Page 85 – Second Chance AIHA Dogs

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Keymaster

Hi Debra, and welcome

I’m sorry you’ve had to find us, but glad you are here. Sadie is beautiful! I’m so sorry to hear of the loss of your Mum, and now to be hit with this IMHA is a double whammy. All of us have been through it with our pets and know just how frightening and confusing it is. My cat Molly had a similar type to Sheena’s Worzel. You certainly don’t come across as rude in any way – quite the opposite!

I agree with Sheena that your vets are being very thorough which is brilliant. I’m not a vet, but I wouldn’t opt for surgery at the moment. The diagnostic work up usually includes x-rays and/or ultrasounds, but it sounds as though these have been done and I can’t see enough benefit to outweigh the risks of exploratory surgery with such a low PCV. It sounds like your vets might be considering a bone marrow biopsy, which is slightly different. It’s certainly an invasive procedure and one which requires general anaesthesia, but it is sometimes performed if other tests have proved inconclusive. Do you know whether Sadie has had a blood smear and a Coombs test?

I’m so pleased you are contacting Dr Dodds, and I am sure you will get useful information and advice back.

As a cat owner, I’m afraid I am much less au fait with all the supplements and diets, but I know the others have already given you some advice on this. As has been said, little Sadie will drink and pee a lot at the moment, and may also be more hungry than usual due to the prednisolone. Fingers and toes crossed that this and the cyclosporine will start to turn things around and she will become regenerative soon. I’m glad to hear she is starting aspirin. Anti-clotting medication is really important with this illness.

Pinpointing the cause can be very difficult. I never managed to with Molly, and strongly suspect she had a genetic predisposition to it. Something finally triggered it, but I’ll probably never know what. If you can identify the cause, it may be possible to eliminate it, but you may never know. As Patrice has said, it could be the combination of stresses on her body. Stress can trigger the illness, and little Sadie has been through such a lot. What a lucky girl she is to be with you, and I am so glad she is with someone who loves her whilst she is going through this.

Anyway, welcome to the site and please feel free to ask anything. We will do all we can to help and support you through this rollercoaster.

All best wishes,

Mary and Mable x