Anemic Puppy - Suggestions

[Kat_the_Horse]

First off…the puppy has been to the vet. I am just looking for additional suggestions from the knowledgable COTH membership, so thanks in advance.

Last week my daughter adopted a Chinese Crested ‘Puff’ variety male puppy from our local animal shelter. Puppy was 3-4 months old, had been surrendered to shelter because owner was unable to care for it. Puppy had been shaved down because coat was badly matted. We were not informed if staff had noticed any health problems with the dog, although a volunteer said the pup was in ‘pretty bad shape’ when brought in.

Puppy was lively on Thursday and Friday, eating well etc, but frequently ‘quacked’–a constricted flat sound–when coughing. As her other dog (2 months adopted from shelter) also coughed and choked frequently at first, she thought it would diminish with time also.

Saturday (yesterday) puppy puked bloody mucus after a coughing spell. Subsequently I noticed dog’s stools were very dark. Asthis is my 19yo daughter’s dog, I had not had much time with it prior to yesterday. HOWeVER, the moment she came home from work I mentioned both events. This morning (Sunday) we took puppy to emergency vet clinic.

Blood tests show Pup is anemic–19% as opposed to the 35% redblood cell count considered optimal. Fecal showed blood in his stool, as well as campybacter and some other bacterial type–not uncommon in dogs gastro-tracts, but at a troublesome rate for a puppy.

Vet ruled out Parvo, suggesting ulcers with internal bleeding. Sucralfate for ulcers, and a strong antibiotic (both a starting shot, and pills to give 2/day) were prescribed. Things are at a wait-and-see point now, but DD will be getting in touch with our regular vet for followup treatment.

We are trying to be optimistic about the puppy’s overcoming this, hoping the antibiotic and ulcer treatment will do the trick. This pup has been a heart-stealer from the getgo–absolutely a perfect dog for my daughter; they became attached very quickly. Her first dog, a 6yo chihuahua (a puppy-mill rescue) with issues, did not go well–the dog decided I was HER person, and now sleeps piled amongst my cats with me every night.

I have meanwhile done some reading on anemia in dogs and would like to address the pup’s anemia with nutritional support. I have read that feeding lightly cooked beef liver, green vegetables with high iron content, yeast with B-12, and kelp powder would be beneficial. I’m going to be making this dog’s food myself, as I already make up my cats (all 9) meals out of raw chicken and fish, with fish oil, calcium, and so on. I figure I can do it for Gizmo the puppy also.

Any advice would be appreciated!

[Ghazzu]

Anemia is a sign, not a diagnosis.
Possiilites include decreased prodcution of RBCs, loss of RBCs, destruction of RBCs.
You need to determine the cause.

I’d be looking to rule out parasites as well as ulcers in this dog.

[betsyk]

My first thought was also parasites (and I am not a vet!). Had a runty, sick, miserable kitten who had bloody diarrhea and didn’t get healthy until he’d been dewormed 3 times over the course of several weeks.

[Pancakes]

Deworm, look for blood-borne parasites (babesia, etc), and then re-evaluate. I would also consider a liver shunt, though less likely. I hope it’s nothing serious, but ulcers in a puppy to the point of bleeding (and causing anemia) is very unusual.

If it were me, I’d do a path review of the blood smear and a reticulocyte count to see if the anemia is regenerative (that is, the body is compensating) or non-regenerative. Platelet count is very important. Rule out IMHA, and then continue the anemia hunt.

I honestly would still be feeding puppy food at this point; don’t mess around with a home-made diet. A commercial puppy food should be just fine until you determine the cause of the anemia.

Good luck; hopefully it’s simply some intestinal parasites (hookworms!?) and nothing serious.

[dsedler]

Actually, anemia is/can be a diagnosis. Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia and Immune Mediated Hemolytic Anemia are 2 types. I lost my 2yr old dog to AIHA about 8 years ago. No advice as to how to get your dog thru. We did everything we could and still lost ours. Ours just got very lethargic, not even wanting to play ball and then the whites of her eyes started turning yellow, which is a sign of jaundice. Within a week, she went from extremely healthy to us having to put her down.
It does sound like yours may be anemic just due to blood loss and hopefully they can find where it’s coming from. I’ll be thinking good thoughts for you.

[Pancakes]

[QUOTE=dsedler;5792919]
Actually, anemia is/can be a diagnosis. Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia and Immune Mediated Hemolytic Anemia are 2 types. I lost my 2yr old dog to AIHA about 8 years ago. No advice as to how to get your dog thru. We did everything we could and still lost ours. Ours just got very lethargic, not even wanting to play ball and then the whites of her eyes started turning yellow, which is a sign of jaundice. Within a week, she went from extremely healthy to us having to put her down.
It does sound like yours may be anemic just due to blood loss and hopefully they can find where it’s coming from. I’ll be thinking good thoughts for you.[/QUOTE]

Anemia is not a diagnosis; it’s a clinical symptom. You’re right though, IMHA is a disease. Anemia is the result. Unfortunately IMHA is most often idiopathic, meaning we don’t know what causes it, but we can classify it as a disease. Anemia is a symptom (low blood count) but there are different types (regenerative, non-regenerative, iron deficiency, blood loss, etc.) that further point to the cause (a disease).

[Ghazzu]

@dsedler;5792919

Actually, anemia is/can be a diagnosis. Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia and Immune Mediated Hemolytic Anemia are 2 types. I lost my 2yr old dog to AIHA about 8 years ago. No advice as to how to get your dog thru. We did everything we could and still lost ours. Ours just got very lethargic, not even wanting to play ball and then the whites of her eyes started turning yellow, which is a sign of jaundice. Within a week, she went from extremely healthy to us having to put her down.
It does sound like yours may be anemic just due to blood loss and hopefully they can find where it’s coming from. I’ll be thinking good thoughts for you.

“Anemia” in the absence of qualifiers such as "immune-mediated"is not a diagnosis, just as “fever” and “Dengue Fever” are not necessarily one and the same.

[Kat_the_Horse]

Well, yes we realize there must be an underlying cause for the low RBC count. As my daughter is 19, and works fulltime and must make ends meet, the vet suggested some further diagnostic tests, and gave us pallative treatment for the immediate problems until we could get pup into our regular (non-emergency) vet. Pup goes in tomorrow.

What further efforts are made to seek the cause are up to DD. I am just the ‘grandmother’, who spent today with a sick puppy in her lap, teaspooning warm beef tea and Pedialyte down his throat, along with the antibiotics and ulcer medicine, and supporting him while he peed all over himself out in the yard.

If we can do nothing for the little guy, at least he has known hours of holding and rubbing by my hubby and myself. He seeks a lap the minute you put him down, and it is heartbreaking to watch him staggering across the couch to whatever lap is available.

I think I’m going to end up crying over this…

[SquishTheBunny]

Hopefully its horses and not zebras!

Always easiest to start out with a good deworming and ulcer treatment - but keep an eye on him

Just as a side note, we had a dog referred to our hospital for a colonoscopy (9 year old golden retriever), as he had chronic blood in stool. Everyone thought cancer of some sort, or benign polyps…well, wouldnt you know the scope showed a plethora of rampaging whipworms! Expensive diagnosis - but it was really cool to see! Lesson learned that even a geriatric golden needs to be searched for horses before zebras

[Kat_the_Horse]

Yesterday the pup saw our regular vet (who is wonderful) and he went over ‘Gizmo’ thoroughly after looking over the ER vet’s report.

He said the ER didn’t do a stool sample…they only did a smear, so worms are still possible. Also, the ‘antibiotic’ we were given isn’t the best.

I went home with Amoxcillin (sp), a worming tablet, and the command to collect fecal matter when it appearsed, which did, and we delivered it today. Pup has worms (whip, round) and also coccidia, a protozoan infestation that is attacking the lining of his intestinal tract. Necessary pills were also delivered.

Vet says we need to keep Gizmo hydrated, pushing Pedialyte and mushy food on him, keep the pills going, and pray. We should know by the end of the month if he can overcome this.

Thanks all for the advice.

[Calamber]

whips

Whips are rough customers. I had a 3 year old Chesapeake Bay Retriever that I rescued, she had hooks, rounds, whips and tape. I only susected hooks, rounds and saw the tapes. She was also diagnosed as I found out, with a level 4 heart murmur when she was a couple of months old, expected not to make it past 5 mos, breeder gave her to someone who gave her to someone. Originally dewormed with Droncet 2 weeks apart twice (she was also flea infested).

She would get periodic bouts of dark diarrhea, stomach would gurgle first, we would rush out and that was that.

I dewormed her with pyrantal pamoate every two weeks for at least 3 months before, in one of her major romps in the ocean, she expelled a big batch of whips. After that it was all uphill. Either she never had a heart murmur and was worm infested from birth, or it healed as she grew. When I first got her she had between a 1 - 2 detected. After I had her for six months or so, she was rechecked and voila! No murmur. Her coat was glorious and she thrived to go on to a home with her sister. I tracked down breeder whose new husband gave me this woman who had wanted her when she was first given away. Fate, Bella now has her forever home and is cherished.

I send the most beautiful red paws up from the Bella Bella, and hope that this little one lives to thrive and have a long happy life.

[Kat_the_Horse]

UPDATE!

At first it did not seem Gizmo was going to make it. He laid about on pillows and in my lap for two fretful days. The poor wee thing grew to HATE me 'cause I was always shoving Pedialyte down his throat, or disgusting mushy food with his pills ground into it.

Now my cats and wee Chiwawa, Mimi head my bedroom when GizAmo wants to plaaaaay. That is the ‘No-Giz’ zone.

He is very bouncy…can jump from the floor to the back of the couch effortlessly, throws himself around the room like a maniac. And LOVES to cuddle.

He still hates me.

Our vet is pleased…and VERY soon will perform the necessary ‘brain surgery’ on the little bugger.

[Blinkers_On]

YAY!!! Little Nekkid!!!

[tradewind]

Glad to hear he is doing better. Whips have and can kill dogs, especially puppies. Cresteds are such a wonderful breed, very smart and people oriented, so now that he is over the hump he and your daughter should have many many fun adventures together!

[tradewind]

Also, sometimes it is neccessary to worm twice for whips. 2 weeks after the initial dose. Ask your vet if this is needed in his case.