A year with IMHA - new problems

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A year with IMHA - new problems

Posted : 4/12/2014 5:29:33 AM

Hi everyone, my name is Mindy, my dog is Sparky, my Shar pei.

She is almost two now, and she was diagnosed with IMHA in March 2013, I never ever thought she would make it this far and it has been a huge battle, with three blood transfusions to keep her alive.

I am not sure what caused this, she had a heartworm tablet a few days before, then I thought she was on heat as I saw droplets of blood on the ground, I am kicking myself for thinking it was this, and hours later I saw bruising on her stomach.

Sparky has been on Cyclosporine 100mg for the last year, she had been on 20mg of Pred x at the start, this has been slowly and gradually weaned off to the point where up until the 6th of April, where the vet said to take her off altogether, I wasn't 100% happy about it but I'm not a vet, she saw the vet on Sunday

On Wednesday afternoon I gave her a bath, she hates baths so much that she done a pee ( this happens every time!) and there were droplets of blood in it. She wasn't swolen around her vulva area and since she is intact she hasn't come on heat since her illness came on.

She saw the vet again on Thursday who took her temperature and it was a little high, and there was blood in her urine, so they said it was a urinary tract infection, she has been on antibiotics for 2 days now.

The problem is the blood isn't in her pee, it is dropping from her vulva area, the vet seemed to think this wasn't the case, but all around the house tonight there are droplets of blood, and I can't get to the vet until the morning.

I want to give her back her prednisone. When I talked with Jean Dodds from Hemopet in 2013 she said that Cyclosporine wouldn't be effective without prednisone.

I really don't know if it could be from her being off her prednisone, my vet will not listen or read any of the information that Jean gave me and I feel like I am talking to a brick wall.

Does anyone know if this could be another symptom of IMHA? Or any recommendations of what I should do, any help would be appreciated

Sparkys gums look healthy and nice & pink which is a postive

So glad I found this forum! xx

calliecritturs

Posted : 4/12/2014 11:25:28 AM

The IMHA has morphed (or "changed";) into another auto-immune disease with low platelets. Platelets are the clotting factor in the blood -- that's why you are seeing the drops of blood and the bruising. You need to see a vet **right away**.

They call it IMT - Immune-mediated Thrombocytopenia when it's just the platelets being destroyed. If the dog is destroying both red blood and platelets it's called Evan's syndrome.

This is not really uncommon -- for the body to switch gears and turn it's attention to another place to kill cells. If she is drinking a lot it likely *is* a urinary tract infection ... and in fact the UTI could have brought the IMT on.

The treatment for IMT is the same as for IMHA -- immune-suppressors.

My email is callieatcritturs@yahoo.com -- if there is anything I can do you can get me there. I suspect you are in the UK -- can I ask where. (only because my husband is a Scot and knowing where you are gives me a better idea of where to tell you to find things.)