Shih Tzu Diagnosed With AIHA

[Patrice]

Ok, here is the skinny. Dogs with hair, like Shih Tzu’s, Giant Schnauzers, Poodles etc have a really tough time on prednisone. They can get thin skin, blackheads and have a poor, thin hair coat.

There is no question that every dog taking high dose prednisone is automatically going to have Iatrogenic Cushing’s Disease. And that includes a breakdown of the outer protective dermis. This has to do with the fact that our skin is the organ that protects us from the environment. Bacteria,viruses, fungus and maybe even molds and microscopic parasites are always on our skin. Our healthy immune system easily handles that stuff without us even knowing it.

I sympathize with you. Chance was a Giant Schnauzer and his coat looked like hell while we were treating him with prednisone. Please look at the first three photos of Chance in my Flickr account:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/patricel/sets/72157602714279765
Do you see the third one where he looks like a brillo pad? His coat was so thin I cried. But please look at the first one again, taken a year after he had recovered. Doesn’t he look grand?

Emily will get well, the prednisone dose will be reduced and her coat will return to normal.

But. I want you to go to the vets and have a skin scraping done. We need to make sure this isn’t an overgrowth of one of the things I mentioned. They can help you treat that.

They may suggest a shampoo or spray. I recommend Douxo Chlorhexidine PS Micro-emulsion Spray. My vet recommends this, keeps it on the shelf and I have used it on my dogs. It is gentle and may help this heal.
http://www.douxo.us/dermatology/douxo-dermatology-dogs-pyodermia-shampoo.html
You can get a bottle of it on Amazon for about $17.

In the meantime, no hair cuts, no grooming salons. Gently wash her coat sparingly with something like oatmeal shampoo but otherwise avoid fussing with it.

Keep bedding, toys, carpets absolutely clean. If you can wash bedding and toys in hot water, do it. And a steam clean of the carpets would be good too.
my best
patrice

[Susie]

Hey Patrice,
Thank you so much for all this helpful info!! I hope you know what a blessing you’ve been to me and Emily. Your boy was so beautiful in the first picture. You’re spot on! That’s similar to how Emily’s looking (only much smaller & white 😉). This morning I sat her upright on my lap and rubbed her tummy and she flaked all over my black pants. It was like dandruff! I’ll do like you suggested and have her vet take a look. Is there any reason why I should worry about having the grandkids touching her?
Also, she’s really lethargic today. Her gums were looking paler on and off for the last couple of days but today they look okay.
Thanks tons!! Susie ❤️

[Susie]

Does anyone know if it takes a while for the Cyclosporine to start working? I’m trying to stay calm, but it seems like Emily’s gums are paler than before, almost continually. (Even when she is up and about.)

[Vally]

Susie, Patrice answered this in an email as she’s not available to post right now but says….

cyclo starts reducing the numbers of lymphocytes almost immediately. depeninding on the severity of the condition it can take a week up to 4 weeks to see progress. that is why we continue with the prednisone at the same dosage so we have both working while the cylco revs up it’s act. so that is one reason why vets like dr. dodds use the increased loading dose in the first week, to get more action out of the drug. this drug does not have the same horrible side effects as prednisone. the worse usually is gastrointestinal vomitting and diarrhea which should subside in a few days. to get thorugh this either reduce the dose sleightly or give it with food for a few days.

Patrice (via Vally)

[Susie]

Got it! I don’t know what I would do without you all♡

[admin]

Hiya Susie

Sorry for neglecting you for a couple of days. How is Emily’s skin now? Worzel got very scruffy & flaky & his hair didn’t hardly grow back at all where he had been shaved – they are prone to infections too – it’s the pred, I’m afraid. Worzel had a horrible infected leg wound which didn’t heal up either – I just persevered with cleaning & dressing it twice a day with an antibiotic treatment cream. When we lowered the pred, everything started to heal & grow, so you just have to get through this stage as well as you can really. Of course, any sign of a staph infection, you need antibiotics straight away – don’t let it go on because they have no resistance to infection.

I also wanted to say all dog’s gums look pale when they are at rest – always check them when they have been moving around & are fully awake. I had a few frights with Worzel, thinking he looked pale, but when he was active, they were pink again. If you think Emily’s gums are always pale or are in any doubt, get a PCV check done at the vets to put your mind at rest. Is she due for a check-up soon?

Love Sheena xxxxx

[admin]

Hi Susie

I’m just catching up with what’s been happening for Emily. I’m sorry she was so unwell with the pancreas problems – how is she going now? Her poor skin too, but from reading what others have said, it seems this is not uncommon and hopefully the vet can shed some light on whether there is any infection present. If you’re worried about gum colour, perhaps it would be a good idea to have a PCV check?

Lots of love to you and Emily,

Mary and Mable x

[Susie]

Hi Ladies,

As you all know very well, this disease sets you on a roller coaster ride that never seems to end. Last night I was sooooo worried about her. This morning, goodness! As soon as she knew I was awake, she walked on me all the way to my face and started kissing me. Then she started a wrestling match with her sibling! She rolled on the bed and growled playfully. It didn’t last long, but it happened for the first time in about 11 weeks. It seemed like she was gone forever until I saw a glimpse of her today.
She’s going in tomorrow for PCV check. I could’ve had her checked today since I was picking up refills, but I wanted to give the Cyclosporine one more day to work.
Her tummy looks great. Maybe because Dr put her on antibiotics because of her pancreas. Very little flakes left. And her diarrhea is completely gone!! Its funny the things I get excited about nowadays
;-)
Thank you for checking in with us. I’ll update after PCV.

Love, Susie and Emily ♡