[forager]

We are in great need of advice. Sasha was diagnosed with Immune-Mediated Hemolytic Anemia (IMHA) in the middle of December. She's a fighter: her labs have improved; indeed, there have been two reductions in Prednisone, given the improvements. She's also on some other high-powered immunosuppresants: Azathioprine and Cyclosporine. She continues to have other issues related to IMHA: extreme weakness in her rear legs and a couple of other issues--all of which are being addressed by the vet(s). We are still very scared, but are working to pull her through this.

Re, this thread: she has developed an incontinence problem over the last 36 hours: Peeing in the bed or peeing on the floor on the way to the back door, which is only 6 feet from the door. We have run the washing machine many times lately.

Does anyone know of a sleep environment that addresses/controls this issue? Some kind of system, or procedure, that was designed for this problem? We will probably have a neurological consult to rule out nerve issues for this and other problems. But thus far, everyone believes that the Prednisone is the source of the wetting problem. And she must remain on Prednisone for a while. Therefore it is very likely that the problem will persist.

For weeks I've been getting up every few hours at night to take her outside, but now these pee breaks are very long and very messy. Poor Sasha's legs are so weak that she cannot assist in either the pee breaks or in walking away from the mess. I feel very bad for her.
Any advice or suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[stryker2]

Very sorry you and your Dobe is going through this. We know what you are going through. We had a dobe about 20 years ago that developed Auto Immune Hemolyitic Anemia. It was after she was vaccinated with yearly boosters.
Was she recently vaccinated? Or how long ago was she vaccinated? How old is she?

As far as the wetting problem. It probably is the prednisone. I'm sure she is drinking a lot of water. As far as the walking. I would think she just weak. What is her blood count?

If you like to check out this site Transfer Factor or call Shirley 206-984-3009 or 323-389-0560
There is a lot of info on Auto Immune Disease and others.
When you get to her site on top hi-lite Animal Wellness. Then hi-lite Testimonials of Animal Healing: No Drugs, Chemo, or Surgery. That will open another box. You will see Auto Immune Hemolytic Anemia and Immune Mediated Hemolytic Aneima. Click on that. Check out this product on her site. It is called 4life Transfer Factors Plus.
Transfer Factor Molecules And The Immune System
Transfer factors are tiny molecules found in colostrum which provide "immune knowledge" from a mother's immune system to her baby used in recognizing and fighting outside threats. By transferring information from cell to cell, transfer factors serve as "teachers" to the new cells, ensuring a strong immune system capable of surviving, even thriving, in its new environment. There are over 3,000 published papers and 50 years of research on various forms and sources of transfer factors. These molecules were first discovered in the late 40's by Dr. H. Sherwood Lawrence.


Talk it over with your Vet. or try and find a good Holistic Vet. and talk to him about this.

Hope this will help.
Sending good Dobie vibes to you and your girl.

 

[forager]

Incontinence Beds?

Thanks, Stryker2. I'll mention transfer factors to the vet(s).

Does anyone know anything about any of the following "Incontinence" beds?:

SleePee-Time Bed
Dry As a Bone Incontinence Bed
Kuranda Dog Bed (aluminum)

Please weigh in with any comments.

 

[stryker2]

Looked at all 3. The Kuranda beds are more for just a bed. The mesh would have to be large enough to let the urine through.
I would look more into the other two. Both look good.

I was just curious. Did your girl recently get vaccinations or when did she get them last?

 

[EmilyB]

How about bitch pants with a pad inside?

Talking transfer factors, K9 Immunity Plus would be another good bet I'm thinking.

Aloha Medicinals Inc., K9 Immunity Plus for Dogs Over 70 lbs, Liver & Fish Flavored Soft Chews, 4000 mg, 90 Wafers - iHerb.com

 

[forager]

Thanks, EmilyB. We'll ask the vet(s) about this too.

Stryker2, there are a number of factors that may have comtributed to Sasha's IMHA. She has hypothyroidism; the vet states that she is, therefore, more prone to developing other auto-immune r/t diseases. The vet also states that any inflammatory process makes her more likely to developing IMHA. In August, she had bilateral knee surgery for a previously untreated cruitate ligament injury (We rescued her in late June); Post-op, she got kennel cough and was vaccinated for that; In September, she received her routine vaccinations. Also, she has severe arthritis in her knees, and moderate arthritis in her spine and hips.

 

[Audrey1]

The prednisone will definitely make her thirstier and make her pee allll the time. My gal was on it for 2 weeks and I was taking her out every 15 minutes. Sometimes 5 or 10 minutes. It was the worst during the afternoon and early evening. As soon as she was off the prenisone, she returned to her normal peeing pattern.

 

[stryker2]

I know it is very stressfull time and I don't want to start anything between you and your Vet. We have been there also. Well if the Vet knew that info. Why would they vaccinate in the first place??????? From now I would get Titers for Distemper and Parvo. I would not vaccinate any more (My personal opinion). The Arthritis is already a type of Auto immune disease. They do not need kennel cough vaccine (My personal opinion again). The vaccine only is for maybe 15 of the 40 different types of kennel cough. That is bad odds to me. No vaccine means 100% protection. We also vaccinated our boys for kennel cough. Guess what, they still got kennel cough. Dogs may not produce antibodies for that disease. Plus with the other vaccines they are injecting either the 4-5-6-7 way vaccine. All those different vaccines are just super activating the immune system at one time and they could confuse the immune system.
Do a search on Dr. Jean Dodds vaccination protocols She has done a lot of research on the subject.
I would would try and find a Holistic Vet also.
I would really look into the Tranfer Factors.
Also the one EmilyB mentioned K9 Immunity Plus
Like I said before these are my opinions.
I hope your girl recovers.
Please keep us informed.
Anybody else out there with other info??????

 

[Patches Mom]

I would use dog diapers on her the washable kind then use the heavy incontinence pads to go inside the diapers. Then when you change the pads use a Aloe Vera wipes from the Dollar store so the urine will not burn her skin. This is what I did for my 14 year old Long haired Papillon for about 2 years. You might use a towel around her back end to help her walk if need be.Predisone does make them pee allot so most likely that is the problem. Good luck Rays & Hugs to you all.

 

[stryker2]

Forgot one other thing to ask. What kind of food are you feeding? Would look into a higher end kibble. About 70% of the dogs immune system is centered in the gastrointestinal tract.


NEW VACCINATION PROTOCOL
by DR. Jean Dodds
Home The 27 Vet Universities in the US have followed the immunization protocol as suggested by Dr. Dodds for years. All of these Hospitals will be changing their Vaccination Programs apparently. This is welcome news and you should print this out and take it with you to your Vet should you need reinforcement against over-vaccination.

VACCINATION NEWSFLASH RE: J DODDS VACCINE PROTOCOL

I would like to make you aware that all 27 veterinary schools in North America are in the process of changing their protocols for vaccinating dogs and cats.

Some of this information will present an ethical & economic challenge to Vets, and there will be skeptics. Some organizations have come up with a political compromise suggesting vaccinations every 3 years to appease those who fear loss of income vs. those concerned about potential side effects. Politics, traditions, or the doctors economic well-being should not be a factor in a medical decision.

NEW PRINCIPLES OF IMMUNOLOGY

Dogs and cats immune systems mature fully at 6 months. If a modified live virus vaccine is given after 6 months of age, it produces immunity, which is good for the life of the pet (i.e.: canine distemper, parvo, feline distemper). If another MLV vaccine is given a year later, the antibodies from the first vaccine neutralize the antigens of the second vaccine and there is little or no effect. The titer is not "boosted" nor are more memory cells induced.

Not only are annual boosters for parvo and distemper unnecessary, they subject the pet to potential risks of allergic reactions and immune-mediated haemolytic anemia. There is no scientific documentation to back up label claims for annual administration of MLV vaccines.

Puppies receive antibodies through their mothers milk. This natural protection can last 8 - 14 weeks. Puppies & kittens should NOT be vaccinated at LESS than 8 weeks. Maternal immunity will neutralize the vaccine and little protection (0-38%) will be produced.

Vaccination at 6 weeks will, however, DELAY the timing of the first highly effective vaccine.

Vaccinations given 2 weeks apart SUPPRESS rather than stimulate the immune system.

A series of vaccinations is given starting at 8 weeks and given 3-4 weeks apart up to 16 weeks of age.

Another vaccination given sometime after 6 months of age (usually at l year 4 mo) will provide LIFETIME IMMUNITY.

 

[forager]

thanks to everyone

Thanks to everyone for responding. We've figured out a way to minimize the clean-up, and won't need any special equipment.

 

[stryker2]

Hope she gets well

 

[SchumiTEC]

Sorry to hear what you are going through.

We give Porsche Stilbestrol for her incontinence. It works great.

 

[Cathy43]

In case you didn't know, muscle weakness is also a sign of too much Pred so you may want to wean her down as some as possible.

 

[Kratty]

I sorta can relate to this. After my Nikita had her ventral slot surgery, she was on some pretty big doses of prednisone and due to some complications, we couldn't get her off the pred without impacting her ability to walk. We were slowing weaning her off the pred, and we making good progress until her recent surgery. Had another complication and she went back on a higher dose of pred as a precaution, again. Now we are back weaning her off again.

The side effects we experienced were peeing like a horse, increased water intake, hungry all the time and weight gain and incontinence. The only thing that really helped was proin. It's a prescription, so you can talk to your vet about it, since you have other stuff going on than we did.

If she is having issues with peeing, you may want to look into a getting a belly strap, not sure if that's the actually name, but that is what I call it. It a 5 x 18 padded cloth with straps on either side. We got it after her Achilles tendon surgery, since she couldn't put that much weight on her hind end after the surgery. It helped her walk and definitely when she had to pee/poop. Lucky for us, we only had to use it for a week or so.

Not sure if this will help, but have you looked into acupuncture? I wasn't a believer at first, but it helped us after the ventral slot surgery.

 

[tnh317]

FYI: http://www.dobermantalk.com/rainbow-bridge/64100-we-lost-sasha.html

 

[Kratty]

Damn, didn't realize that. So sorry to hear this.