Dog's sick, Immune-mediated hemolytic anemia

[Rig-Rat]

So the hound (2) is in the pet hospital, with what they are sure is IMHA even though he has been tested twice and both tests show negative.
Has anyone dealt with this before? It's costly as if he needs a blood transfusion, that's $1000 a treatment. Was it successful? Did the pup recover? Just trying to figure how far to run this. At only 2 I feel I have to try, and he is a therapy dog for my boy.
Just getting a lot of not sure's from the vet. Maybe a second opinion might be in order.
Lot's of dog folks here, so maybe someone has been through this.
Thanks folks, have a great day.,

[ghostguy6]

If the test came back negative twice what symptoms is your dog exhibiting? I heard of a case where the dog showed all the symptoms of IMHA and it turned out to be a simple case of pesticide poisoning which required some medication and a few doses of activated charcoal at home.

With something like this it never hurts to get a second opinion. $1000 really isn't that much for a vet bill for an animal you love, being the dog is a therapy animal for you boy its worth a try if the second opinion confirms the original diagnosis.

[Pixel Shooter]

I lost a stellar dog to IMHA. Not sure why i was quoted $3500 per blood transfusion and 2 min with a 50/50 if it worked and still not understanding underlying issue. Went from healthy to death bed in 24 hours when white blood cross attack red which reduces the oxygen levels to critical. One of my worst days going thru that. Left a big hole god bless her

[Rig-Rat]

Originally Posted by ghostguy6

If the test came back negative twice what symptoms is your dog exhibiting? I heard of a case where the dog showed all the symptoms of IMHA and it turned out to be a simple case of pesticide poisoning which required some medication and a few doses of activated charcoal at home.

With something like this it never hurts to get a second opinion. $1000 really isn't that much for a vet bill for an animal you love, being the dog is a therapy animal for you boy its worth a try if the second opinion confirms the original diagnosis.

They have asked if he got into rat poison, which he wouldn't have here, but out on walks who knows. His gums are white, and he is super lethargic, not eating. He did throw up a couple times but nothing over the top.
Don't have a problem with the $$ just the fast if it is going to be multiple transfusions and such could add up. Just was wondering if anyone has dealt with it before and if there was success ahead. I get every dog and case is different, but curious.

[nitro]

Originally Posted by Rig-Rat

So the hound (2) is in the pet hospital, with what they are sure is IMHA even though he has been tested twice and both tests show negative.
Has anyone dealt with this before? It's costly as if he needs a blood transfusion, that's $1000 a treatment. Was it successful? Did the pup recover? Just trying to figure how far to run this. At only 2 I feel I have to try, and he is a therapy dog for my boy.
Just getting a lot of not sure's from the vet. Maybe a second opinion might be in order.
Lot's of dog folks here, so maybe someone has been through this.
Thanks folks, have a great day.,

I know of 2 dogs one they decided against treatment due to how far a long and the less than 50% chance.The other one did and she seems to have recovered but I know no details.Here is something I pulled up it might be useful .Healing thoughts to you guys and the pup.
Additional Helpful Tests

Coomb’s Test Called a Direct Antibody Test)

If a patient is anemic, icteric, has spherocytes (or worse, autoagglutination) on a blood smear, it is pretty obvious that there is immune-mediated hemolytic anemia. Sometimes, though, it is not so obvious and additional testing is needed. This is exactly where the Coomb's test could be used.

This is a test designed to identify antibodies coating red blood cell surfaces. If there is ambiguity in the patient's presentation, the Coomb's test might be selected to confirm that the anemia is really immune-mediated and not the result of a bleed or non-immune mediated origin such as zinc toxicity, or onion/garlic toxicity.

The Coomb's test has been around a long time and is not perfect. It can be erroneously positive in the presence of inflammation or infectious disease (which might lead to harmless attachment of antibody to red cell surfaces) or in the event of prior blood transfusion (ultimately transfused red cells are removed from the immune system). Despite its limitations, the Coomb's test is helpful in clinching the IMHA diagnosis if other findings are confusing.

Serum Lactate Levels
Lactate or Lactic acid is the natural by-product of anaerobic metabolism. In other words, when the body's organs are deprived of oxygen (say, because there aren't enough functioning red blood cells circulating or there are agglutinated red blood cells clogging the capillaries), the organs will switch to anaerobic metabolism. Lots of lactate circulating means lots of tissue does not have enough oxygen, and it is a bad sign. It is such a bad sign that it can be used to predict disease survivors within the first several hours of hospitalization.

In a study of 173 dogs with IMHA (Holahan et al), non-survivors had significantly higher lactate levels at presentation compared to survivors. Dogs that were able to normalize serum lactate levels within 6 hours of hospitalization all survived. Many hospitals monitor lactate levels in IMHA patients as part of the regular assessment of ability to oxygenate tissue.

Testing for Blood Parasites
In most canine episodes of IMHA, an underlying cause cannot be found but it is still worth looking. There are many blood parasites, especially tick-borne infections, that can initiate IMHA. The parasite attaches to the red blood cell and its structures are detected by the immune system. The immune system attacks the parasite but, unfortunately, also attacks the red blood cells as well. Parasites such as Ehrlichia, Babesia, and Anaplasma should be ruled out. If a blood parasite is confirmed, a more targeted therapy can be effected.
https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/de...239&id=4951868

[ghostguy6]

Originally Posted by Rig-Rat

They have asked if he got into rat poison, which he wouldn't have here, but out on walks who knows. His gums are white, and he is super lethargic, not eating. He did throw up a couple times but nothing over the top.
Don't have a problem with the $$ just the fast if it is going to be multiple transfusions and such could add up. Just was wondering if anyone has dealt with it before and if there was success ahead. I get every dog and case is different, but curious.

His gums are white? Are they beginning to turn yellow? Are the whites of his eyes turning yellow? Is the urine dark orange or brown? With IMHA there should be signs of jaundice as the toxins build up in the liver. Is it possible your dog ate some weed or a discarded roach on its walk? That should also cause the symptoms you described.

I am not a vet so please don't consider this post medical advice, Im just trying to figure this out.

[sns2]

Originally Posted by Pixel Shooter

I lost a stellar dog to IMHA. Not sure why i was quoted $3500 per blood transfusion and 2 min with a 50/50 if it worked and still not understanding underlying issue. Went from healthy to death bed in 24 hours when white blood cross attack red which reduces the oxygen levels to critical. One of my worst days going thru that. Left a big hole god bless her

Bloody hell. Heartbreaking to this day.

Watching this amazing animal caused me to get a lab. She was a spectacular athlete. My favorite hunt of all time. 5 guys. 40 geese and 34 ducks. All retrieved by one amazing, amazing dog.

OP, best of luck with your pup.

[Rig-Rat]

Thanks guys for the help, so the dogs levels have come up a bit and looks better. He is home and is on steroids for next couple weeks , then have to get blood checked every week, then will go from there. Also one other medication for an infection. So strange and will be keeping him on a leash for a while incase he did find some poison of some sort.

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[sns2]

Good to hear. Give your pup a hug from me. Dogs are better than people.

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[sage 13]

Wishing the dog and you the best, i went through this we did the transfusion and levels increased then dropped again. I was told 2 types of this and my girl had the worse slept with her for 5 days and she passed in my arms was a very hard time and not pleasent for her or I was told she was not in discomfort but i disagree, the vet was on way to my house but did not make it.