AIHA or IMHA

    • Gold Top Dog

    Prayers for your precious girl.  i know what you mean about the roller coaster ride.  i only spent da on it with my Hunter, but that was more than enough.  His PVC dropped to 9.7, he got 2 units of blood, it climbed tli1, but fell again very soon  Onbe day hopeful, the next down.

     Only one who has dealth with this disease or one like it can fully understand.  after losing Hunter, i was terrified of any change for my other dogs--food, treats, different vax.  I will not get the dental vax for them.  my vet has gone to 3 ear vax, including rabies for my girl even tho our city and county say every year.  I am at the vet with two coughs or sneeze3s two lame steps.  I* just worry all the time.  Over my 50 years of owning my owndogs, I have lost 2 to cancer, 2 to distemper (years ago), one ot poison, two to heart attacks, old age, and then the one to AIHA and that is the thingI fear the most.

    • Puppy

    Hi I have read the thread top to bottom and feel for all involved.  I know EXACTLY what you are going through right now Mike.  Unfortunately I was one of the unlucky owners.  I wish I had this support in August.  This brought back a lot of sad sad memories.  I will post his memorial below that I posted on another site about a week after he passed.  My prayers are with you!  Hang in there!

     

    Mr. Shanahan was a Miniature Schnauzer. He was the best dog in the world. Friendly, Smart, Sweet, and a great companion. I work from home so we spent every minute together. A week ago last Thursday he was anemic and weak, so I rushed him to the vet thinking he had a bug. Immediately he was diagnosed with IMHA and rushed to the hospital. His PVC was 13 and his platelet count was 136000. It was awful as my boy was only 8 years old. He remained in the hospital until Sunday when his PVC had recovered to 20 and his platelet count was way up to 250000. We were so optimistic! Well by Thursday of last week he started breathing harder and I thought nothing of it as I was told the pred could cause that. 5am Friday he started huffing and I called the hospital and was told that it should be the steroid, but I could bring him in if I wanted. I had to wait until 10 o’clock that morning when the Dr arrived. When I got to the hospital he ceased in my arms as I was checking him in. He went into cardiac arrest. They administered CPR and brought him back. I learned that his lungs were full of fluid and that he was essentially drowning.  Just another awful side affect of this horrible disease.  I learned that his time was up and I decided to do the right thing and let him go. I got to tell him what a great boy he had been and how much I love him over and over, but it happened so fast. It wasn’t like he grew old; he died in just 8 days from this terrible disease! It has been almost a week and my heart is breaking! I don't know what to do, and have never been this hurt before. I miss my baby! I just needed to share this with you all and let everyone know what an incredible impact he had on our lives.

    RIP SHANAHAN 7/7/2000 to 8/22/2008

    WE LOVE YOU SHANNY!

     

    For the other questions in the thread. Diet Science DietShots: none recently before diagnosisThought cause, Gopher poison?  Not sure but it's been consideredOtherwise he had some sick days every year so he might have carried this for a while without ever being diagnosed 

     

    Thanks 

    Scott

    • Gold Top Dog

    Scott, I am so sorry for the loss of your Mr.Shanahan.  To lose your dog in such a manner must have been heart wrenching.  I know you are still grieving and am sending you deepest sympathy.  Visit the Rainbow Bridge thread, it may offer you some comfort to think of Shanny waiting there. Hugs.

    • Gold Top Dog

    Schnauzers are another breed that seem more than usually prone to developing IMHA.

    Sandra's last post above mentions some really good points that have people like Lori (Willow's mom) and I nodding our heads. 

    You can't just CALL the vet.  You can't just assume "Oh that's because of the med ..." -- you have to watch them SO closely (so beyond anything that would normally be considered "close" it's unreal). 

    I've made the comment before that our hallmark with Billy was how much he wagged his tail.  IT STILL IS.  If I say "Billy is MY **sweet boy**" and I don't get a wag ... if David comes home and isn't greeted with one ... and a million other little tiny 'tests' that we've devised -- we worry!

    Simply because by the time the thin blood shows in the behavior you literally have minutes or an hour to get them help.  Even watching the gums is NO true indication -- their pack cell can be zooming down and the gums can still LOOK pink.

    This is not something most owners know nor understand -- but once you bring a dog thru an auto-immune disease like this you get really over-cautious because time can be such an enemy.

     Sandra's sentence at the end of her post where she tells of all the different things she's lost dogs to but that "AIHA is the one I fear the most" -- it's just plain SO true. 

    • Gold Top Dog

    I know what you mean about being super observant of your dogs.  Twister, my 9 yr old JRT, was diagnosed with White Shaker Dog Syndrome when he was two years old.  He had the one very, very bad episode, as far as symptoms are concerned, which was when he was diagnosed.  I thought he was dying. Treatment was Valium for a few days and then two months on Pred.  He has had a very few, slight recurrences but he responds to a week of the Pred and is fine again.Knocks on wood. Many dogs must remain on the Pred their entire life.   I am hyper observant of his every movement, so to speak and know if anything is off in his behavior.  It just changes the relationship and makes you very observant when they are so sick and finally ,thank goodness, recover. And of course, you wonder if you missed something earlier, because you measure time before and after.

    • Puppy

    Yeah i hear ya on the 1000000 little things.  He wagged his tail until his final breath.  I was obsessive with watching him and wouldnt even leave to go to the market.  However, in his case it was just so severe that all invlolved said that we couldn't have done more.  Fluid in the lungs was the determineing factor, but I'm pretty sure it could of easily of been something else.  Just my  luck you know:)  I just wish I could have 1 more day with him, but I guess it's never enough now is it?

    • Gold Top Dog

    This morning I woke up to find her sleeping on my back!  After my initial panic that something was wrong with ME, I almost had a second heart attack thinking something was wrong with HER.  She doesn't normally get on me like that and the only other time she's done that was when she wasn't well.  So, I freaked out, checking her, making sure she was OK. 

    You never really get off the roller coaster.  You just get on a different one.  I'm now on the paranoid of a relapse one instead of the is she going to come thru this one. 

    • Gold Top Dog

    I DEVELOPED SUCH A FEAR OF THAT DISEASE THT I DROVE/DRIVE MY DOGS/DOG NUTS CECKING GUMS.  THAT IS IT WITH HUNER.  I WAS LOOKING AT HIS TEETTH TO SEE IF HE NEEDED A DENTAL (HE WAS 4 YEARS AND 2MONTHS OLD WHEN I LOST HIM AND HIS TEETH WERE AS WHITE AND CLEAN AS THE DAY THEY CAME IN)) AND I SAW THE WHITE GUMS. 

    I HAD SEEN WHITE GUMS WITH OOK WORMS IN MY YOUTH AND THAT WS MY FIRST GHOUHT--WE HAD CHANGED HUNTER FROM INTERCEPTOR WHICH TOOK CARE OF HOOK WORMS TO  THAT PROHEART6 WHICH DID NOT, AND HE HAD PICKED UP HEART WORMS.  I CAME RIGHT IN  CALLED MY VET AND GOT AN APPOINTMENT FOR 11:20.  FUNNY, I STILL REMEMBER THAT TIME AFTER MORE THAN 5 YEARS.  WEHILE WAITING FOR TIME TO GO, I WAS SITTING ON THE PATIO AND HE PEED JUST OFF THE PATIO AND I SAW HIS URINE WAS THE COLOR OF RUSTY WATER. 

    IN HIND SIGHT, I REALIZED HE HAD NOT BEEN UITE RIGT FOR A COUPLE OF WEEKS.  HE HAD SPENT MORE TIME SITTING ON THE PATIO WATCHING SQUIRRELS INSTEAD OF CHASING THEM.  I ASSUMED THAT HE HAD FINALLY LEANRED TO STALK FROM OUR OLDER GOLDEN.  ALSO, HE WOULD BRIG HIS TOY FOR ME TO THROW, BUT IF HIS SISTER OR THE OLDER GOLDEN GOT A JUMP ON HIM HE DID NOT GO AFTER IT.  KayCee HAD ALWAYS BEEN LIKE THAT AND WE ASSUMED HE HAD FIGURED OUT IF YOU ARE NOT FIRST, YOU DO NOT GET THE TOY.    BUT AFTER LEARNING OF THE DISEASE, WE KNEW THAT IT HAD ALREADY TAKEN HOLD AND HE DID NOT HAVE THE ENERGY TO EXERT.

    NOW WITH HONEY, IF SHE SPENDS TO MUCH TIME SLEEPING OR LAYING AROUND, I GETWORRIED.  IF SHE DECIDES SHE DOES NOT WANT BREAKFAST, I GET WORRIED.  I AM ALWAYS LOOKINGATHE GUMS. 

    WHEN HUNTER WAS DIAGNOSED, MY VET WAS SEEING ONE CASE EVERY YEAR TO YEAR AND HALF.  NOW HE SEES SEVERAL EVERY YEAR.  HE BELIEVES OVER VACCINATION IS PLAYING A PARTIAL ROLL IN THE INCREASE OF AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE AND ALSO WITH CANCER.  AND OF COURSE ALL THE POLTION, ETC IS NOT HELPING EITHER.  HE HAS GONE TO THE 3 EAR VAX SCHEDUE AND IS TRYING TO GET THE CITY AND COUNTY TO GO 3 YEAS ON RABIES VAX.

    OUR GREAT STATE OF TEXAS HAS RULED RABIES VAX EERY 3 YEARS, BUT LETS EACH COUNTY AND TOWN/CITY DECIDE FOR ITSELF.  TOWN/CITY OVER RIDES THE COUNTY, THE COUNTY OVER RIDES THE STATE.  BOTH OUR COUNTY AND LITTLE TOWN SAY RABIES EVERY YEAR.  HOWEVER, HE WAS ONLY GIVING KayCee RABIES EVERY 3 YEARS BECAUSE SHE HAD HAD A REACTION TO HER 2ED SET OF ANNUALS.  HE WAS PRETTY SURE IT WAS THE LEPTO PARTY, BUT DECIDED IT WAS BEST TO ACTUALLY SKIP ALL VAX FROM THEN ON EXCEPT LAW REQUIRED  RABIES.  AND EVEN THAT HE WAS BUCKING TH LAW AND DOING IT EVERY 3 YEARS. 

    FOR THE RECORD, OF THE 45 OR SO FOLKS THAT I FOUND OR THAT FOUND ME WHOSE DOGS DEVELOPED aiha FOLLOWING PROHEART6, THE BIGGEST MAJORITY WERE SCHAUNZZERS, PUGS, COCKERS AND SHIH TZUS.  THE ONLY 2 STILL ALIVE WAS A BEAGLE IN CHICAGO AND A BUFF COCKER IN GEORGIA.  I DO NOT KNOW IF THEY SURVIVED TO REACH OLD AGES OR NOT.  SOME DOGS THAT HAD OTHER REACTIONS SURVIVD MONTHS OR EVEN A COUPLE OF YEARS AND THEN WERE LOST.  I REMEMBER  A PIT BULL NAMED OZZIE THAT WENT FROM A YOUNG DOG OF JUST ABOUT 2 TO AN OLD DOG IN WEEKS OF GETTING THE PROHEARRT6.  HE LIVED 2 YEARS AND THAN DIED. 

    I TRULY FEEL FOR ALL HERE WHO LOST THEIR DOGS OR HAVE DOGS FIGHTING THIS MOST HORRIBLE DISEASE. OR ONE LIE IT.  IT IS A NIGHTMARE.

    • Gold Top Dog
    willowchow
    I'm now on the paranoid of a relapse one instead of the is she going to come thru this one. 

    You always kind of are though, Lori! Even with Pirate's pancytopenia I am worried -- always worried, not to mention I *know* he has a shoddy immune system now, so WHAT IF if develops into IMHA one day...WHAT IF, what if, what if. Like I said...a day at a time.

    I wonder how Cyclops is doing. We are still thinking of her, along with Lily!! Holly1984, how is Lily doing?

    • Gold Top Dog

    My husband fusses at me all the time because i tend to fret more over Honey than myself.  i have rheumatoid arthritis, and in June diagnosed with diabetes, super low thyroid, super high cholesterol, and cataracts. and on top of all these i get sudden drops in blood pressure--like down to 65/45, etc, that make me so dizzy and my vision will be all but gone when this happens.  my eye doctor said when this happens i do not get get enough xygen to my eyes (nor brain, nor anything else for that matter)  But I am more likely to miss one of my meds than I am to miss giving Honey one of her sups!   I try to keep her immune system in top condition, along with her liver (milk thistle daily) kidnesy (cranberry cap daily), etc.  this is what Hunter's AIHA did to me. 

    • Puppy

    sl2crmeg
    I wonder how Cyclops is doing.

    We can only hope that no news is good news. Confused

    It's heartwrenching to read all of this and know that so many people have animals with this terrible disease. I think about Nikko all the time and then I think about all of  the dogs that I have read about and it just tears me apart. I know that this has hit all of us at some point fast and hard. I'm glad I found this website when I did. I can't imagine what condition I would be in after losing Nikko had I not found you all. Your knowledge and encouragement helped me deal with my loss. Thank you all that helped me. I have learned alot and I am telling everyone I know about it.

    Cyclops, Willow, Lily and all the rest of them are in my thoughts. Please update us on how they are.

     

    • Gold Top Dog

    I know he intended to go to OK yesterday -- I haven't heard anything, so I'm in the same "hope no news is good news" place - they may have told them not to come yesterday or something.  Just lifting them up in good thots and prayers.

    • Gold Top Dog

    Any update on Cyclops??

     

    • Puppy

    I know I have checked like 10 times today, I hope everything is good!

    • Puppy

    Thank you so much, it has been over 4 months now and is finally getting a little better.  We do have 2 new Schnauzer pups that seem to be wonderfull!  Thanks for your thoughts, it means a lot to us!