My dog is anemic, lethargic, and prednisone failed. What should I do?

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!

It is certainly a possibility, especially with as small as he is. I would continue the prednisone and doxy. Obviously I would stop any onion or garlic consumption as well. Hopefully his bone marrow is already kicked into high gear and is producing lots of new red blood cells. If this is due to onion toxicity he will recover and be able to wean off the prednisone much faster then if it is truly immune mediated. Best of luck and I hope he improves soon! Thank you for using Pet Coach.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. If Moji continues to be anemic, he may need a blood transfusion. This could be due to his immune system destroying his red blood cells in a condition known as Immune Mediated Hemolytic Anemia (IMHA). Treatment for IMHA typically entails suppressing the immune system along with treating any potential infectious causes. It sounds as if the veterinarian working on Moji is treating him appropriately. Unfortunately, treating anemia can be a waiting game. Blood values need to be monitored every 2-3 days in the initial period and if the red blood cells continue to decline, he will need to be hospitalized for further treatment and closer monitoring. I hope Moji gets better soon. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

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!

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.

Hello, thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I'm sorry that Bear is having this issue. Yes, I do think you should take him to MedVet today as an urgent appointment. Typically steroids (like Prednisone) actually increase appetite so I am concerned that he has not eaten in 48 hours despite being on steroids. I hope this helps. Best wishes.