# Questions about a very sick dog



## Donna Little (May 31, 2011)

A friend called me today and told me that her Chinese Crested was very sick and her gums and tongue were almost white. I rode with her to the vet and they diagnosed her with Immune Hemolytic Anemia. So right now she's at the vet and has received fluids and a blood transfusion. 
Her vet doesn't know her dog eats raw and she doesn't want to tell him but I could tell she was afraid the diet (which she started her dogs on in May) possibly had something to do with it. Anyone on here have any experience with this and if so any advice? 
She has several dogs and a couple of them are eating significantly more than what's generally recommended and they are still not gaining weight. And they need to. 
I want to say the vet said her red blood level should be about 30 (I may be saying this wrong) and her level was 6. He said he was surprised she was alive. Does anyone have advice on what a great raw balance would be best for a dog with these issues? More red meat, less chicken for example? Certain organ meat? Her vet called her a little while ago and said her dog was doing okay but of course she's still not out of the woods. If any of you guys have experience with this please let me know if there's anything specific I can tell her to help.


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## minnieme (Jul 6, 2011)

Donna Little said:


> She has several dogs and a couple of them are eating significantly more than what's generally recommended and they are still not gaining weight. And they need to


Do you know what the menu for them currently looks like? 

Sounds like they are getting too lean of cuts...with not enough fat. And likely not enough red meat and organ. You're right about more red meat and less chicken. I would also feed a lot of heart if she can handle it.... although now of course you clearly don't want to tax her system if she can't.

If you can give us an idea of what she's feeding now, I think we might be able to see an error a bit more clearly. Fingers crossed for that poor baby...and your friend -- must be so scary.


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

I agree - you should post the current menu here so the people who know what they are doing can tell her how to fix it.


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## Donna Little (May 31, 2011)

I know they get more chicken than any other meat. She also feeds pre-packaged tripe and organ meat as well as beef heart. I think her dogs get mostly chicken though. I know that several of them had diarrhea so much during their transition that she's been a little afraid to add too much else to the mix. As far as the cuts of chicken she buys quarters and sometimes necks if she feels like they need more bone.


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## schtuffy (May 17, 2010)

For a long time Louis could not put on weight. He lost 2-3 lbs which is a noticeable difference on a dog his size. Even with feeding fattier cuts I was still having trouble...and I think I was feeding upwards of 5% of his body weight. What helped the most for us was to not only consciously pick fattier cuts, but to feed more heart. It's amazing how much the heart helped. He can't eat too much or he gets the runs, but I would give him maybe a grape sized piece of heart w/ fat along with a boney RMB. I also feed a lot of beef and lamb though. He's back to a good plumpy 13-14 lbs finally.

I don't have any medical advice for you, but I sure hope her pup will be ok :frown:


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## MollyWoppy (Mar 19, 2010)

Oh God, thats a horrible disease. A friends chihuahua had AIHA last year. Her blood count was also 6, and if I remember correctly, you are right, it should be around 30. Her pup ended up having 2 transfusions, (I took Mollie down to the vets in case they needed more blood donated) the more transfusions they need, the less likely they will pull through. This dog did, but it was touch and go for a couple of months, and even now, a year later, shes still on prednisone which brings a whole lot of other problems with it. 
For what its worth, this dog ate/eats Pedigree. From what I learn't, vets don't seem to have a clue why or how dogs get AIHA. There is some train of thought that it could be brought on by vaccinations, but there isn't any proof. So all they can do is treat the symptoms and pray.
There was someone who use to post here, Penny & Maggies Mom, her dog survived AIHA. I PM'd her quite often for advice at the time, - I seem to remember her saying something about the calcium and phosphorous ratio's in food being important. 
I know this doesn't help you much, and your poor friend is in for a tough time for a bit. Please wish her good luck and, I know you are a great friend, but be prepared to be there for her for some time to come. Please let us know how the pup does.....


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## cprcheetah (Jul 14, 2010)

I am SO sorry your friend is going through this. It is a VERY nasty disease. And it is NOT caused by the diet. It is basically the body attacking and destroying it's own cells. Yes I have seen some very unbalanced raw feeders get dogs with Anemia HOWEVER Auto Immune Hemolytic Anemia is VERY VERY different. A lot of times they NEVER determine the cause. I will keep your friends dog in my thoughts, she is going to need them. 

Here are the possible causes:
Meisha's Hope; A guide to canine autoimmune hemolytic anemia
WHAT IS THE CAUSE OF AUTOIMMUNE HEMOLYTIC ANEMIA?

Most of the time, a specific cause for AIHA is unrecognized. Many theories exist, but the ultimate answer is "We don’t know." Dr. Jean Dodds, a veterinarian studying immunology, states in her article, The Immune System and Disease Resistance, that there are four main causative factors of autoimmune diseases. Those factors are: Genetic predisposition; Hormonal influences; Infections, especially of viruses and Stress.
According to the Textbook of Veterinary Internal Medicine, the following are examples of underlying disorders and triggers of immune-mediated hemolytic anemia:
Infections
Viral: transient or chronic persistent upper respiratory or gastrointestinal (GI) viral diseases
Bacterial: leptospirosis, hemobartonellosis, various acute infections (e.g., abscess, pyometra, discospondylitis)
Parasitic: babesiosis, leishmaniasis, dirofilariasis, ehrlichiosis, ancylostoma caninum
Other emerging infectious diseases (e.g., bartonellosis), bee stings
Drugs
Sulfonamides
Cephalosporin
Penicillin
Vaccines
Procainamide
Neoplasia
Hemolymphatic: leukemias, lymphoma, multiple myeloma
Solid tumors
Immune Disorders
SLE
Hypothyroidism
Primary and secondary immunodeficiencies
Genetic Predisposition
American Cocker Spaniel (one third of all cases)
English Springer Spaniel
Old English Sheepdog
Irish Setter
Poodle
Dachshund
Female dogs appear slightly predisposed to AIHA/IMHA, even when spayed.


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## MollyWoppy (Mar 19, 2010)

Thank you Heather, that's a good post.


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## swolek (Mar 31, 2011)

As the owner of multiple female American Cocker Spaniels (basically the riskiest dogs for the disease, unfortunately), I have studied it extensively. It doesn't seem to be diet related at all so your friend shouldn't worry about the raw food (though if it is unbalanced she should of course fix that). It can happen for seemingly no reason and can be caused by genetics.

I hope her pup pulls through, it's such a scary disease.


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

This is horrible. My healing and positive thoughts go out to your friends dog. Please keep us posted on her progress. 

From the sounds of the diet, nothing really is out of the ordinary. BUT I would tell her to feed more red meats if possible.


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## Donna Little (May 31, 2011)

Thank you everyone for the input. She'll be calling me in the morning to give me an update and I hope it'll be good news. This little dog is one of her very beloved babies and she's 11 yrs old. Send good thoughts! I'll keep you guys posted.


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## Donna Little (May 31, 2011)

Well my friend got very good news this morning and is picking her baby up as I type. Her blood levels were at 42 this morning so yay!! Now we know she still could have some problems but we were wondering this morning after she spoke to the vet if the reason she responded so well was because she's eating raw. Even when we were on the way to the vet yesterday she was pretty alert and had eaten a little beforehand and was eager to steal a piece of cheese from me in the car. 
What do you guys think? I don't suppose anyone could ever say for sure if eating raw helped but it does seem pretty remarkable that she was in such bad shape and was able (with one transfusion) to bounce back so well. Who knows but I'm certainly willing to give it some credit!


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## MollyWoppy (Mar 19, 2010)

I'm very happy and relived that the pup has responded so well, but please still be very careful and vigilant. They bounce back but they can just as easily take a rapid turn for the worse again, without any warning. Tell your friend to check her pup's gums and at the slightest sign of them becoming pale, get the pup back to the vet to check the red blood cell count.
Saying that, the pup may very well be fine from here on in, crossing my fingers that she continues to improve.


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## Khan (Jan 17, 2010)

That is great news!! We will be sending out good thoughts and prayers that she continues to improve.


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

If the raw food didn't help, I'm sure it didn't hurt! I'm very glad she's doing so much better.


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