Charlie's IMHA

[Ramona]

Hi friends! Vally I am so sorry Bingo is ill. Sending prayers and virtual hugs your way.

Quick update on Charlie–as of last week’s blood work, his PCV went up to 31!! That is the highest it has been since diagnosed with IMHA. First time his vet specialist also expressed happiness with his results. Given the good progress, we get a break from blood testing this week. Yay! Praying and hoping that we go up again next week or stay steady at 31.

[Vally]

That’s fabulous news Ramona. Well done Charlie !!

Vally
Xxx

[Ramona]

Hi Vally and all our friends/supporters– a quick update, last week Charlie’s PCV was 32. A teeny tiny increase, but our specialist was happy with it and said if that’s as high as Charlie went, that was ok, he would still have a good quality of life.

The only problem we had was return of diarrhea. It started on a weekend and when it didn’t stop, I became concerned and started Baytril again along with chicken and rice diet. After a couple of days, diarrhea stopped. The vet is concerned with using Baytril again and possibility of e-coli or underlying intestine infection so we sent some poop out to the lab. We are awaiting results.

In the meantime, did another blood test yesterday and Charlie’s PCV shot up to 41! We are so elated! The vet says we are now ready to get rid one of the big guns, so now we stop the Leflumonide. Yay! I’m happy to stop that one given that there is some controversy with that drug. So hoping, praying, Charlie does well without this drug.

Going to buy some pup cakes tomorrow to celebrate!
Xoxo Ramona & Charlie

[Sara]

Hey Ramona.. well I’m so happy about Charlies PCV being up to 41 that’s awesome ! And I understand your excitement about getting him off the leflunamide . I was the same way when they wanted to take Flossie off of Mycophenolate we call that the not so nice drug at our house.

As far as Charlies Diarreah .. did you make any changes in diet or give a scrap of anything ? Just thinking that right now their systems are super delicate and any changes can set some dogs off. Flossie has to be on a very strict diet because we couldn’t tell if her issues were allergy (food,enviornment) or they were drug related. So we decided to stick with just a few things diet wise so we would be aware of what was causing any issues. On the other hand Flossie did have E-Coli but it didn’t cause diarrhea for her. Hers showed up in a UTI. She ended up testing positive for E-coli a strain that was so strong that most antibiotics wouldn’t kill it and those that would were a danger to Flossies AIHA .. so our Doctor went natural and prescribed D’mannose Powder and Cranberry Powder. And that worked. So Possibly depending on where the E-coli shows up there is a natural alternative to help Charlie too.

Keep us posted on the poo test results.

So Happy for Charlie though 41 is awesome. I remember reaching that # with Flossie and I think we all were doing the Happy Dance for days !

Hugs Sara and Flossie

[Ramona]

Thanks Sara and Flossie! Not to my recollection was anything changed with Charlie’s diet. He eats the same meals, snacks, pill pockets, etc. And his brother Ramsay eats the same things too, no tummy problems with him. Just in case, I threw out all existing batches of food and started with fresh ones. And thanks for sharing about Flossie’s e-coli and UTI, very helpful to know. We too are happy to know that Flossie is doing so well. I’ll post again when I get the poo report!
XoXo Ramona & Charlie

[Vally]

Charlie, well done making those numbers. We’re all very proud of you.

Ramona, you could ask about using Tylan powder antibiotic. It’s a very safe antibiotic for our dogs and in US you can get it without a script. Only thing is it’s only in powder form and you have to put it into capsules yourself. Don’t try and hide it in food as apparently the taste is so foul that if a dog does taste it, it’s likely you’ve have issues feeding it in future if it becomes suspicious of its food.

Here’s a link to the product information:
https://www.secondchanceaihadogs.com/medication-resources/
Scroll to the bottom, on the left.

Vally
xxx

[Ramona]

Hi friends– it has been awhile since I posted. Charlie is still on the mend. We were seeing fabulous PCV numbers, he went up to 45 in February. Then at his next check up in March his next number went down to 37. The only change that was made in his meds between February and March was to decrease the Atopica to every other day. I was surprised that he went down to 37 because he still had a great appetite and energy. So, the specialist said we wouldn’t do anymore decreasing of meds until his next check which will be next week. I had intended to do a PCV check earlier this month at our local vet but I myself came down with a nasty flu. I didn’t think human flus could be passed to canines, but nevertheless I was concerned and continuously washed my hands and wore gloves whenever I handled Charlie’s food and meds. So saying lots of prayers and keeping my fingers/toes crossed for better # at next week’s appointment.

Xoxo Ramona & Charlie

[Vally]

Hey Ramona and Charlie,

Charlie obviously just wants some extra attention from you. That’s my theory. Remember 37 is still normal so as Sheena would say, normal is normal is normal.

Remember it’s always possible Charlie was more hydrated at this test and that will lower the result. For you own sanity yes, check it sooner rather than later and a great idea to slow down reductions for now.

I also found that after decreasing meds, there was always a slip backwards, almost as if the body recognises the crutch is gone, and it takes a little while to think I need to start working to get this up again – that is not scientific :)

Good luck on the next result.

Vally
xxx