Quote:
Originally Posted by SuperWanda
No, not really any better. Still very, very weak and sleeping a lot.
Her gums are very pale and to feel better I think she would need a blood transfusion at this point. Very anemic and hardly any appetite.
Still struggling with a decision because do you get a transfusion to buy you more time to treat a illness that you may not even have. She may improve a little but then have to go through this all again if it is some kind of cancer and that would be very hard.
Again, it is so hard when you still have unanswered questions but maybe there is no wrong answer here. I don't know.
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I'm so sorry to hear about Timber. I feel horrible, but I haven't kept up with this thread. I sincerely hope you get some answers. Just to let you know, we are going through similar issues with our baby. His is immune-mediated. He was also put on Azathioprine 5 weeks ago. Aftet the second week he showed very minor anemia. 3 weeks later he is in the hospital having a transfusion (just this past Saturday evening). The Azathioprine and Prednisone caused internal bleeding (they think, but do not know for sure) and the Azathioprine stopped him from effectively regenerating new blood cells. His RBC was down to 8.8%. Our vet was completely amazed that he was still with us. They immediately called in a donor and gave him a transfusion. The day before, we had been at the holistic vet for the same reason (black stools, lethargy). The holistic vet gave us an herb to help stop the bleeding and reduce inflammation. Our vet said we would most likely be back in on Monday for another transfusion. Our vet did reccomend stopping the azathioprine and so did the holistic vet. Our vet then said to wean him down instead as he could not live through a seizure. So we cut the dose by 33%. The next day she said to stop it completely. I'm very happy to say that today was a good day. Hubby took him in, they ran a blood count. He's still only at 14%, but they said he's generating new red cells "like mad". So a transfusion was not needed. The bleeding has stopped and he is hopefully now on the mend. Sorry for the length of this post, but I wanted you to know that we are going through something similar with the same drugs. The holistic treatment may help yours as well. If you would like the name, let me know. It also helps to rebuild the blood. Our baby went downhill SO fast on Azathioprine and it was terrifying. My heart (and prayers) go out to you and Timber
Nanook had the same symptoms from the anemia: loss of appetite, pale gums, nose and tongue, unable to lift himself at all (hubby had to carry him) and could barely open his little eyes. Our vet did not expect him to make it long and was preparing us for the worst. After the holistic treatment, transfusion and a couple of tummy meds combined with removing the azahtioprine, he is now eating, walking and giving hubby and I "high fives" expecting his treats
