Hi, all! I hope this is the right account--for some reason the boards didn't recognize me at one point and I made another. On the other boards I used to frequent during Emma's illness (IG Post), they've moved servers or something and now require a non-gmail account. Grr.
In any case, I wanted to weigh in and say that Emmy is doing WONDERFULLY well. She was diagnosed with IMHA the first of July two years ago. I still haven't fully recovered, myself (though she seems to have!) and find myself checking her tongue, paws, etc., to make sure they're still PINK! And anytime she seems even slightly slower than usual, I go into overprotective mode.
To add to the database:
Emma: Italian greyhound
5 yrs, 2 months at time of onset
I was feeding Iams at the time, I think (switched to Canidae and now Solid Gold), with Iams treats as well (I've upgraded those, too)
IGs don't need bathing very often, so I don't. No, really.
I use Advantage; I'm thinking about switching to every 45 days if it seems safe (fewer chemicals=A Good Thing)
No flea collar. With these guys, you generally see ticks and such before they have a chance to get a good hold. I think I saw a tick on her once, when she was a puppy (it didn't get a chance to bite her before I brushed it off)
In Emma's case, she got sick about a month after her yearly vaccines. What makes me ILL is that I had just done some research online about how we over-vaccinate, and I SPECIFICALLY SAID to the vet tech that I'd rather not have her have all the shots if they weren't absolutely necessary. I was told that they were. Wish I'd stuck to my guns; the vet said it was probably the four-way shot that did it. :(
Emma's lowest red blood cell count was 8.5. This was AFTER she'd had a transfusion; she had 4 1/2 total, I think. She was on pred and cyclosporin for a really long time; it got very expensive, but I had vowed to myself that if something horrible ever happened to her, I'd just hand over my credit card and spend years paying it off, if necessary. I understand that that's not something everyone could do, and my parents helped a LOT with her emergency vet bills. I also understand that this is one of those diseases you can't just throw money at and guarantee a cure. We could have spent all that money (about $5k, I think) and still lost her. We didn't, but we could have. I don't take that lightly, and I understand why someone might make a different choice. The way I was emotionally at the time, I just couldn't.
She now tests at anywhere from 53 to 57. Yes, really. I thought only the regular greyhounds got that high, but that complete wellness physical (that really became a SICKNESS-giving physical) showed that she was normally in the fifties. We joke that she should be a blood donor.
I will never, ever have her vaccinated again. She'll be titered for rabies from now on, and the only thing I will give her is the Advantage. Wish I didn't even have to do that, but we're in south Florida (Tampa). I've actually had waking nightmares that I take her to the vet and some well-meaning tech comes back out and says "I noticed you haven't been vaccinating her, so I went ahead and did that. You really need to keep up on those." I usually come out of it just before my hands close around his or her neck....
I thank God every time I think of it for my Emma's life. We're in our second year of grace so far, and I pray her good health continues.
I also thank God for Callie and the other good folks here who helped me through a very difficult time. It really does change you, and some of the ways in which it changes you are good. I'm more grateful for the little things every day with Ems now, and, I hope, more patient with her. She is a gift that I've been given twice now....
<3 Wendy (and Emma!)