Hector

[Patrice]

Clara,

Thank you for finding the lab results. There is an important distinction between the two species: Babesia gibsoni and Babesia Canis. First is the difference in size when viewed under a microscope, thus Babesia canis is referred to as “large” Babesia whereas Babesia gibsoni is referred to as “small” Babesia. The difference appears to be related to where the strains originated from(and thus the difference in the virility of the strain.) So how this disease plays out in dogs is different depending on the strain.

I know I already posted the link to an article that discusses this, but I want to pull out some important information to read about this strain for everyone else so they can follow along.

Note that while you are located in Minnesota, the following information about the location of Babesia gibsoni puts you right next door to Wisconsin, where this strain has been reported since 1999. Ticks don’t necessarily honor state lines, and with warmer weather worldwide, it is pretty likely that ticks have migrated across state lines since 1999 so that they carry Babesia gibsoni in your state as well. In addition you will note that these cases have appeared in American Pit Bull and American Staffordshire terriers.

http://veterinarynews.dvm360.com/canine-babesiosis-continues-create-challenges-practitioners

“In 1999, Babesia gibsoni infection was reported in nine dogs from North Carolina. Since that time, infections have been reported in dogs from Oklahoma, Alabama, Georgia, Indiana, Missouri, Wisconsin, Michigan and Florida. Almost all of the reported cases have occurred in American Pit Bull terriers or American Staffordshire terriers.”

“This small Babesia organism appears to be identical to the original pathogen from Okinawa, Japan, that is endemic in Northern Africa, the Middle East and Southern Asia. The parasite appears to be a rapidly emerging pathogen in the United States that is currently endemic in the Pit Bull population in diverse areas of the country east of the Mississippi River.”

“Researchers at Oklahoma State University experimentally infected dogs with blood from two naturally infected Pit Bulls from Oklahoma. One of the source dogs had been treated twice with imidocarb but still had detectable organisms in the blood. Parasitemia was detected in all dogs within one to five weeks after inoculation and peaked at four to six weeks before declining. The degree of parasitemia was 1.9-6 percent, except in the splenectomized dog which reached 16.4 percent before euthanasia. All dogs developed regenerative anemia and marked thrombocytopenia within one to three weeks post innoculation. Clinical signs included lethargy, fever and pallor, but were mild or inapparent in some dogs. Parasitemia persisted for three to four weeks and then became undetectable as the dogs apparently entered a carrier state.”

“Initial reports of the Babesia gibsoni organism isolated from dogs in the Midwest and Southeast United States seem to indicate that it is not as pathogenic as the California isolate. Although acute infection is associated with severe anemia and thrombocytopenia, many dogs survive the acute phase and become chronic carriers. A recent study reported that 55 percent of American Pit Bull dogs tested in Alabama were subclinically infected. Dogs with subclinical infections had lower hematocrits and platelet counts and increased mean platelet volume compared to dogs that were negative. The tendency to relapse or exhibit signs of vasculitis, protein-losing nephropathy or hepatic failure that is seen in dogs infected with the California isolate has not been reported in dogs chronically infected with the Southeast/Midwest United States isolate.”

So there you have it. There is a chronic carrier state and most likely Hector is one of these dogs. What to do? Well, your best resource is Dr. Holland. This is all she does every day, all year round. If she knows a successful treatment protocol she will tell you. You may find other owners on the internet that have found a successful treatment protocol. Many vets apply clinical experience to treating dogs with intractable conditions.

As you have read above, those dogs that were used in research and infected with this, and had their spleens removed, were far less able to clear the Babesia gibsoni. If you can determine if the spleen is otherwise healthy besides being enlarged, it may be in your best interest to leave it be. This is a decision that you and your vet need to make together, my opinion matters little in this.

I think you have done a fabulous job at maintaining him in a stable state. You are welcome to stay here on this forum for friendship and support!

my best, patrice

[Patrice]

Clara,
I had another article stored away in my massive link library. Forgot I had it.
It is very complete and a bit scary to read. But never-the-less important stuff.
http://yourownvet.com/tick-bite-fever-in-dogs-biliary-babesiosis/

You all may think I am a little over the top about preventing and testing for tick diseases, but this is the reason why. These diseases are insidious. Clara has done an outstanding job managing this condition.

This morning I took Willie in for his second SNAP 4DX+ test this year (and by the way the + now includes both species of Babesia.) I am doing them on both dogs three times a year now. The test was nicely negative. He got lots of treats and loving from the staff so it was a good visit and inexpensive.
my best
patrice

[Clata]

Patrice, you seem to be focusing on the babesia. Do you not think he also has an autoimmune anemia? I can share the results of his bone marrow biopsy when I get home.
I agree that there is babesia all over the place, but it’s so uncommon here that it has been difficult finding vets that have a good grasp of it.
Hector was originally from Virginia. He was part of NFL player Michael Vick’s dog fighting operation. All of those dogs were tested for babesia and many of them have it. I feel lucky that the rescue took the initiative to test the dogs so we had that information going forward.

[Patrice]

Clara,
Yes of course I understand your confusion. Please read the articles I am linking to.

There is definitely a relationship to the Babesia gibsoni entering the red blood cells and the reaction by the immune system to attack its own red blood cells. This is autoimmune hemolytic anemia, “intolerance of self.” Nearly every dog with Babesia gibsoni goes through an acute stage of some level of hemolytic anemia. The spleen is also active in this immune process, targeting RBC that contain this tick disease and destroying them in an attempt to get to the tick disease. That is why I say the spleen is the organ of control for Babesia.

This is referred to as IMHA, immune mediated hemolytic anemia. Different than Primary hemolytic anemia, This Secondary hemolytic anemia is caused by some condition. This can be variable but in Hector’s case it is directly related to the infection with Babesia gibsoni. Treating the tick disease is the appropriate way to stop the hemolytic anemia. If the IMHA is severe and there is a very low PCV, then the dog may also need treatment with transfusions and even the application of prednisone and cyclosporine in an attempt to halt the active immune mediated hemolysis.

The real goal, however, is to eradicate the disease. But to save a dog’s life, this other approach may also be taken. If the dog goes into a carrier state, does this mean they are essentially clear of the disease and will not be affected by it anymore? I don’t know that for sure. Dr. Holland would know more about that. But it is clear that Hector’s immune system stepped up and actually did fight the disease in the spleen. Otherwise he may not have survived the original acute stage of the disease.

Anemia really is only a sign, not a disease. The cause of the anemia must be identified and treated if possible. Tick disease is an insidious direct cause of autoimmune hemolytic anemia. The goal of this disease (any tick disease) is to find a place in the body to reproduce and the RBC is the perfect location.

Lyme Disease is also a tick borne disease, but it tends to seek out body tissues rather than RBC and it causes orthopedic disease, neurological symptoms, nephritis of the kidneys etc.

Each tick disease has a different set of symptoms and in fact many dogs can be co-infected with several diseases at once. This can lead to great difficulty in diagnosis and treatment. What if a dog is infected not only with Babesia but also with Ehrlichia? The only effective treatment for Ehrlichia is doxycycline, which doesn’t do much to clear Babesia and vice versa for the treatments used with Babesia.

The diagnostics for these diseases are well known, the treatments are less standard. There is a disagreement among experts whether the high dose, long treatment doxycycline protocol that many, including Tick-L, recommend is actually necessary and effective. However, on Tick-L the saying goes, “treat hard and long to avoid tickling the disease.” Get it the first time to avoid relapses. Dogs that relapse have a harder time and do very poorly.

So having a known carrier state with Babesia gibsoni does lead one to believe that there could be a relapse. I am no expert in this that is why I hope you are able to get more information from vets who are experts. I want to know what they say.

We have discussed this hundreds of times on Tick-L over the years and Gil’s information on the link I sent you is the highlight of those conversations. What we have all agreed over time is that there is just not enough research on dogs and tick disease. Period. And the sad thing for me about this is that many dog owners are not even aware of the dangers of tick disease. I stay active in the canine tick disease world just so I can specifically catch those dogs that are experiencing IMHA. I know how serious it is and I know most of the diagnostic test results that point to this. I know what the treatments are.

The tough part in the end is convincing owners to test their dogs and getting past vets that don’t think tick disease is an issue. You are one of the lucky ones who not only tested for it, your vet actually treated it properly.

does this help? do you have more questions?
my best
patrice

[admin]

Hi Clara

What a shocking story about dog fighting. Abhorrent. Thank goodness there are people like you prepared to look after these poor dogs after such a horrendous life. No wonder you are “fighting” to get him better & you have my complete admiration. Both my dogs had a very bad start because of evil humans & I would do anything for them.

I must support Patrice in the fact that we know from experience with other owners that generally the cause of this disease must be treated & eliminated before any real improvement or recovery will be seen. Unfortunately, that cause is not always found, but the best possible efforts MUST be made. The anaemia is just a symptom. In an ideal world where everything was clearly seen in the world of science at cellular level, it would be simple to isolate the cause or causes. Today, we still don’t have the “technology” to find the answers that easily. Tick diseases are a major cause of this disease for you guys over there in the US – I don’t pretend to be an expert, but Patrice is incredibly knowledgeable. I can only tell you that we gave Worzel high dose Doxycycline for 6 weeks (plus the immuno-suppressants of course) to be on the safe side – this was recommended by Patrice & I insisted on it at the vets because she drummed into me how important this is. The immuno-suppressants obviously reduce the immune system too, so inadequate antibiotic treatment could actually have had serious consequences by letting the ehrlichia spread – hence do not “tickle” the disease. I appreciate it is more difficult in your circumstances & I hope your vets can help you on this tricky subject of B Gibsoni.

We only want the best for dear Hector & to support you as much as we can – he looks so adorable & he’s really had a rotten time. Dr Dodds has vast experience with rescue greyhounds who are often infected with various tick diseases & I feel sure her input would be very useful to you – she has such a kind heart too.

Hoping you can get that boy better very soon
Best wishes as always
Sheena, Worzel & Ollie too!

[admin]

Well I just typed out a reply and all went haywire, so I hope this doesn’t now post itself 14 times in huge font. Apologies if so ;)

Patrice – that is really interesting about the Midwest strain of Babesia and I do wonder if this might be at the root of things with Hector.

Clara – Hector is a lovely looking lad! I’m so pleased to hear that he is eating well, although sorry that he had a bad stomach. I would consider asking your vet about a stomach protectant such as sucralfate, although bear in mind this can cause absorption issues (which can be avoided if you are able to stick to a strict medication regime).

Again, I need to ask about clotting, and apologise if I have missed this. Clotting can be a huge risk with IMHA in dogs, although I suspect that the stage at which Hector is haemolysing lessens this risk. Can someone else confirm this?

As Patrice and Sheena have said, anaemia is a symptom rather than a disease, and IMHA is often distinguished into primary (idiopathic) or secondary, related to an underlying disease process. Whether or not primary IMHA is an accurate description or whether this will disappear when diagnostics advance, we have yet to see. I am also unsure if secondary IMHA and Anaemia of Chronic Disease are the same. I suspect so, in some cases, and not in others. If the IMHA is indeed related to some underlying process which has not been identified, it is crucial for this to be addressed, in addition to treating the haemolytic anaemia.

I do hope you get some answers from Dr Dodds and will be very interested to hear what she recommends. Please give Hector some ear rubs from us. You are both doing a fantastic job.

Mary and Mable x

[Tamara]

Hi Clara, I’m so happy to see you here, I’ve seen your posts on the fb group and think of you and Hector often. This group is wonderful, such a great resource with really good information, they’ve helped me so much as Ashki’s recovery has been very slow. Patrice has given you lots of resources to get more information and second opinions for Hector. Bless you for taking one of the Vick dogs and caring for him and hanging in there with this. It is so exhausting and frightening. Ashki is a rescue too, he was with an owner that was not caring for him and then he came to me after some neighbors convinced her to give him up. Those rescue dogs just steal your heart :) . Sending you much love and many hugs, please give Hector some ear scritchies from me.
tamara and ashki xoxoxox

[Clara]

Patrice, I think I understand where you’re coming from. I have gotten so used to our vets now focusing on the autoimmune anemia part of his problem and putting the babesia problem to the side. But you are saying that the babesia must be what caused his AIHA. I agree. We focused so much on the babesia at first, but we couldn’t seem to get him well and that’s why we explored other causes of his anemia/enlarged spleen. He did test negative for babesia 3 times last fall. Unfortunately, the U of M mishandled the first two blood samples so we never got a test run before we started treatment (which I think would have been more accurate), only during and after. But because of all the negative results, our vets have ignored the previous babesia diagnosis and focus solely on treating the immune attack. I hope I am making sense. I have read all of your info, but I will go back and read through it again to absorb some more.
Mary, what do you want to know about clotting? It’s not something I have discussed much with my vets, but here is what I know about Hector. We ran an “activated clot time” on 7/25 and it was only slightly elevated, but I don’t really know what that means. We ran the test because we suspected he ate some mushrooms that would affect clot time. He was quite sick so we were testing everything. One possibly big clue about his clotting, though, is that a portion of his spleen has lost blood supply (an infarct is what they are calling it). So it appears that he could have had a clot in his spleen. The darn thing is finally back to normal size without any weird thick areas, but part of it has now “died”.

[Patrice]

Clara,

Thank you for finding the lab results. There is an important distinction between the two species: Babesia gibsoni and Babesia Canis. First is the difference in size when viewed under a microscope, thus Babesia canis is referred to as “large” Babesia whereas Babesia gibsoni is referred to as “small” Babesia. The difference appears to be related to where the strains originated from(and thus the difference in the virility of the strain.) So how this disease plays out in dogs is different depending on the strain.

I know I already posted the link to an article that discusses this, but I want to pull out some important information to read about this strain for everyone else so they can follow along.

Note that while you are located in Minnesota, the following information about the location of Babesia gibsoni puts you right next door to Wisconsin, where this strain has been reported since 1999. Ticks don’t necessarily honor state lines, and with warmer weather worldwide, it is pretty likely that ticks have migrated across state lines since 1999 so that they carry Babesia gibsoni in your state as well. In addition you will note that these cases have appeared in American Pit Bull and American Staffordshire terriers.

http://veterinarynews.dvm360.com/canine-babesiosis-continues-create-challenges-practitioners

“In 1999, Babesia gibsoni infection was reported in nine dogs from North Carolina. Since that time, infections have been reported in dogs from Oklahoma, Alabama, Georgia, Indiana, Missouri, Wisconsin, Michigan and Florida. Almost all of the reported cases have occurred in American Pit Bull terriers or American Staffordshire terriers.”

“This small Babesia organism appears to be identical to the original pathogen from Okinawa, Japan, that is endemic in Northern Africa, the Middle East and Southern Asia. The parasite appears to be a rapidly emerging pathogen in the United States that is currently endemic in the Pit Bull population in diverse areas of the country east of the Mississippi River.”

“Researchers at Oklahoma State University experimentally infected dogs with blood from two naturally infected Pit Bulls from Oklahoma. One of the source dogs had been treated twice with imidocarb but still had detectable organisms in the blood. Parasitemia was detected in all dogs within one to five weeks after inoculation and peaked at four to six weeks before declining. The degree of parasitemia was 1.9-6 percent, except in the splenectomized dog which reached 16.4 percent before euthanasia. All dogs developed regenerative anemia and marked thrombocytopenia within one to three weeks post innoculation. Clinical signs included lethargy, fever and pallor, but were mild or inapparent in some dogs. Parasitemia persisted for three to four weeks and then became undetectable as the dogs apparently entered a carrier state.”

“Initial reports of the Babesia gibsoni organism isolated from dogs in the Midwest and Southeast United States seem to indicate that it is not as pathogenic as the California isolate. Although acute infection is associated with severe anemia and thrombocytopenia, many dogs survive the acute phase and become chronic carriers. A recent study reported that 55 percent of American Pit Bull dogs tested in Alabama were subclinically infected. Dogs with subclinical infections had lower hematocrits and platelet counts and increased mean platelet volume compared to dogs that were negative. The tendency to relapse or exhibit signs of vasculitis, protein-losing nephropathy or hepatic failure that is seen in dogs infected with the California isolate has not been reported in dogs chronically infected with the Southeast/Midwest United States isolate.”

So there you have it. There is a chronic carrier state and most likely Hector is one of these dogs. What to do? Well, your best resource is Dr. Holland. This is all she does every day, all year round. If she knows a successful treatment protocol she will tell you. You may find other owners on the internet that have found a successful treatment protocol. Many vets apply clinical experience to treating dogs with intractable conditions.

As you have read above, those dogs that were used in research and infected with this, and had their spleens removed, were far less able to clear the Babesia gibsoni. If you can determine if the spleen is otherwise healthy besides being enlarged, it may be in your best interest to leave it be. This is a decision that you and your vet need to make together, my opinion matters little in this.

I think you have done a fabulous job at maintaining him in a stable state. You are welcome to stay here on this forum for friendship and support!

my best, patrice

[Patrice]

Clara,
I had another article stored away in my massive link library. Forgot I had it.
It is very complete and a bit scary to read. But never-the-less important stuff.
http://yourownvet.com/tick-bite-fever-in-dogs-biliary-babesiosis/

You all may think I am a little over the top about preventing and testing for tick diseases, but this is the reason why. These diseases are insidious. Clara has done an outstanding job managing this condition.

This morning I took Willie in for his second SNAP 4DX+ test this year (and by the way the + now includes both species of Babesia.) I am doing them on both dogs three times a year now. The test was nicely negative. He got lots of treats and loving from the staff so it was a good visit and inexpensive.
my best
patrice

[Clata]

Patrice, you seem to be focusing on the babesia. Do you not think he also has an autoimmune anemia? I can share the results of his bone marrow biopsy when I get home.
I agree that there is babesia all over the place, but it’s so uncommon here that it has been difficult finding vets that have a good grasp of it.
Hector was originally from Virginia. He was part of NFL player Michael Vick’s dog fighting operation. All of those dogs were tested for babesia and many of them have it. I feel lucky that the rescue took the initiative to test the dogs so we had that information going forward.

[Patrice]

Clara,
Yes of course I understand your confusion. Please read the articles I am linking to.

There is definitely a relationship to the Babesia gibsoni entering the red blood cells and the reaction by the immune system to attack its own red blood cells. This is autoimmune hemolytic anemia, “intolerance of self.” Nearly every dog with Babesia gibsoni goes through an acute stage of some level of hemolytic anemia. The spleen is also active in this immune process, targeting RBC that contain this tick disease and destroying them in an attempt to get to the tick disease. That is why I say the spleen is the organ of control for Babesia.

This is referred to as IMHA, immune mediated hemolytic anemia. Different than Primary hemolytic anemia, This Secondary hemolytic anemia is caused by some condition. This can be variable but in Hector’s case it is directly related to the infection with Babesia gibsoni. Treating the tick disease is the appropriate way to stop the hemolytic anemia. If the IMHA is severe and there is a very low PCV, then the dog may also need treatment with transfusions and even the application of prednisone and cyclosporine in an attempt to halt the active immune mediated hemolysis.

The real goal, however, is to eradicate the disease. But to save a dog’s life, this other approach may also be taken. If the dog goes into a carrier state, does this mean they are essentially clear of the disease and will not be affected by it anymore? I don’t know that for sure. Dr. Holland would know more about that. But it is clear that Hector’s immune system stepped up and actually did fight the disease in the spleen. Otherwise he may not have survived the original acute stage of the disease.

Anemia really is only a sign, not a disease. The cause of the anemia must be identified and treated if possible. Tick disease is an insidious direct cause of autoimmune hemolytic anemia. The goal of this disease (any tick disease) is to find a place in the body to reproduce and the RBC is the perfect location.

Lyme Disease is also a tick borne disease, but it tends to seek out body tissues rather than RBC and it causes orthopedic disease, neurological symptoms, nephritis of the kidneys etc.

Each tick disease has a different set of symptoms and in fact many dogs can be co-infected with several diseases at once. This can lead to great difficulty in diagnosis and treatment. What if a dog is infected not only with Babesia but also with Ehrlichia? The only effective treatment for Ehrlichia is doxycycline, which doesn’t do much to clear Babesia and vice versa for the treatments used with Babesia.

The diagnostics for these diseases are well known, the treatments are less standard. There is a disagreement among experts whether the high dose, long treatment doxycycline protocol that many, including Tick-L, recommend is actually necessary and effective. However, on Tick-L the saying goes, “treat hard and long to avoid tickling the disease.” Get it the first time to avoid relapses. Dogs that relapse have a harder time and do very poorly.

So having a known carrier state with Babesia gibsoni does lead one to believe that there could be a relapse. I am no expert in this that is why I hope you are able to get more information from vets who are experts. I want to know what they say.

We have discussed this hundreds of times on Tick-L over the years and Gil’s information on the link I sent you is the highlight of those conversations. What we have all agreed over time is that there is just not enough research on dogs and tick disease. Period. And the sad thing for me about this is that many dog owners are not even aware of the dangers of tick disease. I stay active in the canine tick disease world just so I can specifically catch those dogs that are experiencing IMHA. I know how serious it is and I know most of the diagnostic test results that point to this. I know what the treatments are.

The tough part in the end is convincing owners to test their dogs and getting past vets that don’t think tick disease is an issue. You are one of the lucky ones who not only tested for it, your vet actually treated it properly.

does this help? do you have more questions?
my best
patrice

[admin]

Hi Clara

What a shocking story about dog fighting. Abhorrent. Thank goodness there are people like you prepared to look after these poor dogs after such a horrendous life. No wonder you are “fighting” to get him better & you have my complete admiration. Both my dogs had a very bad start because of evil humans & I would do anything for them.

I must support Patrice in the fact that we know from experience with other owners that generally the cause of this disease must be treated & eliminated before any real improvement or recovery will be seen. Unfortunately, that cause is not always found, but the best possible efforts MUST be made. The anaemia is just a symptom. In an ideal world where everything was clearly seen in the world of science at cellular level, it would be simple to isolate the cause or causes. Today, we still don’t have the “technology” to find the answers that easily. Tick diseases are a major cause of this disease for you guys over there in the US – I don’t pretend to be an expert, but Patrice is incredibly knowledgeable. I can only tell you that we gave Worzel high dose Doxycycline for 6 weeks (plus the immuno-suppressants of course) to be on the safe side – this was recommended by Patrice & I insisted on it at the vets because she drummed into me how important this is. The immuno-suppressants obviously reduce the immune system too, so inadequate antibiotic treatment could actually have had serious consequences by letting the ehrlichia spread – hence do not “tickle” the disease. I appreciate it is more difficult in your circumstances & I hope your vets can help you on this tricky subject of B Gibsoni.

We only want the best for dear Hector & to support you as much as we can – he looks so adorable & he’s really had a rotten time. Dr Dodds has vast experience with rescue greyhounds who are often infected with various tick diseases & I feel sure her input would be very useful to you – she has such a kind heart too.

Hoping you can get that boy better very soon
Best wishes as always
Sheena, Worzel & Ollie too!

[admin]

Well I just typed out a reply and all went haywire, so I hope this doesn’t now post itself 14 times in huge font. Apologies if so ;)

Patrice – that is really interesting about the Midwest strain of Babesia and I do wonder if this might be at the root of things with Hector.

Clara – Hector is a lovely looking lad! I’m so pleased to hear that he is eating well, although sorry that he had a bad stomach. I would consider asking your vet about a stomach protectant such as sucralfate, although bear in mind this can cause absorption issues (which can be avoided if you are able to stick to a strict medication regime).

Again, I need to ask about clotting, and apologise if I have missed this. Clotting can be a huge risk with IMHA in dogs, although I suspect that the stage at which Hector is haemolysing lessens this risk. Can someone else confirm this?

As Patrice and Sheena have said, anaemia is a symptom rather than a disease, and IMHA is often distinguished into primary (idiopathic) or secondary, related to an underlying disease process. Whether or not primary IMHA is an accurate description or whether this will disappear when diagnostics advance, we have yet to see. I am also unsure if secondary IMHA and Anaemia of Chronic Disease are the same. I suspect so, in some cases, and not in others. If the IMHA is indeed related to some underlying process which has not been identified, it is crucial for this to be addressed, in addition to treating the haemolytic anaemia.

I do hope you get some answers from Dr Dodds and will be very interested to hear what she recommends. Please give Hector some ear rubs from us. You are both doing a fantastic job.

Mary and Mable x

[Tamara]

Hi Clara, I’m so happy to see you here, I’ve seen your posts on the fb group and think of you and Hector often. This group is wonderful, such a great resource with really good information, they’ve helped me so much as Ashki’s recovery has been very slow. Patrice has given you lots of resources to get more information and second opinions for Hector. Bless you for taking one of the Vick dogs and caring for him and hanging in there with this. It is so exhausting and frightening. Ashki is a rescue too, he was with an owner that was not caring for him and then he came to me after some neighbors convinced her to give him up. Those rescue dogs just steal your heart :) . Sending you much love and many hugs, please give Hector some ear scritchies from me.
tamara and ashki xoxoxox

[Clara]

Patrice, I think I understand where you’re coming from. I have gotten so used to our vets now focusing on the autoimmune anemia part of his problem and putting the babesia problem to the side. But you are saying that the babesia must be what caused his AIHA. I agree. We focused so much on the babesia at first, but we couldn’t seem to get him well and that’s why we explored other causes of his anemia/enlarged spleen. He did test negative for babesia 3 times last fall. Unfortunately, the U of M mishandled the first two blood samples so we never got a test run before we started treatment (which I think would have been more accurate), only during and after. But because of all the negative results, our vets have ignored the previous babesia diagnosis and focus solely on treating the immune attack. I hope I am making sense. I have read all of your info, but I will go back and read through it again to absorb some more.
Mary, what do you want to know about clotting? It’s not something I have discussed much with my vets, but here is what I know about Hector. We ran an “activated clot time” on 7/25 and it was only slightly elevated, but I don’t really know what that means. We ran the test because we suspected he ate some mushrooms that would affect clot time. He was quite sick so we were testing everything. One possibly big clue about his clotting, though, is that a portion of his spleen has lost blood supply (an infarct is what they are calling it). So it appears that he could have had a clot in his spleen. The darn thing is finally back to normal size without any weird thick areas, but part of it has now “died”.