anemia, red blood cells dropping rapidly in my pit bull :(

[sways_bodyguard]

over the past 2 months there has been 2 blood tests done, both confirming a steady drop in her red blood cells.
my holistic vet told me that a normal range of cells is at around 40%...
last month my dog was in the 27-29 range...
just got the latest results back today and she is at 19%
i am devastated because he said this could potentially be a very difficult case to crack...and at her rate of drop, it is already becoming extremely concerning.
he said anything below 15% is very dangerous and i dont know what to do, she is very close to that now.....

we have setup an ultra sound on thursday with a speacialist and from there my vet will hope to find something that can be pointed to as being the cause of all of this.
if nothing shows, he said a bone marrow test would be another step we can go for,

some history on my dog...
she is a pit bull, 6 yrs old and has had an very troublesome environmental allergy problem for over the past 2 years.
she has been on cyclosporine and allergy shots for the better of the last year or so.
...the cyclosporine caused major digestive tract issues with her so she was taken off them completely about 6 weeks ago.
...one would assume the cyclosporine might be the culprit for the blood cell loss but it has continued to go down even weeks after being taken off completely.
:sad:

she currently is on a vitamin 'advanced-cell' or something along those lines, as well as the medication 'cypro' for a urine infection.
both of which i was told to stop, as of today...

this is my dog:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/claritysix/515907061/

if anyone has any info they can provide, ideas, or just hope, i would be indebted to you.

thanks for reading.

[chico2]

I don't have any help to offer,just wanted to say,she's a sweetie and I hope all goes well

[mummummum]

Has your vet considered Autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA aka IMHA) ?

Here's a link.. http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_imha.html

or renal disease ?

[Dr Lee]

sways_bodyguard,

Not only is anything under 15% dangerous but a steady fall in red blood cells at 19% is VERY DANGEROUS. This requires aggressive medical attention.

Did the veterinarian mention a concern regarding IMHA (immune mediated hemolytic anemia)? Bone marrow disease? How are the platelets?

I urge you to continue an aggressive diagnostic plan until a cause is found with a veterinarian immediately. The plan of an ultrasound with a specialist is an excellent idea. I would recommend that between now and then you have another red blood cell percentage (called a PCV, packed cell volume or hematocrit) performed prior to Thursday.

With that said. What causes low red blood cells in general:

Main causes
Blood loss - trauma, bleeding out, intestinal hemorrhage from medications such as aspirin or viruses like parvo, third spacing (blood loss that remains inside the body) - such as rupture of splenic tumors, blood clotting issues such as rat poison or liver disease leading to bleeding in the abdomen or chest which is unapparent, and IMHA which is a auto immune disease where the body has an 'allergic' (to keep it simple) reaction to its blood cells for unknown reason and begins to destroy them suddenly. Other causes are possible but these are some common ones.
Lack of production - bone marrow disease such as cancer, and bone marrow suppression from certain types of toxins, hormones, medications, etc...

Note on the cyclosporine. If is was in the form of Atopica, then its interference is low. With some IMHA patients, cyclosporine is acutally used to treat. GI upset is common because the carrying agent is castor oil which some dogs get an upset tummy on. Other side effects can occur but are less common, kidney and liver disease, etc....

Best of luck. Let us know the results of the specialist examination.

[Dr Lee]

mummummum,

It is sometimes frightening to me how we think alike!

[mummummum]

Awww...shucks

[sways_bodyguard]

thanks for the responses...
to give you guys some more information.

mummummum-
yes, i believe IMHA is one of the cheif concerns or assumptions...
my vet mentioned that as a possibility but wants to do the ultra sound to see if there is a specific thing that would be directly causing this.

dr. lee-
bone marrow testing was something they said would be done down the line if nothing was pin pointed from the ultra sound she will be getting tomorrow...
as far as the PCV is concerned, i dont think that is what sway got because the results were sent out and returned a few days later...
everything ive read on a pcv is that it can be done in the office on the spot.
correct me if im wrong, because i certainly could be...

i also read that cyclosporine was used as a treatment for this type of situation in some cases.
sway was originally on Atopica and then switched to the a generic brand because it was cheaper.
this was done last year as a plan of attack against her severe environmental allergies.
(she literally chews her padding from her feet, causing extreme rawness for weeks till they grow back.)
after about 6 months on the cyclosporine, she began to stop chewing all together...this lasted about a month and then just all of a sudden the digestive issues began.
these digestive issues were horrrible, she would go poop uncontrolably in the house, loose stools, like once every 5 minutes...
this happened within a 2 hour period one night (January) and i rushed her out for care...
by the time i got her to the 24 hour vet, it was running out of her behind in bloody water like fashion...portions/chunks of her intestine lining were coming out as well.
months down the line after cyclo was stopped, a food change was done and they put her back on it to make sure it was the cause of the digestive issue.
sure enough, after a week it began to happen again...
from that point the cyclosporine was stopped all together and that issue (allergy) is yet to be solved either.

she goes in for the ultra sound 2morrow in the morning, i need to drop her off before work and wont know the specifics until i get off afterwards.

as far as her demeanor...she is very laid back but she definately has been a few levels low on the energy/interest for sure.
her gums are definately white in spots, and i know that is a tell tale sign of blood drop.
she still is eating fine, but that could be due to me lately feeding her skinless chicken breasts & veggies...she hogs those down.
also, she is still capable of running around, as i take her to the beach and she is pretty active there atleast.

i am very concerned as well with the rapid drop, because i dont notice anything from the exterior about my dog that is any different than the last 6 months to a year.
my vet, who does incorporate holistic into his practice, has said that she should be okay for the next step to be the ultra sound on thursday.
he didnt seem to think the drop would go much lower by 2morrow but it worries me that you think it very well could?
he has however told me that this is very serious and didnt give the impression it was being treated as anything other than very serious.
so i took him at what he suggested...
do you think they are not being assertive enough?

thanks for the interest for those who responded, i appreciate it and will update you with any news i find out.

[teardrop]

When Geronimo's red blood cells was at 13, they gave him a blood tranfussion, and then put him on prednisone with other meds to keep from upsetting his stomach. He had IMAH (Immune Mediated Hemolytic Anemia) with ITP (deals with the Protein)His immune system was litterly eating his red blood cells.Hope they can figure out what the problem is. Thank God the doctors at Kalamazoo's SW Mi Animal Emergency Hospital gave him the care he needed to put him on the road to recovery. A week ago he was at 39+ with 6+ for ITP. Good luck. Teardrop

[Myka]

I just read this entire thread, and for the last 3 pages. I wish life wasn't so hard for Sway. I also own a Pit (cross), and I'm the same age as you. I am amazed at your perseverance, and even though I don't know you I am proud of you, and you give me hope that there really are great people out there that are our age! I have also had troubles on these forums with people being quick to judge. I think you're doing the best for your dog.

I that life gets easier for Sway.

[rainbow]

Any updates on Sway?

[growler~GateKeeper]

Here is Josh & Sways' blog: http://143sway.blogspot.com/

[rainbow]

He also posted about her here....

http://www.vetnet.eu/cgi-bin/gen5?ru...11523594528729

[sways_bodyguard]

Originally Posted by Myka

I just read this entire thread, and for the last 3 pages. I wish life wasn't so hard for Sway. I also own a Pit (cross), and I'm the same age as you. I am amazed at your perseverance, and even though I don't know you I am proud of you, and you give me hope that there really are great people out there that are our age! I have also had troubles on these forums with people being quick to judge. I think you're doing the best for your dog.

I that life gets easier for Sway.

thank you,
give myka a hug for me!

[Love4himies]

OMG, I can't believe the difference in Sway!

[luckypenny]

Yay!!!!!! I can only imagine how happy you both are, Josh. What wonderful news and fantastic updated photos! The biggest hugs to you and Sway .

[michellefish]

my 12 years old golden is almost exactly as your case. But his red blood cell drop much more faster than yours. I can feel how you felt. Hope our dogs both can pass thro' it! good luck!

[Winston]

There is an update on sway from the site............


we went almost 3 months without a PCV...
that was basically just based on how consistent her days have become.
her water intake is extremely high.
the past diabetes and cushing tests all came back negative so its very odd that her water obsession is so out of control.
she is also peeing far more often than normal and her bladder function seems to not nearly be as strong.
but still she had seemed well.

for me she seems like she goes up and down every other day.
she might have 2 days where she looks pretty normal, and then the next morning she will look completely anorexic, looking visually like she lost 7/8 pounds overnight.
this will then normalize by the next night and it is a constant cycle.
but as far as her energy level, it stays the same, she moves around well, she goes out biking with me and leads the charge. she is amazing.

anyways, a few weeks ago her PCV revealed a 21% ... so she had declined from the 26% in july.
we cultured her urine again to check for diabetes.
she actually had to stay overnight at the vets in order to do a water deprivation test.
that is where they withhold water from the animal and repeatedly check the urine thruout the day.
this revealed that sway was not concentrating her urine very well.
dr. woods & dr. dodds came to the conclusion that sway likely has diabetes insipidus.
it was suggested that we start her on DDAVP drops, and that is where we are...
thanks for the prayers for sway.

[rainbow]

Thanks for the update, Winston. It does sound like diabetes insipidus....

From http://www.fetchdog.com/learn-connec.../I/AR000010054

The water deprivation test essentially evaluates the ability of your dog's kidneys to concentrate urine when faced with a situation of water deprivation. It is only done after the screening tests have ruled out kidney disease.

This test is based on the normal physiological response to conditions of reduced fluid intake, whereby the kidneys should conserve water by concentrating urine.

Your dog is closely monitored during this period and his state of hydration and urinary concentrating ability are frequently evaluated. The test ends when your dog has become clinically dehydrated, or when he has concentrated his urine adequately (which ever occurs first). If your dog does not concentrate his urine during the period of water deprivation, he may be given ADH (antidiuretic hormone), a naturally occurring hormone that acts on the kidneys to cause the concentration of urine.

The results of the water deprivation test may be interpreted as the following:

If your dog concentrates his urine during the period of water deprivation, and the other screening tests were normal, then his increased thirst and urination are likely related to behaviorally increased water consumption.

If your dog fails to concentrate his urine during the test period, but does concentrate his urine when given the ADH, then the cause of your dog's increased thirst and urination is likely related to a condition called central diabetes insipidus. This condition is due to failure of part of the brain to produce ADH hormone. Diabetes insipidus is completely different than diabetes mellitus (the term 'mellitus' refers to the sweetness of the urine in sugar diabetes, while the term 'insipidus' refers to the weak or dilute urine produced in ADH-related diabetes).

If your dog fails to concentrate urine during this test and also fails to concentrate his urine in response to ADH, then the cause of your dog's increased thirst and urination may be related to a condition called nephrogenic diabetes insipidus (nephrogenic means originating in the kidneys), whereby the kidneys are unable to respond to ADH, or due to other conditions that interfere with the kidneys' internal concentrating gradient.

[Love4himies]

Oh poor Sway,

Josh, you and Sway will be in my prayers.

[Karasbell]

Hi I am in the same position as you, have you had any definite result yet. I have a 2 year old female jack Russell and about 5 weeks ago she began passing out and loosing all energy after small activity, even going to end of garden and back. I took her to my vets and they did ultrasound X-ray and heart scan and all came back normal! Got her blood results bk today and her red blood cell count is 15% and also very low white blood cell count! They r taking her back Thursday for more blood testing and I was told that maybe her bone marrow has given up and stopped working in which case is life threatening and untreatable! I am so worried we are going to loose her so any advice would be great!ni vet is also checking her ovaries and uterus for tumours but if nothing then will be taking a bone marrow biopsy! Bell is very weak, acting like a very old dog. Xx

[hazelrunpack]

Hi, Karasbell. Sway and Josh fought very hard for very long, but in the end, Sway crossed to the Bridge.

Every dog and every case is different, though--take it a day at a time and see what the vets come up with. First you need to find what you're dealing with, then it may be that Bell responds well to treatment. So sorry you're going through such a scary time.

If you have specific questions or concerns that come up in Bell's journey, feel free to start a new thread anytime. And please keep us updated on her progress! We may not all have experience with anemia, but most of us have had a critically ill pet at one point or another.

[Karasbell]

Thank you very much for that reply so quick I am just trying to work out how to start a new thread lol I'm sure il get there. Tthankyou