Page 62 – Second Chance AIHA Dogs

Forum Replies Created

Keymaster

Ruth,
It’s good to hear that the treatments are going well! I will be thinking of Nula today.

It’s a lovely idea that the owner of Nula’s littermate has offered her as a donor dog. It is a bit more complicated than just collecting the blood, but it can be done.

Chance’s first donation was from the vet’s donor dog Jake, a happy black lab. We are somewhat in the country and my vet actually lives on a farm! As sick as Chance was this transfusion was exactly what he needed. Fresh whole blood. In some cases that is the best form of transfusion because it contains so many elements (such as platelets!) So there was this big happy Lab hanging out in the room next to ours wagging his tail while he donated blood. It was a beautiful thing to watch. My vet saved Chance’s life in so many ways, so many times.

Dog’s are different than humans when it comes to blood type. You know humans have A, B, O and a few variations on those. Dogs can have up to 11 different “types.”

In addition, a first time transfusion in a dog is essentially “free” of any need to match, this is not the case with humans. Most of us don’t know our dog’s blood type and usually don’t need to know the rest of their lives.

However, once a dog has received that first transfusion, they need to be matched for any subsequent transfusions to avoid a reaction. I tried this with Chance because I thought Cassie might be a good donor for him since they are both Giant Schnauzers. She was not a good match, but I did find out she was a good receiver, being able to accept many types of dog blood.

So we went back to Jake and matched with him. This requires blood samples to be taken and sent to a lab, not something that happens in most clinics right away. And you are probably wondering why we had to match with Jake this second time! Chance’s blood may have developed antibodies to Jake’s blood from the first transfusion! Each subsequent transfusion needs to be matched because of this.

Canine blood banks like Dr. Dodds’ Hemopet have special donor dogs that have blood that tends to match many dogs, a kind of universal donor. In addition, the blood can be washed and this can remove elements that may cause a reaction. So universal canine donor blood can be shipped around the world to most anyplace that can accept shipments!

So there is no reason why you cannot use Nula’s littermate for transfusions, but they must go through a testing process to make sure that she is a matched donor to Nula. If you think that you would want this as a backup, then ask about the process.
my best, patrice

Details

Patrice

Keymaster

Ruth,
Hello and welcome.

I am very sorry to hear about Nula becoming so very ill. I understand completely how confused and frightened you are. I remember feeling the very same way when Chance was sick.

We are here to help you especially in these first hours and days. It is impossible for you, on your own, to learn everything you need to know in order to make good decisions about Nula’s care. So please take a deep breath and let us do some of the heavy lifting for you.

You are clever to think about Nula’s littermate and it’s even more important to think about your breeder’s help right now too. If you contact them they may agree that your breed has a greater risk of developing this condition than some other breeds.

But it often takes a trigger or even several to start this process. Some common triggers are recent vaccinations, serious viral infections, a tendency towards allergies. Others are environment like tick diseases, bee stings, ingestion of garlic, onions, rat poisons and certain coins. Age, sex and diet also play a role. Females are more at risk than males .

You have taken the very best first steps an owner can, get to the vet quickly and get Nula cared for in emergency.

Now I would like you to sit down and put together a list of anything that you think she may have been exposed to in the last few weeks. Easter is a time of family gathering. Is it possible she was given food with onions in it? Did she travel somewhere and go outside in a new place that might have ticks or have dirty muddy water? Has she recently been vaccinated? Would a neighbor have put out rat poison?

Get copies of all the lab work that your vet has done. This belongs to you, you paid for it. Even if you don’t understand it, we do and we can help you read it.

Make a medication list and write down the names of all the medicine, dosages and times given. Make a list of any supplements she already receives or things that your vet may have given you. Does she take heartworm medication and do you use any tick or flea preventative?

Post this information here. Once we have a good idea of what is being done, we can guide you with what will happen next and make suggestions. We are not vets, but every one of has gone through this frightening experience with our dogs. Some of us were successful and some have lost their companion. But they are all dedicated to help you through this to the best of their ability.
my best
patrice

Details