Just diagnosed AIHA

Keymaster

Al n Casy,
I am sorry to read this. This has been very sudden and difficult for you. You must be very worried.

Some of this is complicated to understand, like your Malti’s genetics, but some of this is quite easy to understand.

Each of us, whether we are dogs or humans, inherits certain characteristics that determine our resistance to stress and our ability to remain healthy.

In the dog world, there are an increasing number of diseases and conditions that dogs (and especially certain breeds) are expressing. Allergies and orthopedic conditions are two that you might understand. Autoimmune diseases is another of these conditions. AIHA, IMHA and bone marrow failure are autoimmune conditions that can be expressed when the immune system that has been challenged by something in the environment that it finds toxic.

In your case your Malti was exposed to multiple flea, tick and parasite medications in a very short time. This was overwhelming to her very delicate immune system. Seeing that she had at one time in her life been very sick, it is quite possible she was still in a very sensitive state. She has responded to this stress with an autoimmune condition that is leading the immune system to mistakenly attack “self” and in this case it is destroying red blood cells.

I know you are reading a lot of things right now on the internet and it is very easy to become overwhelmed. While you need to know some details to make decisions for your Malti, you also don’t have all the time in the world to learn everything about this.

Multiple sources can have conflicting information and that will be very confusing. Your vet has not explained this very well to you either and probably would be defensive if you suggested that he shouldn’t have administered these flea, tick and parasite medications.

We developed this site with two goals in mind, to help anyone, everyone who has a very sick dog. We have all been through this with our own dogs and we have experienced the same terror and confusion that you are having. Secondly, we have spend years researching and learning about these conditions so we can help owners make decisions that will help their dog live. The information we provide to you is sound and accurate. When we aren’t sure we say that as well. We have consultants that we can check our accuracy with.

First, put the cancer business out of your mind for now. It is more likely right now, that this is exactly what it often is, an autoimmune response to the stress of a recent application of flea, tick and parasite medication. It’s not quite as simple as that, but that was the tipping point that led to this.

We don’t necessarily want to tell owners that they should not trust their vet, but in some cases, if an owner just doesn’t get a good feeling we do suggest finding another vet, or perhaps consulting a specialist. I feel your anxiety and I think there was a little bit of half truths in your vet’s behavior that has led you to feel unsure of what he is saying and doing.

There are two things you could do right now. Find a specialist and get a second opinion. We also suggest that in lieu of this expense that you do a consultation with Dr. Dodds and we have a link to that page here on the website. Her fee is inexpensive and she can be quite helpful by email with you. We have all received life saving help from Dr. Dodds. Chance, who the website is in memory of, was saved by Dr. Dodds. Think of this as a second opinion, just as you would get for a member of your family, and your vet should welcome that opinion.

Go to this link
https://www.secondchanceaihadogs.com/hemopetresources/
And select the picture of the Owner Consultation Form. This will take you to the website where you can request a second opinion from Dr. Dodds.

At the bottom of this page you can also read about Dr. Dodds and how she has helped dogs for many years.

The meds are ok for now, but there may be some adjustments that could be made. I would like you now to ask your vet to approve the use of some kind of stomach acid protection. You can also use any over the counter generic such as pepcid. For this little body, one tablet a half hour before the first meal of the day with prednisone in it will work. Make sure the Atopica is given away from meals, with no food, by at least 2 hours on either side.

Your Malti is going to have side effects from the prednisone, notably more drinking, eating and peeing. Do not get upset if she makes a mistake in the house. Take her out more frequently and sleep with her if you have to so that she can get out quickly. She is going to feel very uncomfortable.

There are other suggestions about diet and other supplements but right now just use some very simple foods like plain cooked chicken and overcooked rice. A little yogurt and perhaps an egg.

Meanwhile, read some of the information on the website. You can browse the Second Chance Resources, AIHA Terms, watch two short introductory videos and read Our Stories.

Do I think she will survive? Yes, I have seen many dogs that have caring owners survive. Because you are a good mommy, you noticed something was wrong and you took immediate action. That has saved her life.

Now to help her suppress this crazy immune system you need to use some harsh drugs that have some lousy side effects. But this will save her life also. We need to keep her healthy while she is being treated. That means easy to digest simple food, lots of clean water, low stress at home. All good nursing care. Please begin to keep a diary in the kitchen and note all times when you are giving meds, the dosages and the names. Mark down things like potty times, symptoms you notice etc. We will need to add a few supplements to correct for some of the side effects on the body from the prednisone.

Vally will help you create a medication chart so you can sort this all out. Do not fret, we know what must be done and we will guide you.

What questions do you have?
my best patrice

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