My dog has an autoimmune disease. What are treatments and survival?

I'm so sorry to hear that Tibby is having these problems. It sounds like you really need a vet to help look through Tibby's medical record and help you evaluate if she is a good candidate for more natural treatments. There are herbs that are good to support the immune system, but they can be the wrong choice for autoimmune conditions, so you really need a vet to help you make a good decision. I would consider ahvma.org to help you find a holistic vet, tcvm.com to help you find a Chinese herbal practitioner, or theahv.org for a homeopathic practitioner. I hope that helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

I would also suspect an autoimmune disease like systemic lupus erythematosis with what you are describing. These are terrible diseases that are often difficult to treat. It appears that Roxy's current treatment is not very effective, so I would recommend scheduling a recheck exam with your vet. There are stronger medications that can be given. I would also want to ensure the disease is accurately diagnosed. This usually requires that a skin biopsy be done and sent to the laboratory for analysis. If this has not been done, then I would ask your vet about it. It's not unheard of for a case to be treated for autoimmune disease when the actual diagnosis was something different (i.e. skin cancer, mite infestation), so it's important to have a biopsy and histopathology (lab analysis) done. For more information about the suspected condition and autoimmune diseases, I recommend you read the short articles at the links below. https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/systemic-lupus-erythematosis-sle-in-dogs https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/autoimmune-skin-disease-in-dogs I hope that helps and poor Roxy gets better soon.

Conventional treatment includes immunosuppressive drugs such as steroids. Dietary changes and antioxidant supplements may also be indicated. There are multiple autoimmune conditions in dogs and treatment usually depends on the specific condition as well as the severity of the condition.

Hi and thank you for your post on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Uveodermatolgic syndrome is very common in Akitas. In fact 80% of dogs that develop uveodermatoligic syndrome are Akitas. Very common signs of this autoimmune disease are inflammation of the eyes which may lead to blindness and loss of pigmentation of the skin especially around the nose, kips, and footpads. From looking at the picture you posted, she appears to exhibit the loss of pigmentation around her muzzle and her eyes have clouded which may indicate she has lost her vision. The medications your veterinarian has prescribed for Kitta are 100% appropriate for this autoimmune disease. The best advice I can give you is to stay on her current medications. There have been no other therapies for uveodermatoligic syndrome that have proven to be been successful other than the medications she is on currently. Best of luck and best wishes to you.

Hi there and thank you for using Pet Coach to address your concern. If she has had history of an immune mediated disease such as immune mediated hemolytic anemia, I would get her in to see your veterinarian as soon as possible to check her lab values and see if this disease has returned. I would want to see what her red blood cells and platelet numbers look like. She may need to go back on immunosuppressants to stop the disease from progressing any further. The bruising on the abdomen has be concerned that she has a bleeding disorder. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns.

By IMT I assume you mean immune mediated thrombocytopenia? Usually this disorder is treated with immune suppressing medications, which in theory would make them more susceptible to infections. I hope this answers your question. Best of luck and thank you for using Pet Coach.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Mollie! I wouldn’t do immunosuppressive doses of steroids without a biopsy. I would try a prescription hydrolzed diet like Royal Canin ultimino, put her on Bravecto, nexgard or simparica to cover for demodex and flea allergy dermatitis, omega 3 fish oil, allergy test her and try cytopoint. I think she has allergies. Most dogs with allergic skin disease need to be on multiple medications and special food. If that doesn’t work consider a boarded veterinary dermatologist. Then consider biopsy of the skin. I hope this helps and I wish Mollie the best!