Stella

[PJ Phillips]

Hi all- new to this site- thank you for all the resources!

My 4 year old Black Goldendoodle named Stella was just diagnosed with AIHA (we think) last Wednesday after 2 CBC tests.

Her RBC was 21%.

Vet right away did an IV of pred and sent me home with pred, doxcy, and pepcid.

Went back for a check up of blood work and the vet said RBC improved.

Said to keep doing those meds for a week, plus he add in cyclosporine..

He said Stella is looking better, but I hate the side effects of pred… are we getting out of the woods?

Thank so much for the help and advice!

[Vally]

Hi PJ, just saw your urgent advice, so I’ll make sure Patrice, the site owner, sees them. She’s very good at interpreting blood test results.

Yes, Stella is sounding better if her RBC has increased. I’m thinking your vet suspects an infection of some sorts, or possibly a tick bite. Doxycycline is the antibiotic of choice for our dogs.

Cyclosporine is also the best medication for our dogs as it targets the actual cells doing the damage.

Yes, we all hate the effect of pred, but it’s a life saver.

Please don’t reduce drugs until Stella is showing a normal RBC and has held it for a few weeks, to avoid any relapse.

Ask anything, we love to help.

Regards, Vally (Angel Bingo) and Saba.

[PJ Phillips]

Thank you so much.

Stella has really labored breathing and is panting all the time. Is this from the pred?

[Vally]

Yes, absolutely, this is one of the side effects. See this form the AIHA Terms:

https://www.secondchanceaihadogs.com/AIHA_Terms/prednisone

[PJ Phillips]

You guys are awesome! This is such a help !

How about dosing, my vet has them ever 12 hours- is it important that they are at the same hours (am/pm) everyday?

[PJ Phillips]

Also, are there connections with gut issues that might have caused AIHA?

Stella last November had clostridia and was put on some meds- she got better in a few days.

[Vally]

Yes PJ it’s normally dosed every 12 hours. Ideally it should be at the same time.

Also, the timing of the different drugs is also important. Prednisone and Doxy should always be given with food. Cyclosporine should be given AWAY from food, ideally 2 hours before or after. Pepcid should also be given away from the other drugs as it can stop absorption. I know this will make it much harder.

As to the clostridia last November, that seems a bit too far away to trigger something now. What antibiotics were used, as there are a number that can trigger the disease. Anything happen recently? Ticks are very big likely cause. Did they do a Snap test for tick disease? Also any vaccinations recently?

[PJ Phillips]

Sorry! One last question… are feeding schedules also important?

Stella has lost a lot of weight the last few weeks- so I’m trying to get her weight up.