? At what point would it be good to start to decrease prednisone...wait until her PCV gets into the 40's? Also, anything special to do with her diet? After one month of boiled chicken breasts, and ground beef, 7 days ago I introduced Innova EVO into her feeding schedule combined with: yogurt, 1/2 cup of boiled chicken and a teaspoon of chopped carrot. There has been GREAT improvement in her stools and attitude since making this food change. Would adding beef liver also help her anemia and gain her some strength? I'm afraid she just going to fall over and not be able to get back up. Anyone else witnessing this weakness even though the PCV is rising back-up to normal range? -Laurie

Lynn : I brought my beautiful rescued dog for a well dog check up to her reg vet and she was put on antibiotics for her teeth. She had a full blood work screen that was normal.She did not receive shots.
I had saved her 4 years ago from a pound.She was happy and bright then suddenly she developed this horrible disease 9 days after her well check up. I rushed her to the emergency vet and after being in ICU care for 4 days, having 3 transfusions and her PAC numbers improving suddenly they said she developed pancreatitis. I cannot understand ( and I am pretty knowledgeable about vet and human medicine ) how a dog can improve on the original condition she was admitted for and die of something not present before entering the hospital. I am heart sick and feel like I have no answers STILL even after reviewing her records in detail and talking to 2 vets. The emergency vet was quick to contact me about paying my $3,000 bill but not to give me the comfort and answers I needed. I would have sold my house if any amount of money or medicine could have saved my sweet dog.

Hi Laurie,
I'd skip the echinacea. It's an immune stimulant and you want to strengthen, not stimulate, the immune system. I'd sooner use transfer factor, which can help strengthen and heal the immune system.
Anemia itself can cause weakness so it could take a while for Lucia to get to feeling good. Diet can make a big difference so give her quality, nutrient-rich food. Adding beef would be good as long as she's not allergic to it.
Dog vitamins make a difference too. I bought some for my guys as the old guy gets worn out and his coat was looking rather bad. The vites from Pet Meds really made a difference.
Also, make sure your vet has checked Lucia's thyroid hormone levels. An FT4 would be the best test if he only runs one. Autoimmune thyroid disease often accompanies AIHA. Please keep us posted. We're all rooting for Lucia. Best, Elaine

Dear Lynn:
I'm so sorry to hear about your losing your dog. Antibiotics can trigger AIHA, especially Baytril. Pancreatitis is fairly common in dogs although I/m not sure why. We've had dogs who developed it especially after I mistakenly gave them ham, which is not digested well by dogs. I'm sorry about the care you received as well. Best, Elaine

This is a comment especially for Lucia's mom. We're going through a similar experience and I just want to add that apparently dietary iron (eg. liver) doesn't make any difference with dogs. The vet said dogs don't metabolize it the way we do. We were feeding April liver too - she liked it but it may not have helped her anemia. We're also feeding her Innova Evo which she loves - then again she loves anything while on prednisone. We're combining it with Medical Gastro, an Omega 3-fatty acid supplement for her newly diagnosed autoimmune nail bed disorder (on top of the IMHA), and an incontinence drug. Also famotadine and an antibiotic in case the incontinence is due to a UTI. The jury's not out on any of it quite yet. She spends more time lying on her side (flat out) than I remember from before but has a lot more energy than she did pre-Prednisone. Also, her gums and lips are quite pink now instead of pale. We live in a cold snowy climate so she has to wear dog boots to keep her toes from bleeding (due to the nail bed problem). Ugh! I'm suspicious these autoimmune problems are due to one thing, but what that is I don't know. Good luck to all of you!!

We lost our most beautiful best friend anyone could wish for after vaccinating her on Friday annual booster she was dead by wednesday.Ella was a cocker spaniel/boarder collie cross. we are convinced it was the vaccine tht killed her because she was perfectly healthy before we took her to the vets.I have just foud out that she could have had a titter test to see if she already had the antibodies in her blood .Iam sure this is happening to people all the time .its too late for Ella but if people are aware of the risks of over vaccinating at least it will be their choice.i would like to start a campaign for this I am based in the uk plesae let me know if anyone else is interested

Hello,
I'm so sorry to hear about your losing Ella. Awareness of the effects of unnecessary vaccines is truly needed. Sincerely, Elaine

Thanks Elaine for this website it has been very informative and helpful at this awful time i intend to make as many people as possible aware of this disease.My sister has the sister of Ella, she works for a big organisation and has already posted the details on their website and put up posters.Iam going to write to our local newspaper and national radio stations. Its not to say stop vaccinating but to make people aware of the possible side effects and to look out for the symptoms.i hope Ella's death will not be in vain Another thought , any money saved on vaccination could be donated to save a child from HIV or starvation just a thought.Thanks again Gill and John Davies and Ella's brother Ben who's ok at the moment but still watching him.

Hi Gill and John,

I admire your determination to get something done. One point you want to make is that the standard rabies vaccine is giving to dogs regardless of their size...like the same dose is giving to very small and very large dogs. This needs to be addressed, and the used of blood antibody titers should be done before vaccinating indiscriminately. I've found a lot of research suggesting that some vaccines like the one for parvo provide lifetime immunity yet vets often administer them annually. After my last experience with vaccines, we've opted to avoid them. If I can help in any way please let me know. Again, I'm sorry to hear of your loss. Best, Elaine

My 13.5 year old lab mix Natasha was my heart. She had just been to the vet for a long bout with diarrea but the vet found no parasites in stool. She removed and biopsied two non-malignant cysts with cryosurgery. A week later, Wednesday, 1-14-10, she was laying in front of the door with white gums unable to get up. She had no symptoms that indicated a problem before this episode. I took her to the emergency vet who noted her red blood cell was 21. She kep her overnight on IV and prednisone. Her blood cell went up 2 points and I took her home the next morning,armed with prednisone, imuran, and cytotec(to protect her intestines)she ate some food and drank copiously. She became so weak she only got up to drink water and to urinate. Soon I was carrying her outside as she couldnt walk or stand. She couldnt eat or even raise her head when her dog friend who she adored came to see her on Saturday,1-17-09. I took her to the vet. Her red blood was down to 11, she had a fever, she couldnt get up to urinate or defecate. They had no donor for a transfusion and no artificial blood.I felt there was no time left in her to suffer more, as did the vet. Diagnosed Wednesday and euthanized on Saturday, my best friend and loving SOUL. I am still grieving. My heart is with all of you. Steven Locurto

I was faced with the same crisis with my 7 yr old siberian Husky Athena. She started this past wednesday 1/28/09 not wanting to eat which was not any thing like her. She never missed a meal. Her gums started to look pale to me as well.I knew then she needed to be seen immediately. I took her in to her Vet and found out she had a PCV of 16%. We performed xrays,blood work, got an emergency ultrasound that afternoon and by Thursday evening she had gotten worse. She had a long history of elevated AlK Phos and Lipase/Amylase levels for which she was being treated.Her blood work showed extreme elevations and severe anemia. After getting a clear ultrasound diagnosis I immediately took her back to her regular vet and admin steroids to treat her. In a matter of two hours she became weak and was falling over and was very disorientated. I took her back in to the Emergency Vet and her labwork showed a PCV of 8.5% which had dropped by 50% in a matter of hours. She was panting heavily by this time and her body, gums and whites of her eyes had turned yellow. I honestly couldn't believe this was all happening to my girl. It was happening so fast. The doctors told me she would need a rapid blood transfusion which even with that blood they did not think she would make it through the night. She was panting so hard and her heart rate was extremely elevated and with all the clinical signs she was showing they worried that she was now suffering and would continue to do so through the night even with the blood transfusion. I had to make the hardest decision of my life the other night to say good bye to my little girl Athena Marie. I did not want her to suffer and due to how badly she was going down hill I had to let her go. She was humanly euthanized at the emergemcy animal clinic that night.
It has been 3 days and I still am in a daze as to how fast she showed signs and how quickly her body was taken over by disease. Athena was one of three family dogs and it is hard to explain to young children that their dog has gone to heaven because she got very sick. Our home feels so empty and I know it will take time to heal. She was the best dog and she will be missed so very much! Thank you for listening.

I'm so sorry to hear about your losing Athena Marie. As fast as she deteriorated, there really was nothing you could do. Heaven must surely be welcoming its newest little angel. Sincerely, Elaine

Dear Steven,
I'm saddened to hear about Natasha. Sincerely, Elaine

I lost my Jack Russell Tuesday. She was feeling fantastic until Sunday night so I took her to the emrgency clinic and then her Vet for more tests. She was diagnosed with severe anemia and nephritis and did not respond to any treatment and started shutting down. I had to let her go on Tuesday morning. She was 12 and wonderful. No blood in her urine, she ate like a champ until dinner Sunday. Ran around like a crazy dog! It happened in a minute. I am still in shock. My heart goes out to all that have lost their beloved pets.

hi Elaine I wrote to you about Ella last week still cant get over it we miss her so much.we are going to France next week so we will be taking her brother Ben with us on returning to England we we have to give him frontline and an injection for worms at the vets is there any alternative that is legal to bring him back into the country Iam worried about giving him anything now. we have been passing on the info about vaccines lots of people are not going to have there pets vaccinated again .Thanks Gill and John

I'm so sorry to hear that you lost your little Jack Russell this week. Sincerely, Elaine

Hi,
I can understand your concern.
I'm not familiar with the regulations for overseas travel. You could ask your vet about using tests to show absence of disease, for instance stool tests that show no evidence of ova or parasites and blood tests and an examination that shows no evidence of fleas. You could also ask your vet if there's a safer more natural alternative to Frontline that he could use or if pills rather than an injection could be used to prevent worms.
You might also want to ask about the use of Transfer Factor to help counter the immune system effect of these chemicals and ask if any homeopathic preparations can be used instead of the ones you mentioned. You can also ask if any of the meds can be adjusted for Ben's body weight. I hope all goes well. Best, Elaine

Hello,, I just got back from the emergency vet and have left my chinese crested there. Shes 7lb. 5yr name Jackie. They told me she has IMHA. Doing overnight styroids and oxygen cage. Noticed last night she didn't fell good. This morning she didn't eat, slugish, blood in urine (pee pad),had very bad balance. I'm just reading everyones coments and trying to get a handle on this...I think from what I am reading, it sound like a 50/50 chance..my sympothy for everyone

Hi,
I'm sorry to hear about Jackie and I hope she continues to show improvement. Keep us posted. Best, Elaine

My puppy, Shashi, was diagnosed with Hemolytic Anemia last Monday. He hadn't eaten or had any water in 2 days ( I thought it was behavioural at first), but so suddenly became weak and appeared to have lost a significant amount of weight overnight. When we arrived at the vet, his PCV was 9. His gums and tongue were white. The vet administered 2 dexamethasone injections and gave him a prednisone tablet over the course of our 1.5 hour visit. Vet told me to monitor Shashi over night and to take him to emergency for a blood transfusion if he started to decline further, but wanted to avoid transfusion if possible. What a long night. He made it through and we went back to vet for results of blood count and chemistry, which confirmed hemolytic anemia and showed he also has an acute infection. There was a part of the test that said that the body's response to the anemia was 'good'. I'm not sure what that means exactly, but vet said it was a good sign. Shashi was then prescribed 100mg prednisone daily (his weight had dropped to about 59 lbs) and his PCV was checked again 6 days later (just this Monday). His PCV is up to 28, which was a bigger jump than vet expected- he said this was a good result and that the prednisone was doing its thing. Vet said to reduce prednisone to 50mg a day. Shashi is having another PCV test Friday to follow-up. Oh, and he is also on a 15 day course of antibiotics for the infection.
My vet seems hesitant to talk medium or long term- we only talk about treatment in 5-7 day blocks. I think he is trying to manage my expectations based on how differently dogs respond to treatment. It has been so helpful (though sad) to read about other people's experiences. Like many others, I had never heard of this disease before and was in shock for the first week. This week, I am struggling to be optimistic and trying not to think to far into the future (I am being relocated overseas for work this summer, and my three dogs would require a rabies vaccination within 30 days of import into the country). The most important thing is that Shashi recovers, so I am trying to take it day by day and keep him comfortable. After reading others' stories, and the 'cocktails' of meds a lot of dogs are on, I am wondering if we are missing anything. Any advice would be welcome. I am sending my prayers out to everyone else who is going through this with their furry friends, as well as to those who have had to say goodbye. Tricia

Hi Tricia,
I'm sorry to hear Shashi has taken ill and hope all goes well. It sounds like your doctor may have run a reticulocyte blood test, which tells the rate that new red blood cells are being made. The results sound encouraging. Keep us posted and best to you and your puppy. Best, Elaine

Hi Elaine, just signed up.
We were notified today that our Wire Haired Fox Terrier, Molly, may have AIHA. Our Vet did a blood test, both white and red were very low, and additional tests may follow on Saturday. Molly was immediately put on prednisone (10mg) and cyclosporine (100mg). Molly has been losing weight since early Jan; not eating her dog food (although more than eager to eat people food, but we have sadly denied her that); and a slight indication of a heart murmur in late Jan; but no significant change in gums until now with some minor fading (stool and urine was not looked at previously). However, she appears healthy, active, wants to play and walk, seems happy and bright eyed, so it would seem that her illness is thankfully progressing much more slowly than many of you writers here ... very sad, we have had many pets and know the pain felt when such a dear friend is lost.
I have one observation and a question. Molly started in late Dec chewing in the beauty bark seemingly trying to eat the dirt, and now strips out some specific patches of grass in the yard also attempting to eat dirt. This is very strange, uncommon behavior and she will snap when we attempt to stop or remove her. Have you or others ever heard of such behavior, and is there some chemical/mineral that she is either craving as a result of her disease, or actually a possible cause for her disease? Maybe bacteria or a parasite there that she has ingested, but why would she be so aggressive about attempting to ingest it?
Regards, Frost

Hi Elaine, just signed up.
We were notified today that our Wire Haired Fox Terrier, Molly, may have AIHA. Our Vet did a blood test, both white and red were very low, and additional tests may follow on Saturday. Molly was immediately put on prednisone (10mg) and cyclosporine (100mg). Molly has been losing weight since early Jan; not eating her dog food (although more than eager to eat people food, but we have sadly denied her that); and a slight indication of a heart murmur in late Jan; but no significant change in gums until now with some minor fading (stool and urine was not looked at previously). However, she appears healthy, active, wants to play and walk, seems happy and bright eyed, so it would seem that her illness is thankfully progressing much more slowly than many of you writers here ... very sad, we have had many pets and know the pain felt when such a dear friend is lost.
I have one observation and a question. Molly started in late Dec chewing in the beauty bark seemingly trying to eat the dirt, and now strips out some specific patches of grass in the yard also attempting to eat dirt. This is very strange, uncommon behavior and she will snap when we attempt to stop or remove her. Have you or others ever heard of such behavior, and is there some chemical/mineral that she is either craving as a result of her disease, or actually a possible cause for her disease? Maybe bacteria or a parasite there that she has ingested, but why would she be so aggressive about attempting to ingest it?
Regards, Frost

My puppy, Shashi, was diagnosed with Hemolytic Anemia last Monday. He hadn't eaten or had any water in 2 days ( I thought it was behavioural at first), but so suddenly became weak and appeared to have lost a significant amount of weight overnight. When we arrived at the vet, his PCV was 9. His gums and tongue were white. The vet administered 2 dexamethasone injections and gave him a prednisone tablet over the course of our 1.5 hour visit. Vet told me to monitor Shashi over night and to take him to emergency for a blood transfusion if he started to decline further, but wanted to avoid transfusion if possible. What a long night. He made it through and we went back to vet for results of blood count and chemistry, which confirmed hemolytic anemia and showed he also has an acute infection. There was a part of the test that said that the body's response to the anemia was 'good'. I'm not sure what that means exactly, but vet said it was a good sign. Shashi was then prescribed 100mg prednisone daily (his weight had dropped to about 59 lbs) and his PCV was checked again 6 days later (just this Monday). His PCV is up to 28, which was a bigger jump than vet expected- he said this was a good result and that the prednisone was doing its thing. Vet said to reduce prednisone to 50mg a day. Shashi is having another PCV test Friday to follow-up. Oh, and he is also on a 15 day course of antibiotics for the infection.
My vet seems hesitant to talk medium or long term- we only talk about treatment in 5-7 day blocks. I think he is trying to manage my expectations based on how differently dogs respond to treatment. It has been so helpful (though sad) to read about other people's experiences. Like many others, I had never heard of this disease before and was in shock for the first week. This week, I am struggling to be optimistic and trying not to think to far into the future (I am being relocated overseas for work this summer, and my three dogs would require a rabies vaccination within 30 days of import into the country). The most important thing is that Shashi recovers, so I am trying to take it day by day and keep him comfortable. After reading others' stories, and the 'cocktails' of meds a lot of dogs are on, I am wondering if we are missing anything. Any advice would be welcome. I am sending my prayers out to everyone else who is going through this with their furry friends, as well as to those who have had to say goodbye. Tricia

Hi Frost,
I'm sorry to hear about Molly's diagnosis and sincerely hope she recovers quickly. Another person mentioned that their dog was eating dirt in the comments either here or with the other article I have on this topic. I was thinking of calcium being low before but now I'm wondering about iron. It would make sense for dogs to seek out the nutrient they're low in, and in anemia, iron is typically low.

Our older dog was eating his blankets and dirt back in December and we discovered he was starving. His thyroid medication was high and his little sister was gobbling the food before he had enough.

We also had blood tests on our younger dog before having her spayed, and her phosphorus and magnesium levels were high and calcium low, which we attributed to the dog food I was buying. I switched brands and her blood tests improved.

I also began giving both dogs a multivite from PetMeds to help correct any nutrient deficiencies. The blanket chewing has stopped, I'm happy to report.

I hope to hear that Molly is improving. It seems as though you brought her in early and she may have a milder condition that resolves easily. Best, Elaine

Our dog April, a 6 year old Border Collie, was eating dirt like crazy - something she'd never done before - during the time we were having blood tests to diagnose her AIHA. I'd totally forgotten that until I read Frosty's posting. She's been on prednisone now since December and has had great results so far. She was started on 3/4 of a 50 mg dose, then that was reduced to half a pill and then 1/4, and now it's 1/4 every other day. She was incontinent when sleeping and was prescribed propalin 2x/day and I've reduced that to once/day with good results. Since then she's been diagnosed with an autoimmune nail bed disorder and had to have a couple of nails removed and others have fallen off. BUT, she's now very happy, has re-gained weight (thanks in part to prednisone which has made her very hungry) so we're hoping for the best. And no more eating dirt!

Hi,
Thanks for sharing your dogs dirt eating experience. This is really interesting. I'll try to find out from a vet what the significance is. If anyone hears anything, please post it. Whatever's in dirt they're seeking out might be very helpful therapy-wise. best, elaine

My dog Goliath was diagonised with AIHA 3 weeks ago, so we thought, it turned out to be Leukemia. For those whose pets were diagnoised with AIHA, I would highly recommend that they also be tested for Leukemia. The symptoms are almost identical: Low white cells, low red cells, low platelets, weight loss, seizures, frequent urnitation, fever, depression, anemia, weakness, fatigue, pallor of the mucus membranes, enlarged spleen and liver. Had Goliath been tested properly we could have possibily started chemotherapy, instead Goliath went to doggie heaven on Feb 11. I love him so much he will greatly be missed.
Below is what I have experienceced over the last 3 weeks:
3 weeks ago, I noticed that Goliath would lay on his side an be completely stiff and arch his neck back (seizure), this would last for about 10-15 seconds. Shane noticed it the following day and then the next day Shae, Shane, and I noticed it early one morning while we were in my room getting ready for the day. This was 3 seizures in 3 days that we all witnessed. I rushed him to the vet and they ran blood test; his white count, red count, thyroid, and platelets were all extremely low. They thought he had autoimmune disease, this is were the cells attack the body instead of protect the body. That day he had 5 more seizures and the next day 2 more until we got him on medication. For the last 3 weeks we were treating him as if he had autoimmune disease (the symptoms are very similar to cancer). The medication had stop the seizure and Goliath seemed to be acting fine it was just the lab work that looked bad. He was eating, drinking, acting 90% normal, he even went on a walk with us Sunday morning with no complaints. My vet referred us to a 24 hour clinic down in Orange County because her x-ray revealed that his spleen looked a little large and he might need it removed. David and I took Goliath there last Friday, they thought he looked fine with the exception of the weight loss, he acted normal, they too thought it was auto immune disease. The new vet did an ultrasound and said that the spleen looked good just a little big, there wasn't any masses or anything out of the normal. He did state that the spleen and liver were a little larger than what he is used to but he wasn't sure if it was something bad or because he was so big. He decided to tap into his spleen and take a sample. We left Friday evening with a good hope that it wasn't cancer and that it was the autoimmune disease which is workable as long as you catch it in time. On Saturday, the doctor called with bad news and said the lab work from the spleen showed that his spleen cells were bad, possibly he could have cancer. We scheduled another appointment for him this coming up Saturday to get a bone marrow sample to verify if in fact he had cancer and what type. Goliath still wasn't acting sick and seemed to be fine. Sunday morning he went on a 2 mile walk and did just great!! Acted like a 90-100% healthy dog.
Monday morning, I was getting ready for work and I was giving Goliath his medication for the morning and noticed he was having a hard time chewing. But he finally was able to swallow his food and medication. I went to work and then at 10:30 AM something told me to go home and check on him. I went home and he was very weak, tired, and looked to be uncomfortable. I then gave him some more food and he had an extremely hard time swallowing it. I called the vet in OC and found out the vet we spoke with on Friday was on vacation until the 20th. I then called my vet here in r/c and took him in. She stuck her hand down his tongue and he did not gag having no reflex, his eyes were good but she thought it was neurological. He had a high temp of 104.8. she said she could give him fluids but not sure if he would make it. I told her I could go to OC and take him there, she said that was a great idea.
I drove down to OC immediately, just Goliath and me. When we arrived we were greeted by two awesome vet's. Goliath was extremely week, they took another CBC (blood count) and said they were going to take a sample of bone marrow and since he was so weak and friendly that they were not going to use anesthesia because he needed this done right away, they also noticed under his tongue there was a large ulcer or what they call a bruise, this is why he could not eat or drink anymore. Since there is low or no platelets the blood has no were to go and it causes bruising or internal bleeding. They said they would do whatever they could in their power but it looked as though he had cancer and if so it could be acute (brutal) or chronic (treatable).
One vet was able to take some of the bone marrow sample that he did not send to the lab and view it with a microscope. He called me into his office and showed me that in fact Goliath had Leukemia (cancer cells in the bone marrow), he also showed me what non-cancerous cells looked like. Since this clinic was 24 hours I was able to stay with Goliath the entire time. I rubbed, petted, touched Goliath over and over and loved him like no other. :( This was the hardest 24 hours ever!!! I was heartbroken, confused, and didn't know what to do or what to expect.
As each hour went by he continued to get worse and worse, I would call his name and he wouldn't even look at me. When he would get up to move around he would look at me with sad eyes like mommy I am tired, please help me. I was so sad. I knew what to do, the vets keeps trying to say wait for the actual results to see if it was curable or not. I knew it was not curable because this happened so fast and he was getting so week and sicker and sicker.
They gave him fluids, antibiotics, blood transfusion, which all bought Goliath and me a little more time together. We just loved each other. By midnight his ulcer began to spread down to his neck, it also increased size in his mouth. The blood collection in his neck was the size of a tennis ball and by morning it was the size of a large melon. He began to have difficulty breathing, just a bit. They did an x-ray on his lungs, there was no evidence of fluid or blood in his longs, so the vet said the problem was the large blood mass on his neck and if they did surgery he would die from bleeding to death. Obviously, this was not an option for me or Goliath. I was ready, he was ready, we were both tired.
I took him outside one last time to go to the bathroom, he pooped and then feel in it, he had to get carried back in, he seemed to be confused. I had enough, I told the vet I was ready but they said lets wait for results. Goliath and I went back in the office, went to his bedding, he was getting more tired and more uncomfortable. I just keep petting him and loving him, he loved to have his ears rubbed, so I kept rubbing his ears. I cried and cried, because I knew the time was coming to an end.
He was so good the entire time, the vet techs loved him and he was the star of the night and early morning. He was so well behaved and didn't complain at all, he felt no pain therefore taking blood and poking him did not bother him at all. He was sooooooo good.
At 10:30 AM a whole 24 hours later, he puked up a dark smelly substance which was blood. I really had enough, the vet then said it is time to call it, we can't wait for the results, he needs to suffer no longer. The blood was coming from the mass. I decided it was time, we took Goliath into a private room, around 11am to 11:30 am, I got to spend the final minutes of his life holding him, loving him, crying on him, and rubbing him.
This was by far the hardest decision I had to make ever in my life. I love him so much! But I knew that this was best for him and since the Leukemia was acute there was no hope, I honestly don't think I would have put him through chemotherapy either. He was tired and he tried to hold on for me, he was so good the entire time. I think me being by his side for the last 24 hours was the best thing that could of happened during this time, he was not alone and had me their whole time.
This was a hard loss and I hate being with out him, he was and is my boy :( I am having him cremated, placed in an oak box, they will make a copy of his paw print and place it on the box along with a section for me to place a picture. Goliath was a great dog, the best dog that I ever had and I will truly miss him and he will always be in my heart forever and ever. I am very sad with out him in my life any longer. At least I have 4 years of great memories. He definitely tried to please me 100% and loved me unconditionally as I did him.

Thank you for sharing Goliath's story. I'm sure that some cases of AIHA may be misdiagnosed. I'm sorry to hear that your lost Goliath and I'm glad you wree able to stay with him until the end. Best to you, Elaine

Hi I just put my dog cookie down yesterday from this. SHe was fine, Tues, sick Weds,diagnosed Wed nite and by Thurs morning she was too far gone. I was told the treatment would of been a blood transfusion, followed by meds. I wish they would come up with some kind of vaccine to prevent this. I can't believe this disease/sickness could kill so quick. My vet said they don't know what causes this. Worship your animals every day, you never know how quick they can be taken away.

Hi,
I'm so sorry to hear that you had to put your dog Cookie down this week. It's a horrible experience to go through. Sincerely, Elaine

Laurie graciously sent us a detailed account of her dog Louis'a ongoing recovery from hemolytic anemia. It's 60 days since her diagnosis and her story of healing is sure to help others. You can find it on my website www.elaine-moore.com on the first page of archived articles. It's called Healing in Canine Hemolytic Anemia.

My labradoodle was diagnosed two weeks ago, and is starting a second round of chemo this week, after two blood transfusions. She is cancer negative, but on high dose prednisone as well, because she is non-regenerative. We are hoping she will pull out of this (she's only 3 years old), but it is a difficult and expensive disease to treat, that hits without warning and becomes serious very quickly.

Hi,
I'm sorry to hear your Labradoodle had AIHA and hope she makes a speedy recovery. If you read to the last of the comments here, you'll find Laurie's account of Louisa's recovery. There's some excellent tips in Laurie's account that you may find helpful. Best, Elaine

Lacy is a 7 year old Double Dapple Mini Dauchaund. She is a joy to my husband and myself. She had her teeth cleaned and a rabies vacination in January. I just had a nagging feeling she wasn't feeling good after that. She began eating dirt and grass and licking the grout/tile in the kitchen soon after her oral surgery and vacination. This behavior seemed to intensify. Her gums and inside her ears were pale and grew pastier looking every day. Lacy became more lethargic this month. We took her to a vet last night. We compared her blood work to that taken in her January visit. Her hematicrit had dropped from 32 to 9. Her radiographs showed no enlarged organs. Her vet recommended we take her to the hospital immediately. We took her and they started and IV blood tranfusion and steriods after a diagnosis of AIHA. She never lost her appetite and her downturn was so slow that I just couldn't put my finger on her changes. We have done our best now (with our limited budget) and hopefully Lacy will bounce back. I am grateful for a daughter who works in the vet field and for modern medicine for our pets.9

Hi,
I'm sorry to hear about Lacy's bout with AIHA. It sounds like she's in good hands, and I hope to hear of her recovery. Sincerely, Elaine

I took our 10 year old Maltese Kacie to the vet after what I thought was excessive bruising to her body after she was scooped up in a panic and restrained after a big dog came after her at the park. I also noticed blood spots on the whites of her eyes and spots on her tummy and in her ears and gums that were not consistent to the "rescue"..My vet told me she probbly had thrombocytopenia and immeiately put her on prednisone and an acid reducer for stomach upset. That was Monday, she did very well on tuesday, no real sign of lethargy, but a bit pale in the gums in the evening. Woke up on Wednesday and Kacie could not even walk, We rushed her to the vet which in turn sent us to another hospital for possible tranfusions...this hospital is 45 minutes away, she died about 30 minutes into the trip. I was devistated. I called my regular vet and she said she probably had a combination of thrombocytopenia and hemolytic anemia...which is called EVANS SYNDROME. I have not seen that mentioned anywhere so I am currently doing research on this cruel horrible disease. Reading through everybodys comments has me confused and terribly upset, why is this happening? My vet says she suspects processed food among other things. As of today I am feeding our other little girl Mia nothing but home cooked whole foods and natural suppliments and NO MORE VACCINES

Hello,
I'm so sorry to hear about Kacie. I mentione Evans syndrome in my article on AIHA, http://autoimmunedisease.suite101.com/article.cfm/autoimmune_hemolytic_anem ia,
and you're right, it's a rare disorder although cases seem to be increasing in our canine friends. Sincerely, Elaine

My wife and I are devastated with the news that our 5 month old puppy Henri (West Highland White Terrier) has Hemolytic Anemia. He is at our local emergency clinic tonight getting a blood transfusion (PCV 11) and will be starting a combination therapy of steroids and other meds. Both our vet, the emergency internal medicine vet, and ourselves are scratching our heads over the fact that he appears to have this condition at only five months of age. Reading all of the posts on this wonderful site confirms what the vets have told us, namely that this doesn't usually occur in puppies. Has anyone seen any information on this disease in puppies. We are worried that the treatment with steroids, transfusions, and the potential damage from the disease itself will be more than our beloved puppy can take. He has brought much joy and love to our family in such a short time. His sister Bella (3 yr old Westie doing well with Addison's disease)is the joy of his life and he of hers. As described by so many others, the onset of symptoms was rapid. We attributed his lethargy and lack of desire to eat to ongoing teething. It became apparent today that it was something more serious. Our wonderful vet, who had already saved our precious Bella with a quick diagnosis of Addison's, was able to spot the anemic symptoms and acted quickly with testing and recomendations to imediately get him a needed transfusion.
We are heartbroken and lost as how to proceed. Although the anticipated costs of treatment are high, we are more concerned with what appears to be a dire outlook for his health and happiness.
Any thoughts about this disease related to a puppy would be most appreciated. We do build on the experiences of those that have walked the long hard road ahead of us. Our sorrow goes out to all of you and your beloved pets who have been stricken with this disease. Keep Henri in your prayers. Jeff, Ella and Bella

Hi,
I'm so sorry to hear about Henri, but it sounds like he's getting excellent treatment. I occasionally hear from people whose puppies develop AIHA. It often occurs, though, after vaccines or procedures, such as tooth cleaning. Puppies, like children, don't have robust immune systems. Because of this they don't usually react with an autoimmune response and they don't react to different proteins they're exposed to during childbirth. This normal protection changes with vaccines since vaccines stimulate the immune system. But, in general, this immmune system immaturity is why we don't see autoimmune reactions often in puppies.
My other point is that as his immune system matures, Henri's AIHA could resolve with no other episodes. Laurie's suggestions she shared in her account of Louisa's healing offer some good advice too. My best wishes for Henri and Bella and your family, Elaine

Our seven year old pit Lexi was diagnosed with AIHA last Friday. She has under gone two blood transfusions and is still being monitored with the vet. Her numbers are starting to stabalize so we are high hopes that this will continue. We starting noticing changes to Lexis attitude around Feb.9th. We took her to the vet on Monday and they put her on doxcycline becuase they thought she just had an infection. On Feb 14 she was acting as if she was in a lot of pain, crying when you would touch her stomach. We took her back to the vet and they comepleted some x-rays and a ultra-sound. They noticed her spleen was enlarged, so they took some blood. Her numbers were low but nothing to be too concerned with. Over the next few weeks there was no improvement. Finally on Friday we had our answer. We noticed her gums were very pale and took her back to the vet. They started her on the pred. but Saturday her numbers were not improving and we had to do a transfusion. We are waiting to see what happens today and if all still contiues to improve we will be able to bring her home on Wednesday. We are lucky to have a vet that unfortunalty has a lot of experience with this. We are very hopeful that Lexi will contiue to get better and be home soon.

Hello,
I hope to hear that Lexi makes a full recovery.It sounds like she's receiving very good care. Best to you, Elaine

My Bichon Peaches is 7 yrs old and was diagnosed last Mon 2/23/09 Her red blood count was 9!! She is on 20 mg a day predisone and 1/4 tablet of 50 mg. Azathioprine every other day. Brought her home Fri night and she got her second dose of Azathioprine on Sat. She looked really bad Sun, barley walking,breathing pretty heavy, drinking, not eating. Monday her eyes looked more like her and she had blood test that showed her up to 15. She seemed improved Monday & I felt really encouraged then she had another dose of the Aza and now today she is hardly moving again and breathing heavy again. It is killing me!! Doctor warned me this would be slow going but when I see her like this I worry she is suffering. I will discuss her meds tomarrow when we go for next blood test. Is this the normal reaction to this Azathioprine?

Hi,
I remember Harley's story well and I'm so very sorry to hear that you lost Sophie too. That is so much to go through in such a short time. 18 months ago we lost our dog Daisy to cancer. We got another boxer Jezebel who was different in many ways but a complete joy. She used to run to the neighbor's and look in their window when she wanted their dog to come out and play. When we had her spayed we made the mistake of getting her rabies shot at the same time. She went through the surgery fine and her heart stopped while she was in recovery. We were devastated. And losing our two little girls within a few months was terrible. My husband blamed the vet and I blamed myself since I'd arranged the surgery and shots.

We were so distraught that I bought the first female brindle boxer I could find and called her Tiger Lily. The owner said she wasn't used to people and this was an understatement. She was terrified of us. She loved our old dog Jasper from the first day but hid from us. Having to win her over and train her kept us busy and this helped us get over our loss. We'll never forget Daisy or Jezebel. And now, a year later, Tiger Lily is a complete part of the family. She's not at all like our other dogs. She loves toys and takes the squeakers out without damaging the toys. She has two stuffed tigers she's done tracheotomies on. I hope you're able to find another dog soon.

Best to you, Elaine

Elaine, I am trying to find out more info. about Hemolytic Anemia in Basenjis. This is a hereditary problem passed on by a recessive gene. A test for carriers has been developed, but I don't think the coombs test is the right test. Isn't the coombs test more for those already affected with the condition? Can you provide any more info for me? Thanks.

Hi Jeanne,
You're correct in that the Direct Coombs test is used to show red cells that are already coated with red cell autoantibodies. So this test is used to diagnose AIHA rather than show risk. Outside of research I'm not sure anyone routinely tests dogs to see if they have the genetic trait. I'd think with good lineage records you'd have a good idea if the trait might be present, but I'm just guessing her. I think a reputable breeder would know if genetic tests are available. Best, elaine

Hi,
I'm so sorry to hear about your schanuzer Bully. The timeline varies but seeing a rise in the PCV or hematocrit is encouraging. I hope to hear Bully shows more improvement tomorrow. Best, elaine

My 4yo Dixie (shih tzus/chin cross) is in the vet hospital following 1 1/2 days of lethargy and listlessnes with no appetite. The Vet found her to have 50% red cell reduction, pale gums and fever. Dixie is holding her own following medication and continuous i/v. I am told that if there is further red blood cell loss a transfusion would be in order. I have my nephews healthy lab set up as a donor. The Vet told me that first time blood transfusions are usually received without incident even if the dogs have differant blood types. I can only hope she pulls through and returns to her usual rambunctious and bratty self and that further intervention is not needed.
Thank you for having this article available on line as all of this is totally 'out of the blue' for me.
Of interest is that one of Dixie's siblings died suddenly at age 3yrs of unknown causes. Apparently a Vet was never consulted in that case.
Dot Munro

Hi Dot,
I'm sorry to hear about Dixie. It's good you have a donor dog lined up in the event she needs a transfusion. I hope she makes a quick recovery. Best,elaine

Our dog Lola was diagnosed 1 week ago with AIHA and had been on prednisone, imuran and vitobits and is responding well to treatment her blood is coming bk up beautifully and if all goes well she will be starting to be weened off the prednisone in 2 days has anyone had success with this type of treatment and had their dog go on to a full recovery? i'm not real sure as to what to expect from all this. I feel so bad for everyone who has lost a pet to this horrible disease

My beautiful border collie Bandit passed away in her sleep this morning. She was diagnosed with AIHA last November, and has been on prednisone since then and another drug more recently. Even though she did not respond well to the treatment, she didn't suffer and we were able to love her for almost 4 more months. I am going to miss her so much!!

Hello,
I'm glad to hear Lola is responding well to treatment. Thanks for sharing your list of the meds that are helping her. Weaning off meds is usually the next step to avoid side effects caused by the meds. Best to you and Lola, Elaine

Hello,
I'm so sorry to hear that you lost your border collie, Bandit. Sincerely, Elaine

Hi Folks,

We are wondering how long does it usually takes agglutination to resolve? How long is normal? How long is too long and indicates a poor prognosis? We are waiting for Henri's agglutination results, they should be in later today.

His hematocrit has been rising. On Friday, his hematocrit was 30 and now it is 34. He is tolerating the meds. And his bone marrow is making lots of new red blood cells. Everything is pointing in the right direction but as of Friday, the agglutination was still present. We would appreciate knowing others experience with this.

Thank you,
Ella, Jeff, Bella, and Baby Henri

My 10 year old Cocker, Angel, has just been diagnosed with AHA. She was fine yesterday morning, carrying her morning treat in her mouth, and then dropped it. Everything she has eaten or drank since then she had vomitted back up. As she has had back problems in the past, I thought her back was bothering her. And the solution for that was to just keep her calm. Which is what I did.
This morning, I noticed bloody urine and took her to the vet. My dr. couldn't see her immediately so I was fortunate to find a walk-in clinic that took her right away. The dr. diagnosed AHA immediately. Angel was given a transfusion immediately, treated with fluids, steroids, anti-nausea shot, antibiotics. When I picked her up tonight she tried to wag her tail. I will take her back in the morning to verify she is doing well and provide more fluids if necessary.
She is sleeping heavily right now. She has eaten a few small pieces of chicken and I will try to convince her to eat again in the morning. I am so very worried about her. This disease is so frightening and fast acting. I can't believe that she was busy playing and acting like a puppy just 2 days ago.
I can only pray that she will survive this disease.

Hi Jeff and Ella and canine kids,

Sounds like your dog is doing great.

I think the agglutinin test you mean is the direct coombs test (also known as direct antiglobulin test or DAT). This test detects antibodies coated onto red blood cells. As far as out tests in humans go, once the cell is coated with antibody the antibody should stay attached until the red blood cell moves out of the blood circulation. Red blood cells live around 120 days before they die off. This is similar to measuring autoantibodies in people. Once autoantibodies (in this case red blood cell agglutinins) are produced by the immune system, they remain in the circulation until, like other proteins, they're broken down in to amino acids and excreted in the urine. Once they're produced IgG autoantibodies hang around for 2-3 months before breaking down.

So even with drugs that keep your immune system from producing new antibodies you're going to see some agglutinins or antibodies for several months. Since the red blood cells in the circulation include new healthy unaffected RBCs along with some middle-aged and nearly senescent cells, a quantitative test will show improvement over time but shouldn't be negative for several months. Best to all of you, Elaine

Hi,
It sounds like you got Angel into the vet and on treatment quickly. That can make a big difference. Please read through all the comments here and at my other article AIHA in dogs. The suggestions from readers are invaluable and hearing what works can give you some great ideas. Best, Elaine

Our 6 yr old Shih-tzu was put down today. The vet mentioned some kind of blood problem but i dont know if AIHA is the one.( I was so upset I dont remember what she called it). Anyway, he was vomitting a little blood and every once in awhile he had blood in his stool, so we took him to the vet for a check up... about 3 hours after his blood was drawn he had a lump in his chest area where they drew the blood from. It grew quickly and he had blood spots on his belly and legs. He was not eating and was not being his happy self. I took him back to the vet and they told me that his blood was not clotting from the blood draw and he was bleeding internally. We were told that his spleen was slightly enlarge and had some high readings of things( once again I dont remember) that might effect his liver. We have had him only for 10 months and he has had other surgeries with the previous owner for a hip problem. We are gonna miss our little buddy and it was such a shock to lose him so quickly. Can the blood draw procedure make all of this happen ? Any advice or comments would be helpful for us to understand what went wrong. Thank you Tom

I have a three year old female Basett Hound, Lilly Belle, who was hospitalized about six days ago and was diagnose with disease. I have observed before she was hospitalized that she was somehow lethargic and loss interest in playing. One day she refused eating and the next day she was without any energy at all. Thats when I got worried. They had already administered a blood transfusion and her hematocrit improved a little. She has been given all the necessary treatment for this disease by her vets. This disease treatment here in Puerto Rico is very expensive and so far I have payed for her treatment more than $1,500 dollars. I have read all the literature there is available on this disease in canine and all the indication is that relapses my occurs in she goes through this crisis. Some people are telling me to end this misery for her. I have decided to keep on trying to save her because I love this dog with all my heart. Naturally, I am heartbroken with this situation.

Hi Owners of Lilly Belle,
I love your dog's name by the way. Most dogs survive with AIHA. Some will have one major episode and then improve whereas other are on and off treatment for years. Some owners incorporate lifestyle and dietary changes and keep their pets in remission that way.
I think online you're more likely to hear the worst cast scenarios because people tend to look for answers and usually don't have time to follow-up once their dogs have recuperated. Read some of the other comments and see what things have helped other pet owners. Best wishes for you and Lilly Belle. Best, Elaine

Hi Tom,
I'm so sorry to hear you lost your little dog.
Could it possibly have sounded more like autoimmune or idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP)? This is a disorder, more common than hemolytic anemia, that causes a low platelet count. Platelets are needed for the blood to clot and normally if we're injured or cut we produce more platelets to help the wound to heal. When platelets are low or if there is any deficiency of clotting factors or if a dog accidentally got into rat poison (it's a blood thinner called coumadin), then any kind of wound, including a blood draw could be associated with excessive bleeding. But the problem you're describing with bruises or petechiae on the skin indicates internal bleeding as well.
Autoimmune hemolytic anemia is also a possibility but some of what you mentioned sounds more like ITP.
Both of these conditions can occur out of the blue and be triggered by environmental agents including vaccines. Often, it's hard to tell just what the cause was. Sincerely, elaine

Sparky is a 13yr old Lab/English Setter. He has had allergies all his life and has had 3 cancer surgeries and chemo treatments in the last 5 years. He is a fighter and came through it all very successfully. In the past few weeks he was sleeping incessently and seemed depressed but I didn't react until he stopped eating for 2 days. I knew it was something serious and took him to our vet who diagnosed him with AIHA on Wed. He put him on Azathioprine, Baytril, Famotidine and Prednsone. On Sat his bloodwork was encouraging with the white count having dropped substantially. He had perked up and had started eating. I am taking him back on Thurs for another blood test. I had never heard of AIHA. The vet said that his cancer could be playing a part in it. After reading the other comments, I am not as encouraged as I was by his small rally. Do you have any opinion on the meds that he is on? My heart goes out to all who have lost their beloved family member from this quick moving terrible disease.

Hi,
Sparky does sound like a good fighter. Usually, AIHA doesn't cause an elevated WBC count as much as a low red cell (packed cell volume or hematocrit) count. Since the white cell count was high, your doctor must suspect infection as the cause of AIHA although inflammation itself can cause an elevated white blood cell count.

Azathioprine and prednisone work to slow down the immune system so that it doesn't produce the autoantibodies that destroy red blood cells in AIHA. Prednisone also helps reduce inflammation. Baytril is an antibiotic that can trigger AIHA. Since it's not a trigger here and infection is possible, it's probably best to take it. Certain infections like Babesia can cause AIHA. The other drug you mentioned is very similar to Pepcid AC. Pepcid AC is often given to dogs who take steroids or Rimadyl to prevent stomach upset. My vet recommends Pepcid AC since it's less expensive.

I hope Sparky continues to improve. You might ask for a copy of his CBC to see just how low the red blood cells are. It could be that he's a little anemic but not suffering the severe anemia seen in AIHA. Best, Elaine

Scratchy, my pet a 12 year old female collie/shepherd mix dog just had surgery over 6 weeks ago. A tumor was detected and a spleenoctomy was performed and ultimately determined that the tumor was benign and had not spread/attached itself to the other surrounding organs. My pet was given typed blood transfusion and bloodwork performed after the surgery. My pet had 2 additional subsequent bloodworkups the most recent today 3/16/09. My dogs iron, weight and red blood cells levels have slowly decreased and now I am posed with two possibilities: due to the blood results my pet could have either anemia or cancer. I would gladly ask for any comments/suggestions.

Scratchy, my pet a 12 year old female collie/shepherd mix dog just had surgery over 6 weeks ago. A tumor was detected and a spleenoctomy was performed and ultimately determined that the tumor was benign and had not spread/attached itself to the other surrounding organs. My pet was given typed blood transfusion and bloodwork performed after the surgery. My pet had 2 additional subsequent bloodworkups the most recent today 3/16/09. My dogs iron, weight and red blood cells levels have slowly decreased and now I am posed with two possibilities: due to the blood results my pet could have either anemia or cancer. I would gladly ask for any comments/suggestions.

Hi,
Anemia itself is much more common than autoimmune hemolytic anemia, which is a rare form of anemia. Anemia can have many causes including blood loss from surgery or malabsorption of nutrients. Your doctor might order a direct coombs test to tell if the anemia is being caused by AIHA. I hope that Scratchy's anemia is easy to treat. Best, Elaine

Hi Elaine,
I've spent the day researching possible causes for my 8 yr old toy poodle's(rusty's) illness. The tests came back negative for cancer today.-GREAT
however we still not sure whats going on. We have another appointment tommorow am and will be disscussing AIHA with our vet. Seems like Rusty has all the symptons. He's been on antibotics for 14 days but still won't drink enough and still has a fever. Anyway, thanks for the info this site has given me.
Tigger Calhoun

We lost our 5 yr old female Dachshund Emma to this horrible Disease on 3/16/09. We could not believe how fast this was, from a week before running and playing to fighting for her life and no matter what we did for her we could not save her. Her vet fought this hard and with everything he had, we could not have asked for more. We miss her terribly but will remember her in our dreams. Mary Canneva.

Hi Mary,
I'm so sorry to hear about Emma. Any loss of a pet is devastating, but when it's so sudden it even seems worse. Sincerely, Elaine

Our dog Sophie, a miniture schnauzer died from the disease yesterday. On Friday, she was jumping around and we gave a haircut. By that evening she showed signs that she was not feeling well. By Monday afternoon, she had passed away, just after the vet confirmed her blood count. She was only 6 years old and it is very devastating to our family, because this is something that we were not prepared for. I will become an advocate on this matter for future research.

I'm so sorry to hear about your loss of Sophie. My thoughts are with you, Elaine

I wanted to post my story to give pet owners hope. It is almost April now and my dog Vinny an American Staffordshire Terrior almost lost his life to this terrible disease. In January of this year (2009) he suddenly fell ill. He had a fever, was very weak and then he had a seizure. We rushed him to the vet where we were told he may not make it thru the night. We then transferred him to the local emergency vet hopsital to be monitored and cared for over night where he had to under-go a blood transfusion. Well, he is a fighter and he made it through the night, and the next night and the next and he is still with us today. He gets better each day but the process has not happened over night. Saving my dog, my baby. Has cost us thousands of dollars and a lot of time but it was very worth it. We are fortunate that we acted fast and that we were able to afford to pay for the care our dog needed. I realize not everyone is as fortunate. My reason for this post was to give you all hope that your pet can make it too. My advice would be act fast, be patient and love your pet. The rest is up to him and his doctor :)

VLB

Hi,
Three cheers for Vinny and a big thanks to you for sharing Vinny's experience with AIHA. I'm sure your report will help others. Thanks for taking the time to write. Best, Elaine

we lost our abby today to this terrible disease. abby was a 6 1/2 year old chihuahua. she was admitted on monday to purdue university and today we made the gut wrenching choice to let her go. we could have given her one more blood transfusion. (she's allready been through 3)the doctors said to give her more time but even then the innevitable would happen. she had developed jaundice and was not responding to any of the treatments. we even opted to give her oxyglobin still to no avail. we let her go peacefully in our arms at 11:46 this afternoon. now we are dealing with the grief and the guilt and the what if's of losing her. we had spent 5 1/2 days and over 5000 dollars on her and we still feel like we didnt do enough to save her. tomorrow is my twins' 9th b-day and all they wanted was for their abby to come home and help them find their eggs and celebrate their b-day. the vets said there was nothing more they could do and we were making the right choice for her. we just wanted her home again. we still want her home. the kids dont understand and to be honest my fiancee and i dont either. this is a terrible disease that struck her literally overnight. there were no signs until the attack hit. the vets said it was in her genes. nothing we did. we still feel guilty. we think she knew what was hapening before we let her go but we'll never know. she was part of our family and now she's gone. we feel like we let her down in every way imaginable. she was more than a dog to us. she was our abby. she always will be. laura

Dear Laura,
I'm so sorry to hear about your losing Abby to AIHA. I can understand how upset your family is. Sincerely, Elaine

Today I just lost my 5 year old boxer due to Immune Mediated Hemolytic Amemia. She was a very healthy boxer with no prior problems, until about four days ago. She started peeing everywhere in the house, would not eat, very weak, she had a hard time moving around. We took her to the vet again, and they said they could perform another blood transfusion, but her body would most likely fight the new blood cells off. So I had to make the hardest decision in my like, to put my beloved boxer down. She was in so much pain and it was the right thing to do. I don't know how I am going to get through this, that dog was my life. She can never be replaced. I can't sleep, eat or anything. It's just so hard...I've never had a dog this close to me.

I'm so sorry to hear that you lost your little boxer to AIHA. It's a devastating disease in many ways. Sincerely, Elaine

My little Emmy was diagnosed with this terribel disease on Monday evening. We made the wise decision not to wait for her scheduled appointment and just take her in as a walk in. It was a good thing too. Her hematocrit was only 12 and her RBC 5. I had no idea and she only really started exhibiting noticible changes and symptoms within the last day or so. Nothing outstanding, just that she seemed off her food and was relatively active until just that day when I got her into the Vet. The vet said had we waited even an extra day we might have lost her. She is still there and has been transfused, on prednisone and IV antibiotics. I am trying to figure out what could have triggered this...a bee sting? We are just hopeful that she will recover and that we will be able to bring her home in the next day or so. She is only five and a miniture dachund. I am still very upset about it.

Hi,
I'm so sorry to hear that Emmy has been afflicted with AIHA and hope she makes a steady recovery. A bee sting is possible but sometimes it's hard to determine just what the trigger was. There's some good tips included in the comments here that you might find helpful. I wish the best for you and Emmy. Sincerely, Elaine

We are living in Germany and on Sunday morning we awoke to our dog (Harri - A Welsh bred cocker aged 6) collapsed on the kitchen floor.
We managed to get him walking but he was in a dazed state. He improved slightly during the morning but then at around 1pm he laid down and could not get up.
We took him to the emergency vets and after she had inspected him and noticed his pale gums he was given an injection to assist circulation. We were then told to take Harri to another town to the animal clinic, which we did.
They took blood samples and found that his red blood cell count (rbc) was down to 15% (a normal blood count is around 50.) He also had a scan to detect any tumours or organ failure which proved clear. They sent his blood off to a lab for further tests and we are still awaiting the final two tests (It is now Friday.) We were advised that Harri would need a blood transfusion but he may not survive it.
Harri had the first blood transfusion on Sunday and was put on a course of corticosteroids. On Monday he was still very weak but had tried to eat some food.
We went to visit him on Tuesday and were shocked to see how weak he was and we left honestly believing that he would not survive although his rbc had risen to to 20% following a 2nd transfusion.
On Wednesday there was no change and he was still weak.
Yesterday, Thursday we were told some happy news that his rbc had risen to 34% following a 3rd transfusion, that he was trying to hold himself up on his front legs and was more alert. We were asked to visit him, to give him a moral boost, which we did. The improvement from Tuesday was amazing, he was like a different dog. He was trying to get up to greet us and his tail was wagging, he also tried to scratch behind his ear (he could not move his body at all on Tuesday, let alone lift his leg to scratch!) We left him a short while later as he needed to rest but we are now feeling more confident and hoping that his immune system will not attack these red blood cells.
This is a frightening illness that comes on very suddenly without warning and from reading up on it I would have taken Harri to the vets sooner when we noticed two toilet-accidents in the last month, or his sleepiness, which we put down to the hot weather and busy days. Other than this he was fine up until Sunday morning. It was so sudden and we are hoping he improves.

We are living in Germany and on Sunday morning we awoke to our dog (Harri - A Welsh bred cocker aged 6) collapsed on the kitchen floor.
We managed to get him walking but he was in a dazed state. He improved slightly during the morning but then at around 1pm he laid down and could not get up.
We took him to the emergency vets and after she had inspected him and noticed his pale gums he was given an injection to assist circulation. We were then told to take Harri to another town to the animal clinic, which we did.
They took blood samples and found that his red blood cell count (rbc) was down to 15% (a normal blood count is around 50.) He also had a scan to detect any tumours or organ failure which proved clear. They sent his blood off to a lab for further tests and we are still awaiting the final two tests (It is now Friday.) We were advised that Harri would need a blood transfusion but he may not survive it.
Harri had the first blood transfusion on Sunday and was put on a course of corticosteroids. On Monday he was still very weak but had tried to eat some food.
We went to visit him on Tuesday and were shocked to see how weak he was and we left honestly believing that he would not survive although his rbc had risen to to 20% following a 2nd transfusion.
On Wednesday there was no change and he was still weak.
Yesterday, Thursday we were told some happy news that his rbc had risen to 34% following a 3rd transfusion, that he was trying to hold himself up on his front legs and was more alert. We were asked to visit him, to give him a moral boost, which we did. The improvement from Tuesday was amazing, he was like a different dog. He was trying to get up to greet us and his tail was wagging, he also tried to scratch behind his ear (he could not move his body at all on Tuesday, let alone lift his leg to scratch!) We left him a short while later as he needed to rest but we are now feeling more confident and hoping that his immune system will not attack these red blood cells.
This is a frightening illness that comes on very suddenly without warning and from reading up on it I would have taken Harri to the vets sooner when we noticed two toilet-accidents in the last month, or his sleepiness, which we put down to the hot weather and busy days. Other than this he was fine up until Sunday morning. It was so sudden and we are hoping he improves.

Three cheers for Harri. Sounds like he's doing a great job of holding his own. His immune system might destroy some red blood cells but with his hematocrit up to 34, he's clearly out of the danger zone. Sounds like you have a very good vet who understands the importance of your visiting. Keep us posted. Best, Elaine

Today my very old (rescued 4 yrs ago, age unknown) pit bull was more lethargic and not himself. I checked his gums and they were completely white and he was very dehydrated. Being an inside dog, I thought maybe he had gotten out and injested something poisionous. I took him to the emergency vet, and he was diagnosed with AIHA. His PCV was 17/9.8. The vet said it was the worse agglutination she had ever seen, and showed me the vial. He is at the vet hospital now, receiving IV fluids, IV dexamethasone and Imuran. He is the sweetest dog I have ever known, and despite feeling so crummy and being short of breath and lethargic, still wagged his tail constantly. Given his age and degree of agglutination, I don't have much hope after reading the comments on this site. Can someone tell me if their dogs passed away peacefully when you had them at home? I am a hospice nurse, and the last thing I want is for my Beau to suffer.
~Nicole

Hi Nicole,
Don't worry about the degree of visible agglutination in the blood. We see that in humans as well and sometimes the agglutination is so severe it's impossible to run an accurate blood count. Transfusions may be needed and they do help restore hemoglobin until the meds kick in to reduce autoantibody production. Keep us posted and I hope to hear Beau is making a good recovery. Best, Elaine

On Tuesday of last week, I noticed that my dog, Astrud (american cocker spaniel) was not eating, lethartic, etc. Being a nursing student I took her to the vet first thing the next morning, worried she was getting dehydrated and not getting the nutrients that she needed. My family vet told me he wasn't going to charge me and referred me to the local specialist. He said that any money I was spending should go to getting her treated as quickly as possible. I had heard of this disease in humans but had no idea that cockers were predisposed. She got a transfusion and the next day her hematocrit was a 26, but quickly went down to 24, 22, and then 18. She's on prednisone and azathioprine to suppress the immune system so she can hopefully develop more RBC. Today when we took her in for her hematocrit, she was at 18 still. She hasn't gotten better but she hasn't gotten worse, either, so I suppose there's hope.
I wish I would've known about the predisposition when she was a puppy so that I could've taken her in the second I detected lethargy. People need to know how important it is to do little routine checks at home - checking gum color, looking for jaundice in the eyes, etc. Her 4th birthday is next month and I would really love for her to be well enough to celebrate.

The drugs are doing a good job at making her feel better, but it kills me to have to turn her down when she brings me her frisbee.

Thanks Elaine! Update on Beau; He was rehydrated, and despite the increase in fluid volume, his Hct/Hgb did not substantially drop. He was at 17/9.8 and is now at 16/9. He seems so much better and his gums/tongue are pinking up by the minute. The vet felt that even though his numbers were not great, with the increase in fluid volume they would have bottomed out if his marrow was not producing rbc's. We brought him home yesterday and so far so good. He is on Prednisone and Pepcid. We will keep fighting!

Hi,
Bravo for Astrud trying to play when she's not feeling her best. Maybe you can toss the frisbee back to her a few inches. She sounds precious and I hope the meds kick in quickly. Some dogs require more than one transfusion and that's not a bad option if it's needed. We all wish her well and hope she has a wonderful 4th Birthday. Best, Elaine

Hi,
thanks for the update on Beau. He sounds like a real trooper and I'm sure he's happy to be home.
Our Buddy in the picture's full name was Beauregard or Beau or Beaubee or Baby or Buddy. Dogs named Beau are always such sweethearts. I have high hopes for your Beau. Best to both of you, Elaine

Update on Beau; feeling lethargic, but walking and eating some. His gums are still pinking up. His abdomen seems to have gotten more enlarged, I am concerned about his spleen.

Hi Beau's Owner,

The spleen has to work pretty hard sifting out old red blood cells and sequestering them out. It's fairly common to notice some abdominal swelling after canine transfusions. His pink gums are a good sign. I'm sending him good healing thoughts from my corner of the world. Best, Elaine

Hi Elaine, I posted yesterday about Astrud and had a question that I can't find anywhere online and my vet office is closed (it's 3 AM). I said that Astrud was on azathioprine, but I think the drug is giving her very bad diarrhea. It's dark in color, with a reddish tint but doesn't look bloody. She's finally eating - rice and boiled chicken or cottage cheese. But I was wondering if it's okay if I give her Imodium or should I be concerned about this side effect? Is there a dog antidiarrheal that would be better considering she is on so many medications (pepcid, azathioprine, prednisone)? Thanks again. I'm trying to stay positive about all of this and hoping that my prayers are heard. Astrud is a fighter!

Hi,
I just saw this about Astrud's follow-up and I suspect you've talked to your vet by now. I don't think I'd add the Imodium without checking with him as he may want to stop one of the immunosuppressant meds. Be sure to give her plenty of fluids to prevent dehydration and let us know what your vet says. Best, Elaine

When I got home from work last night, my 11 year old shih tzu walked up to me and just passed out. I was in such shock that I rushed her to the vet and he imidiately put her on IV/steroid treatment. After doing an EKG and running a ton of blood tests, he told me that this is what she has. As of this morning, her blood count was 2.2. THey said that she was looking better, but that they wouldn't know until they ran the next blood test. She is 11, and is almost fully blind. Has anyone been through this with an older dog? I don't know what to do. I don't want her to suffer, but it is breaking my heart. What is the recovery like? Do they suffer?

Our dog Rawhide is an 11 year old shep/Lab mix that developed IMHA 9 days ago. He was admitted into the hospital last Friday and came home today I am happy to say. He went through an ultrasound, X-Rays, lab work out of the kazoo to rule out an underlying cause for the IMHA. Rawhide's spleen is regenerating as his is bone morrow I am very happy to say. He received two transfusions as his PCV count dropped to 15 twice. He came home with a PCV count of 31. We know that he is old and that this disease if a roller coaster, but if we can give him even a few more months of quality time then it would have been worth it. Now we start on the long road of recovery.

Hi,
I'm so sorry to hear about your dog. If the hemoglobin count is only 2.2 they probably want to transfuse her to get the count up faster. Other older dogs have survived. Best, Elaine

Hi,
Sorry to hear that Rawhide developed AIHA, but it sounds like he's well on his way to recovery. Best to you both, elaine

Last night, I had to put Astrud down. She fought the good fight though, for sure. She had a 2nd transfusion and, though her RBC count improved, she wouldn't eat and became nauseous. She was lethargic and when I came home from work, was laying in throw up, too tired to move. I gave her a bath and she sat outside for the rest of the day before we took her to the vet. I'm sure she's playing fetch in heaven right now.
I'm at peace with everything, the only thing that I am frustrated with is the pet store that sold her to me. They assured us multiple times that they only sell well bred dogs. However, a breeder (and the store) should know when this is in a bloodline and NOT breed that dog. Am I right in being frustrated? Should I at least write them a letter? I'm not expecting any sort of compensation or even an apology (how were they to know?). I just want to make sure that they aren't selling any more puppies for $500+ that may die before the age of 4.
This site was a real source of support for me. Thanks so much.

Update on Beau; 8 days post diagnosis. He has become fairly incontinent and his feces and urine has blood in them. When he eats, he vomits up undigested food. He still wags his tail, but I do not feel he has much of a quality of life. I think the Prednisone is tearing up his tummy despite Pepcid and food to coat. I am going to the vet tomorrow, considering putting Beau to sleep even though it is killing me...I can't keep watching him get skinnier and skinnier and slowly bleeding. He is 13. Thoughts??

i dont know what 2 say my dog dies just last 2 houres he was arottweiler
4 years i cant stop crying he was in the vet i wanted to make atransformation but even that wasnt granted dr say it meybe gynatic he was avery active dog now i lost him i cant face that i did everything this is really hard thing sickness im from kuwait

I'm so very sorry to hear that you lost your rottweiler to AIHA so suddenly. Sincerely, Elaine

Hi,
It does sound as though Beau may be having internal bleeding. Your vet will probably want to run a CBC and go from there. Ask your vet about the odds of Beau making a good recovery. Hopefully, he can help you make the best decision. Sincerely, Elaine

Hi,
I'm so very sorry to hear about Astrud. I don't think you can blame the breeder. As far as autoimmune diseases go, some breeds have a higher risk but it's still a minority of dogs that are affected. Unlike hereditary conditions, autoimmune conditions occur when dogs or people with the genetic predisposition are exposed to certain environmental triggers.

I am happy to say that Rawhide's PCV count as of today is 40 up from 15 just two weeks ago. He has battled some vomiting this past week, but is starting to hold his food down better after giving him some anti nausea medication. If his PCV continues to his normal range which is 47 and holds then we will begin to reduce the prednisone in June. We are not really thinking about June yet as we are just trying to get increase his strength as he is still pretty weak.

Hi,
thanks for the update on Rawhide. It sounds like he's doing fantastic. That's quite an impressive rise in his PCV. Please keep us posted on his progress. Best, Elaine

The vet is talking about reducing his meds in June if Rawhide continues to improve and stay stable. Is there a average time frame that dogs are on the meds before they are reduced?

Hi,
Regarding Rawhide, the timeframe for corticosteroids depends on the dog's response. Reducing the dose in June sounds like a good plan. By then his count should be stable. Your vet may want to keep him on a low dose for a while longer or perhaps indefinitely. Since high doses of corticosteroids cause potentially adverse side effects, it's important to lower the dose once blood levels are stable. It's encouraging to hear how well Rawhide is doing. Best, Elaine

My dog Kelsey, a 10 month old goldendoodle died in my arms on May 3.
She was diagnosed with AIHA on April 9. She was started on the usual meds ( prednisone, azathiaprine, famotidine, bastryl) and initially responded well. Her PCV count had gone up to 27 on April 27. On Saturday 5/2, she came for her usual morning walk but then would not go back into the house. She was very weak and we brought her to the vet right away. There, they said her oxygen saturation was down to 80%, normal is above 95%. They started her on heparin and oxygen with iv fluids. She had developed clots in her lungs. She did not improve and finally on Sunday, the hospital called to say they thought it was her time. I got there in time to hold her and watch her close her eyes for the last time. It is heart breaking. I have never heard of this disease and certainly didn't think something so catastropic would happen to a healthy 10 month old. Is this something that would show up in genetic testing?

Hi,
I'm so very sorry to hear about Kelsey. AIHA is an autoimmune disorder so it wouldn't be picked up with genetic tests. In humans, about 20% of people have the genes that cause susceptibility to autoimmune disease but less than 5% of people develop autoimmune disorders. I'm not sure of the exact number for canines but I've heard it's similar.

Autoimmune diseases develop when our susceptible pets are exposed to certain environmental triggers, including vaccines. Unfortunately, most vaccines come in one size and the same dose is given to small and large dogs. Puppies are often more susceptible to the toxic effects of vaccines. Sincerely, Elaine

Hi,
My Bullmastiff Bruce aged 2 was diagnosed with IMHA last wed. He had dark urine, rusty coloured excremant, high temp, raised heart rate, off his food and exercise his PVC was 24 and his platelet count had dropped too. Two days later after starting on Preds his temp and heart rate had dropped to normal but his PVC had dropped to 22. He had a test done yesterday (Tuesday) and his platelets had returned to a normal level but his PVC remains at 22, he is eating, does not have bowel problems neither is he being sick but he is very lethargic and uncomfortable.
He is a rescue dog, we have just had him 12 months last sunday when we got him he had terrible kennel cough and skin problems, the skin problems continue to this day. It is a horrible thing to go through, we only just lost our Neapolitan Mastiff Rhubun last February and here we are again possibly losing our next dog.

Hi,
I'm sorry to hear that Bruce has developed IMHA. It sounds like the meds are doing a good job of stopping red blood cell destruction. But it often takes longer for the PCV count to rise. A transfusion is sometimes needed but with a count of 22 (not critically low) your vet may just want to wait until Bruce begins producing more red cells on his own. I hope he has a quick recovery. Sincerely, Elaine

Hi,
If the blood loss was sudden,Bruce's anemia may be causing fatigue. You could ask your doctor if a transfusion might help. I hope he starts improving. Best, Elaine

I wrote last night about Kelsey. She hadn't had any vaccines since October and she was spayed in December. Her PCV was 44 when the blood work was done then. Would it have to have been an environmental factor that triggered her disease? About 3 weeks before she became ill, she had chewed on a door frame. She had never chewed on anything like that even when she was a puppy. Could that have been a trigger or was she lacking something that made her knaw on the painted wood frame? I guess I am just looking for answers even thugh there might not be one.
Thank-you for lending an ear. I'm still in shock about her loss.

Hi,

You might have read about some of the other dogs with AIHA eating dirt, which can be related to their anemia and need for iron. Was your dog perhaps locked in a room where she couldn't see out when she ate the door frame? For some dogs, being confined in a small room can cause trauma or panic. Stress could have contributed to her condition but often it's a combination of things. Even food allergens and preservatives in food can cause problems. Sincerely, elaine

My Bullmastiff Bruce went back to the vets this evening as he has got worse through the day, his PVC has dropped again to 21, he is still eating, does not have bowel problems and is not vomitting but he is very lethargic and uncomfortable. He has been on Preds 1 week tomorrow and the vet says it may take up to 2 weeks before the preds starts working, is that correct?
He is only 2yrs old and i only just lost my Neapolitan mastiff who was just 5 yrs, i dont want to go through all that grieving again so soon.
My poor poor boy.

Thanks Elaine,
Bruce is more lethargic still this morning, he has been sick a little after breakfast and his excremant has gone a red colour with a little blood. I feel helpless just watching him get worse each day and not responding to the drugs. He has been on preds a week today, the vet says she will do nothing more for him unless his PCV drops dramatically he was 21 last night and due another test tomorrow.

Hi,

Regarding Bruce, I should have mentioned that there's no significant difference between a 21 and 22 PCV. If we take the same blood sample and run it several times, we could get results ranging from 20-24. I think that's why your vet wants to hold off. In the stool, you could still be seeing red blood cells that were destroyed in the last few days. Considering the count isn't dropping drastically, you'd assume Bruce was responding ok to meds. Read through all the comments particularly the long post by Laurie. She offered some really good tips. Try not to get too stressed or Bruce will pick up on it. Best, Elaine

This is for Kelsey. The door jam she knawed at was sliding glass doors in a kitchen. She was not confined at all. I just wondered if the environmental trigger was the paint because she had been vaccinated so long ago. And as mentioned, she was not a chewer even when she was a small puppy. Thank you in advance for your information. My 5 year old son is already asking for another dog even though I can't even think about it just yet. I wanted to get all the info I could.
Thanks again

Hi Elaine,
Thank you for your comments they have really helped me dig deep and find some hope!
Bruce had a really bad day yesterday with being sick and diahorrea, late last night he really perked up. This morning he was like a different dog and very bright considering, his stools had firmed up too. He went back to the vet and his PCV is still 21, he has been on preds 8 days now and the vet does not think he is going to improve. We have agreed to give him til monday and if there is still no improvement we will start with cyclosporine. But my vet is very worried about the side effects!
We have discussed transfusions and again my vet is reluctant to do this and has no way of sourcing enough blood for an 82kg Bullmastiff, so i have been in touch with Breeders and breed clubs. The lady (elderly) who bred Bruce lives a 2.5hr drive away in Portsmouth and has agreed to give blood from either Bruces mother or brother. She does not drive so i would have to drive up to collect the blood and rush straight back. Not ideal but a good back up plan for an emergency!
We are doing everything possible for our beloved Bruce it is just down to him and the disease to battle it out, the vet says his odds are 50/50.
I will keep you posted, thanks again.
Luke - Torquay, Devon, UK

Hi,
Regarding Bruce: It's encouraging that his PCV is staying stable and that his spirits are good.
In the states, azathioprine is used more often than cyclosporine. Another option is transfer factor if your vet is familiar with it.

Bull mastiffs are so sweet. We have boxers and there's quite a resemblance. Keep us posted on Bruce's progress. Best, Elaine

Thanks again Elaine,
My vet has liased with an internal medicines specialist and he has advised to keep on with the preds for another week as long as Bruce is stable, then to add the azathioprine if no progress. He has asked for another test to be done to check for regeneration of the red cells.
If Bruce still does not respond they will take a bone marrow sample.
We have finally sourced some blood donors in Plymouth (45min - 1 hr drive south) should he need a transfusion.
I am supplementing bruce with a K9 milk thistle supplement and a probiotic supplement called bionic biotic.
He has sadly lost all his energy from this morning and been very lethargic for the rest of the day, i think the trip to the vets has taken it out of him.
So we continue this horrible journey with our fingers tightly crossed.
One thing is for sure all my future dogs will be on the local blood donor list!!
Thanks again Elaine.
Luke :-)

Hi Luke,

Sounds like a good plan for Bruce. The doctor is probably going to run a reticulocyte count. This test will give a good idea of his response to meds. I wish you both well. Keep us posted, Elaine

Hi Elaine,
Bruce is going up and down like a yoyo!
Had a great day yesterday, good spirits and a bit more energy but in the evening got uncomfortable again and is still uncomfortable and lethargic this afternoon. I think he is having stomach pain, it is certainly making alot of noise and has alot of wind.
It is like a rollercoaster ride. I am petrified of learning the truth from tomorrows blood tests, i am sure it will be bad news and i dont want to hear bad news but i will have to wait and see.
We just apreciate every day we have with him and realise how lucky we are to have him still with us for the moment and hope to god that he does not have a massive crash!
Speak soon.
Luke.

Hi Luke,
The worst stomach pain I ever had was from corticosteroids. Some of us (humans and canines) react this way. Poor Bruce is probably suffering. My vet gave our dog generic Pepcid AC to take along with his meds once. I've also seen peole on this board mention this. It's over the counter famotidine. Why don't you see if this and a bland diet (rice and boiled chicken) helps him. Best, Elaine

My 7 year old Border collie was diagnosed with AIHA Thursday. She seemed to be her normal self Tuesday but Wednesday she was a bit lethargic and Thursday morning we knew something what wrong when she wouldnt eat. The vet tried a couple of transfusions and lots of medicines but her PVC count only went up temporarily and then dropped down to 7. The vet said the prognosis was pretty poor so we decided Saturday to take her home and make her as comfortable as possible so she could go peacefully in a place she loved and with people who love her dearly.

It is late Sunday and she is very sleepy but still hanging in there. Yesterday she ate only a couple small biscuits and today she is not eating at all and drinking only a little. I just wanted to know if you think she is in pain and how long you think she might have considering her PVC was all the way down at 7, 24 hours ago. If you have any suggestions on how to make her more confortable, I would appreciate that too. She seems peaceful and comfortable but I think she is also just so tired she might not let us know if she is uncomfortable.

My husband and I would both like to be with her when she goes and are currently taking turns spending time with her and watching over her. Are there any signs the time is close so we can make sure we are both with her?

Also financially we are pretty strapped due to the money we spent to try and save her but eventually I would like to donate to research on AIHA in her name. Any suggestions on where the money would do the most good?

Thank you

Hi Elaine,
Bruce is also being prescribed 3g Antepsin 3 x day, 400mg Zitac 3 x day as well as 75mg Preds 2 x day, Bruce did weigh 80.2kg at the onset of this illness but has lost weight. His stomach problems continue to get worse.
He already is on a bland diet, due to his skin problems, Bruce has been ill the whole 12 months we have had him. He was seeing a dermatologist who was struggling to conquer Bruce's repeated bacterial skin infections. I think that him fighting this and a culmination of repeated use of various antibiotics over a 12 month period has triggered this disease. I think his immune system had just had enough and this is the result, is that possible?
Well off to the vets to find out the truth of how he is doing in 2.5hrs time.
Thanks for all your advise and support you really have made a difference.

Been to the vets and Bruce has a heart murmour, he looks bad i think, we are waiting for the blood results but looks like he will start the immunosup's today. I honestly dont hold out much hope for my poor boy. Will let you know the bloods results.
Luke.

Hi Elaine,
Bruce's PCV has dropped to 18 but his reticulocyte count has increased, my vet says this shows that something is changing for the better, that hopefully in a few days his PCV should follow suite? Is this correct?
My vet is refering Bruce to a specialist in Taunton - an hours drive from me, so we just have to wait for an appoinment. my vet does not want to put him on the immuno's until the expert has commented about the reticulocyte increase.
I have a little more hope but am very worried while his PCV is so low, he is still eating well though for the moment.
Regards
Luke.

Hi,
I'm so sorry to hear about your little border collie. At 7, her PCV is pretty low, but it's probably been going down gradually. If it had been a sudden blood loss she probably wouldn't have survived.
I don't think she's in pain but she's likely to be very weak. If her count continues to fall, her bodily systems will fail. Medications like corticosteroids are used to stop production of the antibodies that are destroying her red blood cells. If her immune system heals, her count could rise.
Donations can be made to the Morris Animal Foundation. for more information, see
http://www.cloudnet.com/~jdickson/newhope.htm
Best, Elaine

Hi Luke,

Your doctor probably ran a reticulocyte count, which shows the number of new immature RBC's being formed. This test indicates how well the bone marrow is releasing new RBC's. I agree that you should expect the PCV to rise in a few days. For Bruce, the change from 21 to 18 could make him weaker but not threaten his life. Good luck at your consultation and keep us posted. Best, Elaine

Hi Luke,
It seems the murmur could be related to a decreased blood volume. I hope the immunosupressants work well for Bruce. Besides blood transfusions, there's an artificial blood product and several blood product substitutes that can be used in dogs to raise the PCV if need be. Best, Elaine

Hi Luke,
It's possible that antibiotics triggered Bruce's AIHA. Since he didn't respond to antibiotics in 12 months it's also possible that his skin condition was autoimmune, for instance pemphigus or discoid lupus. Dogs with one autoimmune disorder are at risk of developing another autoimmune disorder. Wishing you both the best, Elaine

Hi Elaine,
We took Bruce to the internal medicines specialist, we have left him there. He will undergo a blood transfusion tomorrow of just red blood cells with the aim of getting his count up to around 34 - 37, he will then undergo a bone marrow biopsy, x - rays and scans also some tests on his heart the following day, then hopefully he will be coming home the following day to that. The specialist suspects Bruce has IMHA that is destroying alot of Bruces new blood cells aswell as his old ones, but futher testing will obviously reveal more. He was quite hopeful of helping our beloved friend and said he had seen dogs in much worse states than Bruce and had success with them. I am happier now he is in the best place possible and no stone will be left unturned.
Thank you so much for all your advice and support it has been a great help in educating myself about Bruce's possible condition and given me great hope!
I will keep you posted.
Luke.

Hi Luke,
I'm happy to hear Bruce will be getting a transfusion. That should perk him up until the drugs kick in. Keep us posted. His story is inspiring for others! Best, Elaine

Hi Elaine,
Had good news this morning, the internal medicines vet phoned to say that he took some blood from Bruce and that his PCV had climbed up to 22 before any transfusion or treatment! So the steroids are obviously kicking in on day 13. He will do a new reticulocyte check and if that has increased too he will not need to do the marrow biopsy. He is half way through his transfusion and doing well, i will travel up to see him tonight and then he will have his x-rays and scans tomorrow. I am so pleased!! I just hope it keeps climbing up and up.
I feel so lucky and blessed.

Guest
We lost one of our Jack Russell bitches ( Buttons ) on Mon 11/05/2009 to this terrible disease .She only showed signs of the illness late on Sat evening and although I got her to the vet on Sun lunchtime it was too late . She was just over 9 years of age and is terribly missed by all the family including our two other Jack Russell bitches ( Rolo 7 years ) and ( Wispa 18 months ) . We cannot believe it happened so quickly and was unable to be treated . Ken Galbraith Carrickfergus N .Ireland 13/05/2009

Here I am like so many before me.My schnauzer has been diagnosed with this.His symptoms seemed to have occured over a period of 4 weeks.I have my suspicions regarding a flea control products causing this situation.He was less energetic ,some loss of interest in some things gradually getting worse.He had vomiting and bloody diarrhea the day before I took him to the vet the first time.He was initially checked and his PCV was 20.After two weeks of taking him to the vet he went up to 22.On mothers day night I rushed him to the vets after hours and his PCV was 2.Not enough to sustain life.He was given Oxyglobin Via I.V..The next day he had a blood transfusion.His PCV was 18 when we left.So now its a wait and see.I have cried so much over the idea of losing him but I dont want to extend his suffering either.Reading others post has helped me realize there is so much we take for granted when it comes to our little friends and the chemicals we expose them to.I am going to make a dilligent effort to approach my other babies health care issues differently.More of a natural approach.

Hi,
I'm sorry to hear about your little Schnauzer and hope he makes a full recovery. I've seen AIHA people with hematocrits (same as pcv) of 2 pull through with transfusions. When blood loss is slow and gradual it's not as jarring to the system as sudden blood loss. Commercial flea products are very toxic so your suspicions are probably right. Best, elaine

Hello,
I'm sorry to hear about your losing Buttons. I can imagine how you and your family miss her. Sincerely, Elaine

Hi Luke,
Thanks for that marvelous update on Bruce. Sounds like he's over the crisis and can now focus on healing. Keep us posted. Best, Elaine

Hi Elaine,
Bruce's PCV is up to 42 this morning!! THRILLED!!!
He is having x-ray and ultrasound now, if they are all clear then he will be home later today. The specialist believes Bruce's condition was non-regenerative and this is why the steroids took so long to kick in. Will keep you informed.
Luke :-)

Hi Luke,

Three cheers for Bruce! You guys both did great!

I have to wonder if his skin condition cleared up from the corticosteroids too. Time will tell but many of the chronic skin conditions that occur in dogs, including the ones I mentioned before, respond well to steroids. I'll bet he'll be one happy doggy when he gets home. Best, Elaine

hello our cat galadriel has been diagnosed with AIHA caused by a blood parasite. She has had two transfusions of oxyglobin and still only has a RBC of 5.0.She is on antibiotics for the parasite and steroids to inhibit her immune system. She had her second dose of oxyglobin today but seems to be going downhill. I have her son who is the same blood group would whole blood be better for her rather than more oxyglobin? My vet thinks this may aggrivate her immune response further and says there is no risk of this with oxyglobin. I have read that whole blood is better for cats...is this true?

Hi Elaine,
Bruce came home this afternoon, his x-ray and ultra sounds came back all clear. He has to go back next week for a check up, poor lad is exhausted from all the tests and transfusions but has lovely pink gums and ears! He just needs to rest easy and get a good nights sleep. The specialist is sure that the TMC antibiotics triggered Bruce's illness and warned never to use them again. i just hope Bruces skin problems dont return as he is weaned off the steroids. The 2 conditions you mentioned before Bruce has been tested for and came back negative.
I have deepest sympathy for anyone who has lost a pet to this awful disease and would like to tell anyone who currently has a pet struggling with the disease to never give up on your pet a miracle could be just around the corner, i really thought we were going to lose our beloved Bruce and things changed for the better almost as quickly as they changed for the worse. I would also reccommend getting referred to a specialist as soon as possible.
Thank you so much for all your advise Elaine this is a wonderful forum you run here, it has helped me so much, i have learnt so much over the last 2 weeks!
I will keep you posted on how Bruce recovers.
Luke :-)

Hi,
My Pug was diagnosed on May 1, 09 with AIHA. The vet had prescribed an anti-depressant (clompraime) the Sat prior to his diagnosis. He also had Baytril about a month prior. OH and I had changed from Heartgard to Sentinel one month prior also. So, I am really having a hard time figuring out which medicine caused this. His HCT upon diagnosis was 12. He got a blood transfuion and they started steriods. At first he responded well, but then he took a turn for the worse. After he started to go down hill the vet started azathioprine. He also gave multiple whole blood transfusions b/c his counts continued to drop. His platelets were also affected. His plt count was 26000. My vet made several phone calls to a specialist, but never got a returned phone call. After several blood transfusions and lots of meds my precious baby passed away on May 12. I am so lost without him. I also am starting to wonder if the multiple transfuions made it worse. I know in a life threatening situation you have no choice, but I think it made things worse. His liver and kidneys failed and he gave up. the day he died is WBC was 100000. What does that mean? I guess I am just looking for answers. He was the love of my life and i was not ready to let him go. he was only 6 yrs old. I had mentioned to my vet about taking the spleen out, cause i am a nurse and that is waht we do for pts with ITP. He couldnt b/c the platelts were so low he would have bled to death. My vet did not seem to think removing the spleen would help, but i was wililng to try it. I feel for everyone who have lost a pet to this terrible disease. I am now passionate in finding out the cause and trying to educate others. Thanks for the blog, i really needed this.

Hi Luke,

Thanks for the update on Bruce's homecoming. He must be so relieved to be back in his own home. Keep updating us on his recovery. Best, Elaine

Hi,
I'm sorry to hear about Galadriel and hope he recovers quickly. Oxyhemoglobin is better for him than donor blood because cats have a low blood volume and are more likely to be sensitized by foreign antigens. This also allows your vet to give smaller volumes of blood product without having to worry about circulatory overload. Certain parasites trigger AIHA and it's important to eradicate the infectious agent. Best, Elaine

Hi,
I'm so sorry to hear that you lost your pug.

Of the drugs you mentioned, Baytril and the flea product are most suspect. As for the antidepressant, it seems finding the cause when there's a change in behavior would have been more helpful.

Multiple transfusions pose a risk of causing circulatory overload and organ failure. It's usually best to transfuse when the HCT or PCV borders on critical and to bring the level into the normal range but not too high, especially in a smaller dog.

Dogs with AIHA often develop ITP and corticosteroids are the first line of treatment. The transfusions sometimes help raise the platelet count too. Some of the latest research shows that platelet function is more important than the platelet count. I could see holding off on a splenectomy until things were in better control. Best to you, Elaine

Hi. My dog buck who is a 2 yr old Shep/Lab mix was just diagnosed with AIHA this morning. They are not sure of the cause and said it can be any one of several things that caused it. He was fine on Friday. Yesterday he was sluggish but we weren't sure what was going on with him he just wansn't himself. This morning I call him and our other dog to go outside for their morning potty run and buck refused to move off the bed. I freaked out and sped to the ER Vet hospital. His fever was at 106.4, his RBC was at 20% and everything else was low. The doc said they wanted to keep him and start him on meds right away.
8pm tonight. New vet on duty. Bucks RBC is now down to 18%, he's depressed and isn't moving at all. They are doing a blood transfusion at midnight and they will call if there are any drastic changes. Being that it is a Sunday I have to go pick him up in the morning and bring him to his regular vet and they will take over his care.
Right now we are at $1500.00 (after midnight that is) for an estimate. While I was at the vets office I read a pamphlet about "CARECREDIT" (carecredit.com). I applied for the credit line and was approved for 2400.00 (with my income alone)! What a relief that is. I know it may not cover everything but it takes a huge chunk off of out of pocket expenses. Payments are small.
If any of your vets have this in their waiting area and ur pup or pet is diagnosed with this...it's something to try anyway.
Buck is my baby. I've only had him for 2 short years and after losing my dear dog ricco a few years ago (to causes unknown), I'm just not ready to lose another. My husband and I are willing to try to keep him alive so the prednisone can start working, but we aren't rich. They are starting him on something stronger in the morning due to his fading condition. Like I said...Fine Friday, dying today. I will keep you posted. Thank you for this site, it's helped me SOOOOO much.

Tracy & family (including our pets!)

Forgot to mention...gave him frontline a week ago (they said frontline wouldn't cause this AIHA to happen)

Hi Tracey,

I'm sorry to hear that Buck was diagnosed with AIHA. I've heard of several reports of Frontline causing this. Please read the comments on both articles I have on this topic.
It sounds like your vets are on topic of things and the transfusion should made a difference. Keep us posted on Buck's recovery. Sincerely, elaine

Hi Elaine ~

Buck was fine at midnight last night (it had only dropped one point), they decided to wait and check his RBC again at 4am. They checked him at 4am it had decline one more point but he still wasn't critical. Right before I picked him up at 7am they checked his RBC once more. It is now down to 12%. It had dropped 4% in just a few hours this morning. They are doing the transfusion right now and told me all I can do is hope for the best. He may need another one and the Vet told me that his prognosis isn't good at all and his situation is critical. I will know more in a few hours. I want to thank you again for this site. It's helping me cope. Right now all I can do is pray he will get better (and I'm not a person who prays).

Will keep you posted.

Tracy & Family

My 7 year old Shih-tzu chevy was diagnosed with AIHA about 7 weeks ago( or so they think this is what they are dealing with ). She was very anemic and her white blood cell count was through the roof, she was running a fever and the lumph nodes in her neck and shoulder were quite large,and her slpeen was enlarged. At first they were not quite sure if she had an infection or if it was AIHA so they put her on an antibiotic which she took for 30 days and prednisone which she is still taking but have since had the dose reduced once. She has had numerous blood tests since and they are puzzled because her white blood cell count is not dropping and now this last time her red count also went down a bit again. We go back again on the weekend for more blood tests and will keep you all posted as to the results

Hi Tracy,
I hope Buck's transfusion brought his hematocrit up and that he starts responding to the meds. Best, Elaine

Hi,
I'm sorry to hear about Chevy. I'm not sure why his white blood cell count is elevated but if there's an infection, the responsible organism must be resistant to the antibiotic that was used. There are a few infectious agents such as bartonella that are known to cause AIHA. Your vet may want to test for these. Best, Elaine

Hi Elaine~

Just an update. We were able to bring Buck home yesterday. His RBC was at 16% but they said since he was perked up and eating it was okay for us to bring him home. He is on a mixture of hamburger/rice/dog food in order to get him to eat. He will not eat just his plain dog food right now so...he's getting homemade dinner.

He had his RBC tested today and it is at 19 now...YAY we are up!! Up is good. He is very weak and sluggish tho and the vet says that is normal but get him to eat whatever we can to boost his energy.

I want to thank you again for doing this site. I have read both articles and found them both to be VERY helpful during this sickness.

My heart goes out to readers that lost their pets. I can only hope our buck desides to fight with everything he has. Still crossing our fingers! =)

Oh..forgot to tell you also...

buck was found to have a tick disease that is called anoplasma so he is now on medication for that as well. 3 meds a day and lots and lots of rest!

Hi Luke,
Thanks for the encouraging update on Buck. His rising count is indeed a good sign. The home cooked food should help perk him up. Please keep us posted on his progress. I'm rooting for him. Best, Elaine

Hi Luke,
that's really good news that they discovered the tick disease in Buck. The ticks could have transmitted an infection that triggered the AIHA. The treatment should take care of the problem right at the source. Best, Elaine

I am very sad to say that Rawhide loss his battle with IMHA May 15. His PCV count was all most back to normal at 42 the previous Saturday. However, on Wednesday he started to look a little weaker so his vet gave him some fluids and increased his pred. on Thursday. Friday he was back to where he was when he was first diagnosed. It was time to release him to be with his sister. We will miss him.

Just so you are aware. I copied the link to this page and posted it on my facebook page. I wanted my friends and family to be aware of this disease.

Buck is back down to 17% but is still a perky (somewhat). He is eating his food as long as I mix it with rice/chicken or rice/beef. We need to take him in every day to have his count checked but I'm hoping he is on the upward climb. I'm hoping the antibiotics and everything else is going to get rid of this.

Thanks for all of your support!!!

Tracy

Hello,

I'm saddened to hear that Rawhide lost his fight with AIHA. My thoughts are with you. Sincerely, Elaine

Hi Elaine,
Bruce returned to the specialist today and his PCV has risen to 52!!
Waiting for results from the rest of his bloods so they have reduced his Preds down to 75mg every other day now. Hopefully this should help him as the steroids are really taking thier toll on him. His stomach is constantly upset and he has lost alot of muscle. We are so lucky to still have him, reading about poor Rawhide really tuned my stomach over, my sympathies to his owners. It may be coincidence but Bruces improvement started around the same time i started him on a Spirulina supplement called " Bio Preparation F3+" It is a blend of micro algaes, i got it from www.bioage.com
My vets have said it will do nothing for dogs but i am not so sceptive myself and have kept him on it and he continues to improve, certainly worth looking at, they sell 3 different strenghts.
Thanks again, kind regards
Luke :-)

Hi Luke,
Thanks for sharing the information about spirulina. I would strongly susect that it's making a difference in Bruce's recovery. And so is the tick treatment. I'm glad they're lowering the prednisone dose. Hopefully, they can take him off of it for a trial. Three cheers for Bruce. Best, Elaine

Hi Elaine,
Bruce returned to the specialist today and his PCV has risen to 52!!
Waiting for results from the rest of his bloods so they have reduced his Preds down to 75mg every other day now. Hopefully this should help him as the steroids are really taking thier toll on him. His stomach is constantly upset and he has lost alot of muscle. We are so lucky to still have him, reading about poor Rawhide really tuned my stomach over, my sympathies to his owners. It may be coincidence but Bruces improvement started around the same time i started him on a Spirulina supplement called " Bio Preparation F3+" It is a blend of micro algaes, i got it from www.bioage.com
My vets have said it will do nothing for dogs but i am not so sceptive myself and have kept him on it and he continues to improve, certainly worth looking at, they sell 3 different strenghts.
Thanks again, kind regards
Luke :-)

I am so relieved to find your post about Kozmo-please understand I grieve for you- but my relief is to realize that it has happened before. I had never even heard of the disease in dogs. My beloved Shih-tzu, Missy-suddenly bled from her kidneys and was rushed to our emergency hospital last Thursday was diagnosed-treatment and transfusions of synthetic hemoglobin started immediatley. She died on Monday morning despite every known intervention. She went from her usual bouncy sunny self and to being deathly ill in a matter of hours. I have gone over and over in my mind trying to find some clue that I might have missed. But she had no bloody urines or stools. The only clue that I might have had was that she seemed a little out of breathe on recent walks, but I thought that was because of the sudden turn to summer here from cool weather. I am so devastated without her and my other older Shih-tzu Coco is just lost. She will hardly eat.
Lee Peretz, Lexington KY USA 6/23/2009

Hi Lee,
I'm so sorry to hear about Missy. Unfortunately, sometimes the symptoms of AIHA creep up insidiously, interfering with early diagnosis and recovery.
Sincerely, Elaine

Hi,
I'm so sorry to hear that you lost your dog Mollie to AIHA. Some dogs, like people, have genes that make them susceptible to developing autoimmune disorders, and the risk increases with age. AIHA develops when certain environmental triggers cause the immune system to target and destroy red blood cells. Sincerely, elaine

Hi Donna,
Most forms of thrombocytopenia (low platelet count) are autoimmune caused by an erratic immune system resonse that destroys platelets. Platelets are needed for normal blood clotting. Vaccination stimulate the immune system, worsening and often triggering autoimmune conditions. They do this by increasing antibody production. This includes increased production of the platelet antibodies that cause thrombocytopenia. I'm very sorry for your loss. Best, elaine

My 7 year old f redbone coonhound -Cassy- died very suddenly this year-- still don't know exactly or for sure why..I was told she has thrombocytopenia..her platelets & red blood cells were deathly low. I can't help but wonder if her receiving her vaccinations that day we took her in helped or caused her death within 1 week..internal bleeding, throwing up blood & clots & bleeding in her bowels and urine. It has been 4 months since she passed yet I still try to figure out why it happened to a seemingly healthy vibrant little girl. I am now very leary of annual vaccinations & want to be as educated and careful as I can with my pets.
My heart goes out to all of you others who lost your friends, I know and feel your pain all too much.
Does anyone have any feedback for me regarding vaccinations? I greatly appreciate any info.
Donna

Guest:
One week ago, May 19, 2009 our American Cocker Spaniel, Graham passed away from AIHA. We adopted him less than a year ago, he was barely 5 years old. Poor Graham had fallen seriously ill two weeks ago. May 12th was the day we noticed something was not normal when we found blood in his urine the color of black coffee and he was not his usual energetic, playful self. We took him to the vet the same day, had a urinalysis test, blood taken and tested, and was briefly told he may have AIHA, his PVC was 21 and the symptoms/results from the blood work seem to point towards that as well. And it was highly recommended by the vet that we start him on Prednisone right away. On May 14th, our third visit back to the vet and another blood work ordered, his PVC had dropped to 14.6. We were advised we needed to take him to the hospital asap for a blood transfusion. The next day, the results from the Coombs test came back positive which confirmed he had AIHA. He was given two blood transfusions and was hospitalized for almost 5 days. We were very devastated because this happened so suddenly. One minute he was playing ball and the next... While at the hospital, his condition was precarious "stable", the medications: Prednisone, Azathioprine, Cyclosporine, Famotidine & Doxycycline, did not seem to improve his condition, his PVC was at 26, 24 to 22, 23, 20 and 19. Due to the severity of his condition, he did not want to eat, was getting more jaundice, vomit blood, had bloody diarrhea. He also had some swelling in the abdomen, cheeks and hind legs, and his bilirubin was too high. He was on IV fluids and IV nutrition which did not seem to help either. It was heart breaking and very painful to see him have to go through all this. He did try and struggle to hang on for us as long as he possibly could.(almost 7 days) Even though we tried to remain positive and hopeful, his condition did not seem to improve and I was scared to face the fact we may lose him in the end.
We had never heard of AIHA before all this and tried to educate ourselves as much as we could to make sure we were doing all we can in getting him the proper treatment. We stayed hopeful from reading the success stories about how other pet owners who have gone through the same experience with their pets, survived and lived for years w/o any relapse. But that was not to be in our case. It breaks my heart to relive the past two weeks and to read about other pet owners and their traumatic experience and what their pets have endured. We cannot calculate the joy and happiness Graham has brought us throughout this past year, or fathom how much he meant to us. We still have a 11 1/2 year old Basset Hound Mix, Gina at home to keep us company for now.

Guest:
One week ago, May 19, 2009 our American Cocker Spaniel, Graham passed away from AIHA. We adopted him less than a year ago, he was barely 5 years old. Poor Graham had fallen seriously ill two weeks ago. May 12th was the day we noticed something was not normal when we found blood in his urine the color of black coffee and he was not his usual energetic, playful self. We took him to the vet the same day, had a urinalysis test, blood taken and tested, and was briefly told he may have AIHA, his PVC was 21 and the symptoms/results from the blood work seem to point towards that as well. And it was highly recommended by the vet that we start him on Prednisone right away. On May 14th, our third visit back to the vet and another blood work ordered, his PVC had dropped to 14.6. We were advised we needed to take him to the hospital asap for a blood transfusion. The next day, the results from the Coombs test came back positive which confirmed he had AIHA. He was given two blood transfusions and was hospitalized for almost 5 days. We were very devastated because this happened so suddenly. One minute he was playing ball and the next... While at the hospital, his condition was precarious "stable", the medications: Prednisone, Azathioprine, Cyclosporine, Famotidine & Doxycycline, did not seem to improve his condition, his PVC was at 26, 24 to 22, 23, 20 and 19. Due to the severity of his condition, he did not want to eat, was getting more jaundice, vomit blood, had bloody diarrhea. He also had some swelling in the abdomen, cheeks and hind legs, and his bilirubin was too high. He was on IV fluids and IV nutrition which did not seem to help either. It was heart breaking and very painful to see him have to go through all this. He did try and struggle to hang on for us as long as he possibly could.(almost 7 days) Even though we tried to remain positive and hopeful, his condition did not seem to improve and I was scared to face the fact we may lose him in the end.
We had never heard of AIHA before all this and tried to educate ourselves as much as we could to make sure we were doing all we can in getting him the proper treatment. We stayed hopeful from reading the success stories about how other pet owners who have gone through the same experience with their pets, survived and lived for years w/o any relapse. But that was not to be in our case. It breaks my heart to relive the past two weeks and to read about other pet owners and their traumatic experience and what their pets have endured. We cannot calculate the joy and happiness Graham has brought us throughout this past year, or fathom how much he meant to us. We still have a 11 1/2 year old Basset Hound Mix, Gina at home to keep us company for now.

My 11 year old Jack Russell Terrier (Sparky - Love of my Life) is in the hospital as we speak. He has had 2 tranfusions. I have never been so happy to see Brownish colored poop after seeing the "Tar Like" poop for the last couple days. My vet is hopeful that he is on the upword swing. I have never in my life experienced so many emotions as I have over the last few days. He to had no real signs. I thought he was just under the weather. By the time I recognized the pail gums and got him to the vet he was within hours of dying. I had to take him to a more advanced hospital were they immediatley gave him a transfusion.
I am spending my days and evenings at the hospital to be able to visit with him every couple of hours. Daily we are having our ups and downs. The biggest concern now is the fluid that has built up in his stomach cavity that is causing distressed breathing.If there is anyone out there that can give me hope and prays Please respond. Let me know that your dog made through these terrible diaese. His CVC or Cbc (?) has finally made it to 28 (?)after being down to 5. He is showing large platelets in his blood. Protein levels are still very low. The vet advises me it is worth the continued treatment. I am concerned about his quaility of life now and in the future.

Hi,
I'm sorry to hear about Sparky's bout with AIHA. Getting his PCV up to 28 so quickly is remarkable. Because of the rapid fluid replacement many dogs especially small dogs end up with excess fluid in the chest cavity. Prednisone compounds can also contribute to this. If you read all the comments here and in my other article on AIHA, you'll see that many dogs survive AIHA and do fine. Some dogs stay on low doses of corticosteroids while others do not. Jack Terriers seem like a resilient breed. I wish him a quick recovery. Sincerely, Elaine

Hi Gina,
Your story about Graham was truly heartbreaking. You certainly did everything you could, and he sounds like he was a sweetheart of a dog. I'm sure you made his last year joyous. Sincerely, elaine

Elaine -My dog is surviving a fatal case of AIHA! Thanks so much for all of the information. The vet is talking about the possibility of Sparky coming home today.
Just to give everyone hope who has a dog going through this. Act on this aggressively and quickly. Do not hesitate. If you have the financial means to see this through, act quickly! You can expect a 5 to 6 day stay at the hospital and around 5 to 6 Thousand dollars. Sparky started showing signs that something was wrong only 7 days ago.3 days ago the family made the decision to go ahead and let him go. When we got to the hospital to have him put to sleep, the vet told us that Sparky was showing Large Platelets in his blood which was a positive sign that he was on an upward swing. He was in grave condition and when he arrived at the hospital he was within hours of death. He imediately received a transfusion and aggressive treatments of medication.Unfortunely, the positive signs of recovery are very slow and you have to give the medications time to work. It is worth the battle!
My concern now is what is it going to be like when I bring him home. I am very scared of a reacurrance.I am told it will be months of home medication and back and forth to the vet for blood test. What do I watch for? What can I expect?
Signed, Thankful

Hello,

How wonderful that Sparky is already going home and doing so well. You'll want to check his gums daily to see if they're getting pale. He'll probably still be weak and tired for a while but you'll want to watch for changes, for instance if he seems more sluggish. Keep us posted and good luck, Elaine

Lost our beloved Lab/Elkhound breed named "Gabby" yesterday, 24 hours after being diagnosed with this disease. She seemed fine on Wednesday, though i knew there was something wrong by evening. Thursday Morning i brought her in, after having alot of trouble just getting her to walk. The vet administered Prednizone, but by next moring her blood count was worse, she was not responing, and her liver was failing. We put her to sleep with loving family in attendance. she was our best friend.
I happens so fast, and not knowing what caused it makes i all the harder. This is the day after , it is truly a hard day for use all.

Hello,

I'm so sorry to hear that you suddenly lost Gabby to AIHA. That has to be a terrible shock. Some dogs move into critical levels very quickly without giving much of a warning. Sincerely, Elaine

Our sweet and very adorable Reggie passed away Sunday evening (May 31, 2009)from AIHA. We had never even heard of theis condition before Saturday. He was just eight years and 2 days of age. He was fine until Friday afternoon - my husband had taken Reggie and our other dog Lexie for their daily afternoon walk when Reggie showed signs of extreme weakness and he cut the walk short. He called me at work and I suggested maybe he he would like to go for a car ride in the convertible as is was a nice day and get some icecream. They did, but he didn't eat it nor did he eat dinner. I told my husband that if he didn't feel any better in the morning to run him to our vets office.(only 2 blocks away) He was there with him @ 8 a.m. The vet said he was jaundiced and would keep him to run a cbc. It came back at 9 (58-60 is normal) and was immediatley put on an iv drip with prednisone. He never improved and even though the vet had blood donors lined up for a tranfussion he said it probably wouldn't have helped. Wow so quick! When the vet told us that his blood count was low - he hadn't yet explained the disease AIHA now known as IMHA so I went to my computer to find out some answers why it was so low and found this web site - it was a tremendous help and we were more prepared as to what was happening to our beloved canine friend. The hardest part was not being able to be with him as the vets office closed at noon for the weekend. The vet assured us that vet techs and he himself would be stoping in very often to check on him and if all went well we could bring him home on Monday. The phone call @ 6:37 p.m. was difficult to hear - that Reggie had passed away. I have read enough that I can't blame any one thing - it is a very mysterious and unkind fast acting disease that robs dogs of their life. I only pray that research can someday help prevent this from happening. I hope preventative measures someday will maake it possible to forsee and cure this dreaded disease. Knowing how much my Lexie dog, my husband and I miss our Reggie our hearts go out to all the other people who have lost their pet/best friend to this.

Hello,
Reggie sounds like he was loved very much and I sympathize with your loss. Sincerely, Elaine

Our sweet and very adorable Reggie passed away Sunday evening (May 31, 2009)from AIHA. We had never even heard of theis condition before Saturday. He was just eight years and 2 days of age. He was fine until Friday afternoon - my husband had taken Reggie and our other dog Lexie for their daily afternoon walk when Reggie showed signs of extreme weakness and he cut the walk short. He called me at work and I suggested maybe he he would like to go for a car ride in the convertible as is was a nice day and get some icecream. They did, but he didn't eat it nor did he eat dinner. I told my husband that if he didn't feel any better in the morning to run him to our vets office.(only 2 blocks away) He was there with him @ 8 a.m. The vet said he was jaundiced and would keep him to run a cbc. It came back at 9 (58-60 is normal) and was immediatley put on an iv drip with prednisone. He never improved and even though the vet had blood donors lined up for a tranfussion he said it probably wouldn't have helped. Wow so quick! When the vet told us that his blood count was low - he hadn't yet explained the disease AIHA now known as IMHA so I went to my computer to find out some answers why it was so low and found this web site - it was a tremendous help and we were more prepared as to what was happening to our beloved canine friend. The hardest part was not being able to be with him as the vets office closed at noon for the weekend. The vet assured us that vet techs and he himself would be stoping in very often to check on him and if all went well we could bring him home on Monday. The phone call @ 6:37 p.m. was difficult to hear - that Reggie had passed away. I have read enough that I can't blame any one thing - it is a very mysterious and unkind fast acting disease that robs dogs of their life. I only pray that research can someday help prevent this from happening. I hope preventative measures someday will maake it possible to forsee and cure this dreaded disease. Knowing how much my Lexie dog, my husband and I miss our Reggie our hearts go out to all the other people who have lost their pet/best friend to this.

Dear Tracy,

I'm so sad to hear Buck didn't make it after coming along so well. My thoughts are with you and your family, Sincerely, Elaine

Hi,
I'm so sorry to hear about Max. I wish him a fast recovery. Best, Elaine

Guest:
Our Shih-tzu, Buffy became ill May 23rd and taken to our vet that morning. He gave her an anitbiotic (tetracyline). Later that afternoon I noticed blood in her urine and called the emergency vet hospital and they told me to continue the tetracyline. The next day I took her outside and she fell over. I immediately took her to the vet hospital, she was diagnosed with AIHA. They did a blood transfusion, IV and started her on predisone. She has her appetite back but still tires easily. We had given Buffy Frontline treatment just two weeks prior to becoming ill. Can you tell me the percentage of dogs that survive this terrible disease? Also, is there any vitamin or food (liver) that will help the anemia?

Hi,
I'm so sorry to hear about Buffy and sincerely hope she continues to improve. Most dogs recover although I haven't seen any concrete statistics. Some dogs will have mild cases and improve on their own and other dogs may have severe conditions and die before seeing a vet. Early treatment improves Buffy's odds.

Frontline has been reported to trigger AIHA.

Transfer Factor is good for helping the immune system heal, and you'll want to read Laurie's report of her dog Lucia's recovery from AIHA. She has some excellent tips in her comments. Best, Elaine

Hi,
Splenectomy is frequently used in humans with AIHA and thrombocytopenia. It allows for more blood cells to remain in the circulation. In people, it helps in around 60 percent of cases. It's worth a try if your dog is healthy enough for surgery and steroids aren't helping enough. Has your dog had blood transfusions. A transfusion might be enough to help his blood count rise til the steroids kick in better. Best, elaine

Hi,
I hope Zeus continues to improve. Some of these meds upset the stomach. You might ask about adding Pepcid AC. Without knowing of a specific infection, it's hard to say what antibiotic might work best. Baytril is sometimes used although it too can cause AIHA. Inflammation itself can cause a high WBC count.The immunosuppressant drug azathioprine is often used along with prednisone. Denosyl is usually used to protect the liver when there's liver disease. I haven't heard of its use in AIHA. Be sure to read the comments in both articles for tips on what's worked for others. Best, elaine

Hello,
I'm sorry to hear about Dizzle and wish him a fast recovery. A blood transfusion could help if his count continues to drop. Best, Elaine

Hi,
I'm so sorry that you lost your dog Bonnie. Seizures aren't usually a prominent feature of AIHA. I agree with the second vet that something else may have been going on. I think you'd have regretted it if you hadn't tried therapy of some sort. It's unfortunate that therapy didn't help. Sincerely, Elaine

Hello,
I'm so sorry to hear about your losing Daisy. It does sound like she may have developed AIHA. The suddenness of this disease makes it doubly hard to bear. Sincerely, Elaine

Hi,
Most dogs survive AIHA. It's not a hereditary condition so your dog's litter mate isn't at special risk. I sincerely hope you dog begins to improve. Best, Elaine

Hi,
That's great news about your little shih tzu. If you have any other tips that might help others let us know. Best, Elaine

MY 4 YR OLD SHIH-TZU IS STILL IN EARLY STAGES OF RECOVERY THE VET SAID IF I HADN'T TOOK HIM IN THAT DAY HE WOULDN'T OF MADE IT.BUT IM WORRIED THIS IS GOING TO RETURN HE'S ON PREDNISOLONE 5MG AT THE MOMENT IM SO SCARED ITS GOING TO COME BACK MY HEART GO'S OUT TO ALL THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE LOST THEIR DOG TO THIS FAST ACTING DIESESE

Hi Chloe's Family,

Platelets can be decreased in a condition called autoimmune thrombocytopenia purpura. Platelet counts are also the one lab test that are most frequently in error, especially if the blood is hard to draw. Any delay causes the blood to start clotting and this falsely decreases the platelet count. Transfusions often raise the platelet count. If Chloe really does have autoimmune thrombocytopenia, the corticosteroids can help. Many dogs survive AIHA and all of us here are rooting for Chloe. Best, Elaine

My 3 year old Mocha is in the hospital now, he got sick sunday , moday morning i took him to the vet, they gave antibiotic and sent me home, tuesday he went mback cause he could not stand, he has this eveil disease, it's friday he has been all the meds had the oxygloban on wed at 2pm, ivy, in a oxygen incubator since tuesday afternoon. His PCV was 19 tuedsay morning dropped to 13 tuesday afternoon, 9 Wed at Noon, and now 8 after all the treatment. What to do at this point i dont know, the vet sayss he has a poor chance surving this, . My kids are having really tough time, they lost they great grand ma in December, there only oncle in May and now there favorite DOG. Please help me understand why the oxygloben did not help Mocha. Pliz reply, today is decision day, im sure the vet will ask me to bite the bullet, as he told me if things don't change.

Hello,
I'm so sorry to hear about Mocha. In severe AIHA, red blood cell antibodies destroy red blood cells quickly. If your dog is on prednisone and azathioprine these drugs can help stop production of the red blood cell antibodies. Then the PCV would be able to rise. I hope you soon see signs of recovery. Best, Elaine

Hello,
I'm truly sorry to hear about Lucky's being stricken by AIHA. He sounds like an absolute joy. My thoughts are with you, elaine

My Sweet Mocha is playing in doggy heaven now, we bit the bullet, after his PCV dropped very very low. He is no longer sufferring. He was very scared there but today he was out of it . Nothing worked in Mocha case since monday we have been wishing for a turn around, even after the oxiglobin , nothing helped My Mocha, oxigen low, vomiting, diarreah, low temp of 97 for 5 days, . I held him in my arms till his last breath he was only 3 years old. Snif snif......

Dear Guest,

My condolences to you and your family for your loss. With Mocha's passing, heaven gained another angel. Sincerely, Elaine

Hello,

Thanks for taking the time to share the angel poem your wife found for you. It's so true and a good reminder for all of us. I'm sorry to hear you lost Shadow to Evans Syndrome.
Sincerely, Elaine

Dear Guest,
I'm so sorry to hear about Turk. How sad you and your son and your other dogs must be. My thoughts are with you, Elaine

Hi,

I'm not sure I'd have a bone marrow biopsy for a low platelet count. It would be easier to have a blood test for platelet antibodies to see if the puppy has idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura. Giant platelets can occur in this condition.

Depending on how low the platelet count is, your friend's vet may decide to try corticosteroids to raise the platelet count. Low platelets can contribute to bleeding problems but it doesn't sound as though anemia is a problem. Best, Elaine

Dear Guest,
I'm sorry to hear about your loss of Autumn. I can understand how she'd still have a special spot in your heart. AIHA is such a tragic disease. Sincerely, Elaine

Dear LL,
I'm so sorry to hear about your bulldog puppy Tank. My heart goes out to you. Sincerely, Elaine

A MUST READ!
http://www.optimumchoices.com/Downloads/BioPreparation%20Case%20Studies-I MHA%20&%20AIHA%20v1.6.pdf

My 3 year old shih-tzu got diagnosed with AIHA and after reading this it all makes sense. I am not trying to advertise anything or anybody but this piece of information really helped me understand and have hope.
http://www.optimumchoices.com/ImmuneMediatedHemolyticAnemia-IMHA.htm

Dear Guest,

I'm so sorry to hear you lost Espresso. In severe AIHA, the disease progresses very quickly. Sincerely, elaine

Hi Michelle,
What a great veterinary service you have. I hope to hear that Paddy makes a complete recovery. Thanks for sharing, Elaine

Hi,
I'm sorry to hear about Buddy. Many dogs have mild cases of AIHA and respond very well to prednisone. Don't be alarmed.There are other treatment options, including transfusions available to help if Buddy's condition worsens. I wish you both the best, Elaine

Hi,
I'm so sorry to hear that Lucie developed AIHA. It can take a few days before the prednisone kicks in. I'm glad your boxer was able to act as a donor for Lucie. My thoughts are with you. Best, Elaine

Hi,
I'm so glad you shared Coco's story here. Many dogs do respond well to treatment but we're more likely to hear from those whose dogs don't pull through. Coco is an inspiration to all of us. Best to both of you, elaine

Hi,
I'm glad to hear that Molly is responding well to meds. And I'm sorry to hear about your recent loss. I hope to hear that Molly makes a complete recovery. Best, Elaine

Hello,
I'm so sorry to hear that you lost your beloved boxer Janie. Her anemia could likely have been a result of AIHA but as you said, there's no way to tell now. My thoughts are with you, Elaine

I lost my dog Sammo on August 20,2009 after he was diagnosed with the disease on August 19, 2009. He was to be 11 years old in about two weeks from the day he died. He was a healthy, vibrant and active Great Pyrenees/Chow mix who hadn't lost a step or shown signs of age or had any major illness in his lifetime. This was his first illness and it began in earnest on the evening of Tuesday August 18. He began to show signs of an upset stomach followed by vomitting and then he became extremely lethargic. I took him to the vet the next day fearing the worst. They said he might have cancer of the spleen and my heart sank. After $600 worth of testing the vet determined he had an auotoimmune anemia. They told me it was a regenerative type and this was good. In my case the vet did the steroid treatment and suggested a blood transfusion if he did not respond. He told me to return in a week. On the morning of the 20th I called the vet to report that Sammo's condition was worse than the day before. I was discouraged from bringing him back in, advised that his response was "normal" for a dog fighting an autoimmune disorder and told to "give it another day". Sammo did not have anoyher day. He died in my arms at 10pm that evening. After reading these accounts, I am kicking myself even harder for listening to the advice of this vet and his staff. They never gave me an indication that Sammo's life was in jeopardy. They listed his condition as "needs improvement" and seemed to take the whole affair rather lightly. Obviously, this is a serious condition that requires agressive treatment. My heartfelt condolences go out to all of those who lost their companions. I miss Sammo every day and dream of him every night. He was truly my best friend and I deeply regret not taking him elsewhere to give him a chance at recieving lifesaving treatment.

Hello.
I'm so sorry to hear that you lost Sammo to AIHA. It's unfortunate that your vet didn't seem to understand the seriousness of the situation. Sincerely, elaine

Hi

I just lost my dog Lily (boxer/rodeshian ridgeback) yesterday. I am crying as I write this. I noticed that she was very fatigued and spent a lot of time sleeping over the last month. she had a fainting spell the last week in August but I attibuted it to her age almost 8 and the fact that it was July. In any event I took her to the vet and he did an electro-caradiogram and felt that she was in no immediate danger, he looked in her mouth and thought her gums were fine. A week later I took her back for an X-ray and blood work. At that time the vet thought she need to see a cardiologist. the same day I took her to the emergency cardiologist and she crashed and died on her way into the treatment room. The diagnosis was anemia. I feel so guilty - what if I had noticed this earlier. Could I have saved her. She was the best. Thanks for listening

Not sure where to start...or even if my pup's illness is indead AIHA. Neither her age or her breed fits this category. She is a 14 wk old Japanese Chin. I'm (personally) leaning towards the Intervet vaccine given being the initial cause but my dr. says it's doubtful. She's had three blood tranfusions in less than a month's time and we started injectable dexamethasone therapy (quicker than pred)today. Every lab test has returned with "normal" results. ie: parvo coombs hemobartenella... This all seem to have started after a treatment for coccidia two weeks after the (unusually painful) vaccine at 8 wks. The other pups in the litter didn't respond the same.The first transfusion appeared to have given her new life until the coccidia returned. I was told it was due to her immune system being low. I was given the panazuril instead for the parasite and 1 week later my pup was lethargic.
I immediately recognized these symptoms so on Wednesday of this week we did transfusion #2. On Friday since we still had (more of her father's) blood left, we transfused a third time. Today we started the dexamethasone therapy. Again, only because of the initial quick start. Fortunately for me, I work in a vet's office and am able to receive the lab work and medical attention my pup desperately needs (immediately). My doctor has been in direct contact with both the local specialty hospital and the state vet school. This poor pup has lived the past 30 plus days on antibiotics, vitamins, force feeding, and my unwavering love for her. She's still only 2.2 lbs but truly a fighter. As long as she continues to fight for her life, as will I in what I can financially do for her. If this is truly what she has, then by all means, I can continue the cortisone herapy. If the vet school is correct in the bone marrow toxicity theory, then nothing else can be done. If anyone with concerns or questions or medical knowledge would be interested in lab results I'd be happy to share. Again, the vet school and specialty hospital are baffled but curious as to why this pup is still alive. Neither are willing to see her for less than $1000 but I've spent over $700 on her now. At what point do you say "when"? She still continues to thrive (on/off) and I continue supportive therapy. Pray for her, as she continues her fight for survival at this young and delicate age.

Hi,
I'm sorry to hear that your little Japanese Shin is going through so much. Coccidiomycosis can be difficult to treat in little dogs and it can trigger AIHA. I hope she continues to respond to treatment and recovers fully. Sincerely, Elaine

I'm so sorry to hear that you lost your dog,lily to hemolytic anemia. Sometimes the hemolytic crisis comes on so fast that nothing can be done. Sincerely, Elaine

Hi,

I'm sorry to hear about Gypsy. She may not have IMHA, but could be anemic from the blood loss related to her UTI. Your doctor may want to do some other blood tests first. I hope she recovers quickly. Best, Elaine

My 5 yr old English Springer Spaniel has just been diagnosed with this condition and I'm scared sick of what might happen to her. She started peeing blood in her urine a couple of weeks ago and after a visit to the vet where she was given a scan and had a blood and urine sample taken she was found to have a very badly inflamed bladder wall and has been treated for a uti. That has all cleared up now but her latest blood test has showed she is still very anaemic although thered blood cell count is going back up and showing signs of regeneration. The vet says they have picked up on IMHA and want her in tomorrow so that I can have a chat with the vet about the condition and have Gypsy started on a course of steroids. I suppose until I know more I shouldn't be on here reading about other's stories as I'm only torturing myself but I can't help it. So far she seems back to her normal self but it seems that's not a guaranteed good thing. I will post again after tomorrow's visit to the vet and pray all night that it's something she can recover from. She really is my best friend.

About three months ago my best friend and companion Bob (7 yrs. old mix breed, pit & boxer) was diagnosed with IMHA. I took him in for a simple eye test noticing that he could not see well. When the vets office called me back, they had the terrible news and told me to bring him in immediately for a blood transfusion. His red blood cell count was down to 13, a normal dog is in the 37- 40 range. After the tranfusion he only went up to 18. I have taken him in every week, and now every two weeks. He is up to 34.8 on his red blood cells now. They put him on prednisone, azathiaprine,forti flora, metronidazole, pepcid AC, and an herbal medication (blood and energy pills). We have a wonderful vet who has left us feeling particularly lucky. I have read all the sad stories posted, but I also want everyone to know that this can be beat as well. I stay hopeful for my friend. I feel for everyone who has lost a friend, there were many nights when I cried fearing the worst could happen. Stay strong everyone, my thoughts are with you all. Melissa (Grants Pass, Ore.)

Hi Melissa,

I'm happy to hear that Bob is responding so well to therapy. His hematocrit (packed cell volume) count is impressive. His treatment regimen is excellent. Congratulations to Bob. he sounds like a sweetheart. Best, Elaine

My 4 yr old purebred mini schnauzer Dino has just recently been diagnosed with AIHA. I was doing research and stumbled across this site. Dino started having problems back middle of July. I thought it was just the heat and waited 3 weeks to take him to the vets. Over the past 6-7 weeks he has gone thru one drug routine to another resulting in his spleen being removed Sept 13th (his 4th BDaY) Fortunately there was no cancer and he has a shot at making it. His PCV hasn't gone much above 14 for many weeks. I'm hopeful that at tomorrows lab check we will have good news. I'm saddened by all the pets that have been lost to this disease but would like to add that this condition is very treatable if caught early. It's a long process but can be beat. I, like many others was busy wrapped up in life and didn't immediately notice the slight changes in Dino's behaviour. I would encourage all pet owners to pay attention to those slight changes. Dogs have a way of letting us know that something is wrong if we just tune into them. This disease has certainly made me slow down and enjoy the time we have not only with my pets but friends and family as well. Life trully is short so we should cherish every minute of it. Good Luck to all of you that are dealing with AIHA or any other disease your pets may have. Thanks for letting me share our story with you all...it helps to know we aren't alone.

Hi Everyone, I just want to thanks everyone who posts on here, as it as been very helpfull, I have a nine year old pomeranian who in 2005 started pooping blood, I had consulted my vet about it and hehad told me nothing was wrong, so over the next two years every couple months she would poop blood for a week. In Oct 2007 I had decided to get her spayed, and that morning she fainted before we got there, i had rushed her to the nearest vet and was informed that she didn't have enough blood in her body to be alive and they were shocked. Her count was 15. She then immediatly went for a blood transfusion and a biopsy, Then they told me she had Chronic Irritable Bowel Disease. She was put on Prednisone, and acted like a puppy again. Now two years later, she is back at the vet and getting another transfusion right now. The vet informed me that she now has AIHA, her blood count thin afternoon was 8.3. Its going to cost me another thousand dollars for this transfusion with no guarantees, so tongiht will be a sleepless night as i dont know if she will pull thorough this time. My heart goes out to all of you who have lost a best friend to this awfull disease.

Hi,
I hope the transfusions and prednisone heal your little Pomeranian. Be sure to read the insightful tips other dog owners have posted in these comments. Best, Elaine

We just go over one of our •Shih Tzus (Juju) one and a half years, now her sister and litter mate Lacy is down hard with it. She was fine on Tuesday of this week, Thursday she was in ICU. Expensive, and dreadful condition. Our girls are Black and White, and when the Jaundice set in, their white fur turned(s) yellow. Juju is back to full health, but now Lacy is fighting for her life. If we had known about this 8 years ago, when they were puppies, we would have selected a different breed. It's painful, time consuming and very expensive to get One over this, we'll see how the other one fairs...

Our 7 1/2 year old Springer was just diagnosed with AIHA Monday 9/28. Her platelet count was 13 at the time and fell to 5 two days later.
We doubled her pred, took her off antibiotics, and started feeding her beef liver, spinach and supplements (milk thistle, B-12, Vit C, Vit K)
I also add Pediolyte to her water. Her appetite is good, she goes for 3-4 small walks daily. We are hoping with moderate exercise, and a shotgun approach to her immune system, we will win the fight.
I will post updates.

I've read many of the comments on this thread and see so many similarities to what I am going through now. I have an 11 year old Siberian Husky who within the last month or two has changed significantly. I noticed lethargy, not wanting to eat, depression,incontinence and she would walk around like she was drunk--no balance. I took her to the vet and they did blood work. Based on that, they told me she was anemic, and had a UTI. They gave me an iron supplement,antibiotics and DES for the incontinence. After three/four days she was not getting any better. I took her back and they kept her overnight to moniter her and put her on an IV. They did more blood work and also took an x-ray to make sure she had no obstructions or strange masses. They stopped the DES and told me they thought she might have IHA. They have given me prednizone and said that she should show signs of improvement in 3-4 days. It's been 4 days and she still is not herself. She is eating, but I have given her soft food, not her normal hard food. I am taking her today to the doctor. I hope that the meds are working and that we just need to give it more time. Based on the comments I have read, I don't see many dogs surviving this. Are there success stories with IHA? Is IHA curable? Do dogs have to be on meds for the rest of their lives with this? This worries me.

I'm so sorry to hear about your Siberian husky. You might want to ask if a blood transfusion is needed to raise his blood count until the predisone kicks in. With prompt diagnosis and aggressive treatment, most dogs survive. Some, but not all, dogs need to remain on low doses of prednisone long-term. Prednisone can cause stomach upset and some vets prescribe meds like Pepcid-AC to prevent stomach distress. I hope to hear of your dog's improvement. Best, Elaine

Regarding your Springer, it sounds as though he may have idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) instead of or in addition to hemolytic anemia. ITP is an autoimmune disorder in which platelet antibodies destroy platelets. If prednisone doesn't work, the spleen is usually removed. This puts more platelets into the blood circulation. Best to you, Elaine

Hi,
I'm so sorry to hear about Lacy. While some breeds are more likely to develop AIHA, the problem lies in the excessively high dose vaccines and toxic products that keep getting pushed on dog owners. I hope to hear that Lacy recovers quickly. Best, Elaine

Thank yoiu all for posting your sad stories fora ll of us to learn by. I have recently learned that two of my dogs liter mates passesd away from this disease this past summer at 4 years old. so they are getting blood work done on Friday just to be on the safe side. I haven't noticed any symptons other than "the girls" sleeping all the time but I have two labs and they love to snuggle on my bed. Thank you all for sharing your story and your pain I can't imagine what you are going through.

hello,

My heart goes out to all of you who have lost your pet to this disease. My boxer Zoe has been suffering with this disease on and off for three years, the vets thought it was cancer at first. It developed quickly overnight, her lymph node was swollen the size of a grapefruit. They did numerous tests, removed her lymph node, bone marrow biopsy etc. They then thought it was ticks but it wasn't. She was finally diagnosed with this disease, she had almost no platelets or red blood cells but her bone marrow was producing them. She was put on prednisone and recovered. Last year it came back, again more costly tests. We finally came to the conclusion it was her annual vaccine. she was put on cyclosporine and prednisone and then just prednisone. She was doing well for 6 months but we just had her blood checked today and again her red blood cells are quite low. So the vets are considering a higher dose of prednisone again. she is currently on 17.5 mg a day. I am getting worried of the side effects of this drug. She is now 8 1/2 years old and she has been pretty sickly since we have had her.

We'll see what happens

Lori

Peanut, my 11 year old chihuahua died of Evans syndrome on Sept 21. Ten days before he had his regular blood work done and everything came back great. He received his rabies vaccination on Sept 10, and everything went downhill from there. He started acting mopey and not like himself. I brought him to the vet almost everyday because I knew something was wrong. On Sept 16, they noticed that his gums and tongue were pale and did a CBC. His counts were very low and I had to bring him to the Emergency Vet specialists. He received many transfusions and was put on prednisone and other meds. He wasn't responding. He even had some human immuneglobin treatment. He passed away on Sept 21.

I believe with all my heart that the rabies vaccine brought on this vicious disease. He was healthy, eating, running, barking and chasing our cats before he received this shot. I am so heartbroken and don't think I can get through this! I feel I should have been made aware of this risk. He was a house dog and wasn't in contact with other dogs! I know it's not my fault, but I miss him so much. My poor healthy little dog got his vaccine and died from complications from it. It's not fair!

I am so sorry for all of you who lost your beloved pets. It just seems so senseless and it didn't have to happen. Now that I know this info, I am seeing all the warnings on different animal websites. If only I had known sooner. My best friend is gone. SO SENSELESS!!!

I wrote a comment weeks ago about my little mini schnauzer Dino. Can you tell me why it was never posted. He's still stable but not responding to any of the meds. PCV has never gone above 14 since they took his spleen out. We wait 3 weeks on current meds (azathioprine & dexamethasone) if his pcv doesn't come up gonna try to take off all meds and see if he can stay stable. He's a fighter!

Hi,
I'm sorry to hear that you lost Peanut. I agree that the rabies vaccine likely triggered his condition. Sincerely, Elaine

Hi,
I'm sorry your comment didn't post. I approved it but the website may have been having problems. Any chance of giving Dino a blood transfusion to help raise the PCV until the splenectomy kicks in. Splenectomy helps by putting more blood cells into the blood circulation. If antibodies are destroying the red cells, it can take quite some time to see results. Best, Elaine

Why didn't my comment about Peanut post? You answered my question, but I would like to see my story.

Maria

my 9 yr old cocker spaniel just got diagnosed today. we r in shock. she was very weak not eating,104 fever, and her pcv is 25, but we are starting on prednisone today.. hopefully she will get better.. have to go back for blood tests in 48 hours..

Hi,
I'm sorry to hear about Rocky.
Your doctor will run a direct Coombs test. It's usually positive in AIHA. I hope it turns out to be a mild treatable form of anemia, rather than AIHA. Best, Elaine

My dog Snuffy, a Rat Terrier, was dignosised with IMHA in August of 2007. She had two blood transfusions and had done well over the last two years. About 3 weeks ago we started with it again, but this time it is also attacking her white blood cells. Thought we had things under control and gradually lowering her doses but she seems to be getting worse, again. I almost put her down 3 weeks but could not bring myself to do so. I am taking her back to the vet in the morning. I hope there is more that they can do for her. She is only 5 years old.

I hope Snuffy pulls through. There are meds available, colony-stimulating factors, that can help boost the white cell count. Best, Elaine

Hi Elaine,
Thanks for posting my story about Dino (min Schn). I had him back at the vets Tues and his blood counts have bottomed out. He's now at 11. We are trying one more drug called Mycophenolate. After 2 days on it he's still not responding. It's amazing that even when a dog is as sick as Dino is they still wag their tails and are happy to see you. I'm fearful that I'm going to have to make a decision soon about quality of life. My vet has told me there aren't anymore options after this drug. I hate this disease and my heart goes out to all of you that have dealt with or are dealing with it now. I'm just thankful I've managed to get a few extra months with my dog that others haven't had. More research needs to be done to help prevent this from happening to others. I have NOT been able to figure out what might have caused Dino to get sick. That's the hardest part. Will let you know how things go this week. Thanks for letting me share again. CC

Hi,
With a PCV or hematocrit of 11, I think you might want to consider a blood transfusion before to stabilize Dino until the new meds kick in. Best, Elaine

Hi,
The spleen is often removed in IMHA. Normally, RBCs are filtered through the spleen. Without a spleen, more RBCs are available in the blood circulation. Ask your vet how many of these procedures he's done and how the outcome has been. Best, Elaine

Hi Emma,
I'm sorry to hear about Sasha and hope she makes a good recovery. The Oxyglobin should get her count up and meds can be used to stop production of the antibodies that are destroying her red cells. Keep us posted! Best, Elaine

Hi,
I'm so sorry to hear that Macy lost her fight with AIHA. My thoughts are with you and your family. Sincerely, elaine

Hi Emma,
That's great news about Sasha. Pancreatitis is common in dogs expecially those who eat scraps high in fat. I'm glad to hear Sasha is recovering so nicely. Best, elaine

Hi Laurie,
Thank you so much for the update, and bravo to Lucia!! Many people have written me asking about Lucia and asking how they could contact you. Please check back from time to time and provide more updates. You've been a great inspiration to others.
If you want to write an article with your story, I'll post it here. Blessings to both you and Lucia, Elaine

Hi,
I hope Roxy responds well to treatment and has a mild disease course. Best to you and your family, Elaine

I'm so sorry to hear about your loss of Roxy. Sincerely, Elaine

Hi,
If Roxy got an infection from the nail trimming, it's possible but I wouldn't think so. Other triggers are vaccines, environmental toxins, and other underlying illnesses.
With autoimmune diseases, there's always some time before exposure to the trigger and development of the disorder so it's not usually possible to say what the cause is. Some experts think that several different triggers usually contribute to autoimmune disease.

Hi,
Regarding Happy, transfusions help restore the red blood cells to prevent a crisis. But meds are also used to stop the red cell destruction, by lowering antibody production. These meds include steroids and azathioprine. Holistic meds like Transfer Factor are also helpful. Ask your doctor about these treatments. Best, Elaine

Hi,
It's good that you took Tito in as soon as you noticed these changes. A blood cell transfusion typically raises the PCV by a few points and is very helpful until the meds kick in. Corticosteroids and azathioprine are most often used, and they help slow the immune system down. This reduces production of the antibodies that are destroying the red blood cells.
Sometimes, a second transfusion is needed to prevent excess blood loss. Antibiotics are sometimes used because various infections can trigger AIHA. Read all the tips readers have sent in as comments on both of my canine AIHA articles.
I hope Tito pulls through quickly. Best, Elaine

Hi,
I'm sorry to hear about Cindy's bout with AIHA. Her lab results are encouraging and suggest she's responding to treatment. However, some of the meds used, especially the corticosteroids, can really upset the stomach. Some vets will add meds to relieve this and some will have you pick up generic pepcid-AC to help relieve the discomfort. Ask about this to make sure it's not something besides her condition that is making her still feel off.
Some states will let you waive the vaccine if it might endanger health and some will let you have a blood test rabies titer to prove that the dog has immunity (It lasts for many years), and some will let you use homeopathic vaccines. Best, Elaine

Hi Georigia,
Thanks for the update on Cindy. Her blood cell count is looking good. Azathioprine is an immunosuppressant, and that can increase the risk of infection. It's good that your vet is staying on top of things. Keep us posted on her progress. Best, Elaine

Hi Eileen,
the posts can be misleading because more people are likely to seek out Internet resources for canine AIHA when their dog's condition is severe. Many dogs respond quickly to meds. If Nanook can make it through the crisis ok, her med doses will be lowered and side effects will lessen. I wish her well. Best, Elaine

Dear Guest,
I'm so sorry to hear about Dee Dee and hope she responds well to her blood transfusion and quickly recovers. Our dogs are so precious to us. Sincerely, Elaine

Hello my name is Helen and sadly I come to this website today with a heavy heart. Our family just lost our beloved, devoted, pet boxer (Skrappy) to this horrible disease. I like many of you didn’t see the signs or even know what to look for until it was way to late. He wasn’t sick a full day before his body just immediately shut down. By the time I noticed his urine being dark in color it was already in full process. I took him to an emergency vet and three hours later, I was faced with several difficult and soul searching decisions. Given (Skrappy’s) age which was 9 and the state of shock his body was in the vet gave me 2 options. One to let him die with dignity or two let him die in a cage with tubes, and heroic measures that wouldn’t even save his life just prolong that suffering. My boxers anemia was brought on by cancer, in which we didn’t even know he had because like so many animals they often times suffer in great agony but, with a cheerful heart they oftentimes like our Skrappy did never showed any outward signs until it was bitterly to late. My question and my concern is a simple one, isn’t there some sort of test? That could be ran on a preventative level that could perhaps give the owners a heads up? Again, I can’t stress enough how sudden the onset of this condition presented last week he was playing had loads of energy and was the dog I knew and loved. An Sunday morning he peed in the floor (which was the first sign of trouble) and by the time I let him out side it was to late, he couldn’t even stand to get back in the house ten minutes later we were on our way to the (doggy hospital) and it all snow-balled from there.


Seeking Anwsers,
Skrappys Mom

Dear Helen,

I'm so sorry to hear about Skrappy. We too lost a boxer to AIHA many years ago. There were no signs with her either. She died at the veterinarian's office while we were waiting for the lab results. In her case, it seemed to be a reaction to multiple vaccines given in one injection site, which was a common practice 15 years ago.
It could be that their exuberant personalities make it easier for them to hide their symptoms until they become severe.
Sincerely, Elaine

I also would like to add that his hemoglobin at the time of arriving at the vets office was so low that they were in shock as to how he still lived. The vet ran the tests did x-rays that actually showed Skrappy to have cancer or masses. Which I now know that had to be cancer because it was the catalyst that set this anemia/into action. Of course at the time I assumed he just had a really bad (Urinary Tract Infection) maybe even septic but, I had no idea that it was as bad as it was nor that there was NO hope for him, sure the vet offered a blood transfusion steroids and stated that even with all (THOSE) Scrappys body just was shutting down and it seemed like minute by minute he progressively got worse. Also, if he did pull through then I would have to put him through chemotherapy for the actual underlying cause, I don’t know I seen him suffer in those few short hours and decided that enough was enough. If he was going to die I would allow him to die with dignity. I made one of the hardest decisions in my life that night (with the Lords) help. He went peaceful with his head in my lap. There wasn’t a dry eye in the vets office including the vet. Now I feel like I have lost a family member, my best friend, my snuggle buddy, devoted companion and angel sent from heaven. Isn’t it just amazing how (dogs) can teach us humans a thing or two about life? They love unconditionally without respect of person, they never judge or scorn or condemn just comfort us with their undying affection for life. Miracles sometimes do come in the strangest of packages I can only pray that I could ever be as humble and devoted as my dear (Skrappy) he took his job seriously and touched everyone of us in his little family and he touched us for life.


Skrappys Mom.

Dear Helen,

It sounds as though Skrappy's AIHA was part of a general organ failure resulting from his cancer. Passing quickly seems as if it was a blessing. Such a sudden loss though has to be very hard for you. Cherish his memory. Best, Elaine