From: rob@xyzoom.info.com (Rob Lingelbach)
Subject: Re: Autoimmune Anemia
Reply-To: rob@xyzoom.info.com (Rob Lingelbach)
Organization: Altruistic Intentions, Hollywood CA
Date: Tue, 15 Sep 1992 03:57:12 GMT

In article <21020154@hpfcso.FC.HP.COM> jodi@hpfcso.FC.HP.COM (Jodi Peterson) writes:
>
>My cocker spaniel suddenly got very sick while I was on vacation.
>The housesitter rushed her to the vet, then called me. Heartsick
>and scared, I drove straight through 20 hours, and by the time I got home 
>Brandy had been transferred to the critical care unit at the CSU 
>vet hospital. The vet there told me that she has
>autoimmune hemalytic anemia (the intravascular form).
>This is a very serious disease in which the dog makes antibodies
>to its own red blood cells. Normal red blood cell level is 45%,
>but poor Brandy's was down to 6%. They gave her a transfusion and
>are treating her with a steroid, a chemotherapy drug, and an
>"experimental" drug, cyclosporin. Apparently with the cyclosporin
>treatment she has about a 50-50 chance (before cyclosporin,
>90% of the victims died).
>
>She seems to be holding her own (she's alert, can walk a bit,
>is not destroying her red cells as fast now) but it will still
>be several days before we know if she's going to make it.
>
>I'm very worried and scared and depressed. I've had her since
>she was 6 weeks old (she's 8 years now), and can't stand the thought
>of losing her. Has anyone out there had any experience with
>this disease? If she survives it (and she HAS to), what are
>her chances for leading a healthy life again? 

I presume the vet is sure of the diagnosis.  I also presume that the
disease belongs to the family of autoimmune diseases...I have a lot of
fresh personal experience with one of them, Systemic Lupus
Erythematosis, because my Bichon Frise, Cammie, has it.  She's 5 yrs.
old.

She was never down to as low as 6% on the rbc, only got down twice to
about 12, which I was told is life-threatening.  Both times she got
transfusions, and once fresh frozen plasma.  During this time she was
getting Cyclosporin, Prednisone, an Antibiotic, thyroid medication
(Soloxine), Immuran (another immune suppressant, like Cycolsporin) and
drugs to settle her stomach (she wasn't eating at all, and the drugs
upset her stomach).  After the second transfusion, and two weeks in
the hospital, she didn't seem to be getting any better, so we made the
decision that she should come home, for better or for worse, and I
thought to myself that I would probably have to say goodbye to her
within the next day or so.  I was heartbroken and walking around like
a zombie.

The very evening we got home, I put her on her bed (she weighed about
11 pounds, down from 16) ...she didn't have much strength... and I
went into the office where I started reading Usenet News.  I heard a
crunch, crunch sound coming from the kitchen, but thought it was Harpo
(my other Bichon) eating...I went in to the kitchen and saw that
Cammie was eating dry food for the first time in a month.  I
practically did somersaults of joy.  She had been on IV fluids for two
weeks, not eating even baby food, and here she was eating regular dog
food... I knew then that she was going to get better.

Cyclosporin was the drug that made the difference for Cammie, we
believe.  She has since come off Cyclosporin and gone on Cytoxan.  We
are going to start weaning her off that very gradually...she is
gaining too much weight (18 lbs) but that is probably due to the
Prednisone.  All these drugs are responsible for hair loss, and she
lost an eye to glaucoma, which the vet believes was brought on by a
secondary infection caused by the Lupus.  But she is a very happy dog
right now, having quite a second lease on life, with a very happy
owner (though I don't know how I'll ever pay all the medical bills).

Some observations: 
-----------------

As others have written here, try everything you can to get the drugs
time to work, as they can be very effective against autoimmune
conditions.

Cyclosporin is a miracle drug.

If there comes a point where Brandy's welfare is just as well served
at home, she will be happier there.  The hospital can be depressing
for a dog-- I visited Cammie as much as I could, to let her know I
loved her.

My vet has received excellent advice from an internist who specializes
in autoimmune disorders.  We have seen probably a dozen different
veterinarians, and I have a lot of confidence in this internist--we
drove 140 miles to see her twice a week for a while.  I would be happy
to get you in touch with her.

Good luck and let us know how she does.
-- 
Rob Lingelbach KB6CUN | 2660 Hollyridge Dr LA CA 90068 213 464 6266 (voice) 
rob@xyzoom.info.com   | "I care not much for a man's religion whose dog or 
robl@netcom.com       |  cat are not the better for it."  --Abraham Lincoln