Joann’s Hope

[Patrice]

Well Hope got her first transfusion today. Vet said she did well, no reaction, no vomiting, no fever. Thank gawd, he upped her prednisone to 80mg a day & now she’s also on azathioprine 50mg once a day for 2 weeks then a half every other day. Mycophenolate 250mg twice daily, zantac, question any one have any side effects on azathioprine? I’m staying as positive as I can at this point. Blood work next week. Thanks everyone for your support!!

Today she has the runs, very dark, have to go to vet and pick up some kind of stomach preventer. I am also giving her milk thistle, and waiting on stuff to make a slippery elm cocktail. half a cup of boiling water. — add 1 rounded tsp. of ground slippery elm (do not use tincture – use the ground powder) — let cool totally — add 1/4 c of “inner fillet” aloe juice 5 — add 10 drops of chlorophyll 6 — Add 2-3 capsules (open the caps) of acidolpholus Once you get it mixed up and whipped smooth, it keeps in the fridge for 3-4 days (after that the acidopholous dies). Use a two teaspoon baby medicine syringe and load it FULL. Give about half an hour before a meal.

I am trying everything in my power to save her.

Thank you,
Joann

[admin]

Hi Joann

Hope looks very comfy in her lovely blankets there! Really good news that the transfusion went well – you are doing such a great job & I imagine you’ve been worried sick about her. I’m so glad you’ve found us here & you can ask us about anything you’re concerned about. I expect the vet warned you about a bit of a fall in PCV in the next few days after the transfusion, so please don’t worry if that happens – it’s normal – & she may need several small transfusions to keep her stable at the beginning of treatment until the drugs start to work.

Azathioprine side effects – my dog Worzel was on that drug & it worked brilliantly for him, with no side effects at all – very important to always give it with food. Some dogs don’t tolerate it so well though (usually smaller dogs, but not always) & can get pancreatitis – giving it with food will minimise the risk of side effects. You need to look out for vomiting & bloody diarrhoea, severe tummy pain (back arching, crying) – if you are worried, don’t give another dose of it until you have had Hope checked out by the vet. I hope it works as well for her as it did for Worzel.

Don’t forget to give any kind of tummy protectant (e.g. zantac, slippery elm, sucralfate) at least one hour after any of the other drugs because you will prevent those other important drugs being absorbed properly. 2-3 hours is advised between tummy protectors in the mycophenolate mofetil leaflet, so careful planning – if you need help with making a drug chart, just ask. I am a huge fan of sucralfate – I gave Worzel a 1 gramme tablet as his late night tummy soother – it was really effective. The slippery elm is excellent too.

I hope I haven’t overloaded you with information & I know Patrice has already advised you about giving her aspirin – that’s very, very important to prevent abnormal clotting, which they are very prone to with IMHA. I normally nag everyone about that!! Whatever we can do to help you get through this, you only have to ask.

Keep up the wonderful care of your sweet Hope – and look after yourself too.

All my best wishes & a big hug for both of you
Sheena, Worzel & Ollie x

[Jen]

Hi Joann,
She looks so comfy wrapped up in the blankets. I do wish she felt better! My dog had a total of 3 transfusions & it took a few weeks for all the meds to kick in so I advice you to be patient even though it is sooo hard. My cocker spaniel was prescribed 20 mg aza daily & she tolerated it well. It’s been 6 mos + and she is still on 10 mg aza every other day with no major side effects- I think…. She’s had other issues but I don’t necessarily think it has to do with aza . I just made sure to use stomach protector at least an hour before the dose.
I wish you a speedy recovery!!! It is so hard seeing our babies like this. Everyone here has been a god send to me with their knowledge & advice!
My best!!!
Jen & Maggie

[Vally]

Joann, you’re very very welcome here. Hope looks gorgeous all snuggled up.

If you need help with a medicine chart, I’d love to make one up for you. Just list the times and doses you give.

Ask anything all.

Vally & Bingo.

[admin]

Hi Joann – I am glad that Hope coped OK with the transfusion.
You have received loads of good advice from the others, so all I will add is our very best wishes for you and Hope.

love

Lynda

[Patrice]

Joann,
I am so sorry that your vet is saying there is nothing more he can do and wants to refer you to another vet. Can you tell us exactly what he has done up to this point? We may be able to provide you with more help if we knew this.

The diarrhea is unfortunate and could be attributed to the use of antibiotics. You could try probiotics in this case. But it could also be other things that may need more treatment and may even be the cause of her anemia. There are several drugs that would be helpful, but without your vet’s help to get these you will have to attempt home care. You can give her about 2 tbls of plain canned pumpkin with her meals, this is often helpful.

Please tell us what meds she is on, the dosage and when you are giving them. Also what supplements are you using?
my best
patrice

[admin]

Joann

Patrice is absolutely right – if you can give us more information, we can certainly help you. But we need as much information as possible – please tell anything that you think might be relevant. Many of us have struggled with our dogs & diarrhoea & it could even indicate the cause of the IMHA in the first place. Did she have this problem before diagnosis? Mycophenolate mofetil causes bad diarrhoea in many cases & some trials of the drug for dogs with IMHA have been stopped in the past for this very reason, but we can’t be sure that this is Hope’s problem.

I have found pumpkin (& sweet potato) very useful for diarrhoea with my dog – it’s certainly worth a try as soon as you can get some.

Hoping you can tell us more

Sheena x

[admin]

Dear Joann

I’m so sorry to hear that your Hope is unwell with this horrible illness. She looks lovely and cosy all snuggled up in her blankets. How is she going since her transfusion and new medications? I am hoping you’ve noticed a difference since starting stomach protectants.

Keeping everything crossed for good news.

Mary and Mable x