Diva Posted February 4, 2010 Share Posted February 4, 2010 so sorry for the loss of your boy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danois Posted February 4, 2010 Share Posted February 4, 2010 Group Five - I am so sorry to hear this news. You have done one of the most selfless acts possible when it comes to our beloved dogs - I know that everything in you wanted your boy to remain with you but you have put this aside and ensured he was not suffering any more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piper Posted February 4, 2010 Share Posted February 4, 2010 Oh Group Five I am so sorry to read this. Fellow was a beautiful boy and will live on in your heart. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
labsrule Posted February 4, 2010 Share Posted February 4, 2010 groupfive, so sorry for the heartbreaking loss of your beautiful boy ;) , my heart goes out to you It all happened so fast and I know how devastated you must have been to receive the grim prognosis of your boy's IMHA and then have to make the agonising decision to PTS your beautiful boy I was confronted with the same agonising decision last year when my beautiful lab boy's Cancer spread to his lungs and whilst we do it to spare them any further pain and suffering and get told how brave and selfless we are, the decision is to end their lives is just so gutwrenching awful that it cuts you to the core . It truly is one of life's hardest decisions to make but we do it because we love our dogs too much to prolong their suffering and their quality of life must come first . My thoughts are with you during this terrible time as you grieve for your beautiful boy RIP Fellow run free with no more pain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mystiqview Posted February 4, 2010 Share Posted February 4, 2010 Groupfive. So sorry to hear of Felow's passing. May he run free. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pointees Posted February 4, 2010 Share Posted February 4, 2010 Lots of hugs for you groupfive. Your boy was a sweet and gentle man, and gave everyone who knew him lots of smiles and laughs. He was a very lucky boy to have you, and you were very lucky to have him. He's been on my mind all day, nothing can compare to the way you must feel right now, but you did the right thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogbesotted Posted February 4, 2010 Share Posted February 4, 2010 sending you hugs.. it is sad that Felow needed release from his earthly bonds.. he will reside forever in his place in your heart.. and in time the memories that you both made along your journey together will help you heal.. blessings Helen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemonlime Posted February 4, 2010 Author Share Posted February 4, 2010 Thankyou everyone for your thoughts and kind words. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bokezu Posted February 5, 2010 Share Posted February 5, 2010 My thoughts are with you groupfive on the loss of your boy having gone through it myself I feel your pain RIP Fellow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richess Posted February 18, 2010 Share Posted February 18, 2010 My deepest heartfelt sympathy goes out to you groupfive. I had to make the same agonizing decision two days ago. Our little girl is 18 months old and her count got down to 30 however her Spleen had swollen to double its size. Our vet was keen to do a blood transfusion and remove the spleen. At almost the same time her spleen seemed to grow, she was unable to hold herself up in her back legs. She was still able to move them and her tail so she was not paralysed but the vet thinks a clot must have lodged in her spinal cord or a nerve and that has made her unable to regain her strength. After a week on cortisone and full time vet care she wasn't improving and starting to go downhill. The hardest part is whilst on the cortisone she was still her normal happy self, I hope I don't ever have to make this decision again for such a young dog, but I hate to see them in pain. My thoughts are with you, and I'm sorry to hijack your post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diva Posted February 18, 2010 Share Posted February 18, 2010 How awful richess. So sorry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemonlime Posted February 18, 2010 Author Share Posted February 18, 2010 My deepest heartfelt sympathy goes out to you groupfive. I had to make the same agonizing decision two days ago. Our little girl is 18 months old and her count got down to 30 however her Spleen had swollen to double its size. Our vet was keen to do a blood transfusion and remove the spleen. At almost the same time her spleen seemed to grow, she was unable to hold herself up in her back legs. She was still able to move them and her tail so she was not paralysed but the vet thinks a clot must have lodged in her spinal cord or a nerve and that has made her unable to regain her strength. After a week on cortisone and full time vet care she wasn't improving and starting to go downhill. The hardest part is whilst on the cortisone she was still her normal happy self, I hope I don't ever have to make this decision again for such a young dog, but I hate to see them in pain. My thoughts are with you, and I'm sorry to hijack your post. richness, I am so sorry to hear that you went through the same horrible ordeal with your little girl. May she rest in peace I cant believe how many people have emailed and said that they have been through the same thing with their dog. I had never heard of this until my boy got sick. It scares me to think its popping up more frequently (according to my vet, she has seen an increased amount of cases over the last couple of years). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richess Posted February 18, 2010 Share Posted February 18, 2010 I hope it doesn't become too common, its so cruel to be limited with what you can do for them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bokezu Posted February 19, 2010 Share Posted February 19, 2010 My deepest sympathy to you richess.....these immune mediated diseases are so cruel, I hate it when I hear of another beautiful much loved dog being lost My boy was just 16 months and passed in Nov from IMT. I still shed a tear every day for Jordan... I sold a puppy to a vet in Queensland and she was telling me there are a lot more cases of Immune Mediated Diseases around, unfortunately some owners don't want to try and save their pets........but that probably is because they just can't afford the vet bills....very sad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bokezu Posted February 19, 2010 Share Posted February 19, 2010 My deepest sympathy to you richess.....these immune mediated diseases are so cruel, I hate it when I hear of another beautiful much loved dog being lost My boy was just 16 months and passed in Nov from IMT. I still shed a tear every day for Jordan... I sold a puppy to a vet in Queensland and she was telling me there are a lot more cases of Immune Mediated Diseases around, unfortunately some owners don't want to try and save their pets........but that probably is because they just can't afford the vet bills....very sad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bokezu Posted February 19, 2010 Share Posted February 19, 2010 My deepest sympathy to you richess.....these immune mediated diseases are so cruel, I hate it when I hear of another beautiful much loved dog being lost My boy was just 16 months and passed in Nov from IMT. I still shed a tear every day for Jordan... I sold a puppy to a vet in Queensland and she was telling me there are a lot more cases of Immune Mediated Diseases around, unfortunately some owners don't want to try and save their pets........but that probably is because they just can't afford the vet bills....very sad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fungrzz Posted August 31, 2010 Share Posted August 31, 2010 (edited) My deepest sympathy to you richess.....these immune mediated diseases are so cruel, I hate it when I hear of another beautiful much loved dog being lost My boy was just 16 months and passed in Nov from IMT. I still shed a tear every day for Jordan... I sold a puppy to a vet in Queensland and she was telling me there are a lot more cases of Immune Mediated Diseases around, unfortunately some owners don't want to try and save their pets........but that probably is because they just can't afford the vet bills....very sad Hey Everyone, I am so sorry to hear about all the dogs that have lost its battle to this horrible disease! I know this is an old thread but I just wanted to revive it in case there are any new people battling this disease and looking for information online. When my baby was diagnosed with IMHA I searched desperately for information and was very devastated by all the sad posts that are around. This IS such a serious disease but I just want people to know that there is definitely still hope so don't give up on your furbaby~!! My 5 y/o Maltese was diagnosed about 3 months ago and the crash came very suddenly. I believe the timeline was something like Monday: dark urine, orange faeces, pale gums and lethargy so I took her to the vet. Her PCV was at 30, with elevated bilirubin levels. Vet put her on a drip and kept her overnight Tuesday: Slightly higher energy levels, PCV @ 27. Kept overnight and recommended seeing a specialist for an ultrasound Wednesday: PCV at 19, so I took her home and made an appointment with specialist the next day. she was so weak and could not stand, and did not want to eat or drink anything! Thursday: Specialist diagnosed her with IMHA. PCA @ 12 and a blood transfusion was performed which brought the PCV to 31. She was kept overnight Friday: PCV @ 22. Kept overnight Saturday: PCV @ 21. Vet was happy to let her to go home, but we had to bring her back for blood test every few days Now, 3 months later her PCV is at 45 (normal) and with no sign of haemolytic anaemia present as of her last check. She is 5kg and her cortisone/prednisolone regime is as follows: 1st 2 weeks: 6.25mg AM; 6.25mg PM; ¼ antacid PM 2nd 2 weeks: 6.25mg AM; 2.5mg PM 2nd month: 6.25mg AM 3rd month: 6.25mg AM, every 2nd day We're going in for another check this weekend but if things keep going the way it has, she will hopefully be drug free in another month or 2... SO there is definitely a glimmer of hope! It is a lot of hard work, but just need to stay positive for your baby and be super duper watchful for any signs of relapse and manage those side effects of the drugs to the best of your abilities! I am definitely not a vet but I'd just share some of the stuff I've done which appears to be working for my dog. obviously each case is different but yea! The main things I have done to combat the side effects include: - Milk Thistle to protect the liver from drug damage - Always feeding before administering the prednisolone to protect stomach - UTI’s is apparently a VERY common problem and can be quite serious so I have used: o Yoghurt and cranberry pills everyday - it appears to help as we have yet to come across it! o Toilet breaks at regular intervals to flush out the bladder. This was probably the most painful as it involved waking up every 2-3 hours in the middle of the night to take her outside in the first couple of weeks D: o Wiping down the privates every time after doing her business o Keep changing the water to keep it fresh o Regular urine tests to catch it early if it happens - Home cooked (not raw ) meals with about 50-60% vegetables and the rest meat. This is to be nice to the liver which is doing lots of hard work! Also the prednisolone makes them super hungry so the extra vegetables fill them up but doesn’t make them fat~ o For the vegies I use: sweet potato (base) and a mixture of zucchinis, carrots, kale, black beans, broccoli, peas, chick peas, brown rice o Meats: beef mince, lamb mince, lamb heart, sardines, chicken livers, calf livers o Other: Egg + shells o No salt + other additives. so for snacks I only give her fruits or homemade liver treats which is essentially liver sliced and boiled slightly to set, then baked at 90 degrees for 1.5hrs - Gentle exercise for the first month or 2... prednisolone does deteriorate the muscles quite a bit so make sure you keep exercise to a minimum when the drug dosage is high. We used to just let her out in the yard for a few weeks, then walked for ½ block as the medication reduced... now we're back to her old routine and she's even faster than before we can hardly catch up! - Keep all food out of reach, including ones of tables! The drugs make them ravenous for food and even the once well behaved dogs can turn into tricksy little thieves! My dog climbed onto a sofa and then leapt onto the table from there and ate some vegies which contained substantial amounts of garlic~ this led to a trip to the emergency vet for some induced vomiting D: - We have not found the cause for the IMHA... so i'm trying to keep her chemical free as possible... so currently looking for some natural flea prevention stuff so I might report on this later! Also, there's no doubt that this can be a very expensive condition... but there's always carecredit available which seems to be quite a good way to fund the treatment. With me, I had to cut a big chunk out of savings AND to be super tight for the period and avoid shopping centres!! But in the end it's all worth it That is all I can think of for now! But I hope SOMEONE might find it helpful Bye! Edited August 31, 2010 by fungrzz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemonlime Posted September 2, 2010 Author Share Posted September 2, 2010 Fungrzz, Great post. Im pleased to hear that your little is doing well, she certainly is one of the lucky few. I still miss my Fellow every day and often tear up when I think how quickly he was taken from me. I would do anything to have him back, theres a big hole in my heart. But thank you for posting some great tips! I cant help but watch my other dogs like a hawk now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poodle Mum Posted March 26, 2011 Share Posted March 26, 2011 I know this is an old post but I have been looking for some good news Gosh....wish I didn't read this post now. My old girl - 12.5yr old Std Poodle was diagnosed with IMHA last Saturday. I am a VN of 20yrs & I know that stats ;) ....I was hoping for more than a few survival stories here. I am struggling with the inevitable decision that I feel is looming Tango's PCV was 19.5 yesterday. I will test again tomorrow....I know it will have dropped...she is not eating match today & her urine looks more concentrated. But still happy to follow me around & will try & rush up to her food bowl if the cats try & eat her meat! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red Dog NZ Posted March 28, 2011 Share Posted March 28, 2011 Hi Poodle Mum Our Vizsla was diagnosed with IMHA over a year ago (along with meningtitis) and he is a happy wiggly pup today (will be 2 years old in June). IMHA is an emotional battle for the owner, as you well know, and there are two great forums which have some great info and can give you a hand along the way. These are http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/CIMDAsupport/ and http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/K9Auto-...yguid=338270381. Flynn's PCV was 15 when diagnosed ... we climbed to 22 then came back to 19 ... at this stage we added azathioprine (but this does take a few weeks to kick in) as we were only using prednisone. We have slowly weaned him off prednisone and he is still on azatioprine ... looking at taking him off this completely this week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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