My dog is anemic, very sick, and vet says he's dying. Any treatments?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This may be the time for your veterinarian to check in with an internal medicine specialist as this is a bit more complex than typical. Possibilities include an immune-mediated hemolytic anemia in which case other immunosuppressive drugs can be used with prednisone or possibly an infectious disease. They would be able to recommend further but reaching out to a specialist would be an option for further tests/recommendations. Hoping for a speedy recovery!

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. I am sorry to hear that Lucky is not feeling well. I am quite concerned about the anemia as the level is getting low. I unfortunately do not know what the cause is of the anemia as there are many causes ranging from immune mediated anemia, cancer, hemorrhage, etc. Because I do not have Lucky in front of me and am unable to examine him, I cannot make the most appropriate treatment recommendations. There are no over the counter remedies that will help with this most likely as he most likely needs a further workup to pinpoint where the red blood cells are going. Until then, it is a guessing game. I would recommend trying to get him somewhere where there is a veterinarian so that he can be worked up further. I hope this helps and hope that Lucky feels better soon!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Ginger! It may be best to discuss this via consult, I have many questions: how old is GInger? Can you post images of the blood work to show how anemic she is? Can you post the X-ray images? Severe anemia can cause "passing out" episodes due to lack of oxygen delivery to the tissues. Severe anemia causes weakness and collapse. Both of these things can be why she vocalizes and stretches out (passes out or collapses from the anemia). The big question is why is she anemic. Causes of low red blood cells is either from decreased production of red blood cells from the bone marrow (from cancer or fibrosis, toxin, drugs, hormones or immune destruction), blood loss (gastric ulcers, bleeding in to the abdomen) or destruction of the red blood cells from immune destruction (from vaccines, drugs, cancer or the immune system went crazy one day. I would recommend an abdominal ultrasound and further testing for immune mediated hemolytic anemia. Make sure she doesn't have an infected uterus. Hormones from not being spayed can cause bone marrow issues. If the ultrasound is normal, her estrogen levels are normal and she doesn't have immune mediated hemolytic anemia I would recommend a bone marrow aspirate. I hope this helps and I wish Ginger the best!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Thanks for providing the blood work. Did you allow the belly X-rays. The Vet thinks they felt a mass in Big Mac's belly. That makes me think that he most likely has a tumor in his belly that ruptured and he is bleeding internally. He needs surgery to remove the mass and to biopsy it to see if it is cancer or benign. But he will absolutely need a blood transfusion before surgery. If you can not afford to do further testing, a transfusion and surgery I would highly recommend considering Big Mac's quality of life. He is suffering. That low level of anemia is making him feel weak, light headed and blood in the belly is painful. I am so sorry. I hope this helps you in some way

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! To be able to help your pup, it is crucial to find out why he is not eating and most importantly why he is anemic. This may be due to an immune mediated condition or an infection of some kind. For this reason, I recommend that they proceed with diagnostics such as infectious disease testing and abdominal ultrasound to look for possible reasons. Therapy would be dependent on findings. Hoping for a speedy recovery!

Hello, sorry to hear about Joba. With hemp-abdomens (blood in the abdomen) about 80% of them are associated with some sort of tumor, most commonly hemangiosarcomas. Of these, 50% have spread to other parts of the body at the time of diagnosis. You can consider having surgery to stop the bleeding, however, this may only buy you 1-3 months. If you are inclined to have further diagnostics and would consider surgery, I would recommend having him re-evaluted by your veterinarian to discuss these options with them. They may refer you to an emergency center as Joba may need a transfusion to be a good candidate for surgery. Hope this helps and best of luck.

Hello. Anemia is generally the result one of three things, 1. excessive bleeding from trauma or internally from a tumor or ulcer, 2. from the inability of bone marrow to produce more red blood cells, or 3. from an increased destruction of red blood cells usually due to an autoimmune disease. Your pet is probably being worked up to discover if any of these things may be the cause. Blood work, x-rays & an ultrasound examination of the chest & abdominal cavities may be necessary to diagnose the anemia. I hope all is well soon & thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.