Shih Tzu Diagnosed With AIHA

[Susie]

Okay. Finally! Here are the original lab results from 3/16:
(I’ll type out 4/1 results on next post)

ALKP 23-212 HIGH 220 U/L

*Coag Dx*
cit-PT 11.0-17.0 LOW 10.0 seconds
RBC 5.65-8.87 LOW 1.98
HCT 37.3-61.7 LOW 13.7%
HGB 13.1-20.5 LOW 4.7 g/dL
RDW 13.6-21.7 HIGH 24.3%
RETIC 10.0-110.0 HIGH 166.5
WBC 5.05-16.76 HIGH 18.34
NEU 2.95-11.64 HIGH 11.73
MONO 0.16-1.12 HIGH 1.58
MPV 8.7-13.2 LOW 8.6
*Coag Dx*
cit-aPTT 72.0-102.0 LOW 46.0 seconds

[Susie]

Emily’s lab results from 4/1:

ALT 10-125 HIGH 663
ALKP 23-212 HIGH >2000
GGT 0-7 HIGH 138
TBIL 0.0-0.9 HIGH 1.0
LIPA200-1800 HIGH 1918
RBC 5.65-8.87 LOW 3.05
HCT37.3-61.7 LOW 24.6
HGB13.1-20.5 LOW 7.1
MCV61.6-73.5 HIGH 80.7
MCHC32.0-37.9 LOW 28.9
RDW13.6-21.7 HIGH 21.9
RETIC10.0-110.0 HIGH 205.9
WBC5.05-16.76 HIGH 19.90
NEU2.95-11.64 HIGH 16.51
MONO:0.16-1.12 HIGH 1.30
EOS 0.06-1.23 LOW 0.01

[admin]

Hi Susie

Thanks for putting on the figures you can get hold of.

High reticulocyte numbers are excellent news – she is making new baby red cells nicely – great! Her red cell levels are coming up gradually & she is improving well. Her white blood cells are still a little high – I know Emily had antibiotics at the beginning. Have they gone down since the 1st April? They are not hugely high though & sometimes see “skewed readings” when dogs are making lots of new baby red cells as the machine they use can mistake them for another type of cell.

The denamarin will help bring those liver enzymes down – don’t worry about that. We see these kinds of figures quite often – it’s the drugs, as you know, and you are already on top of this anyway.

I noticed they did a prothrombin & partial prothrombin time test on the first one, so they are keeping an eye on the time her blood takes to clot. It was clotting a bit quicker than it normally should & I know you have asked the vets about the need for anti-clotting meds already, so I won’t repeat what I said & bore you again! Maybe it’s back in the normal range now, but I don’t know as it’s not on the second test.

I would have liked to have a look at her platelet numbers, but there aren’t any on either test. If you don’t have the figures, that can’t be helped! Also, there is no blood pathology (blood smear) information either, which would have been useful for the other clotting risks. Hey ho. If you get anything else, by all means put them on here.

Susie – you are such a good Mum & Emily’s red cells & are doing great.

Hope this helps a little
Love Sheena xxxx

[Susie]

Well ladies, we had a discouraging day. Emily’s PCV has dropped to a 36 :(
She’s been a little more subdued the last few days, not very noticeably but enough that I did mention it to my son and my husband.
The vet ran some extra labs to see if he could find anything but I didn’t hear back from him and really, it was a zoo at that office today so I’m trying to be understanding. I did get a copy but I didn’t see anything other than a slight improvement in her liver values.
10 days ago, Emily ate a mouse that she found in a trap that I had hidden in a box in my room. I called the vets freaked out about it, but they weren’t very concerned. Just said she should get tested for coccidia after a month. I tried to take that advice and not keep worrying over it. But now, I’m wondering if that’s what caused it.
Also, we’ve been trying to leave her for small bits of time….I wonder if that’s it. She’s a bit anxious about me leaving her. Then there’s the roots from our old rose bushes that she and Sadie keep chewing on. I heave them into the outer portion of the yard when I find them but Sadie keeps digging up more and now I wonder if they might be toxic?

Any advice is appreciated!
Love, Susie and Emily

[Vally]

Susie, I just rolled back a bit. She was 42 before??? That’s just a tiny bit more than the allowable drop, so may be nothing at all. I’d probably have her checked in a week to see where it is. Fingers crossed it’s back up again. It’s always possible she was dehydrated a bit when she got to the 42, which means maybe that wasn’t a true result.

I’ve never heard of roses being a problem. There’s something called a Christmas Rose which is toxic, but that looks nothing like a normal rose. Must be something about roses. I’ve seen Bingo chew on them too when I’ve been gardening, he likes stalks more which I usually grab off him in case of thorns.

Vally & Bingo

[Susie]

Vally,
Thanks so much! I feel much better since I read your reply :)
❤️

[admin]

Hi Susie

As Vally says, normal roses are not poisonous & that PCV drop is not severe. She’s only 1 point below the normal level – just keep an eye on her, check her gums when she is active & cross your fingers for the next test. If you took two PCV tests an hour apart, I know the figures would vary a little bit. We worry about every single little thing – it’s hard not to with this scary disease. I quite often catch both my two eating compost out of my plant pots – dirty things!

Love Sheena & the boys xxxxx

[Susie]

Thank you, Sheena. I was so worried when I heard 36! I didn’t know that it was normal to drop a bit :/ is there somewhere I can read up on this? I have been looking on this site and I have found more info than I’d had before yesterday, but I didn’t see any guidelines for what would be normal numbers far as during the weaning process. I did see that you gals say 20 – 25% weaning a month (I think). I’m afraid her Dr may be rushing a tad ;)
I wanted to be able to call you or Vally yesterday!! This site has been such a comfort and blessing! Thank you for all that you do! You have really been a huge help to me and I’m sure to MANY others!
♡♡♡
Susie & 2 very shaggy Shih tzus