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- Elvis, 4 month old dachshund puppy
Terri, I’ve brought the messages over here to give Elvis his own topic.
Terri wrote
I am here reading this because my little 4 month old dachshund puppy was just diagnosed with this last night. He is still in the hospital getting a blood transfusion. My husband and i are sick over this and we just are searching everywhere who in the world he got this. I have holding hope that he will survive this horrible disease. My internal medicine vet said it is so rare to see in such a young pup. I pray he will survive and be back to the sweetest little puppy. His name is Elvis.
Amy wrote:
Terri I am so sorry you had to join us here. If it is any help to you at all, Coal is alive and very well. She is thriving despite this horrible event. I will put your family and Elvis in my prayers. Everyone here has been wonderful to me and so supportive. They are a wealth of information and you should feel free to bug them with a million questions. There is always someone here that is willing to answer and if they don’t have one they will find one for you. Please do not hesitate to call the vet as much as you feel is necessary and go often and spend sone time with your sweet pup once his transfusion is done. Much Love From Amy and Coal!
Sheena wrote:
Hi Terri
So glad you’ve found us, but I’m sorry this is happening to little Elvis. Ask anything, anytime. You are probably stressed out to the max with this, understandably. I don’t think any of us knew much, or even heard of
this disease.
Amy has had this dreadful & very rare experience with her pup too & I know you will get massive support from her – and from everyone else on here. Please read through everything that has happened to Coal – I’m sure you will get a lot of comfort & information from Amy’s story.
Your pup has the huge advantage of being a tough youngster too. Can you tell us more about what happened & what medications plus doses – anything you think may be relevant. The more information the better.
If you can upload any blood tests, lab tests, x-ray results, ultrasound info to the Urgent Advice area
https://www.secondchanceaihadogs.com/urgent-advice/
we will try to help as much as we can.
Please let us know how your baby is doing – is she with a specialist? In a vet hospital? Transfusions are wonderful things which help our pets get through the early stages until the immuno-suppressant drugs start to work. Elvis will soon feel much better with a transfusion inside him. We have lots of information on here about all sorts of things – maybe a good place to start is transfusions for now:
https://www.secondchanceaihadogs.com/AIHA_Terms/transfusion/
As soon as you can, have a look at the introductory videos which explain what is happening to Elvis:
https://www.secondchanceaihadogs.com/aiha-video-library/aiha-introductory-videos/
Let us know how Elvis is doing as soon as you can – I bet you can’t wait to give him a gentle cuddle.
Best wishes for his speedy recovery
Sheena, Worzel (diagnosed with bone marrow failure Dec 2012, in remission) & Ollie, his friend xxxxx
Vally wrote:
Hi Terri, what is going on with the 4 month olds ???
I’m so sorry and I know you’re out of your mind with worry. If you don’t mind, I’m going to set you up with your own Forum entry for Elvis. I’ll do that shortly.
Just wanted to say you’re very welcome here and as Amy has said, ask a million questions. We just want Elvis better and you happier.
The first days are the most terrifying and scary and sleepless and lots of other things. We all know that. So don’t worry about yelling out. There’s usually someone around.
If you can give us as much information, that would be great. Ask for copy of blood tests, some of the ladies here can help you understand what’s happening.
More prayers for you all.
Vally & Bingo (diag Nov 2011, in remission)
I hope Terri gets back to us. I have been thinking about them all night and day today.
Hi im so sorry to hear about another puppy with this dreadful desease, My heart goes out to Terri and Elvis,Im hoping his a strong little fella and feels much better after his transfusion. So glad they have found this site with all the support and information on it ,I don’t know were I would be with out the lovely ladies on here.Thinking of you Terri and Elvis xxxx
Hi, everyone!!! wow Thank you so much for all the messages, I have been so busy taking care of him and all that I apologize I have not gotten back on here. Elvis is finally doing better he had 3 blood transfusions. He is home and we had him back to the internal specialist on Friday and his red blood cell count was 42!! He is doing better, however they have him on prednisone which makes him hungry and thirsty and he is not interested in playing. which is sad he is 4 month old… I have so many questions about all of this. I have been told that he cannot be vaccinated ever again. They did say I could give him heart worm medicine. I have been going crazy researching everything I can to find out as much information I can. Everything scares me right now as I do not know how he got it. He did have his rabbi shot on March 7th and then it was March 14th i started to notice some things. Does anyone out there have suggestions on Heartworm medicine to given him.. He was on heart guard and had only two doses. He is due in a day and I am just getting nervous .
Hiya Terri
So good to hear from you – we were all wondering how things were going & I am thrilled to hear Elvis is doing well. A PCV of 42 is great.
Your vet is right – vaccinations can trigger this disease & you cannot vaccinate again. It certainly sounds like this is the culprit for Elvis getting IMHA, so I think you can be pretty sure that vaccination is the cause. It is always an advantage to know the cause.
We don’t have heartworm in my area of France (yet) but further south, they do. Dr Dodds recommends treatment every 45 days instead of every 30 days for IMHA dogs, so that is what I would do if necessary for my boy. BUT I’m not sure Elvis should be given anything at all until he is in remission. I may be wrong on this, so could someone in the US help us, please? I completely understand that heartworm is a very serious disease that needs preventing.
I didn’t even use Frontline on Worzel – it says don’t use on sick dogs, so I would not have risked giving anything to set his recovery back. Even though Worzel has been in remission for nearly 3 years, he is never vaccinated or given any drug or other treatment that I don’t check out first. My local vets have told me something is perfectly safe, when it actually is NOT. You are wise to be very cautious. Always check with a specialist or with us before giving Elvis anything from now on.
We have a lot of information (from research, vet papers, specialists etc) on this site under AIHA terms & “Resources”. Please feel free to do your research on here.
Don’t worry about the lethargy – the drugs are very hard on them in the early stages & every single one of us has experienced the extreme tiredness & lack of energy – they get worse before they get better! When he hss been stable for a you while, you can wean the drugs slowly & carefully, you will gradually see Elvis return to normal. Remember this is a marathon, not a sprint, you must be patient – others have often said that it is a real rollercoaster ride, but we are sitting right beside you!
Any questions or worries, just ask
Love Sheena xxxxx