Clover the Chihuahua

[John]

Hello,

Our 10 lb chihuahua named Clover was diagnosed with IMHA 2 weeks ago.  Since then we have given him 4 blood transfusions, they usually help  him only 3-4 days before he needs another one before his blood levels drop to below 14.  He is on prednisone, cyclosplorine, and about 5 other meds.  His bone marrow is highly regenerative but I guess this disease is attacking so bad that he’s still dropping so fast….my wife and I are wondering what else we could do?  We don’t want to put him down and the vet said we could try a splenectomy but it prob would not work and cost 3-4 grand more.  Any advice is appreciated?  Should the meds have kicked in by now to help stabilize him????

Thanks,

John and Cristina

[admin]

Hi John & Cristina

First of all, I’m so glad you found us, but sorry to hear poor Clover has not been well – IMHA is  a difficult disease which really constitutes a big roller coaster ride. Please do not go ahead with splenectomy just yet as there are many considerations to take into account & medications you can try before going down that path. These medications do not work instantly (I wish they did) & sometimes we have to be patient.Transfusions will keep Clover stable until the medications start to work, and if they don’t, you just have to try something different. Please do not give up hope – many of us have been through the worst of times & we want to help Clover get through this & get better. Can you tell us how much Clover weighs & exactly what medications / doses she is on? When were the drugs started and when were transfusions given? Do you have any blood tests or other tests results you could show us? I don’t want to scare you, but you need to be aware of clotting risks – please see our information on abnormal clotting as this is very important as they often need to be on anti-clotting medication

https://www.secondchanceaihadogs.com/AIHA_Terms/abnormal-clotting/

I hope Clover has also been prescribed stomach protection (sucralfate/famotidine)

Has your vet found a cause at all & is your vet a specialist in internal medicine? Sorry to bombard you with questions. Can I recommend you contact Dr Jean Dodds at Hemopet  – http://www.hemopet.org/

– she is absolutely wonderful & so knowledgeable on this subject.

I am so sorry to have to keep this message short, but please know everyone on here is behind you 100% and someone on here will probably have experienced the same things.

I’m sure you are very, very  stressed at the moment, but I know you care deeply about Clover – with your support, he can fight this & you have done all the right things to help him.

All our very best wishes to you

Sheena, Worzel & Ollie

[admin]

Dear John and Cristina.

Welcome to the site, although I am so sorry you are going through this and had to find us. It’s good to hear that Clover is on prednisolone and a longer acting immunosuppressant (the cyclosporine). I know you said he is also on several other things. Do you have the names of the other medications? As Sheena has already said, it’s extremely important Clover is given something to prevent clotting. I also agree with Sheena’s suggestion of contacting Dr Dodds, who is an expert in this horrible illness. If Clover is not already seeing an internal medicine specialist, this would be well worth considering.

May I ask when Clover was started on the prednisolone and cyclosporine? These drugs can take a little while to take effect. Prednisolone is nearly always given as a first line treatment, and cyclosporine is widely (and often very effectively) used as a second line. If this isn’t effective, it may be that your vet could try a different immunosuppressant. There are lots of them which could be tried before considering splenectomy.

I am sorry that you are going through this. It’s a horrid disease and it’s such a shock to suddenly be faced with it. All of us here have been through it and will understand worries and questions you may have. Please feel free to ask anything. We are not vets but we will do our very best to help you find the answers.

Mary and Mable x

[Vally]

Hi John and Cristina.  I too am sorry you’ve had to find us and I know how worried you both must be.  It’s a terrible time and I remember feeling so helpless in the midst of it all.

I know a lot of questions have been asked but it helps to understand what’s going on.  Unfortunately, the medicines do take time to kick in and, as others have said, the transfusions are being done to give the drugs time to work.  I think it was at least a month before things started to stabilize with Bingo.

If you can list all the medicines, dosages and Clover’s weight.  When was the cyclosporine started – this is what turned it around for Bingo I’m pretty sure. Also if you don’t have them, ask for a copy of the blood results and post the information here, or you can use the Urgent Advice at the top and scan in results and they get emailed to some of the people here.  Patrice, Sheena and Mary are all very clever and can help you understand what the results are showing.

Everyone here is wonderful.  We all know what it’s like to be in the middle of this horrible disease.  As Mary said, ask anything, someone here has been through it.

Take care of each other too, it’s a very stressful time.

My very best,

Vally & Bingo (diagnosed Nov 2011, in remission)

[Hope]

Hi John, Cristina and Clover!

I’m sorry about what you are going through — I am also a new member of this awful disease club.. my pup, Steve, was diagnosed a week ago. I just wanted to write in and let you know I’ll be thinking of y’all. And you came to the right place — everyone on here has been super supportive and patient with me! Sending good vibes to you guys and Clover!

 

Hope and Steve

[lynn hill]

john,cristina& clover,  I too am so very sorry that you are faced with this awful disease I too have a chi her name is Hayley and she was faced with this disease and I knew nothing about it let alone ever hearing about it in all the years I have been a pet parent. but I found all these wonderful people who gave me advice and such wonder support or I could not have  gone through this.hayley was 7 years old when faced with this disease her pcv was 8% not much of a chance but with advice from all her and a wonderful vet team Hayley is now turning 10 in august this year and she is a 2 lb girl so never fear the size these little ones can fight very hard.  I wish the very best for clover and for you her family. my very best wishes , lynn

[Carol]

We are hoping to bring our chihuahua home from the emergency clinic today or tomorrow. Initial labs showed his count at 8. Referring vet was surprised he was even alive. He maintained at 10 for 1 1/2 days after first transfusion. Second transfusion yesterday brought his count up to 20. If if maintains at that level we will bring him home. He also needed anti-nausea meds for lack of appetite caused by steroids. We are anxious to bring him home, but cautious and worried about a relapse. I hope little Clover is on the upswing by now. Best of luck to you and all of the others dealing with this horrible disease.

[Sheena]

Goodness, Carol, you have been through a rotten time & your story is not unusual – it is incredible how low some of our dogs have fallen on the PCV front, then go one to make a complete recovery – but with a lot of hard work in between!

I see you’ve added onto another person’s story – you can start your own story here:
https://www.secondchanceaihadogs.com/forums/forum/aiha-dog/
Just page down until you see “new topic”.

Don’t think about a relapse – not an issue at this stage – just think about getting YOUR Clover better & into normal levels for now. Getting the treatment right is paramount – can you tell us more about exactly what drugs Clover is on? Do you know what caused the AIHA? The better the drug regime, the less relapses in our experience on here.

Nausea & lack of appetite is very common in the early stages – then the prednisone kicks in & they are SOOOOO hungry! Clover should also be given an additional immunosuppressant such as cyclosporine (Atopica) or azathioprine (Imuran). For smaller dogs, I feel the atopica is safer. Can you tell us more?

There is also a risk of clotting – the biggest killer of our dogs because their blood becomes easier to clot – have a look at this:
https://www.secondchanceaihadogs.com/AIHA_Terms/abnormal-clotting/
and chat with your vet. They should know all about this & be able to discuss it with you.

I hope you will stay with us here – we will try to help as much as we can & make sure Clover is on the right track on the treatment front, plus some moral support for YOU during this roller coaster ride.

Any questions, ask away!

Sheena, Worzel & Ollie xxxxx