Seeking transfusion advice and general input.

Allison

Guest

My dog was diagnosed approximately six weeks ago with IMHA. After taking him to two different vets, they finally determined that his PCV was 12.5. I drove two hours to one of the best animal hospitals in the state to get him care. He was in the ICU for two days and required a blood transfusion and fluids. We went through all of the testing (bone marrow biopsy, ultrasound, spleen aspirate sample, x-rays, comprehensive tick panel) to be told that he has idiopathic myelofibrosis and IMHA- one could be causing the other, or they could be the result of something else. They don’t know. He is currently on Prednisone 20mg twice per day. After the transfusion his PCV was up to 25 and has dropped and held at 18 for the past two weeks. The vet does not want to give him another transfusion because of the complications and that he is ‘stable.’ They want to ‘treat the patient and not the number.’ In the meantime, I am a nervous wreck constantly checking his heart rate and respiratory rate and just to make sure he is still alive. It is just me- I don’t have any family, making the 3 to 4 times night potty breaks even more difficult. I feel like since Friday he has started to decline, although his PCV was checked on Thursday and he was still holding strong. His heart rate is shooting up very easily (without a lot of energy exerted) and has been hovering in the 130 range. He got up to 170 earlier when I came home from the grocery store. He is starting to pant a lot more too. Monday we are supposed to go in for a recheck- if his PCV has not improved they want to start him on Cyclosporin or Azathioprine. I am worried about the strain that this is having on his entire body. I know that there are complication that come with a transfusion in general, and that they increase with every additional transfusion, but should I be pushing them to do this. The last time we spoke they said, “We can always do a transfusion, but we can’t undo a transfusion.”
I should also mention that we have gone to a vet that specializes in acupuncture and complimentary therapy- she feels that he might have some sort of poison or toxin exposure. She has him on a variety of supplements and has outlined a strict diet for us to follow.
I would appreciate any advice or suggestions anyone has to offer. This is so hard and is breaking my heart. I am starting to lose hope.

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Vally

Keymaster

Allison, the results have come through, so someone will check those for you and get back to you.

My local vets wasted almost a month between tests lost and repeated. In the end they diagnosed he was hypothyroid and I was so relieved, however he got worse and worse. I was taking him back in weekly, sometimes 2 or 3 times a week and I kept saying he’s getting worse. They were just treating one symptom at a time. In the end, he basically collapsed with a fever and I took him in again and they then said they didn’t know what was wrong and suggested I go to an internal specialist. I did that and they had it worked out quickly but he was in a bad way at that point and had to stay there for 10 days.

No, nobody else ever seems to understand what it’s like. We’ve all experienced that.

Okay, don’t wait for it to get any lower before starting the cyclosporine. He should have started to improve already if the prednisone was enough. It’s only just holding him. Another drug, thyroxine, should also be started. This is in Dr Jean Dodds protocol for treatment of this whether a dog is hypothyroid or not. She’s an expert in the immune system and in fact many of us have asked her for help in treatments. The thyroxine helps the marrow to produce red blood cells, so many times, we’ve seen dogs who did not improve, finally start to get better when the thyroxine was started.

Benni should also really be on stomach protection as the prednsione, in particular, could be doing damage already. The best for this is sucralfate but it must be given away from other drugs as it blocks them. Milk thistle will also block medications so make sure you’re giving that away from the meds. Also prednisone, always give WITH food.

Kelp can be iffy . It can cause thyroid problems. Certainly, if Benni does get thyroxine, then NO kelp. It should also NOT be taken with cyclosporine.

Are the vets working together? The vet doing complimentary therapy and the one that’s prescribing the pred? It worries me that some of the complimentary medicines (and I’m ALL FOR complimentary when possible), Immucare I and Zhu Huang Tangare could be boosting the immune system, which is already out of control whilst the prednisone is shutting it down, to get it back under control.

I don’t know if you want to do a consult with Dr Jean Dodds. You can do an owner consultation with her and she responds very quickly. The combination of the natural therapies and the hard drugs has me worried that one may be working against the other. She knows a lot about both medicines. Her charge is $150 and once you’ve received a response from her, you can continue to keep in contact at no extra charge, by responding to her emails. https://www.secondchanceaihadogs.com/hemopetresources/
We’ve all needed her help at times and she’s a wonderful woman who shares her brilliance with us.

Vally & Bingo
xxx

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Linda

Guest

Hi Allison. Sorry, I am just responding. I knew you were in great hands though. so glad you four us, so sorry for the reason.

It sounds like Vally has covered it all. Agree with ALL she’s saying.

As Vally says, watch the complimentary additions. They are awesome and also believe in the approach, but Benni is not a ‘healthy’ pup right now and needs to get the full affect of the immune suppressants. And as Vally said and I reiterate, some of the supplements he is on can very well conflict with the necessary and needed immune suppressants. Surpressing, not boosting. Definitely NO kelp.

And agree, Benni needs the second immune Surpressing immediately. You are going in today for a PCV check. Perfect. Press for the additional immune suppressant. Sadie is on cyclosporine and does well, but talk it over with your vet(s). But, as you have learned, stand your ground. You are Benni’s only advocate.

Where I got into triuble with Sadie’s onset (she has relapsed three time since onset, but this is unique), was that her vet did everything right – he even calked Dr. Dodds and promoted me conferring with the forum. BUT, at the end of her responding so well, he insisted on a weaning protocol that was way too fast and I did not listen to the knowledge and wisdom here – Sadie relapsed. I knew better, too. But I was caught in the middle, because he had been right up until that point.

I tell you this, not to scare you, but so you will listen to your own gut and when you question an approach or have questions, in the Benni’s best interest – ask and be heard. Although, it definitely sounds like you kept looking for the right vet(s) and accomplished a key ingredient to getting Benni well.

Please, please – so important to put Benni on:

1. STOMACH PROTECTION (Sucralfate, or the like). Prescription needed.

2. If deemed necessary, your vet will be able to tell you from the blood work, ANTI-CLOTTING anti-clotting medication. Sadie was on human Plavix, generic Cloprodigrel. Prescription needed.

3. LIVER PROTECTION – Sadie and most of us use Denamarin. No prescription needed, NutraMax, but online).

Benni is a very a lucky boy to have you in his court. You are an awesome fur mom!

I agree too, Dr. Dodds is the best. Without this forum and Dr. Dodds, Sadie would not be here today. Our lifeline, indeed.

Let us know how Benni’s visit goes and what his PVC today. Remember – stay yoyr ground, nicely. 😉

Love and hugs, Linda and Sadie 🐾

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