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- And introduction to Casy
I do not have any of the copies of the tests done. But I will come Tuesday.
Casy:
8 lbs. Female. Myself and 2 other vets think she is spayed. estimated age is roughly 5-7 yo.
Very bad teeth ( we had been working our way to proper health before we addressed this)
Diagnosis: AIHA RBC was 17 when I brought her in. upon release back to me it was 28. ( not sure as of yet what these numbers mean) reading from my bill this is what was done.
RC Hypo Hydrolized protein
CBC/CHEM W/ ELECTROLYTES
I.V. Cath
Dexamethasone inj
Radiographs ( checking the liver)
Now, I do trust my vet. I just have read some things on the net and would rather get a ” real world” view of what I can do to make things better for my lil girl.
As of right now. except for syringe feeding of recovery rs doog food, and some babyfood. she has not eaten anything in 5 days. She is drinking water and her pee is very dark. we just made a poop that was very liquid. a lot of dark spots, and mucus.( have photo ) So, I am thinking her intake of water on her own is a good thing. Her wandering off to pee, that is also good. the poop has me concerned but, i would guess that is to be expected. I have tried to offer her some of her favorites but she wont eat ..yet. I know its too soon to tell ( just got her home 10 hours ago. she is resting and much happier to be home. She dose have a bit of a sinus thing going on. That has me a little concerned as well. Lungs are clear so its just in the nose. Ill try some steam therapy tomorrow morning. I want to take this slow ( not too slow) I don’t want to cure her to death.
Hi Al and Casy
Al your quick reaction no doubt saved Casy’s life, so she’s very lucky you came into her life.
I might move your other post here if that’s okay, to keep the posts together.
The RBC has an explanation here
https://www.secondchanceaihadogs.com/AIHA_Terms/rbc-red-blood-cell/
And another explanation of the numbers
https://www.secondchanceaihadogs.com/AIHA_Terms/pcv-packed-cell-volume/
A RBC of 17 up to 28 is a fantastic result without a transfusion so her little body is working with the drugs to get things back to normal.
Tha baby food, make sure there is no onion in the ingredients. Once the prednisone kicks in, you’ll have a monster on your hands. Keep meals low fat if you can.
The pred dose is a little low for her, but she’s doing well.
https://www.secondchanceaihadogs.com/AIHA_Terms/prednisone/
The clavamox is a bit of a worry as its a penicillin antibiotic
https://www.secondchanceaihadogs.com/AIHA_Terms/drugsantibiotics-can-trigger-aiha/
Do you know why she is on the antibiotics?
Ideally when they’re on high dose pred, tummy protection is needed as the drugs are very harsh. My boy ended up with an ulcer as he wasn’t on anything. Also when the next blood test is done, check if they’ve done a blood smear. That’s a visual check of the blood on a slide. That will show any abnormal cells, and also will tell if aspirin is needed as clotting is a serious risk.
I suspect as you mentioned the injection may have triggered her immune system to go crazy. Sometimes we know what causes this, but other times, we never know.
Don’t forget to take care of yourself too Al.
Ask anything at all. We’re in different time zones so about at different times. I’m in Sydney Australia.
Very best wishes
Vally and Bingo
Oh and Atopica should be given away from food. Ideally about 2 hours before or after meals. How are you dosing that now. Prednisone always with food.
Vally
Vally,
I had no idea that the Atopica should be given in the absence of food. I will adjust that immediately .
I believe she was given the clavamox to combat the sinus infection she developed. I will double check this today. It was a long night full of reading. Just up now 11:14am.
She still has not eaten anything offered. Her poop is still liquid. I moped up this morning checking every little puddle. Very dark with a clear mucus.
I will contact my vet and see what information I can get from her today.
Very happy to have this site. Thank you.
This post is in hopes to lighten someones day. First and foremost, Never take yourself too seriously.
After putting on my coffee it was time for Meds. Its time like this I feel like Nurse Ratched from one flew over the ..PooPoo nest ( pun intended)
Now, I am running a bit of a doggie MASH unit at my house. I have one that needs pain meds and antibiotics poor little thing lost a toenail.
I have one that is on her last heartworm treatment and has been left with me because … Now get this, My house is so calm and quiet.
And of course the love of my Life Casy,. As you know Casy was diagnosed with AIHA.
Being a male I chose the path of least resistance. Lets deal with ToeJam first. Lucy is a 12 lb shih tzu and about as sweet as they come. Pill one. done, pill two.. done. Lots of praise and treats. * Thinks to self* I should be a vet.
Now Lets go after Chenel. She is a 14 lb schnauzer again a sweet dog, but.. This little pup has the jaw strength of a 14 ft alligator. Opening that little mouth requires the jaw of life and three strong men. So, Pill one goes in and down. Pill 2 in and OUCH **&%^$$ * I look lovingly at this little pup and beg for my finger back. I think she is smiling. Okay, finger is back from the maw of death. Mild praise a few curse words under my breath and a treat. Along with an education on the difference between treat and finger.
Now on to my little angel. Casy, in an 8 lb Malti mix. You would think this being the smallest pup would be the easiest. I did as well. I look back to the first time doing this and have this vision of Gandalf from the lord of the rings saying ” Run you fools” Just before he fell into the chasm. He was lucky.
So, towel is on the bed and puppy wipes are at hand. Prewarmed recovery doggie food is in the syringe. Meds are double checked ( Don’t want to get them mixed up with one of my happy pills, that would be a waste and … I’m gonna need that in a bit). And now comes the feeding. I approach this sweet, innocent Jim Henson creation . She looks at me as if to say ” bring it on F***er. With a heavy sigh I dive in. now, warm doggie food flying around the room at mach speed is a thing to behold. Jackson Pollock would stand in Awe at my walls.
I have to digress a bit here and explain a few things about this product. First, try and keep your mouth closed and curse only when absolutely necessary. In the event you do open your mouth, Oh I don’t know… to pray to God in heaven to get this dog to eat, May i suggest a tray of ritz crackers be added to your pre set up. ( this will make a lovely pate for the relatives this holiday season). Also, getting it in your eyes… Nitric acid I think would burn less.
Let me get back to the art in progress and dog food on the ceiling fan. Feeding is done. after what seems like a 55 gallon drum of dog food has been sprayed all over everything I think I may have got a teaspoon into this Loving gentle sweet tiny fur covered chain saw. * Thinking* Who in their right mind would do this for a living?
Now for the pills. This is where I get to work on my cardio and hand eye coordination. First off in her defence, she is very tiny and my fingers are well, almost sausages. I have filed down the finger I chose to loose er um use so not to scratch the roof of her mouth. Getting these pills into her is comparable to playing ping-pong with the tip of your finger against Forrest Gump. Pills are down and my battered and bruised finger has convinced another finger on my hand to tell me ” You are number 1 pal”
The reason I write this is to let you know. It is super stressful to have an amazing pup and watch it become sick. You should ( in my opinion) Approach their care light hearted and with a sense of humor. They are more intune with us then you may know.
I hope your furbaby is doing well and I hope that this brought a smile to you today. We only get a brief moment with them, make everyone as happy as you can.
Buttscratches, Al
I do have a question. It has been just short of 24 hours she has been home. Like I had mentioned before, she was diagnosed with tapeworms and given a shot for them, just prior to this new problem of AIHA ( Unsure if it is related)
Here is the question. My pup still has not eaten. her poop is very liquid/mucus. Sometimes green. I notice that there are ( what looks like to me) flat white pieces about 1/2 -1 inch long. Not moving but, from a comparison photo on the net, could these be the remnants of the tapeworm infestation?
My vet did not call me back. There are two at my clinic one is amazing, the other …. I think he would rather be doing something else for a living.
So, I need your help, Should I give her something for the tummy and the diarrhea? I am worried about mixing anything with the aforesaid meds she is on.
Thank you.
Al, your story certainly did put a silly smile on my face. I could just picture Angel ToeJam, Evil Chenel getting her tabs and poor Casy with the food from hell.
Have you tried roast chicken. That seems to be magic for all our dogs when they don’t want to eat. Something about the smell of a NOT home cooked chicken does something to my boy. Then again, that could be because, well, who likes MY cooking???
With the diarrhear, it would probably be a good idea to take some a sample to the vets with you. That will probably please the non-interested one :) If this is simply a result of the infestation, and with Casy now wormed, I’d suggest doing a course of Tylan powder. You can get that online through Amazon, and other places I think (incredibly hard to get in Australia) but it works a treat and it’s very safe for our dogs, even long term use for dogs .
See https://www.secondchanceaihadogs.com/medication-resources/
bottom of that page. Make sure if you use this and buy the powder, it goes into capsules. It apparently tastes foul (not fowl) and you don’t want to cause any more problems getting Casy to eat by making her associate the taste of this with her food.
Also get some good bacteria into her, fortiflora to repopulate good bacteria. This could be hard while she’s not eating though.
Please ask about stomach protection (sucralfate is the best), and if she needs aspirin (most of our dogs do) to prevent clotting. Clotting is the biggest risk in this disease.
Vally & Bingo
xxx
![bingo-14-5_1200x775](https://www.secondchanceaihadogs.com/wp-content/gallery/aiha-dogs_2/bingo-14-5_1200x775.jpg "Vally\'s Bingo \\"Smile\\"")
![Brigitte_Cleo_Ripley_Enzo_4](https://www.secondchanceaihadogs.com/wp-content/gallery/aiha-dogs_2/Brigitte_Cleo_Ripley_Enzo_4.jpg "Brigitte\'s Cleo, Ripley, Enzo and Guest \\"Rockin\\"")
