Forum Replies Created
Oh Jeanie. I am so very sorry to hear this. You must be feeling utterly devastated right now and I am grateful to you for taking the time to let us know. I made the same decision as you with my Molly and whilst all our experiences are different, we all know how unbelievably hard it is. You knew Pandi better than anyone and as loving owners, it is our job to know if and when it is time to stop.
Please know you will always be welcome here. All of our experiences with this hideous illness are important and valid. If you feel like it, have a look at “The Bridge” tab. There are some helpful words there.
All my love and most sincere condolences to you and your family. Dear Pandi is now at peace.
Mary x
Jeanie – she’s absolutely beautiful – she has such a sweet, kind face.
I know it’s painful to see them so poorly, but your vets & everyone else are right in saying that Pandi can get through this. Vally & others have been through the same scenario & most have us have wondered if we were doing the right thing because our dogs have looked so dreadful in the early days of treatment. I totally agree with Vally about the transfusions – these small transfusions will keep Pandi comfortable until the drugs start to do their work & their levels usually drop a bit after they’ve had them. Your vets sound really good, Jeanie.
There is no way Worzel would eat at the vets either & when you get them home, things improve. We had awful trouble getting him to eat at all (it was terrible) before his official diagnosis, so he got very thin & weak, but when he started to improve he could eat like an ogre! The prednisone makes them starving hungry. In the meantime, anti-emetic treatment is the best thing.
I am assuming they’ve done a lot of tests on Pandi? Tick diseases are a common cause of AIHA (and many other things). Have they had any results that you know of on the tests? Even though the cause is not always found, it is really important to do every test possible in case it is something that needs treating with antibiotics, for example. Eliminating the cause, wherever possible, will bring improvement.
Breaking down is completely understandable, Jeanie. We’ve all done it, for sure. I tried so hard not too show my emotions in front of Worzel – I went off & cried outside – as I didn’t want him to pick up on any negativity. I desperately tried to be cheerful & happy in front of him – I believe that they “know” somehow. Be strong for your baby – she will know you are willing her to get better – and you are doing a great job.
Let us know how things are going – please know we are all thinking of you – anything at all that you need, just ask.
Sending love & hugs
Sheena, Worzel & Ollie xxxxx
Hi Jeanie
Welcome to the site, although I am so sorry you have had to find us and that Pandi is so unwell at the moment.
It sounds like you have a great vet which is worth its weight in gold. Do they have any idea what triggered Pandi’s AIHA? We have all been through this with our pets and know how shocking and frightening it is. As others have said, it isn’t uncommon for them to lose their appetite for a while, both due to the illness and due to being in hospital, but this will likely improve once she gets home and the prednisolone kicks in. Do you know which antiemetic she is on? Sheena has already mentioned anti-clotting medication and I couldn’t agree more. This is really important and I am hoping your vets have started Pandi on something to prevent clots.
It is great to hear that your vet is optimistic and I hope this will give you some hope. This is a serious disease but with the right treatment and care, many animals do recover. There are lots of success stories here. Please feel free to ask anything you like. We will do all we can to help you through this. I am keeping everything crossed that you will get good news today.
All best wishes,
Mary and Mable x
Hi Jen & sweetie pie Maggie
Cephalexin is great for ear infections, I can’t see any major or even moderate drug interactions either & it is not penicillin based – good choice by your good vet. Fantastic that her eye movements have diminished (it was probably the middle ear problem then). Keep an eye on the thyroid – better to be under than over with anaemia – having said that, a PCV/HCT of 41 is excellent & NORMAL, so she’s not strictly anaemic any more unless her haemoglobin is still low. We love normal. Elevated WBC (do you know which particular type of WBC?) I’m guessing is most likely to be the ear infection anyway.
There might be some tummy side effects of the antibiotics (we’ve all suffered that, haven’t we?), but it is generally well tolerated. Unfortunately, I don’t know of any drug (or supplement for that matter) that doesn’t have a potential side effect, but that’s life! This is the best choice for Maggie’s problem for sure.
Sooooooo enjoy your holiday – that’s an order!!
Keep in touch & let us know how things are going – have a really good time & give Maggie a big hug from me
Love Sheena xxxxx
Hi Jeanie
You must be very worried & I’m really sorry to hear Pandi is so unwell – glad you have good vets beside you to help. You are very, very welcome here – anything we can do for you, just ask. I presume Pandi still in hospital? That is the best place for a sick baby, even though it’s horrible not to have them at home.
We have loads of information on here to help you through this – maybe start with this video
https://www.secondchanceaihadogs.com/aiha-video-library/aiha-introductory-videos/
I don’t want to overload you- it really sounds like your vets know a lot about this disease & maybe have dealt with this before. That is wonderful, believe me, as some of us didn’t get the right help to start with. The only thing I would like you to ask your vets is if they are giving anti-clotting medication for the cell clumping. That is important & clumping is often seen with AIHA. I suspect they already know what to do, but it’s always better to make sure to prevent abnormal clotting. You can read about this here
https://www.secondchanceaihadogs.com/AIHA_Terms/abnormal-clotting/
I really hope Pandi starts to improve soon – the long acting immuno-suppressants take a little while to start working, so we have to be patient sometimes. Please let us know how your little sweetheart is doing – feel free to ask anything at all.
Sending big hugs
Sheena, Worzel (diagnosed AIHA & bone marrow failure Dec 2012, now in remission) & his good friend Ollie xxxxx
Hi Jeanie – I am so very sorry to hear about Pandi. My thoughts and prayers are with you. It is a horrible disease – but I am glad you have found us, as the folk on this site have loads of experience with it. Did the transfusion make any difference? Have they said whether her AIHA is regenerative or not?
Please let us know how Pandi is doing – and feel free to share as often as you need.
with love
Lynda
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