PREVIOUS SUCCESS STORIES
September 1999
Beau
Beaujolais (known affectionately as Beau) to his family and friends is a 10 year old neutered male toy poodle owned by Joan and Jim of Stow MA. Beau was diagnosed with immune-mediated hemolytic anemia on August 17, 1998.
The first signs of Beau’s illness were noticed as early as August 12th. These signs consisted of lethargy, loss of appetite, and weakness. These signs were thought to be from a epileptic seizure. Beau had a history of such seizures in the past. When Joan and Jim noticed the orange coloring and syrupy texture of Beau’s urine on Sunday, August 16th they suspected there was something more seriously wrong with Beau. Beau was taken to his vet and was immediately referred to Tufts New England Veterinary School of Medicine where he was admitted to ICU. Beau had a PCV level of 16 and tested Coombs positive. He was diagnosed with immune-mediated hemolytic anemia. On August 18th Beau was started on 30 mg of prednisone and received his first transfusion of Oxyglobin. His PCV had dropped to 14. By August 19th Beau’s PCV had risen to 15 but his breathing had become more labored. He received his second transfusion of Oxyglobin during the day. On August 20th Beau received his third and final treatment of Oxyglobin. His PCV was up to 16, but his breathing was much heavier (probable pulmonary thromboembolism). It was necessary at this point to put Beau on oxygen. On August 21st Beau was very despondent and he had vomited some blood. His PCV had now climbed to 20 but he was still experiencing respiratory problems and was still on oxygen. Heparin was added to the treatment regime to thin out the clotting as was Carafate (sucralfate) for an ulcerated stomach.
By August 23rd Beau’s PCV was stable at 20 and he was released from the hospital with a list of the following medications: prednisone, 15 mg 2X/day, Carafate .5 gr 2X/day and Heparin (shots) 600 units 2X/day for 3 days and then 1X/day for 4 days. At his check up on August 27th , Beau’s PCV was holding steady at 20, it was decided at this point that Imuran should also be added to the treatment regime at the dosage of 12.5 mg/day. By the second week’s check up, on September 3rd , Beau’s PCV had risen to 22, he was now off the heparin but all other meds stayed the same. Over the course of the next few months Beau’s PCV rose very slowly. The medications were also reduced very slowly as well. On November 30th Beau’s PCV had climbed to 35, the Imuran was discontinued that day and the prednisone was maintained at a level of 10 mg/day. Over the next several months Beau’s PCV continued to climb very slowly and the prednisone was also reduced very slowly. By June 5, 1999, the PCV had risen to 40. It was decided at that time that Beau would remain on a maintenance dose of 2.5 mg prednisone twice per week to be given on Mondays and Thursdays. At Beau’s last checkup on August 28th, his PCV was 42. In addition to the maintenance dose of 2.5 mg of prednisone twice per week Beau also takes PetTabs and a glucosamine/chondroitin formula. In February 1999, Beau fractured his kneecap and damaged a ligament in his left rear leg during a fall. No medication and/or surgery was necessary for this injury but Beau’s vet felt the glucosamine/chondroitin formula would help the injury heal fully. Prior to Beau’s illness, he had been on Heartgard Plus for heartworm protection. This year he is taking Interceptor. Beau has not had any vaccinations since the onset of his illness. He is due for the rabies vaccination this fall but the injection will be postponed until spring as per his vets instructions. Beau is currently in excellent health. Joan reports that prior to his illness Beau was very energetic, constantly running and playing catch with his sheepskin toys. Shortly after Beau returned home from ICU, he energy level was back at full speed. Also, after the onset of Beau’s illness, according to Joan "he has become a real Mama’s Boy never wanting to leave my side."
Beau Update, February 2001
On November 27, 1999 Beau was diagnosed with Immune-Mediated Thrombocytopenia. At the time of his diagnosis his platelet count was 10,000 ( a normal platelet count is in a range from 200,000-500,000) and his PCV was 42. Beau's prednisone dosage was increased to 30 mg per day. Within one week, his platelet count had risen to over 600,000. Four weeks later his prednisone was decreased to 20 mg per day. In January 2000, the platelet count remained over 600,000 and the prednisone was decreased to 10 mg per day. Throughout the winter of 2000, Beau continued with blood checks every 4 to 5 weeks. His platelets remained above normal while his PCV dropped into the low to mid 30's The prednisone was slowly decreased until it reached 2.5 mg every other day. By the summer of 2000, Beau's PCV had again returned to the normal range. At the present time, Beau's PCV continues to stay in the 40% range with the platelet count remaining above normal. Beau continues on a maintenance dosage of 2.5 mg prednisone every other day. According to Joan, " Beau continues to fight on and is doing very well."
Beau Update, March 2006
Joan wrote recently with the following Beau update.
”Our little soldier, Beau, became an angel Monday evening, August 15, 2005. He was laid to rest at approximately 7:30 p.m. The last week of Beau’s life he got very tired, his back legs gave out and he could no longer stand on his own. As he looked into my eyes, on that last day, I knew it was time to let him go.
”Beau was a little fighter and did whatever he had to, to overcome the many obstacles that were in his way. He lived a long life, turning 17 on July 8, 2005. During all that time he was the most loving and adoring little guy we have ever had. Beau loved life and lived each day to the fullest—barking at his new canine brother Teague, having his meals and treats (especially carrots), playing outdoors, and giving Jim and I his unconditional love. We will miss you little guy! You have touched so many lives through the years—we will never forget you and will always love you and hold you deep in our hearts forever.”
October 1999
Chelsea
Chelsea is 12 pound, almost 13 year old spayed female Havanese owned by Janice of Cross Plains, WI. Chelsea was diagnosed with autoimmune hemolytic anemia 5 years ago when she was 8 years of age.
Janice noticed for a day or two that Chelsea "did not seem herself". Nothing was obvious but since Janice and Chelsea have always been constant companions, Janice just "felt" something was wrong. One day, as the two were climbing the stairs, Chelsea collapsed. Janice immediately called the University of Wisconsin Vet school. They advised keeping an eye on her and to call again if she had further symptoms. The next day Chelsea collapsed again as the she climbed the stairs. Chelsea was immediately taken to the University of WI vet school. It took a couple of days before the diagnosis of AIHA was made. Chelsea was started on a course of prednisone and daily trips to the vet school for hematocrit tests. The prednisone was later supplemented with azathioprine (Imuran). It took several months before Chelsea was in a sustained remission and able to be weaned off all medications.
Two years passed and Chelsea remained happy and healthy. And then as before, she collapsed. Janice immediately took Chelsea to the University of WI vet school. She suspected it was a return of the disease but the vets disagreed. Several tests were run to rule out other possible problems, but in the end it was concluded the AIHA had returned. Chelsea was started on prednisone and shortly thereafter azathioprine. This time she did not respond. Her hematocrit stayed at 12.5 for week after agonizing week. After several weeks of no improvement Janice added C-Flex ( an Ester-C form of calcium for dogs) at the dosage of 1 600 mg tablet daily. Within one week her hematocrit started improving and the improvement continued until once again Chelsea was able to be taken off all medication. The veterinarian at the vet school did not think the vitamin C had any relationship to Chelsea's improvement but felt there was no harm in giving it to her.
Two more years passed and Chelsea continued to be well and happy. Then in February, 1999 she came down with bronchitis. She also developed a significant heart murmur. The bronchitis was brought under control and an appointment was set up with the cardiologist at the U of WI. Upon being seen by the cardiologist Chelsea was put on 2.5 mg/per day Vasotec, 6.25 mg/per day Furosemide, 50 mg per day Theophylline and 5 mg prednisone every other day. Shortly after the visit with the cardiologist Chelsea developed her third onset of AIHA. This time Janice caught it very early. The only sign was the paling of the gums. Chelsea was put on 20 mg of prednisone daily for one week. At the end of the week Chelsea was responding so well the prednisone was decreased. The decreasing process was continued until the dosage was down to 5 mg every other day which was the dosage prescribed for the heart condition. Janice reports that Chelsea's third onset of AIHA was the easiest on Chelsea of any she had suffered. She does not know whether to attribute her quick recovery to catching it so early or the immediate high dosage of prednisone. Coupled with the fact that Chelsea was 2 years older, and had additional medical stresses of bronchitis and the heart murmur, Janice feels hitting the disease hard with the high dose of prednisone immediately was significant in her recovery.
Chelsea is currently doing fine. She continues to be the happy, outgoing dog she was prior to the onset of the AIHA. She saw her cardiologist in August . There was no worsening of the heart condition or change in medications. Chelsea loves traveling with her family to their vacation home in the Chequamegon Forest in Northern Wisconsin and being on "squirrel patrol". Because of the trips to the vacation home, Chelsea still receives her rabies shots every 3 years. Janice had Chelsea titers checked this year for other diseases but did not do any vaccinations this year. Chelsea receives Heartgard plus heartworm preventative and wears a herbal flea collar from "Natural Pet" from May to September. She also continues to take the C-Flex supplement.
Chelsea Update, December 2003
I recently received the following email from Janice.
”It is with great sadness that I write to you to tell you that we had to put Chelsea to sleep on December 16, 2003. She had been with us for 17 years and lived with AIHA for nearly 10 years. Chelsea had taken us on so many adventures. I have to smile as I remember Tom walking her around the ring at a dog show in Dubuque, this big guy with a little white fluff ball. I remember the time my friend Joni and I took our Havanese on a weekend escape to Door County where Chelsea and Kelly shopped all the stores with us and walked the beaches in their doggy raincoats when it rained all weekend. Chelsea was our ‘Christmas Spirit’ all year long. We will miss her bright eyes and wagging tail."
November 1999
Pippy
Pippy is a 12 year old spayed female short-hair mini-dachshund owned by AnnaMarie of Elk Grove, IL. Pippy was 11 years of age when she was diagnosed with autoimmune hemolytic anemia on October 15, 1998.
In March, 1998 Pippy became blind due to SARDS, (Sudden Acquired Retinal Degeneration Syndrome), no known cause, no cure. Some vets think "SARDS" is a immune disease, but there is little research into the condition and thus no definite proof either way. Pippy's veterinarian was concerned that Pippy might be stricken with Cushings disease because of her high alkph level. The vet also thought that Pippy's immune system might have been compromised when the blindness set in, therefore, she was concerned about autoimmune diseases, but she did not suspect AIHA until Pippy presented with the sudden symptoms of the disease.
On Sunday October 11, 1998, Pippy was playful and appeared to be her usual self. On October 12, she threw up several times and had diarrhea. AnnaMarie also felt that Pippy was not "acting right", so she made a vet appointment for the 14th. However Pippy and AnnaMarie never made it to that appointment. By the 13th of October, Pippy had stopped eating and could barely walk. She lay limp in AnnaMarie's arms as she was rushed to the vet.
Upon arrival at a critical care center, Pippy had a PCV of 13. She also tested Coombs positive. Pippy was started on IV prednisolone, the antibiotic Dicural and IV fluids for hydration. She also received a series of tests including ultrasound, whole body x-rays and thyroid tests. The specialists could find no cause for the AIHA and concluded that it was "idiopathic". When Pippy was released from ICU 48 hours after she was admitted her PCV had risen to 20. She was placed on 10 mg prednisolone BID for 10 days. The prednisolone dosage was then dropped to 5 mg BID and Pippy also remained on the Dicural, tagamet, pet-tabs plus and VAL syrup (a vitamin enriched tonic, high in iron). 4 weeks into the treatment, Pippy's PCV was not increasing, so Danazol was added to the treatment regime. At 5 weeks into the treatment, Pippy had an a severe attack of pancreatitis, a side effect of the prednisolone. The Danazol was discontinued and the prednisolone was changed to Azium (dexamethasone). The Azium was continued at decreasing doses for the next four months. At about the fifth month Pippy was weaned off all medications. Pippy had a pancreatitis and gall bladder attack on July 2, 1999 but has recovered from that and is once again doing fine.
When asked about the current state of Pippy's health, AnnaMarie, replied, "EXCELLENT!!" At her last checkup on October 23, 1999, Pippy had a PCV of 47. Due to the pancreatitis attacks Pippy is fed 5 small meals a day and 1 tiny snack at 3 AM. Pippy is currently not on any medication for AIHA. She does continue to take medications for the digestive disturbances . Pippy no longer receives any type of heartworm or flea preventative. She also no longer receives any vaccinations. Pippy's specialist is a firm believer that excess vaccinations, drugs, environment and even flea preventatives tax a weakened immune system. He said he sees more dogs with autoimmune diseases then he did years ago.
Pippy Update, March 2001
Pippy was hospitalized on February 12, 2001 for treatment of Pancreatitis, which according to AnnaMarie, "was a side effect from the prednisone." Pippy had previously survived several bouts of pancreatitis over a two year period. However, this time even though Pippy received the best care possible from her two internal medicine specialists, she did not respond well to treatment. Pippy died on February 15, 2001 at the age of 13 years and 10 months. Pippy was a 28 month AIHA survivor.
December 1999
Roxie
CH. Northyork Devil In Disguise, C. G. C., C.D. affectionately known to her family and friends as "Roxie" is an 8 ½ year old spayed female Cocker Spaniel owned by Al & Jane of Blue Springs MO. Roxie was diagnosed with autoimmune hemolytic anemia on September 11, 1998.
In late August 1998, Jane's father died and both Al and Jane traveled to IL to attend the funeral. Roxie and her canine siblings Gizmo, Taz and Nawti were left in the care of a "sitter". Al returned home after 4 days to take care of the dogs, as well as to return to work, while Jane remained with her mother. On Sept. 11th , Al took Roxie into the veterinarian for a routine dental cleaning. He was devastated when the vet called him to say the pre-anesthetic blood work showed Roxie had AIHA. Roxie had shown no symptoms, whatsoever of being ill. Her PCV was 31 at 9 a.m. but dropped to 17 that afternoon. Roxie was started on prednisone and I.V. fluids in the morning. By evening the veterinarian felt Roxie was stable enough to go home. Since he felt the disease may have been triggered by the turmoil of the stress involved with the death of Jane's father and Al & Jane's trip he did not want to keep Roxie at the clinic overnight unless it was absolutely necessary . Roxie was put on 20 mg prednisone per day when she was released from the clinic. She returned to the vet for blood tests the following day and the results showed the PCV had increased slightly. During the initial treatment Roxie developed colitis and severe diarrhea. She was put on Tagamet and medication for the colitis as well as Lixotinic, a supplement high in iron, copper and other nutrients, to help boast her PCV. She was taken off the colitis medication when her prednisone was reduced to 5 mg every other day. Roxie is currently still being weaned off the prednisone. At the present time she is taking 2 ½ mg every 4th day. She continues on the Lixotinic
Once Roxie was stabilized her PCV held reasonably steady. Her biggest problem then became her platelet count which at one time dropped as low as 11,000. Early this spring Al & Jane's veterinarian suggested a splenectomy. He felt it would remedy the low platelet problem. It is his thinking that the spleen, even one with no clinical signs of disease, can be the site of platelet destruction. Al & Jane did a lot of reading on the procedure and discussed the pros and cons of the surgery with many veterinarians. After much consideration and thought they decided to go ahead with the procedure. On September 11, 1999 (the one year anniversary of Roxie being diagnosed with AIHA) the splenectomy was performed. Jane was present at the surgery and reported when the spleen was removed it appeared a splotchy pink and gray color. Roxie came though the surgery well. Jane states that about an hour after the surgery Roxie was awake and up. About 4 hours after the surgery Roxie was allowed to go home. Roxie's pre-surgery platelet count was 178,000 with a PCV of 43. Since the surgery her platelet count has continued to rise while her PCV has remained stable. At her last checkup on October 25, 1999 Roxie had a platelet count of 240,000 with a PCV of 39.
Roxie is currently in excellent health. She is a registered therapy dog and has recently returned to her therapy dog duties. She and her canine siblings have done visits to nursing homes and adult day-care centers, as well as animal safety programs at local elementary schools. Al & Jane and the dogs do "kid safety programs" at the elementary schools to try and educate children on how not to get bitten by their dogs, friends dogs or stray dogs. To date they have had 3,500 children in these safety programs.
Prior to Roxie's illness, Al & Jane had another Cocker, Aussie, develop AIHA. Aussie was diagnosed with AIHA on April 24th , 1994. She died in Jane's arms 20 hours later on April 25th of disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) as she was being rushed back to the emergency clinic. Aussie had developed DIC as a possible complication of a blood transfusion. A necropsy was preformed with no conclusive findings.
Six months after Aussie's death as Al & Jane drove 7 hours to a breeder to look for another dog, they knew they might come home empty handed. They felt if they were meant to have another dog, Aussie would give them a sign. When they looked at Roxie's papers, they saw the sign they were searching for, Roxie's birthday was April 25th, the same month and day as Aussies' death.
Roxie Update, August 2001
When Al & Jane were asked to provide an update on Roxie, they responded with the following comments.
"Roxie is doing fine. Her latest PCV was 40 on August 15, 2001. Since having her spleen removed her platelets have not gone below 300,000 with most of the test results over 500,000. She is still on a maintenance dose of 20 mg Prednisone eod (every other day) alternating with 50 mg Azathioprine (Imuran) eod. She is also taking 1 teaspoon of Lixotinic (iron supplement which she loves) with each meal. In addition, she takes 0.2 mg Soloxine daily for a slightly depressed thyroid. She developed glaucoma (not AIHA related) last month and we had her eye deadened, which she tolerated very well.
Roxie is happy, active and feeling great. She is still the "boss" and all the other canine kids understand that. She gets away with whatever she wants now - she has earned it. We would like to tell anyone with an AIHA dog to hang in there, don't give up hope, and be aggressive - this disease does not have to be a death warrant! Vets are learning more and more about the treatment of AIHA everyday."
Roxie Update, February 2004
I recently received the following email from Al & Jane:
"After a brave fight with autoimmune hemolytic anemia for the past 5½ years, we had to let Roxie go this morning (February 20, 2004). In April she would have been 13. She had gone in for surgery this morning for a tumor removal but had developed some breathing problems in the last few days. It turned out to be heart problems and the kindest thing we could do for her was to let her "go on ahead" to see her Grandpa Davis (who, no doubt had a warm bowl of oatmeal waiting for her!) and her Grandma Boeck.
In her day Roxie was a BEAUTIFUL, "National Cocker" magazine, COVER GIRL who earned her Championship under breeder Kim Wubbels and her Companion Dog obedience title under her dad, Al. Roxie also was a registered therapy dog with Therapy Dogs International. She attended many Animal Safety Programs we give at the elementary schools and enjoyed having a crowd of 500 kids around her. Of late her favorite things were scrambled eggs, cookies and sleeping. She did that well.
Roxie (better known as "Mama Dawg"), will be sadly missed - she was a sweetheart. We love you Rox."
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