Traveling with IMHA

Keymaster

Hi Pam.
I love Briards, a working dog. I am very sorry to hear that Ella developed IMHA and I do hope that she will go back to living a relatively active life of a large breed dog.

Can you tell me a little about what the vet believes may have been the trigger for this? That would be a very important consideration in answering your question. If it was something identifiable and treatable that would make some difference.

While a PCV HCT of 40% is excellent, for most dogs this is still not considered a normal average (45% is a standard value used for most breeds, but not all.) For most of us, we have no idea what their average value was when they were healthy because we never thought to do a CBC then. For Chance, I would have given anything to have had the forethought to have done a CBC when he was younger and healthier. So can we rightfully say that Ella completely recovered?

I’ve been studying canine hematological diseases and helping owners since 2007. I can say with some certainty, and that includes my own experience with Chance, many owners often get a Second Chance for their dog, but the dog we went into this is not exactly the same dog we come out with.

A dog that survives is often challenged by the treatments they had to undergo. Prednisone, for instance, is very hard on many body functions and organs. The musculotendinous system can be hard hit. So, for instance, the profound muscle loss during treatment can lead to future joint issues. Chance developed a ruptured cruciate and had to have knee surgery. Can I attribute that directly to prednisone? In his case, yes I can.

I often tell owners that these dogs are our special babies. They’ve had some kind of issue with the environment around them and the outcome was a serious condition. They may never be completely normal and may again react the same way to those triggers. We cannot say for certain exactly what will happen.

For instance most dogs should not get routine vaccinations ever again. Perhaps they cannot tolerate either topical or ingested tick and flea protections. They may have had severe allergies before their IMHA and once off prednisone, the allergies return with a vengeance leaving them with a highly reactive immune system. Allergic reactions like this continue to remain a trigger to IMHA. Some dogs that had thrombocytopenia, once recovered, can have sudden and severe relapses.

I decided after Chance recovered not to challenge him again too much. I stopped taking him to the nursing home, he was a registered therapy dog, but I was concerned about him contracting MRSA.

I paid a great deal of attention to routine health visits and I was careful to keep him from contact with other dogs who might carry something like a routine case of kennel cough.

That care extended to Cassie too, I didn’t want her to be the conduit for something to enter our home.

I agonized over his required rabies vaccination the following year and studied this topic considerably before finally deciding it was the right thing to do for legal reasons. In the end he had no negative reactions.

Would I have taken Chance on extended camping trips that took us a distance from civilization? Absolutely not. Did I take him to our summer home in the Adirondacks? Yes, he stayed in our home and we only took short slow hikes on small mountains. I knew where every emergency vet clinic was all along our trip and I had a relationship with a vet clinic near our home. The good experience was there without all the risks. Our lives changed in response to his needs. Did I ever feel deprived? No. He always enriched my life and made it better no matter where we were. And today, this website continues to honor his incredibly strong will to live by helping other owners.

So, if this were my dog, I wouldn’t continue with the grand plans but scale them back to smaller outings closer to home and for shorter periods of time. A dog will enjoy wherever you end up because they will be with YOU and that, in their world, is all that is important.
my best
patrice

Details

admin

Keymaster

Hello Pam and precious Ella. I am so sorry you are here, but SO glad you found this site. We have all been right where you are (Sadie’s Story) and we know how scared and confusing it all is – I was totally a dear in the headlights.

It sounds as though your vets have a good grip on this horrid disease AND that the communication is good – that’s key. We too, have been lucky enough to have a (well, several now) wonderful vet(s). And, as Ella, Sadie responded quite quickly to the regiment. BUT, she was weaned too fast, and lead to relapse. She again relapsed in October 2014. But she’s a fighter and doing well now, thank goodness.

You mentioned traveling with Ella. It’s a slippery slope and I totally agree with Patrice and Sheena – home is the best place. On occasion, I do take Sadie with me. Her last relapse was when I was staying with my grand children in GA (we live in FL). I had to take her to two vets there (knew one, not the other) and we immediately put her back on prednisone (alone) and that actually did the trick in just a few days. We now, again, are weaning very slowly from that relapse. Geeze.

I tell you this because, I so wish I would have take EXTRA medication (higher dose) for the “what if’s” and will for now on ALWAYS carry the 20mg prednisone with me when I travel with her, which now is not often. She was actually still weaning from the last relapse and was on a VERY low dose (2.5mg am only) of prednisone.

Also, I THINK, not sure, but I think she may have had fleas on her (she’s on no flea/tick medications now). It’s hard to check her because she’s jet black. My son has a huge back yard that Sadie loves to run in – AND roll in. Let’s see, GA. Yep. Fleas. So, perhaps that could have caused the anemia and hence, the relapse. And this year in FL has been equally as bad.

I am now trying to figure out just WHAT the heck we can use to keep the fleas off. I now use a flea comb (thank you Vally!), Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth and a product called Richard’s Organics Flea and Tick (it does NOT kill them, just stuns them and they fall off). I then put them in water and they drown, down the toilet. I put the Food Grade (ONLY) Diatomaceous Earth in her bed, in the area rugs where she lies and under our (high bed, it’s her domain under there – a huge tent) poster bed (high off the ground). Anywhere she lies. It’s a bit unsightly, but I think it’s really helping. I just bathed her and there was one flea (huge, but only one) – he’s toast now. So, it’s much better than the 30 I had found just a month ago.

Also, I wanted to say, it took me a while to realize I can not take her everywhere with me anymore. Yes, broke my heart – I travel much. I still take her to my son’s and my daughter’s home (both in GA), because she absolutely loves the grandchildren AND my daughter has Sadie’s sister, Sophie-dog, and they adore each other. My son has no animals, other than the wild children. :)

When I leave Sadie (as everyone else, no more dog parks, no kennels, etc.), she now stays with her ‘greyhound buddies’ down the street. The greyhounds’ (five of them) fur parents are the best and they know Sadie’s vet (he care for the greys, as they are part of a large greyhound rescue group here in Tampa). Sadie thinks she’s a greyhound (please don’t tell her otherwise….). They are hysterical together. I pay them, as I would a kennel, as a donation to the greyhound rescue – a tax write-off. It’s a win-win situation. Perhaps, you could find someone that would be willing to do something like this or even a barter system – you trade off. I have another friend that I do that with (Sadie, like me, loves all pups), another cocker spaniel, Buster – great buddies.

I am so glad that Ella is doing well. You are so right, the prednisone has horrible side affects. The muscle atrophy is really cruel. BUT, Ella’s muscle tone will come back. You will be amazed, as Vally, Patrice and Sheena have said.

Hang in there – you are doing a remarkable job, both of you!!! I know this brings about some lousy life changes, but Ella IS a survivor and your care and diligence is the reason why. I like the word “remission” (thanks Sheena!) – keep it up Ella!

Sending our love, Linda and Sadie

Details