Dewey, the Dachshund

[lynn]

HI, Marla,
I am so very sorry to hear that you and Dewy are faced with IMHA . My little girl had a pvc at 8% right before her transfusion. that was when she was 7.9 years old Hayley is now 11 years old. I hope this will help you to know that even with very low pvc count they can make it . Never give up because many stay very sick for a long time but then something happens you see them showing interest one day then its up’s and down’s but then you get to a good place then they can go down then right back up. this is a very evil disease. it keeps up so very torn but we keep the fight and I truly believe our fur children see acting like we have it all under control and hearing us tell them mama is taking care of you and it will be okay that they fight because they believe in us. and, our dear little fur babies show us how very strong they are… when all the time we are all apart iside. but with this disease stress is the enemy so we have to sound like we have it so under control. only you and all of us who have been in your shoes know and it is rough but we make it and … that is so our fur baby has every chance they can to make it… its 24/7 and its all on love that what keeps us and our fur baby making it. Vally and Linda emailed … I want you to know I am praying and thinking of you and dewy and I have already prayed for your little boy and will keep saying prayers. also Hayley was one of the last to get to a good place she was very slow to recover and for her pvc to get up to even 20 while many fur children were at 38%-46% I never ever gave up I believed she would pull through and told her she was going to be okay she had such faith in me … I had faith in her . but Hayley was swollen with her liver she is a 2 lb. chi she got up to 3lbs from swelling her liver was so big… and. I said to her specialist we will get this back to normal first things first she needs the meds that cause this but liver will be healthy again.many thing we have to face but one at a time. and, they can get better and it is a slow pace and many, many months to get there.muy prayers are with you and dewy and many special prayers going for dewy. hang and when and just be strong you and dewy need the strength for this fight. and, these wonderful people are the best support and they love you and dewy you are not alone… they were there for me and Hayley all the way.and with other fur children that had nothing to with imha ,,, they care about anything wrong with any pet. you found the best and they will be there even when dewy is well.i am sending good thought and many prayers your way and for wishing the very best. lynn & hayley

[lynn]

marla, I posted earlier but do not think it went through. I am sorry that dewy was hit with IMHA. it is a terrible disease to face and feeling so all alone not knowing of this disease… for me I had never heard of it when it hit my little chi Hayley. every one here was a live saver for me. my Hayley was so much slower than any other fur child to get to her 20’s with her pvc she couldn’t stand she was so terrible weak her pvc was @ 8% the day she had her transfusion. and it stayed in low 20’s for many weeks before it got up to 25%. I had to take her twice a day for 2 weeks when she came home to have her pvc checked out.hayley was 7.9 years old now Hayley is 11 years old … I hope this gives you strength to know that even though they are very ill and one with a pvc at 8% can make it as I said Hayley couldn’t stand for weeks on her own I made a sling to hold her up to use the bathroom she couldn’t stand even for that that’s how very weak she was. she is a 2 lb chi but at one time she went up to 3 lbs with a very swollen liver. I used milk thisle and sam-e but the vet gave her meds and in time her liver was in normal range. your little dewy is small but even these little’s can and do pull through this awful disease. you found the best forum all the people here are the very best and they know having their very own going through this. I use to be on but after my own stroke and heart attack I have been away for sometime. sheena and linda emailed about dewy to ask me to pray and I have many prayers for your little one because I care also and have walked in your shoes with my girl Hayley. you can lean on the wonderful people here this is a very heavy load to carry alone… and, here you are not alone. I am sure you have learned this.i will be saying many more prayer for dewy and you. rest when you can as you know this is 24/7 nursing care.keep up your strength for dewy and you. my very best wishes for dewy and you and my prayers are with you. lynn and hayley

[admin]

Hi Lynn
So good to have you around again – missed you & your wonderful words so very much.
Love Sheena xxxxx

Marla – this lady is the sweetest & kindest on earth – please listen to her advice & experience – she really cares about Dewey, as do we all.
Love Sheena xxxxx

[Vally]

Lynn, thank you for posting. It’s wonderful to see your encouraging words here again.

Marla and Dewey, you’ve got another lovely lady on your side.

Vally
xxx

[admin]

Hi Marla

How is Dewey doing today? I have been thinking of you both and keeping everything crossed that he is doing well.

All best wishes,

Mary and Mable x

[lynn]

Marla,
I hope Dewey is feeling better each day. It takes some fur babies for ever to get to a good place… but Hyley’s specialist said the first two week mark from when this disease is the most dangerous time.. after that some fur babies pcv climbs and some seem to be at a stand still… Hayley was one of the ones that her pcv stayed very low for months then climbed slowly. I know how nervous as a pet parent you must feel. I know how I was… until other’s walk in our shoes… no way can they understand what each day is like forus who fight this disease with our dear fur baby my little chi got down to 1 lb at one time then 3lbs. when her liver was so swollen. so many steps we take during the fight of this disease and we never stop checking the gums… not ever. Hayley was 7 years old when this disease struck her now she is 11 years old… and, every day off and on I check her gums.when this disease struck .. her vet seems to think it was due to the yearly shots as she had a very bad reactions then I think it was 3 day’s ater she became very ill fast, sometimes we never know why our fur baby was triggered to get this awful disease… no mater the cause its all the same a terrible disease. but from me I have learned stress with Hayley will bring her pcv down. thank goodness this little just doesn’t stress too often…. but with toy’s does she ever stress if she thinks one is gone and can’t find it. so after the other day… I am watching her with her toy’s .. at the end of the day she lays them in a straight line and counts them … with her nose … if one is gone… we have to find it fast or she is a wreck. then she puts them in her box of toy’s. hayley is a calm little Chihuahua she loves children and everyone she meets . and this little is not a barker like people think of chi’s. many good thoughts coming your way for dewey and you. I hope and wish all the very best for your little boy dewey… he is a doll and that sweet face… I love doxie’s. I grew up in Germany with that breed and other that are very dear to my heart as the schnauzer along with g.s. franz was the doxie I had and leisel my dear sweet schnauzer are alway’s in my heart. best wishes. lynn( hayleys mom )

[admin]

Hello My Sweet!

My goodness, no-one expects you to understand blood tests, so don’t you worry about that – it takes time & experience to learn about this stuff. Can you please send an e-mail copy to Dr Dodds? She will want to see it.

Eltroxin is the manufacturer’s name for thyroxine (levothyroxine sodium) so, yes, it’s the same thing. There are lots of different manufacturers for this drug & they all have different names in different countries.

Yes – the thyroxine should be given every day, twice a day, well away from food etc as the others & Jean Dodds have said. Not just for a week – every day from now on. Dewey will need to take it all the time until he has made a full recovery. This applies to almost every dog with this disease – it can make a huge difference to recovery. Vally won’t mind doing you a new medication chart, I’m sure. If he has a low thyroid problem, he will need to take it forever. We can only tell if he has a problem if your vet does a full thyroid panel. Dr Dodds is a world renowned expert on thyroid & her Hemopet lab does those tests regularly. If your vet would just start listening to us & doing what we ask, it would help! I know this is frustrating for you – believe me it’s very frustrating for us too.

Thanks for the blood test – well done for getting something out of them. Not everything we asked for, but it’s something! It shows Dewey is still anaemic basically so continue the meds as you are, using Jean’s protocol, & now with the added thyroxine of course. The really good news is that he hasn’t dropped PCV very much, so is looking more “stable” on that front, so you have very good reason to be positive – remember I told you this happened to Worzel? He hung around about 16/17/18 for a while – I was really happy it didn’t drop, but obviously was disappointed it didn’t go up either. I know many others have been through this stage too. His overall white blood cell numbers are a little high – this is seen quite often with the prednisone, inflammation, or it could be a false machine reading (another reason to do a blood smear & manual check!). I want to discuss this with Patrice & get her opinion too, Marla.

We really need the reticulocyte numbers desperately (they must have done this if he told you they were being destroyed) because it tells about what is happening on the bone marrow front. We also need the blood smear results (I hope to goodness they did one) to check for clotting risks & abnormal red cells – if we even just knew if Dewey was “normochromic normocytic” or not that would be a start!!!! Please could you ask that exact question for me? His platelets are normal as Vally says (good!), but the best way to tell if Dewey needs anti-clotting meds is to look at a blood smear. We are still thinking bone marrow failure, rather than the more usual form of AIHA/IMHA, so he shouldn’t need anything – but remember your vet scared us all by mentioning agglutination? We want to know for sure – again can you ask these exact questions for me please: “Does Dewey have agglutination, spherocytes or large amounts of red cells being broken down, or any other type of abnormal red cell. Is Dewey normochromic normocytic? What are Dewey’s exact reticulocyte numbers? Did you do a Coombs Test – if so, what was the result?”

I am going to copy & paste this onto the forum – you wouldn’t believe how many people are asking about you & Dewey! If you start using the forum, you will get support from everyone – sharing experiences with all the others will make you feel much more positive, I promise.

I am going to say this again – find another vet immediately – the one you have is dragging you down with his negativity & refusal to look at what Dr Dodds sent you. You need someone who will work with you, not against you. Many people on here have had to change vets – it’s always awkward, but it would be the best thing for Dewey & for your peace of mind. I would have no hesitation in changing if it were me. It doesn’t have a to be a specialist (I know that is impossible for you anyway), just someone who is open-minded, willing to work with you, Dr Dodds & us. It would help if they had treated this disease before, of course, but because of your location, that might be difficult for you. To me, someone with a positive attitude is worth trying in these circumstances. Dr Dodds can get you through this if the vet is willing to work with her – they will learn from her too,

Sorry this has taken me so long to write, but I wanted to be thorough. Hope there are no typos!

Sending loads of love & supporting hugs

Sheena, Worzel & Ollie xxxxx

[admin]

Please could everyone on here support Marla – she has had the most awful time with dear little Dewey & she needs some strong support from us all. Thank you.
Love Sheena x

[lynn]

HI, Marla,
I am so very sorry to hear that you and Dewy are faced with IMHA . My little girl had a pvc at 8% right before her transfusion. that was when she was 7.9 years old Hayley is now 11 years old. I hope this will help you to know that even with very low pvc count they can make it . Never give up because many stay very sick for a long time but then something happens you see them showing interest one day then its up’s and down’s but then you get to a good place then they can go down then right back up. this is a very evil disease. it keeps up so very torn but we keep the fight and I truly believe our fur children see acting like we have it all under control and hearing us tell them mama is taking care of you and it will be okay that they fight because they believe in us. and, our dear little fur babies show us how very strong they are… when all the time we are all apart iside. but with this disease stress is the enemy so we have to sound like we have it so under control. only you and all of us who have been in your shoes know and it is rough but we make it and … that is so our fur baby has every chance they can to make it… its 24/7 and its all on love that what keeps us and our fur baby making it. Vally and Linda emailed … I want you to know I am praying and thinking of you and dewy and I have already prayed for your little boy and will keep saying prayers. also Hayley was one of the last to get to a good place she was very slow to recover and for her pvc to get up to even 20 while many fur children were at 38%-46% I never ever gave up I believed she would pull through and told her she was going to be okay she had such faith in me … I had faith in her . but Hayley was swollen with her liver she is a 2 lb. chi she got up to 3lbs from swelling her liver was so big… and. I said to her specialist we will get this back to normal first things first she needs the meds that cause this but liver will be healthy again.many thing we have to face but one at a time. and, they can get better and it is a slow pace and many, many months to get there.muy prayers are with you and dewy and many special prayers going for dewy. hang and when and just be strong you and dewy need the strength for this fight. and, these wonderful people are the best support and they love you and dewy you are not alone… they were there for me and Hayley all the way.and with other fur children that had nothing to with imha ,,, they care about anything wrong with any pet. you found the best and they will be there even when dewy is well.i am sending good thought and many prayers your way and for wishing the very best. lynn & hayley

[lynn]

marla, I posted earlier but do not think it went through. I am sorry that dewy was hit with IMHA. it is a terrible disease to face and feeling so all alone not knowing of this disease… for me I had never heard of it when it hit my little chi Hayley. every one here was a live saver for me. my Hayley was so much slower than any other fur child to get to her 20’s with her pvc she couldn’t stand she was so terrible weak her pvc was @ 8% the day she had her transfusion. and it stayed in low 20’s for many weeks before it got up to 25%. I had to take her twice a day for 2 weeks when she came home to have her pvc checked out.hayley was 7.9 years old now Hayley is 11 years old … I hope this gives you strength to know that even though they are very ill and one with a pvc at 8% can make it as I said Hayley couldn’t stand for weeks on her own I made a sling to hold her up to use the bathroom she couldn’t stand even for that that’s how very weak she was. she is a 2 lb chi but at one time she went up to 3 lbs with a very swollen liver. I used milk thisle and sam-e but the vet gave her meds and in time her liver was in normal range. your little dewy is small but even these little’s can and do pull through this awful disease. you found the best forum all the people here are the very best and they know having their very own going through this. I use to be on but after my own stroke and heart attack I have been away for sometime. sheena and linda emailed about dewy to ask me to pray and I have many prayers for your little one because I care also and have walked in your shoes with my girl Hayley. you can lean on the wonderful people here this is a very heavy load to carry alone… and, here you are not alone. I am sure you have learned this.i will be saying many more prayer for dewy and you. rest when you can as you know this is 24/7 nursing care.keep up your strength for dewy and you. my very best wishes for dewy and you and my prayers are with you. lynn and hayley

[admin]

Hi Lynn
So good to have you around again – missed you & your wonderful words so very much.
Love Sheena xxxxx

Marla – this lady is the sweetest & kindest on earth – please listen to her advice & experience – she really cares about Dewey, as do we all.
Love Sheena xxxxx

[Vally]

Lynn, thank you for posting. It’s wonderful to see your encouraging words here again.

Marla and Dewey, you’ve got another lovely lady on your side.

Vally
xxx

[admin]

Hi Marla

How is Dewey doing today? I have been thinking of you both and keeping everything crossed that he is doing well.

All best wishes,

Mary and Mable x

[lynn]

Marla,
I hope Dewey is feeling better each day. It takes some fur babies for ever to get to a good place… but Hyley’s specialist said the first two week mark from when this disease is the most dangerous time.. after that some fur babies pcv climbs and some seem to be at a stand still… Hayley was one of the ones that her pcv stayed very low for months then climbed slowly. I know how nervous as a pet parent you must feel. I know how I was… until other’s walk in our shoes… no way can they understand what each day is like forus who fight this disease with our dear fur baby my little chi got down to 1 lb at one time then 3lbs. when her liver was so swollen. so many steps we take during the fight of this disease and we never stop checking the gums… not ever. Hayley was 7 years old when this disease struck her now she is 11 years old… and, every day off and on I check her gums.when this disease struck .. her vet seems to think it was due to the yearly shots as she had a very bad reactions then I think it was 3 day’s ater she became very ill fast, sometimes we never know why our fur baby was triggered to get this awful disease… no mater the cause its all the same a terrible disease. but from me I have learned stress with Hayley will bring her pcv down. thank goodness this little just doesn’t stress too often…. but with toy’s does she ever stress if she thinks one is gone and can’t find it. so after the other day… I am watching her with her toy’s .. at the end of the day she lays them in a straight line and counts them … with her nose … if one is gone… we have to find it fast or she is a wreck. then she puts them in her box of toy’s. hayley is a calm little Chihuahua she loves children and everyone she meets . and this little is not a barker like people think of chi’s. many good thoughts coming your way for dewey and you. I hope and wish all the very best for your little boy dewey… he is a doll and that sweet face… I love doxie’s. I grew up in Germany with that breed and other that are very dear to my heart as the schnauzer along with g.s. franz was the doxie I had and leisel my dear sweet schnauzer are alway’s in my heart. best wishes. lynn( hayleys mom )

[admin]

Hello My Sweet!

My goodness, no-one expects you to understand blood tests, so don’t you worry about that – it takes time & experience to learn about this stuff. Can you please send an e-mail copy to Dr Dodds? She will want to see it.

Eltroxin is the manufacturer’s name for thyroxine (levothyroxine sodium) so, yes, it’s the same thing. There are lots of different manufacturers for this drug & they all have different names in different countries.

Yes – the thyroxine should be given every day, twice a day, well away from food etc as the others & Jean Dodds have said. Not just for a week – every day from now on. Dewey will need to take it all the time until he has made a full recovery. This applies to almost every dog with this disease – it can make a huge difference to recovery. Vally won’t mind doing you a new medication chart, I’m sure. If he has a low thyroid problem, he will need to take it forever. We can only tell if he has a problem if your vet does a full thyroid panel. Dr Dodds is a world renowned expert on thyroid & her Hemopet lab does those tests regularly. If your vet would just start listening to us & doing what we ask, it would help! I know this is frustrating for you – believe me it’s very frustrating for us too.

Thanks for the blood test – well done for getting something out of them. Not everything we asked for, but it’s something! It shows Dewey is still anaemic basically so continue the meds as you are, using Jean’s protocol, & now with the added thyroxine of course. The really good news is that he hasn’t dropped PCV very much, so is looking more “stable” on that front, so you have very good reason to be positive – remember I told you this happened to Worzel? He hung around about 16/17/18 for a while – I was really happy it didn’t drop, but obviously was disappointed it didn’t go up either. I know many others have been through this stage too. His overall white blood cell numbers are a little high – this is seen quite often with the prednisone, inflammation, or it could be a false machine reading (another reason to do a blood smear & manual check!). I want to discuss this with Patrice & get her opinion too, Marla.

We really need the reticulocyte numbers desperately (they must have done this if he told you they were being destroyed) because it tells about what is happening on the bone marrow front. We also need the blood smear results (I hope to goodness they did one) to check for clotting risks & abnormal red cells – if we even just knew if Dewey was “normochromic normocytic” or not that would be a start!!!! Please could you ask that exact question for me? His platelets are normal as Vally says (good!), but the best way to tell if Dewey needs anti-clotting meds is to look at a blood smear. We are still thinking bone marrow failure, rather than the more usual form of AIHA/IMHA, so he shouldn’t need anything – but remember your vet scared us all by mentioning agglutination? We want to know for sure – again can you ask these exact questions for me please: “Does Dewey have agglutination, spherocytes or large amounts of red cells being broken down, or any other type of abnormal red cell. Is Dewey normochromic normocytic? What are Dewey’s exact reticulocyte numbers? Did you do a Coombs Test – if so, what was the result?”

I am going to copy & paste this onto the forum – you wouldn’t believe how many people are asking about you & Dewey! If you start using the forum, you will get support from everyone – sharing experiences with all the others will make you feel much more positive, I promise.

I am going to say this again – find another vet immediately – the one you have is dragging you down with his negativity & refusal to look at what Dr Dodds sent you. You need someone who will work with you, not against you. Many people on here have had to change vets – it’s always awkward, but it would be the best thing for Dewey & for your peace of mind. I would have no hesitation in changing if it were me. It doesn’t have a to be a specialist (I know that is impossible for you anyway), just someone who is open-minded, willing to work with you, Dr Dodds & us. It would help if they had treated this disease before, of course, but because of your location, that might be difficult for you. To me, someone with a positive attitude is worth trying in these circumstances. Dr Dodds can get you through this if the vet is willing to work with her – they will learn from her too,

Sorry this has taken me so long to write, but I wanted to be thorough. Hope there are no typos!

Sending loads of love & supporting hugs

Sheena, Worzel & Ollie xxxxx

[admin]

Please could everyone on here support Marla – she has had the most awful time with dear little Dewey & she needs some strong support from us all. Thank you.
Love Sheena x