So, um...anybody concerned about H3N8? Just heard about it on the news, but I may be behind the times with this. In any case, they're blithely talking about a vaccine...but our babies can't have it. :( I mean, I also read an article saying you should NOT vaccinate in any case because it was over-vaccination that led to this mutated (?) flu strain anyway...it's just hard knowing that it puts my baby at risk either way. :P

Okay, now you guys have me a little bit worried! Ems and I have been staying with my folks for awhile this summer (started out when I had double pneumonia, then my mom had surgery, then we traveled over the summer and used their house as a "base"); I'm planning on taking her and heading home tonight. We only live 20 minutes away, and see my parents and their dog, Tessa, often--but is she more likely to relapse because she'll be at home alone regularly during the day for the first

:waves: Just wanted to jump into the thread (which I haven't been reading much lately--busy, busy year for me; explanations below) and say welcome! I'm sorry for the reason behind your coming here, but glad you found this place. The people here are fantastic and incredibly supportive. I learned SO much two years ago when Ems was sick (she'll be a two-year survivor the first of July!); I truly don't know how we would have made it through without the forums. It's not just advice

Yep--Ems apparently had the "lets go crazy and kill AAAALLLL the red blood cells!" kind, like Billy. And I agree re: the timeline not being hard and fast; she had had her vaccines just a few days over a month (so, of course, the vet's office kept saying, "we don't usually see IMHA after that long." Uh-huh. Perhaps it was because I'd been reading about overvaccinating and went in for her annual with the "no more than necessary" mindset--but was talked into

Woohoo for Coop! I just skimmed the last page or so, so I don't know all the ins and outs of this situation, but Callie's right about being an advocate for your dog. The vets (usually) know much, much more than we do about animal medicine, but they don't know our own dogs like we do (just as human doctors don't know us; I had a horrible reaction to an antibiotic--Levaquin--in February and the ear-nose-throat doc tried to brush it off, saying that he's used that same med for five

You're a good dog dad. Keep it up--sounds like she's doing well! Don't know what to suggest re: the nose thing. I don't think Ems had problems with dry nose, though she did lose some hair (and IGs look like they have very short hair, not fur) on the top of her head. Much of her muzzle has also turned white since she got sick. :( Go,, Cyclops! <3 Wendy and Emma

Kassie--I'm so sorry. One of the most unfair things about this disease, IMO, is that you can't really ever say, "Well, this person or that person just tried harder and that's why this dog survived." I mean, our vet told us about people who did nothing (no treatment), and their dogs didn't make it, but sometimes you try SO HARD and it works...and sometimes it doesn't. One of the things that makes me angriest is that Emma probably got sick BECAUSE I was being so conscientious

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

Emmy LOVED the milk thistle; I think she might be a bit of a closet lush! XD Keep improving, Willow!

I recently took Emma in for her yearly check up (it was just a year ago that she had the vaccines that apparently triggered her IMHA a month later), and everything was PERFECT--except that her red blood cell count remains high. Based on the levels from her check up a year ago, her doc just thinks that they're normally high in her. But the liver enzymes, etc., that we were watching, and for which I was giving her supplements, are all "beautiful," as her vet said. So, hurrah! And thanks