Puppy just diagnosed with IMHA

Hiya Crystal

Really sorry poor Ajax has this roller coaster of a disease – remember most dogs DO recover really well if the treatment is given properly, so ignore “statistics” – they just make you more worried. Concentrate on the positives! All of us have lived through this horrible scenario & are here to help you, but we need as much information as you can give us to see what’s happening with your baby.

Vally is just amazing at explaining things & I completely agree with everything she’s mentioned.

Just a thought – we have 2 other puppies on here – has Ajax had an vaccinations lately? They can trigger this disease. But if your vet suspects infection (the antibiotics give us that clue!), that could also be the trigger. My poor boy Worzel caught a tick disease (we didn’t know as it festered in the background for months) & then had a vaccination – a complete disaster. It was a difficult journey getting him back to full health.

It sounds as if Ajax is doing pretty well – that his PCV going up is great news! I have to confess I was down the vets getting a PCV every 3 or 4 days to start with – until he reached a normal PCV. I personally would do this with Ajax if I were you. If you think his gums look pale (don’t check when they are inactive though) get a quick PCV done – it puts your mind at rest & catches any problems early. I stopped worrying that my vets probably thought I was completely paranoid about his PCV. As Vally says, this is the crazy, paranoid world of AIHA/IMHA after all!

Sending best wishes for a speedy recovery
Sheena, Worzel (diagnosed Dec 2012, in remission) & Ollie

Thank you everyone for your responses. Ajax is 39 lbs and is on 10mg prednisone, clavamox & 10 mg famotadine. I have no idea what might have triggered this, no recent vaccines or medications & no bug bite that I know of. He just wasn’t his usual high energy self yesterday morning, but still walking around & interested in things, eating but not as enthusiastic as he usually is. I checked his gums & they were very pale so I got him in to a vet. Today his appetite is worse, gums still pale & low energy. I’m not seeing an increase in appetite or thirst yet, any idea how long it takes to see that? Thank you for your advice.

Hi Crystal

Oh, he does sound a poorly boy. Let’s give you some ideas:

That is a low dose of prednisone actually – did you start at a higher dose? The recommendation is normally 1mg per pound (2mg per kilo) per day & should be divided into in 2 equal doses, given 12 hours apart so that would be 40mg in total, i.e. 20mg twice per day – a lot more than 10mg. I think this is why the thirst & greedy appetitie hasn’t happened – the dose is low.

See https://www.secondchanceaihadogs.com/AIHA_Terms/prednisone/

Maybe they are being cautious as Ajax is very young? What was his PCV when you took him to the vets? In adult dogs, a second longer acting immuno-suppressant is usually needed, such as cyclosporine, azathioprine. Again, your vet may be reluctant to add them because he’s just a baby.

So if Ajax doesn’t respond, you can put the pred dose up & add another drug if necessary. Plenty of options & plenty of hope for a good recovery.

Do you have any blood results you can send us? It helps us to understand more about what is happening, possibly why, too. The clavamox – what was that given for? What did your vet say about infection? Infection as a trigger is common, so worth thinking about for sure.

Here’s where to upload bloodwork, tests results, anything from the vets that you can send us please:
https://www.secondchanceaihadogs.com/urgent-advice/

Hope this has helped – keep telling us what’s happening & what you are worried about – but please let us have as much information as you possibly can!

All my very best wishes to you & your dear pup,
Sheena, Worzel & Ollie xxxx

PS I am in France, so getting near my bedtime now – we are all over the world, so someone on here is usually awake to help.