When is it time to call it quits?

[Eric]

Hello,
My dog Torrie was diagnosed with IMHA October 2015 and we have been dealing with it ever since. She is on a whole gambit of meds that is wreaking havoc on her body. She has lost a lot of muscle mass and gained a lot of weight. To further complicate things, I now have an 8 month old baby. With out going into too much detail, she has not reacted well to any reduction in her meds, even minor ones. Every time we do she gets worse again. She is sustaining on her meds now but it is costing us around 3-5 thousand a year and it is starting to wear on us. The hardest part is she seems happy enough. Always excited to see us and greet us at the door. I can tell she wants to play but due to the muscle mass loss it is painful for her. She also has a voracious appetite. We do are best to keep things out of her reach but she is persistent and crafty when it comes to food. I know it is ultimately a personal decision but just looking for some thoughts. She is 7 years old and if she were to live and additional 5 years that would be 15-25k in meds and vet bills if things don’t change. That is college tuition for my baby. It just doesn’t seem right to put a dog down that is smiling and wagging her tail constantly. It is also unfair to us financially. Meds are as follows. Cyclosporine 100mg 2x daily, prednisone 20mg 2x daily, Amlodipine (unsure of dosage) 1x daily, Mycophenalate (unsure of dosage) 2x daily, and iron and vitamin D supplements daily. The only med we have tried to reduce is prednisone and it never goes well. Her red blood cell count always drops. I am really at a crossroads. I currently drive a pretty beat up ’96 Jeep with high mileage that I am uncomfortable having my son in and all that money could go towards a more reliable car payment. Please send any advice. Anything is welcome. I love her to death but it is starting to get out of hand.

Thank you,
Eric

[Sara]

Oh Eric .. I am so sorry to hear about Torrie .. I just wanted to say that a few of the gals that run the site will answer you soon. I feel your pain financially and emotionally. Possibly one of the gals on here can help you with the medical end of it. I’m not schooled in that .. just have a dog with AIHA and know what it’s like to go through what you have. Please give the gals here a chance to answer before making any decisions..

With Kindest Thoughts ..Sara

[Vally]

Eric, I’m so very sorry to hear what’s happening.

My boy is in hospital at the moment (seems to be a heart condition), so I’m a bit all over so please forgive me.

I totally understand about the cost. It’s horrendous and seems very unfair that meds and tests are so expensive.

If Torrie has been on the meds for such a long time, it could be that she’s now over suppressed and that’s stopping her from improving. If it were me, I would do a consult with Dr Jean Dodds. She is an expert in this field and the fact that Torrie is not responding well after quite a long time, means something’s not right.

Is she on thyroxine at all? I know Dr Jean has that in her protocol and when I changed the way I was dosing it (changed to without food), Bingo starting responding and showed improvement at last. Before that, he was just holding steady and still anaemic.

The thyroxine helps the marrow to produce blood cells. That’s the first thing I would do. Even if Torrie is not hypothyroid, the thyroxine should still be given. Thyroxine is in comparison, a very cheap drug.

As I said, the other thing I would definitely do is a consult with Dr Jean Dodds. It costs $150 and I know that’s still a lot of money, but it covers continuing consults with her. Once she’s contacted you, you can simply email her back, so it’s actually very good value. It would be best to send her a copy of Torrie’s blood tests for her to check. If you do that, include them all in one scan, as once you attach one document, it doesn’t allow you to add others. So I scan everything together and send it off. The link is here – it’s the second box on the page:
https://www.secondchanceaihadogs.com/hemopetresources/

I guess that’s not what you asked, when is enough enough? I don’t know to be honest.

Regards, Vally & Bingo (who’s not too good right now :( )

[Sara]

Hey Eric .. I was waiting for Vally’s response before commenting any further ..

I agree if you can go with Dodds at this point it’s a smart thing to do .. she’s one of the best to work with since she has so much experience with this disease ..

That being said .. my answer to your super duper hard question is: Enough is enough when you personally feel it is. We all have an end point in life with all things. I have seen some people who just endure beyond what anyone thought possible.. And others their end point is much sooner. We are all built differently and our life circumstances are different. So to give you an answer to say yes it’s o.k. to quit is hard to say because we are not in your shoes or walked your path or are facing your financial difficulties. Therefore one may continue on looking for help and another may say I think it’s best for the dog and me to say it’s enough. It’s just not a black and white issue.. it really is personal. I wouldn’t at all judge if you felt you couldn’t go on.

My other thought would be to reach out in your community to a non-kill shelter or dog rescue and share your story and your financial difficulty to see if anyone would be willing to help you out with your dog or even take care of it themselves if you are willing and they are in order to continue care.

I’m so sorry you are in such a difficult situation. It’s so very hard I’ll never forget walking in the ER and finding out my dog had AIHA and what it meant and 5 weeks later saying she was non-regen and possibly put her down .. it is a whirlwind of emotions a rollercoaster ride through it all. Praying for the best outcome no matter the choice for you and your fur baby !

Blessings ..Sara

[Ramona]

Hi Eric & Torrie–so sorry you have been living with this horrible disease for so long. It is definitely very expensive and difficult to manage. Me and my Charlie have been dealing with it for several months. Vally and others on this site have helped us so much with their suggestions. I think consulting with Dr. Dodd may give you the breakthrough you need to stabilize Torrie. Perhaps you could start a GoFundMe account to cover some of the expenses. Given all the time/money invested thus far, and that it sounds like Torrie still enjoys life, it is truly a difficult question you pose.

[admin]

Hello Eric. I am so sorry to read all this about Torrie. This is definitely a stinking disease.

My dog Sadie’s story is under ‘Our Stories’ although I have not updated in way too long. We all here, have lived it and know the grueling affects.

In reading through, I am thinking two things. First, agree, if you can manage, the consultation with Dr. Dodds is monumental. It is pretty much a one time fee and she is there for you. She has helped me so much with Sadie. Second, has anyone suggested weaning the cyclosporine first? I did that with Sadie. It did not work to wean the prednisone first with her, as with Torrie.

Again, I am so sorry. You have your hands full both emotionallly and financially.

Warmest regards,

Linda and Sadie

[admin]

And let me add, weaning cyclosporine first is NOT the norm. But, for her, it was the only way. After all said and weaning done, we know that Sadie will be on a low-dose maintenance of prednisone for the rest of her life.

Sending supportive hugs,

Linda

[Eric]

Thank you everyone for the kind words. I will discuss this with my wife and see if she wants to get in tough with Dr. Dodds. Poor dog, just last night she was rolling around on the ground barking. It is hard to consider putting a dog down that has that much spark in her.

-Eric