AIHA-Just Diagnosed

[Wendy Gonzalez]

Hello ladies,

I stood my ground today with the vet and told her that I would not be dropping his medication at this time. So, I won this battle and his medication is at the same level. I think she is fairly new to this disease and wasn’t sure on how to treat it. I think she is realizing now that I do appreciate her, but that I will stand up to her again and again for Frank. There isn’t any reason for her to reduce it and he has been holding up well with this medication.

As for the good news, Frank’s PCV went up to 27%. However, she did tell me that his blood smear showed that the the spherocytes (spelling?) are still high and hopes that the Atopica will start kicking in soon and change this. His next test is scheduled for Friday.

Frank weighed in at 67.8 when this all started and he lost weight. Saturday he was at 63.8 and today he was 64.0lbs. He is starting to eat once more and I haven’t had to blend up his food like I did when this all started.

Please, let me know if there is anything else I need to do. I want to make sure that I am on the right path. Also, don’t feel like you are being “harsh.” I read all of your comments and take tons of notes. I’m very grateful for the information that you give me each day. Because of your information, Frank has been able to get his PCV levels the way they are.

respectfully,

Gonzalez-Borg Pack

[Brigitte]

Wendy,
I am really happy that you stood your ground and Frank’s prednisone dose is not being lowered. I am especially glad because looking at his weight this dose is actually fairly low already. The standard dose for prednisone at the beginning is 1 mg per pound of body weight. I am not sure if it is lower because he is on cyclosporin. But in my experience it should be closer to 60mg per day. What worries me a bit is that you say your vet is fairly new to this disease. Is she consulting with UC Davies or Dr. Dodds? I would highly recommend this, because your average vet just does not have the knowledge required to treat this with positive results. Having said that, you should be very happy about the rise in PCV! That always is a great improvement. It is also great that Frank has more appetite, a sign that the prednisone has kicked in. He will probably gain weight fairly quickly now. Have you seen the recipe for Dr. Dodds liver sparing diet? If not here it is:
http://www.canine-epilepsy.com/Liver%20cleansing%20diet.htm
With these drugs the liver is really taking a beating and it would be good if you could give Frank milk thistle and SamE, both help to support the liver that is working so hard. It is also very important to protect the digestive tract, the best medication for that is sucralfate. It has to be given away from all other medications so it does not interfere with their absorption. Not protecting Frank from the effects to his tummy could lead to nasty and painful ulcers. Sorry if I repeat what others have said about this, but I just know that it is very important.
Best wishes,
Brigitte

[Vally]

Oh Frank will definately turn into Frankenstein when it comes to his food I have no doubts. Bingo is now on just a tiny dose of pred but he’s used to getting a late night supper before bed. He’s also trained me that if I have people over and I expect to be able to sit around and talk with them, all he has to do is start barking his head off and I’ll do anything to shut him up and that means quickly giving him his late night supper, then a few treats, followed by more treats, and more treats and more and more and more treats. So he’s got a bit of Frankenstein in him too.

Wonderful news on the PCV. He’s such a good fighter.

Congratulations Wendy on standing your ground – that’s never easy – you’ve done so well taking care of your boy.

Vally & Frank II
xxx

[Wendy Gonzalez]

Yes, Frank has sucralfate on top of famotidine. I am actually getting more sucralfate this week, since I am running out. I also have him on the diet that Dodds sent me via email.

My vet is consulting with both Davis and Dr. Dodds. Funny thing is, Davis wanted Frank to be on one tablet twice a day of 20mg. It was my vet that told me to keep it at 1 1/2. I think she may have talked to the vet from Davis once more and probably tried to convince my local vet to go down to the recommendation that she gave me when I left Davis.

I am waiting for the order that I got online for the Milk Thistle and the SAMe. I believe I may be getting everything this Friday.

Thanks for the information,
Wendy

[admin]

Hi Wendy

Well done for sticking to the best treatment option for Frank & the PCV of 27 – improving all the time! Spherocytes are damaged red blood cells & are very often seen with this disease & are part of the diagnosis too. The red cells have been “accidentally” marked for destruction by an over-active immune system. It takes time for the drugs to stop this damage happening, but you will gradually see a decrease in their numbers as treatment progresses. So here is another reason NOT to reduce the drugs just yet.

Glad to see you’re using all the other recommendations too – you’ve made me feel much happier!

Sheena x

[Wendy Gonzalez]

Hello ladies,

As of yesterday Frank’s PCV level is 30%. We are winning these small battles. The last couple of days I have noticed that Frank looks bloated and I got scared. I looked more in depth to all of the medication and it said that red causes bloating, but to be on the safe side I had my vet check him out. She said that none of the organs seem to help to be swollen. Put my mind at ease with that, but I am just keeping a careful eye on my little one, since we no longer blood tests done every other two days, she has moved them to every 4-5 days since starting the Atopica.
It been a struggle juggling all of the medication, his bladder issues (prednisone caused), and going to work on top of that.

Respectfully,

Gonzalez-Borg Pack

[Alyssa]

Great news! 30% – way to go!! Be so proud of that number, Wendy!!!

Bloating – Sassy had some pretty massive bloating, too. I had the vet squish her tummy nearly every-time we went because it was so bad and looked so weird and she looked miserable but it was never anything – organs were always fine (backed up by x-rays). The pred causes something known to people using it as pot bellied appearance – not sure why but Sassy definitely had that for a while. She also became skinny everywhere but her belly – this is normal too on pred. She also had a lot of water retention around her neck/belly. This was just water retention and not swelling, but it was very concerning to see! Just telling you in-case you see it as well – of course it you think it’s SWELLING and not just water retention get him seen right away. In our case it fluctuated and became pretty clear she was just retaining lots of water/releasing it, and that went away with medication reductions.

Have you had a full chem panel done? It is more expensive than a CBC – around $97 here. We do them around ever 1 month – 1.5 month. But it test liver, kidney, and all that stuff to make sure the medication isn’t harming them (liver values will likely be high, this is normal!)

[admin]

Hiya Wendy

Another rise – great! 30 is on the climb towards normal – well done Frank (and you of course) – at this rate, he’ll soon be there. They get barrel belly as a side effect of the pred – a bit bloated – & they drink so much they have to wee more often. That will improve when you can eventually (not yet) reduce the pred.

You are doing an awesome job, Wendy

Love Sheena x