auto immune issues
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| My first sheepie Mandy was diagnosed with IMHA
(Immune Mediated Homolytic Anemia) in 2003. Secondary to bladder cancer. One day I saw blood on the floor, I thought maybe she was in heat (being a rescue we weren't 100% sure she was spayed) Through testing they concluded bladder cancer. When her initial blood work came back her platelet count was 1 
That is actually 1,000 but, normal is 170,000 to 400,000. They automatically put her on a high dose of prednisone and a million other drugs I am trying to remember. If you have any specific questions I can try to answer them. |
Kerry - can you be a little more specific? There are so many  
Kristine |
| actually I was vague (vaguer than usual?) for a reason. I know very little about the spectrum of auto immune disorders and would like to learn more about people's first hand experience.
I guess I am not looking for skin allergy issues - been there did that with a rescue so I know that area. as you know Morgan has a habit of developing cysts from fairly benign issues like innoculations, bug bites etc., smaller ones seem to go away - a couple of the larger ones just keep getting larger and we have had to have one surgically removed - probably two more on the way to that solutions. I also know, thanks to you (Kristine) about immune-mediated polyarthritis, which I don't think we are dealing with, but would like to have some feed back on these types of issue as part of a learning experience (and for when we develop it ) |
kerry wrote: I also know, thanks to you (Kristine) about immune-mediated polyarthritis, which I don't think we are dealing with, but would like to have some feed back on these types of issue as part of a learning experience (and for when we develop it
)Oh, boy, I think a series of Margaritas are in order when I head to NY next month 
"Autoimmune" is the least tangible thing you'll ever deal with. Just because a dog has vaccine related cysts, for instance, does not mean he's headed for a total breakdown  A friend's little mixed breed had bad vaccine reactions, but she's never really had any other issue and I think she's nine now.
I know one OES who survived a bout with blasto (fungi) that killed his sister, just to die three years later of IMHA. His thyroid was normal. He didn't have allergies. He's dead. There is no damn rhyme or reason to this stuff most of the time. So we have: allergies hypothyroidism cancer is an autoimmune disease, is it not? (My own vet says that dogs with skin allergies have a much higher rate of developing mast cell cancers.) Immune mediated hemolytic anemia (IMHA) Immune-mediated thrombocytopenia (ITP) Immune-mediated Polyarthrits Myasthenia Gravis Addisons Lupus Is the list scary enough? What am I missing? Just because his immune system is clearly out of whack right now does NOT mean a crash into something worse is right around the corner. Many of the TBDs can mimic or induce a number of these conditions. It's not like there is a blanket "my dog has autoimmune" or - wait, look who I'm talking to you know this - that autoimmune is a single disease. There are all of these immune mediated diseases and conditions, some of which can be secondary to other diseases and conditions, and some dogs may have or get one or more of them. But there's no way to predict for the most part, even though you can make an educated guess at predispositions in pedigrees when people are open with each other.
Belle's sister's thyroid is fine. No allergies. No vaccine reactions. Ditto Belle on all counts. No nothing. Yet one sister develops myasthenia gravis at ten years old. Why? We just don't know. Then you can have hypothyroid dogs with allergies who go their entire long lives with nothing worse than that. Belle's cousin was one of those inexplicably cystic dogs. He got them his entire life. No noticable allergies. But look at him cross-eyed and he'd develop a cyst. OES tend towards that I was told once upon a time, but I have no idea if that is or ever was really true. My first had them from middle age on. Freaked me out, but nothing came of it, nor Belle's cousin, though he only lived to be 9 1/2 due to CA. Mind you, apart from the CA, some arthritis induced by his CA instability, and those everlasting cysts, there was never a darn thing wrong with him. The person or persons who finally truly figure(s) out the mysteries of the immune system will be courting a Nobel prize. 
So where are we going for Margaritas? Oh, wait - maybe we need to go listen to some blues and eat some ribs at my favorite biker bar...? 
Kristine |
well on the up side his blood test appeared to rule out Addisons 
the problem we seem to be having is that the cysts just get bigger and bigger and to avoid having them burst we need to do surgery argh
lets hope there is no major snow in November - although I have to go away this weekend and hubby is saying "i can't take care of Morgan he gets sick at the drop of a hat! " Is it odd I told my vet I would be away and he told me when he would be unreachable? |
| If it helps, Kerry - bassets are a breed VERY prone to benign cysts. They can get them at any time, but it does increase with age. I have friends with dogs who have them chronically.
As you said, if they get too big or are in a bad spot, they need to be surgically removed or they will get caught on something or rupture from size alone. One of our bassets had one that ruptured and we had it surgically removed. Luckily, it was the only one she ever got. |
| Kerry, sorry about poor Morgan. I hope things get better for him soon.
Frank has Irritable Bowel Disease, not to be confused with Irritable Bowel Syndrome. My understanding is that IBD is auto immune related since the dog's stomach cannot absorb the nutrients properly. We've noticed some weird things going on with his gums too. Vet thinks it might be related to the IBD. His gums cover his teeth a little too much and he has a couple of lesions on his gums. Our first OES died of complications of Myasthenia Gravis. He lived his 13 years very healthy until the last few weeks, so even though it's Autoimmune, I don't think it really effected him until he hit the wall. |
got sheep wrote: If it helps, Kerry - bassets are a breed VERY prone to benign cysts.
well that explains SImon's affinity for Morgan. Morgan is an oversized Basset in an OES suit. |
| I also have my vet on speed-dial. And he was kind enough to give me his personal cell ph#. I guess it helps that we are funding his three girls' college educations - to Harvard is my guess.
We are struggling with Oscar autoimmune issues right now. Oscar also has Inflammatory Bowel Disease, as well as skin allergies. We've removed three growths so far, two on the same back leg, and one on his upper eyelid. My vet was convinced the first leg growth last April was malignant, but he had it sectioned six ways to Sunday and it was not. 
A month ago, Oscar had a growth removed from his upper eyelid, as well as a small pebble like growth from his left back leg. Both have come back benign (eyelid = adenoma, leg = follicular cyst) and the eyelid healed up quickly. The leg has been a nightmare. It was sutured at the time of surgery, and the stitches were removed two weeks later. It looked beautiful, gorgeous, perfectly healed, until I noticed tons of blood about 8 hours later. The entire wound was completely open. UGH. Took him to the emergency vet where they stapled it closed for two more weeks. Just had those out last night so my fingers are crossed. Now my vet is excellent and very thorough. We are at a loss to explain how this happened, except that Oscar is still being weaned off of prednisone from his last bout with IBD, and that may have inhibited his healing. Also, Oscar's skin is getting it out of control because I have been told not to bathe him or get this wound wet at all. (Of course, I threw him in the tub anyway, with Saran wrap and baggies to keep his boo boo as dry as possible, as I could not afford a full on skin nightmare.) Unfortunately, these issues are a constant juggling act. The vet wanted him in the e-collar while the leg was healing, but then we have IBD flare-ups from anxiety, plus Oscar can't see me sign to him in that damn thing. I waited until the last possible minute to bathe him to avoid the skin from getting completely out of hand. I'm just trying my best to keep Oscar stable. Hopefully, you will get to the bottom of Morgan's autoimmune issues, and they will be fairly easy to treat. You know your pup better than anyone, so you are the best to judge what is helping and what is not. I have discontinued meds given to Oscar from specialists, if I felt they were not helping, or causing him further distress. Let us know how things go. Laurie and Oscar |
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