My dog has IMHA. Is her wobbling and stumbling a sign it's worsening?

I am sorry to hear about your loss. There are some studies about the relationship between vaccinations and IMHA (immune mediated hemolytic anemia). Unfortunately even though theoretically there may be a link between the two, that has not been confirmed from an scientific point of view. It is more likely that Ehrlichia was linked to the IMHA even though more commonly Ehrlichia causes immune mediate thrombocytopenia. It is hard to say if it should have been retested, even without clinical signs of the disease. For sure it should have been retested when IMHA was evident. Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation (where you can post pictures ) if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

Recovery generally depends on how well Melvin responds to his treatment, and if the underlying cause can also be found and treated (in this case, immune system issues that attack the body's own cells). In most cases, it takes about four days for new blood cells to be produced, but can take longer if there was a lot missing, poor nutrition, or a health issue affecting it for a long time, so it may take several weeks depending on response. Making sure to check in regularly with your vet to test blood and follow any food or treatment recommendations can also help.

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.

These do look very painful and yes, euthanasia is a definite consideration given the fact that the treatment she requires for IMHA may be directly or indirectly related to these painful, open sores. A scraping or biopsy of the lesions may help to provide some indication as the the underlying nature of the skin condition and a biochem tests to check for liver disease which can also be linked to such skin issues could be performed but even after a full diagnosis is reached, management options may be limited. If it is a hypersensitivity reaction to medications, referral to an internist may provide alternative treatment regimens for IMHA which may provide some relief

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Happy. I typically will not vaccinate a dog that has had a significant immune mediated disease such as IMHA. However, each case is different. Rabies is typically 100% fatal if a pet acquires it. So deciding to vaccinate also needs to consider Happy's risk factors for exposure. I hope this information helps!

Yes, with any immune-mediated disease you can see these symptoms. They are serious symptoms so if Jess is not already under the care of a veterinarian then you need to get her care urgently. It sounds like she may have immune mediated hemolytic anemia which is life threatening but can be easily treated if caught early. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

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!