Who doesn’t know the story of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde? How does the story relate to autoimmune disease?
What happens during the disease
Your dog’s body was designed to maintain health, and it has a fantastic guard against disease—the immune system. His immune system protects your dog against disease by identifying and killing invaders, foreign (infections), and domestic (tumor cells).
There are few things as impressive as the immune system.
An essential part of the immune system’s function is distinguishing between native and invading cells. When it fails to tell the difference, it can turn against the body’s own cells, and bad things start happening.
The body’s guard and protector becomes its enemy.
Autoimmune disease is a fairly self-explanatory term. But unfortunately, the very system meant to protect your dog from disease is now causing it instead. Autoimmune disease can affect a single organ, or it can be systemic.
Rapid destruction of red blood cells
Immune-mediated hemolytic anemia (IMHA) is when the dog’s immune system attacks its own red blood cells.
What causes the immune system to turn into Mr. Hyde? This doesn’t seem to have been conclusively determined. However, it is believed that both genetic and environmental factors are in play. Infections, medications, or vaccines can trigger IMHA, but often no clear cause can be established.
Of course, just because we don’t know the cause, it doesn’t mean there isn’t one.
Some breeds are more susceptible to the disease, such as:
- Cocker Spaniel
- Springer Spaniel
- Miniature Poodle
- Finnish Spitz
- Irish Setter
- Dachshund
- Bichon Frise
- and Old English Sheepdog
Source: Petplace.com
Life-threatening disease
IMHA is a life-threatening disease, and it strikes fast and hard.
Red blood cells play several essential roles in your dog’s body. Without sufficient red blood cells, your dog cannot survive!
Symptoms of IMHA include
- pale or yellow-tinged gums
- rapid breathing
- weakness
- lethargy
- dark urine
- loss of appetite
- vomiting
- rapid breathing
Conventional treatment consists of immune suppression and supportive care, such as blood transfusion.
Razzle’s story
My dear client and friend, Ben Moomaw of Leader Source SGA, shared Razzle’s story.
Razzle is a 5-year-old neutered male Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, loved by his family.
Last summer, Razzle underwent a battle with Immune-Mediated Hemolytic Anemia (IMHA).
Razzle’s first symptoms
On a Friday afternoon, we noticed that Razzle was a bit listless. We didn’t think much of it, as we didn’t want to overreact. But through the weekend, he got more and more so and seemed to be getting very weak.
By Monday morning, he could barely stand, and he was turning yellowish (eyes, inside of mouth, skin color).
Something is very wrong
We realized something serious was going on, so we took him to our vet.
The vet diagnosed IMHA, a blood disorder where the body’s white blood cells start attacking and destroying the red blood cells. It is most common in middle-aged dogs, generally more often in females, and spaniel breeds are more susceptible than others.
He was very weak, and the vet immediately put him on steroids to stop the immune system reaction. Razzle got a blood transfusion as well to replenish his red blood cells. We went on a regular “watch” of monitoring his red cell count a couple of times a day.
Razzle fights for life
It was nip and tuck for about five days.
His blood count appeared to be headed in the right direction. But then took a dive a couple of days later, and we had to go through the transfusion again.
About a third of dogs who get this do not survive the initial situation. A third survive, but it recurs later. And a third survive, and it never happens again. So we were very disappointed when things didn’t seem to be working after the first transfusion.
The treatment
At the vet’s guidance, we decided to try one more transfusion. We were literally at the point where if the next blood test showed the counts dropping again, we would have no choice but to put Razzle down.
It was tough for our 14-year-old daughter, to whom Razzle belongs.
Razzle improves
Fortunately, the second transfusion and continued use of steroids for a period solved the problem. Razzle pretty quickly regained his strength and color, and within about a month, he was back to normal.
We are not sure what caused this. We’d never heard of IMHA before Razzle’s experience.
It is unclear in general what triggers this in dogs. Sometimes it can be a reaction to an infection – say, a tick-borne illness or some other disease – experts aren’t sure. But it is a rapidly life-threatening disease.
We didn’t act quickly enough when we noticed the first symptoms, and three days later, Razzle was almost dead!
Beware of symptoms
If you see symptoms in a dog, don’t “wait over the weekend” to have it checked… Symptoms are pale gums, yellow-tinged gums or whites of the eyes, dark or dark yellow urine, tiring easily, weakness, lethargy, loss of appetite, vomiting, and tachypnea (rapid breathing).
We realized that we saw all of these in Razzle once we knew what we were looking at.
The lethargy and loss of appetite were first. We didn’t know to look at the inside of the mouth or ears to check on coloration. But having lived through this, we would have acted faster. Bottom line: if you see the symptoms, act fast!
Related articles:
Immune-Mediated Hemolytic Anemia: Annie’s Lost Battle with IMHA
Immune-Mediated Hemolytic Anemia (IMHA) Survivor: Pete’s Story
IMHA Complications: Daphne Didn’t Make It
I Am An IMHA Survivor! Dylan’s Story
IMHA Is Not To Be Taken Lightly: Know The Symptoms
Further reading:
Immune-Mediated Hemolytic Anemia (IMHA) in Dogs