Heidi's battle with AIHA

Liz Martin

Guest

This website has offered comfort over the past few months. I didn’t post, but I read the forum and the information provided. I want to share our story:
Heidi, a Pomeranian born 3/2012, became an immediate presence in my life and my daughter’s life. This dog was the light of our lives, always smiling and bouncing around, always right with us.
In October, 2014, she became lethargic and nauseated. Her lab work was normal. A second vet suggested a blockage so she endured exploratory surgery with no success. It was finally determined that she was suffering from gastroenteritis. She had several more episodes in the following months, sometimes with a seizure, or a fainting spell.
In August, 2015, her CBC showed severe anemia and she was given an emergency blood transfusion, and diagnosed with AMHA/AIHA. She began prednisone/protonix treatment. She improved but suffered with what our vet called “garbage gut” in December (bloody diarrhea) but recovered quickly with antibiotics. Overall, she responded well and seemed to feel well.

She had vitamin B12 injections every few weeks in addition to blood tests. Just last week, her CBC showed an RBC of 35%, holding steady for the past 12-14 weeks so her vet continued weaning her from the prednisone, down to every three days.
Saturday morning, Heidi and I were enjoying our morning coffee and a movie, when I noticed the purple bruise that had formed right on her surgery scar. I knew this was a sign that her platelets weren’t right.
We rushed her to the local Urgent Pet care for a blood count. The vet was pleased with her vitals and the color of her gums. Her RBC had only dropped to 34%, but the platelet count was dangerously low which gave us three options:
1. Take her to the Charlotte Vet Specialists for more tests and blood transfusion.
2. Take her home and try to enjoy time w/her before the anemia kicked in which could be a matter of hours – the vet said with the platelets so low and with the bruising starting, it was a matter of time.
3. Let her go to her final rest at that time, before she got sick and we would need to go to another emergency vet.
So, while she was smiling and happy, we said our goodbyes and held her in a quiet peaceful room while she went to be with all of the other pets in heaven.
I couldn’t bear to have her all the way in Charlotte (25 miles away) and possibly losing her while not being there. And the suffering. I think it would have been hard for her to go thru all that again. And there are no guarantees that she’d be able to get thru this episode. And of course, with the disease, it would only happen again IF she were able to come home.
This post is mostly for my therapeutic benefit. I have nothing new to add to the information, only to let you all know that having this site was comforting, letting me know I wasn’t alone.
Heidi has only been gone for two and a half days. The emptiness is overwhelming. That silly happy dog was always at my feet, pulling towels off racks or pushing her favorite toy on my leg. She slept at my pillow every night, and it’s hard to feel the empty space when I put my hand in her vacant spot when I’m drifting off or waking up.
Her life was way too short, I expected another decade with her. Our lives were filled with unconditional love and joy for three and a half years and I wouldn’t trade the time for anything.
Thank you for being here. I will revisit this site to check on everyone often.