IMHA

I see you've found your way to the big AIHA IMHA thread -- that's the best place to post to take advantage of our collective wisdom.  I've also emailed you with my phone -- don't hesitate to holler -- we've gotta stick together.  This disease is awful and you'll need all the support you can get.

Just quick -- don't beat yourself up over the maitake -- it's a pretty safe mushroom (very often used in cancer to 'protect' healthy cells from the encroachment of cancer or to protect a body you suspect might be prone to it). 

There's quite a little niche group on here of folks with auto-immune and IMHA experience, and another INCREDIBLE bunch of folks with a) incredible hearts who are awesome at "support" in general; and b) another core group of folks who have chronically ill dogs of one variety or another who are incredibly knowledgeable and really help pinch hit in that thread.  We are unbelieveably fortunate to have such a great bunch of folks on here.  It was, in fact, Janet_rose who emailed ME and told me to find you as soon as I got home. 

I can't figure out how to post on here, nor put a picture of my Krypto in here either.  We are all heartbroken in our home.  There is a MAJOR void in our lives right now.  Our 4 year old Pomeranain, Krypto, died on Saturday night from IMHA.  We knew NOTHING about his even being sick until Tuesday.  Last Monday, he was swimming in the lake with our 14 year old daughter Katie.    Tuesday, he had vomited.  But, when we cleaned it up, there were cat crunchies in there.  whenever he got into the cat crunchies, he's be sick for a day, then would be okay, so we thought nothing of it.  But, Wednesday, he still was just lying around and barfy, so we took him to the vet.  We were worried he might've gotten into something he shouldn't have when he was out with our daughter the day before.  We thought he'd just need some antibiotics or something and then be fine.  He was a perfectly active, healthy dog when he went to bed Monday night (or, so we thought).  They took his blood and saw that his white blood count was through the roof, and his red blood cells were EXTREMELY low.  they sent us to the Emergency Vets in Chattanooga, and they kept him and gave him a blood transfusion. glucose, not to mention a myriad of tests, etc...  We picked him up the next day (we just couldn't afford to keep him there any longer).  We came home with 4 different meds for him, and a very grim prognosis.  We were told if he could make it for 5 days, we had a good shot.  But, that 40-60% of dogs don't make it that long for the meds to really work.  Sadly, our Krypto died in my arms Saturday night at 10 pm., with our daughter Katie and my husband petting him and telling him how much we loved him.  Nobody seems to know why!!!!  His breed isn't one the the ones that makes him a higher risk, etc...  The only things he fits into the mold for is that he was between 3 & 8 yrs old, and it's Spring.

Helen

Helen, I am so very sorry for your loss.  IMHA often onsets hard and fast with things spinning out of control faster than people can even quite begin to figure out what to do.  You did your best and he *Knew* he was loved!

It was definitely hard & fast with him, that's for sure!  I just can't wrap my mind around one day he was running around, having fun, and swimming with our daughter in the lake, and the next, he was critically ill, then dead.  Our house is much too quiet.  Everything is a memory of him-- when we eat, he's not sitting besides us with his 'pretty sit' in case something should fall his way, he's not there to go get the mail with us (He'd get all excited if you told him it was time to get the mail).  My daughter didn't even want to go swimming yesterday, because he isn't here to go with her.  (He even had his own boogie board!  :  Matt bought Katie a new paddle boat this weekend, and she didn't even want to go on that either, because Krypto loved going for rides on them too.  Katie is 14, and doesn't wnat to show how much this has hurt her-- but I hear here cry herself to sleep each night-- he always slept in her bed with her.

There is a Rainbow Bridge section on this messageboard that should bring you some comfort. 

 There is also a huge AIHA IMHA thread (like 360-odd pages) of others who have had to deal with this disease ... some, like you have lost their dog, and some have survviors.  It is a very difficult disease, but one that will likely leave you **changed** in how you deal with things like vaccines, and chemicals, etc. in future.

My Billy was a 4 1/2 year IMHA survivor.  I lost him in March but, thankfully not to IMHA but to a massive heart attack.  The IMHA did weaken his heart and left him with a large murmur which we coped well with for years. 

But I truly do understand your loss and my heart is with you.  It can be such a wickedly fast, destructive, devastating disease.