Camilla, AIHA-dog from Italy

[Sheena]

Morning lovely girls!

Thanks for the latest test results. They are not too bad at all, nothing to panic about, but she has dropped a little, as you say. She certainly needs some extra help here. I also think the cyclosporine is the answer (you can then reduce the pred when she gets into the normal values) & also getting a thyroid panel done – adding thyroxine often gives our dogs that little boost they need. Did they do a thyroid panel? Here is Dr Dodds information which is in our Hemopet Resources section:
http://www.hemopet.org/hemolife-diagnostics/veterinary-thyroid-testing.html

and also

https://www.secondchanceaihadogs.com/canine-hypothyroidism-resources/

Hypothyroidism is a known trigger for this disease as you know & bone marrow needs enough thyroid hormones in the body to produce enough blood cells.

How do you feel about consulting with Dr Dodds? It’s very easy via the internet – that is what I did & I never regretted for a moment. You pay a one off consultation fee & that is all – there is nothing further to pay unless you send blood samples or something like that to her lab, which you won’t need to do. You can give all the information she sends you to you vets & talk about it.

Camilla really needs the milk thistle for her liver – I know you were asking about it & hope you managed to get some!

So, overall, Camilla does need another drug, preferably cyclosporine, & in my opinion (Dr Dodds ALWAYS recommends this) some thyroxine – we don’t want her “doing OK”, we want her back to normal!!!

Love & hugs
Sheena & the boys xxxx

[Eleonora]

Girls! I’ ve just received a mail from the hematologist about the tests from the external lab. he writes that there aren’t antibodies against the RBC …O_O what does it means??? I’ve the thyroidites of Hashimoto (an autoimmune desease) and i have a lot of antibodies against my thyroid…can exist AIHA without antibodies against the RBC??? He writes to decrease a little bit the prednisone (from 2 tablets a day to 1and 1/2 a day), he wants to control again camilla next week, before the end of the year. I must call him on sunday to decide the day, i surely will ask him to explain me what it means if there aren’t antibodies. I really don’t know if it is a bad or a good thing…

[Vally]

Eleanora, to be honest I don’t really know what it means, but if there are no antibodies against the RBC, I think this sounds good, but I’m just guessing. We need someone who understands it better.

To reduce from 2 tablets a day to 1/2 a tablet a day is a very big drop. What size prednisone is Camilla taking now?

Vally & Bingo
xxx

[Eleonora]

Vally, no, she has to reduce from 2 to one and a half….

[Vally]

Ahhhh okay that sounds good.

Vally and Bingo
Xxx

[Sheena]

Merry Christmas dear Eleonora & Camilla

Sounds from what you said that Camilla probably has auto-immune thyroiditis – in humans that is called Hashimotos disease & the body attacks it’s own thyroid gland. The fact that there are no antibodies against the RBCs is GOOD! That means the body will not destroy it’s own red cells like it was doing & the anaemia should improve. That’s good – the pred has done it’s job. But without treatm,ent for her thyroid, she will struggle to get into normal levels.

You may have found the trigger – hypothyroidism. I sent you some lnks earlier – I don’t think you’ll want to read them on Christmas Day!!!!! So, she needs treatment for her thyroid problem – thyroxine. I would suggest your specialist gets her T4 levels up to the high end of normal as soon as possible. This is easily done with thyroxine.

I like this vet’s explanation of what is happening:
http://www.2ndchance.info/doghypothyroid.htm

As Dr Dodds says, this is very common in dogs, especially the ladies (as in humans, us ladies get the worst deal!) . Many humans are anaemic with low thyroid function too. I honestly think you should think about consulting with Dr Dodds – she is a world renowned thyroid expert AND an IMHA expert too.

Have a wonderful day – this is all easily treated. so I am thrilled you are getting to the bottom of Camilla’s problem now.

Sending love & Christmas hugs – sorry it’s short, but have to start cooking soon for our guests

Sheena, Worzel & Ollie who are looking forward to eating their Jumbones they got from the neighbours!!!!

[eleonora]

Sheena, maybe I explained wrong … I have hashimoto’s thyroiditis, not Camilla. I was thinking that I have an autoimmune disease, and many antibodies against my thyroid, why camilla has an autoimmune anemia but she hasn’t antibodies against her red blood cells? I was thinking if her anemia could be secondary (not autoimmune but caused by something else ) …. anyway tomorrow I have to call the hematologist and perhaps I will understand better. what worries me is that now it appears to be non-regenerative anemia and I’m afraid that the problem is in the bone marrow …..

[Vally]

Eleanor’s, Camilla is doing really well, so don’t panic. Let us know what the haematologist says.

Vally and Bingo.