Forum Replies Created
Samia, I’m in Sydney and no I don’t mind at all if you keep in touch.
If you can tell me the dosage of the tablets, that’s important to make sure she’s on the right dose. For a 9kg dog, she should be on about 10mg of prednisone twice a day, so a total of 20mg a day.
Imuran is also called Azathioprine and she shoudl be on 10mg twice a day, so a total of 20mg a day. This can sometimes stop the marrow working though, so if she’s not really responding, it might be good to switch to another drug.
A good drug is Cyclosporine as it works directly to stop the cells doing the damage. It’s a bit more expensive, but if you can afford it, it’s a really good drug for this disease. Some dogs have a bit of tummy trouble with it to start with, but they usually adapt to it. Can you ask your vet if Zoe can start Cyclosporine.
She doesn’t need aspirin because she’s taking Plavix, which is a blood thinner. That’s to stop the clots forming.
Make sure the broth has no onions in it but what you’re feeding is great. Too much red meat is a strain on her liver right now, and with the drugs, her liver will be working hard, so don’t worry about red meat. Chicken in some broth might be nice for her – again, never any onions.
The transfusion is there to give time for the drugs to work. So if Zoe’s blood drops down too much, then do the transfusion if you can.
I have heard of plasma treatments, but don’t know anybody that has done this, so can’t really help with this.
You’re vet sounds lovely. My boy Bingo was under a specialist, because my local vets didn’t really know what was going on. If you can see an Internal Specialist, that might be good. No offence to your vet but this disease needs to be treated quickly and hard. Sometimes a university veterinary hospital will have the expertise to help, but I’m a bit wary of universities because they like to teach and so sometimes I’ve heard of dogs with this disease where they’ve done a bit of everything because it helps to teach the vets. Good for the vets, but maybe not so good for the dog.
In fact, with all the right drugs, Zoe will probably look worse for a while. The treatment is hard on them, but they have to go through this.
It’s a really hard time right now being in isolation and yes the grief and fear that this disease creates is unlike anything else I’ve known. None of my friends could understand why I kept trying to get Bingo better. You can read Bingo’s story here:
https://www.secondchanceaihadogs.com/our-stories/bingo
I think Zoe’s drugs need to be sorted out and then hopefully she’ll start to get better.
Please look after yourself too. That’s very important.
My best,
Vally
Hi Samia,
I’m so sorry you’re going through this. It’s a terrible disease and it has changed me in a lot of ways.
Is your girl eating and drinking?
Can you tell me what drugs she’s on. Prednisone, Plavix and what else? What is the immune suppressor that she’s taking? Prednisone works as an immune suppressor, but is she taking something else? Can you also tell me what does your girl weigh and the doses of the medication too.
Has she had her spleen removed? If not please DON’T go ahead with it. It’s major surgery and often only used as a very last resort. There are other drugs that might work better.
If her blood drops, and you can do another transfusion, that may give us some time to work out her drugs. Please don’t do the spleen removal. If they do another transfusion, ask them not to transfuse to more than 25. If they transfuse more, sometimes the body doesn’t work as hard to make red blood cells.
Do you have a copy of any of the blood tests? Patrice, who owns the site, is very clever at understanding them, and she can help to guide you.
I know you’re feeling a mess right now, but try and stay positive. It will help your girl. She is not in pain right now, she is just very tired, because with the lack of red blood cells, she’s not getting a lot of oxygen throughout her body. Keep her quiet for now.
Ask anything. You’re alone physically right now, but we’re here to help. We’ve lived this horrible disease ourselves, so we know what you’re going through.
In in Australia, so maybe a different time zone, but I’ll keep an eye on the site, and Patrice may be about too.
Big hugs.
Vally
Hi Colleen and welcome.
I’m so sorry Hunter is so sick right now, but you’ve done every right and reacting so quickly is most likely why he’s still alive right now.
First of all, Mycophenolate Mofetil is really a last resort drug, Cyclosporine is definitely the better way to go. What you’re describing about Hunter’s reaction to the Mycophenolate is not uncommon at all. See here:
https://www.secondchanceaihadogs.com/AIHA_Terms/mycophenolate-mofetil
I believe Cyclosporine is the better drug to go with and whilst with my boy, Bingo, it worked very quickly, it can take time to start working. It’s important if you do use Cyclosporine, there can be some gastro issues to begin with. Ideally it’s given without food and away from other meds, but if gastro issues present, then it’s better to give it with a little food.
Make sure prednisone is always given with food. Omeprazole, ideally 30 minutes before food and famotidine can be given with food.
Clopidogrel is also important as clots are a big problem here. I understand your concern though with the melena. I’m hoping that the famotidine and omeprazole will help with that.
Ideally I think Hunter would be better hospitalised right now, especially if he’s not eating and throwing up, but I understand cost can be a big factor.
Try doing small meals and maybe make a broth (no onions) and syringe that into Hunter (no needle of course).
Speak to your regular vet and ask for the cyclosporine. You could also ask for a prescription and have it filled at a pharmacy. That’s usually a cheaper way to get drugs as vet’s prices are usually much higher.
Please ask anything, happy to help.
Vally
I would say definitely the prednisone. You’ll see here:
https://www.secondchanceaihadogs.com/AIHA_Terms/prednisone
muscle wasting is common and the trembling is most likely a result of that.
It’s not forever though, when Sophie can be safely weaned down and off the prednisone, you should see a difference.
Happy Easter.
Hi Tracy, and welcome to the site. I’m sorry to hear about Bernie. A steady PCV of 20 is good in that it’s not dropping.
It’s not unusual to drop after a blood transfusion because the transfusion is just really there to give them time for the drugs to start working. It doesn’t do anything to correct the problem. The drugs will do that.
The prednisone dose I believe is a little low, and yes I do think the cyclosporine dose is high. The recommendation is 5mg per kg. This is the link to the resources and you’ll see cyclosporine is the second item on the page. If you click on that, it will open up the product insert. 30lb should be 50mg.
https://www.secondchanceaihadogs.com/AIHA_Terms/cyclosporine
and
https://www.secondchanceaihadogs.com/medication-resources
I would ring your vet and mention the bad diarrhea and check the dosage – I’m wondering if they are doing a double dose to start with – but ring them. Some dogs do have a gastro effect when starting to use cyclosporine and it does settle. It should be given with no food and away from other meds.
Prednisone should always be given with food instead.
Don’t worry too much about extra supplements for now. You can go to the Dog Aware site which has some fabulous information about feeding. Start here:
https://www.secondchanceaihadogs.com/nutrition-resources
Please don’t hesitate to call out. Happy to help.
Vally
Hi Drew,
I’m sorry to hear about Sophie, but glad she’s feeling better now.
With diet, it’s usually best to avoid a rich diet whilst on prednisone, as it can cause pancreatitis. I think stick with what you’re doing right now and wait until Sophie is off the prednisone before changing anything.
It looks as though she’s had an infection of some sort, but her WBC is coming down nicely.
All the best, and don’t hesitate to ask anything.
Vally
![bingo-14-5_1200x775](https://www.secondchanceaihadogs.com/wp-content/gallery/aiha-dogs_2/bingo-14-5_1200x775.jpg "Vally\'s Bingo \\"Smile\\"")
![Brigitte_Cleo_Ripley_Enzo_4](https://www.secondchanceaihadogs.com/wp-content/gallery/aiha-dogs_2/Brigitte_Cleo_Ripley_Enzo_4.jpg "Brigitte\'s Cleo, Ripley, Enzo and Guest \\"Rockin\\"")
