PREVIOUS SUCCESS STORIES
January 2010
Mink
Mink is a 5 year old intact female Shih-Tzu owned by Ellen of Rockville, MD. Mink was diagnosed with autoimmune hemolytic anemia on July 10, 2008.
When Ellen was asked to comment on Mink’s symptoms prior to her AIHA diagnosis she replied, “Mink was very quiet, sad and lethargic. She collapsed once, a few days before we took her to the veterinarian, but appeared to be fine after only 20 seconds, so we didn’t think it was anything too serious. A few days later, she didn’t want to go for walk, eat, or even move around. When Mink vomited a yellow foamy liquid and her urine was a dark brown color, we knew something was definitely wrong. We made arrangements to take Mink to the veterinary clinic the next morning. By that time her tongue and mucus membranes were very pale.
”Upon admittance to the veterinary clinic on Thursday, July 10, 2008 blood testing revealed Mink had a PCV of 14. She was immediately given a blood transfusion and her PCV rose to 35. Mink was started on 10 mg prednisone twice per day, 12 ½ mg Azathioprine once per day, Doxycycline to be given twice per day for two weeks, then once per day for one week then stopped, as well as Pepcid and Milk Thistle. After the transfusion Mink was able to get up and greet us, although she was still very weak. The veterinarian cautioned us that Mink’s increased PCV may only be temporary and that it could continue to drop until the medications ‘kicked in’. Mink remained at the veterinary clinic all that day. After 6:30 P.M., we took her to the emergency clinic for the night and then back to her regular veterinarian on Friday morning for the day before we were allowed to bring her home Friday evening. Our regular veterinarian gave us additional information about the emergency animal hospital in case Mink became very sick again over the weekend.
”After we brought Mink home, on Friday evening, she ate nothing except for a small amount of chicken tender snack which she loves. She drank some water from time to time but by Saturday evening barely had the energy to do that. Mink was once again pale and appeared very ill so we took her to the emergency veterinary clinic at 2 A.M. Sunday morning. When blood testing revealed Mink’s PCV had dropped to 13, she received another blood transfusion and more aggressive drug treatment via injections. We were devastated and scared, fearing there was no hope left. Monday morning we took Mink back to our regular veterinarian for continuous daytime intensive care. Two days later, when her PCV rose to 37, we were allowed to bring her home. By then she definitely looked better and had a little more energy. We gave Mink her medications religiously and took her for check ups and blood work every week. After 3 months her PCV rose to 53 and we started to slowly reduce the medications while we continued to monitor her PCV and recovery. During those months, Mink drank lots of water, and had a huge appetite. We tried to control the amount of food we gave her and monitored her urine color. A few weeks later, Mink’s PCV dropped to 42 and our veterinarian put Mink back on Doxycycline for 10 days. We continued to taper off the Prednisone and Azathioprine very slowly and by April 2009, Mink was off all medications for the treatment of AIHA.”
When Ellen was asked to comment on the current state of Mink’s health she replied, “She is doing great. Her PCV at her last blood check on December 8, 2009 was 55. She is on no medications for the treatment of AIHA. We are so very thankful Mink recovered from her bout with AIHA. She’s healthier and more energetic then before her illness. The joy, laughter and unconditional love she gives to our family is absolutely priceless. We love and cherish Mink and every moment we spend with her is precious.”
February 2010
Mia Grace
Mia Grace is a 4 ½ year old spayed female American Eskimo dog owned by Liz and Mark of Christiana, TN. Mia was diagnosed with autoimmune hemolytic anemia on September 22, 2008.
When Liz was asked to comment on Mia’s symptoms prior to her AIHA diagnosis she replied, “Mia’s illness appeared to come on very quickly. Mia has always been a dog who plays nonstop and is very attentive and super sweet. In September, 2008, she suddenly stopped eating and barely had the energy to stand up. Initially we thought it was because she had just returned from the dog sitter, where she had been cared for while my husband and I were on vacation. Within 24 hours, however, we realized something was terribly wrong. Mia could not stand up without falling, much less walk. My husband took her to the nearest veterinarian (not our normal veterinarian) late that afternoon. After tests were run Mia was diagnosed with AIHA and started on 50 mg prednisone, 25 mg Azathioprine, 50 mg Doxycycline and 10 mg Pepcid. Mia was hospitalized at the veterinary clinic overnight and when I visited her early the next morning her health had deteriorated drastically from the previous evening.
”Against the pleadings of the veterinarian, I transported Mia 20 miles to our regular veterinarian. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust this doctor, rather it was because I had complete faith in our regular veterinarian that I chose to move Mia. During the 20 minute drive, I thought Mia had passed away 3 times. I screamed at the top of my lungs and shook her to keep her with me. She was lifeless and did not respond to me at all. Once we arrived at our regular veterinarian, blood work was done and I was told Mia had a PCV of 8. Mia was immediately given an Oxyglobin transfusion and she perked up just a little bit. Since our veterinarian is not open 24 hours, we picked Mia up that afternoon and brought her home so we could watch her closely in case she got worse during the night. We didn’t sleep a wink that night, instead we just stared at her lifeless body in her crate beside the bed. At 2:00 AM we realized Mia had taken a turn for the worse and rushed her to an emergency veterinary clinic. After giving a brief synopsis to the emergency veterinarian, Mia’s blood was checked again. Her PCV had dropped to 3. The veterinarian pulled my husband aside and told him Mia had less than a 1 percent chance of making it. Mia was started on a blood transfusion and we were asked to step out of the room to keep Mia’s excitement level down. There was nothing we could do but pray and bide our time. Mia remained hospitalized for the next 2 days as her PCV slowly increased to 10. When we picked Mia up from the emergency clinic to bring her home, the veterinarian simply smiled with a look of amazement as we carried a living miracle out the front door. She was far from being out of harms way, but over the next few months Mia slowly, but steadily, recovered. Since she was on prednisone, our wonderful veterinarian allowed us to bring Mia to his office every morning (Monday-Friday) for the next 3 months so they could watch her and let her ‘relieve herself’ throughout the work day. As Mia’s PCV continued to rise, her medications were slowly reduced and then discontinued.
When Liz was asked to comment on the current state of Mia’s health she replied, “Mia is doing great! Her PCV at her last blood check on December 31, 2009 was 55. Mia is on no medication for the treatment of AIHA. Because Mia had such a severe case of AIHA she will no longer be vaccinated or given any heartworm, or flea/tick preventative. We do a heartworm test every 6 months and the ‘flea comb’ has become a very familiar tool to us. Mia is doing so well you would never be able to tell she was ever sick. She is back to playing just like she did before her illness. I still find myself checking Mia’s gums all the time, especially if she seems tired or is not eating normally. When Mia gets off of her schedule she doesn’t eat real well, but once she is back to a normal schedule, she is fine. Given the fact that Mia was so very ill, when she was diagnosed with AIHA, I never thought she would make it to be a ‘Success Story’. But with good veterinary care and many, many prayers from us and so many others, she made it!! I am so thankful for the Meisha’s Hope Web site and other AIHA/IMHA web sites. My husband and I got some VERY good information on this disease from these sites and I would recommend that anyone having a dog with this disease do as much research as possible. The knowledge you gain will prepare you for what to look for, what to suggest to your veterinarian and provides support through your fears, tears, and prayers. Mia is such a blessing to us and we are so thankful for each and every day we are allowed to spend with her.”
March 2010
Lily
Lily is a 7 year old spayed female Cocker Spaniel owned by Peter and Kristin of Forest Hills, NY. Lily was diagnosed with immune-mediated hemolytic anemia on September 7, 2008.
When Peter was asked to comment on Lily’s symptoms prior to her IMHA diagnosis he replied, “Prior to Lily’s illness, she was a dog who had a very spunky personality, was playful, loving and always hungry. This all changed over the course of about 3 days when Lily became extremely lethargic, had no appetite and began to vomit. By the third day, I knew that Lily had more then just a ‘tummy ache’ and that something was very wrong. Since it was a
Sunday I took Lily into the emergency veterinary clinic.
”Upon admittance to the emergency veterinary clinic blood work was done. At first it was thought that Lily may have been bitten by a tick so antibiotics were prescribed and Lily was going to be sent home. As we were waiting for Lily to be discharged we were told that Lily’s PCV was very low (in the teens) and that she would need to hospitalized so medications could be started. Lily was given IV Dexamethasone, IV Ampicillin and started on prednisone and Azathioprine. The next day we transferred Lily to our regular veterinarian where blood testing revealed that her PCV had dropped to 13. Lily was given a blood transfusion, the Azathioprine was discontinued and Cyclosporine (Neoral) was started. Lily was hospitalized for 5 days and nights before she was allowed to come home. Her discharge medications included prednisone, Cyclosporine, Sucralfate, Pepcid, Prilosec as well as an antibiotic. Since blood work showed that Lily also had low thyroid function she was started on Soloxine. Until Lily became stabilized we went back to the veterinarian every three days to have blood work done. As Lily’s PCV continued to rise and then stabilize we reduced the prednisone by 25% once per month until it was finally totally discontinued. At the current time Lily takes 50 mg Cyclosporine per day as well as Soloxine for her thyroid.
When Peter was asked to comment on the current state of Lily’s health he replied, “Lily is doing well. She is energetic, playful and loves chasing our 4 year old daughter all around the house Her PCV at her last blood check on January 16, 2010 was 39. Lily lost a lot of her hair as a result of the mediations used to treat her illness, but all that hair has since grown back. Because of Lily’s bout with IMHA, she will no longer be vaccinated. Lily is back to her spunky, playful self. She loves to play with her toys, take long walks around the neighborhood and of course have her tummy scratched. We feel fortunate for every day that we are allowed have Lily with us. If I were to give any advice to someone who has a dog newly diagnosed with AIHA/IMHA, it would be find a veterinarian who has seen several cases of the disease and knows how to treat it properly. Be sure to ask a lot of questions of your veterinarian. The medications (especially the prednisone) can change your dogs personality. You need to be as caring and loving as possible because your dog will need to urinate a lot and may not want to be held and cuddled. Set up some space where your dog can be alone and rest. Be patient and have hope, it is going to be a lot of work and a lot of struggle but there is a light at the end of the tunnel.”
April 2010
Keiko
Keiko is a 7 year old intact female miniature Dachshund owned by Jessie and Dave of Armstrong, British Columbia, Canada. Keiko was diagnosed with immune-mediated hemolytic anemia on June 4, 2007.
When Jessie was asked to comment on Keiko’s symptoms prior to her IMHA diagnosis she replied, “Saturday June 2, 2007 Keiko was bright, active and alert when we went outside to play. I threw the Kong toy for her and she went flying after it but on the way back she completely collapsed, just passed out cold. When Keiko came to, she seemed to be fine, but I took her to the veterinarian anyway. No blood work was done since the veterinarian thought Keiko had narcolepsy. I took Keiko home with me and by that night she was very lethargic, wobbly and not eating. On Sunday she continued to be unsteady and was falling over. Monday morning Keiko’s gums and tongue were very pale. We returned to the veterinary clinic and I insisted on seeing a different veterinarian. This veterinarian did blood work which revealed Keiko had a PCV of 24. He suspected IMHA and immediately started her on prednisone. On Wednesday, when I did not see any improvement in Keiko’s condition, we returned to the veterinary clinic. When blood work revealed Keiko’s PCV had dropped to 13 we were referred to a veterinary hospital an hour away.
”Upon admittance to the Tri-Lake Animal Hospital in Winfield, B. C., Keiko was given a blood transfusion which stabilized her. During the 48 hours Keiko was hospitalized, we visited her twice and I cried on the way home both times. It was so hard to see her just laying there and not responding other than with her eyes. She was obviously so confused and we were devastated. We were, however, fortunate that one blood transfusion helped and Keiko’s PCV started to slowly climb, so we were allowed to bring her home on Friday night. Her discharge medications included 5 ml prednisolone given twice per day and 10ml Azathioprine given once per day. All Keiko’s medications were compounded into a liquid form because that was so much easier than pill form for her. After Keiko returned home, I had to give her heparin injections for the next 4 days to prevent a blood clot. We took Keiko to the local veterinarian on Monday for blood work, and we continued to do so on a weekly basis for many weeks. As Keiko’s PCV continued to rise, her prednisolone was very slowly reduced until it was finally discontinued in March, 2008. Keiko still receives a maintenance dose of Azathioprine (0.3ml 3 times a week) and will do so for the rest of her life. Her veterinarian says ‘why change something that is working?’ Keiko has never taken any flea/tick or heartworm preventatives. She has not been vaccinated since her IMHA diagnosis and will not be vaccinated again in the future. Our veterinarian has also instructed us not to give Keiko onions in any form or garlic.”
When Jessie was asked comment on the current state of Keiko’s health she replied, “At the onset of Keiko’s illness she became withdrawn but as her heath improved her personality reemerged. Keiko is, once again, a happy, healthy and energetic dog. We feel so blessed to still have her with us and are thrilled she is doing so well. Her PCV at her last blood check on March 3, 2010 was 54. Keiko is patiently waiting for the warm weather to arrive. Her favourite time of the year is when the weather is warm, the sun is shining and someone has time to throw her Kong for her. In June 09 we finally felt confident enough in Keiko’s health to add a puppy to our family and everything is going very well. I cannot thank my veterinarian enough for so quickly recognizing the disease Keiko has and getting us on the road to recovery. Once I knew what Keiko had I embraced as much information as I could and questioned everything. The doctors were very patient with me and all my questions! I am so grateful for Web sites like Meisha’s Hope and all the information available there. There is so much support online that no one has to feel alone while battling this disease. AIHA/IMHA can be beat, Keiko is proof of that!”
May 2010
Millie
Millie is a 12 year old spayed female Maltese/Shih Tzu mix owned by Samantha & John of Highton, Victoria Australia. Millie was diagnosed with immune-mediated hemolytic anemia on January 22, 2009.
When Samantha was asked to comment on Millie’s symptoms prior to her IMHA diagnosis she replied, “The first symptom I noticed was Millie vomiting an orange/brown coloured bile for about a week. Concerned about this prolonged vomiting, I took her into our local veterinarian on Monday 19th January. Blood testing revealed a PCV of 36 and an elevated white cell count. Millie was hospitalized for two nights and on Wednesday the surgery phoned me to say I could come and pick her up. I was quite alarmed when I saw Millie since her skin was bright pink and she was burning hot. I asked the veterinarian what was wrong with Millie because she seemed a lot worse than when I had bought her in. The veterinarian put it down to a virus, gave me some antibiotics and advised me to take Millie for a short walk to get her to do a bowel movement. I had a feeling something more was going on, but I took Millie home and we took all 3 of our dogs for a walk. Millie didn’t make it far. She stopped in her tracks after about 100 metres. I told John that I thought something serious was wrong – Millie loves her walks, and we always said the day she didn’t want to walk anymore, is the day when something bad is happening to her. We agreed to take her back in to see the veterinarian first thing the next day.
”I phoned the surgery the next morning, and made an appointment. This time we saw our regular veterinarian and when she looked at Millie’s test results from Monday she immediately suspected IMHA. Since we really didn’t know what this meant, at that point in time, we left Millie in the care of the veterinarians and went back to work, not realising exactly how serious an illness we were dealing with. Our veterinarian called us late Thursday to tell us that Millie’s PCV had dropped to 14. We were also told that Millie had been given Dexamethasone intravenously to try to suppress her immune system. In addition, we were informed that Millie had been started on Prednisone; 5 mg in the morning and 5 mg in the evening. We were told to phone on Friday morning for an update to see if Millie had responded. I realise now that expecting a dog with IMHA to respond overnight is unrealistic, but at the time I did not understand this. When I phoned Friday morning, I was told Millie’s PCV was still at 14 and that if this trend continued, we would have to put her down. I was devastated. An hour later, the veterinarian phoned back to ask our permission to give Millie a blood transfusion. I didn’t hesitate to say yes, so Millie received her first and only blood transfusion from the veterinarian’s donor dog, Oti. Millie’s PCV rose to 27 following the transfusion. Azathioprine was also added to the treatment regimen – dosed at 12.5 mg in the morning and 12.5 mg at night (which I later learned was too large a dosage for a dog Millie’s size).
”Millie came home from the veterinary surgery on Saturday morning and soon began to struggle. Her breathing became laboured, she had a couple of stumbles where she lost her balance and fell and she became increasingly bloated. Follow up blood work on the Tuesday after diagnosis showed Millie’s PCV was still holding at 27. I raised my concern about Millie’s bloating and laboured breathing, but I as told this was normal. By Thursday, Millie’s faeces were bloody and she could hardly breathe or move. I took Millie back to the veterinarian and insisted on more blood work and other tests. The PCV came back at 21.8 and the platelet count had dropped to 98. When an ultrasound showed, what the veterinarian believed was, internal bleeding near Millie’s
liver, the veterinarians conceded they were out of their depth and referred me to the University of Melbourne Teaching Hospital. I rushed Millie down there and that was the best thing I could have done. They retested her bloods, and found that the results from my local veterinarian were false, Millie’s platelets were normal and her PCV still at 27. X-Rays and an ultrasound revealed the bloating was due to fluid retention (ascites), which I later learned is quite common in dogs with IMHA. There were no signs of tumours or growths, so cancer was ruled out as the cause. Millie received oxygen therapy and was put on a drip. She was given an injection of Frusamide and put her on Flusaplex drops to stop the fluid build up. The scans showed that Millie had Congestive Heart Disease, most probably due to the rotten teeth and mouth decay she had when we adopted her. We had these problems fixed, but obviously the damage was already done. Vetmedin (heart medication) at a dosage of 1.25 mg morning and night was added to the treatment regimen and the Azathioprine was reduced to 12.5 mg every night. Aspirin was also added to prevent blood clots. I later learned this is very important since blood clots claim the lives of many dogs who have AIHA/IMHA. Millie received Losec and Carafate to prevent ulcers and protect her stomach. After four nights in the intensive care unit Millie came home and things finally started to look up. Millie continued to improve and about 6 weeks after diagnosis, her PCV reached 37 and we were able to start reducing her medication. The Prednisone was slowly reduced until it was discontinued in September 2009. Millie is currently on 6.25
mg Azathioprine every third day for her IMHA. I want to leave her on this dosage for the rest of her life. Millie also takes 1.25 mg of Vetmedin twice daily to treat her congestive heart disease. I am happy to say that condition has not degenerated since her check up last year. We do not vaccinate Millie because our veterinarians have advised against it. There are no laws in Victoria requiring vaccinations and since we do not have an issue with rabies this vaccine is unnecessary. I do not use flea or tick preventative on Millie. Ticks are not prevelant where we live and since Millie is an inside dog, we don’t have a lot of problems with fleas. I ensure that our other dogs and cats are given flea preventatives regularly to prevent an outbreak getting to Millie. I am not comfortable using topical flea and worm control products or anything that might stimulate Millie’s immune system for fear of a relapse. I give Millie Milk Thistle for liver protection, Psyllium husk to help with digestion and bowel movement and a “Health Booster” vitamin supplement to her meals. Millie is a fussy eater, so I am continually having to think of what healthy meals I can feed her.”
When Samantha was asked to comment on the current state of Millie’s health she replied, “ Millie is currently doing very well. She is energetic, playful and full of life. Millie’s last blood work was done on March 4th, 2010 and her PCV at that time was at 47. This is the highest it’s ever been since her IMHA diagnosis Even though Millie is a senior dog, she is in amazing health. We do have her heart condition to deal with, however the veterinarian tells us that Vetmedin can significantly extend Millie’s life and so far it’s working wonders! Millie is an inspiration to John and me. Even at her lowest point with IMHA she always had tail wags and licks for everyone and her will to live just shone through telling me we had to keep fighting. Millie continues to inspire me every day with her love of life and we hope more than anything for more healthy years with this precious dog.”
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