TLDR: Bowie is very sick with IMHA and the ER vet costs are rising. We will be very thank full for anyway you can help. First photo is Bowie at the internal med specialist, second photo is Bowie staying close the day Shadow died.

On the morning of Tuesday, May 13th, Bowie (8yo) collapsed going outside to use the restroom (almost 2 weeks to the day that our 14 yo dog, Shadow, crossed the rainbow bridge from cancer). We rushed her to the ER Vet assuming she had a relapse of Immune-Mediated Hemolytic Anemia (IMHA). In 2021, when she was 4, she fought the battle with strong steroids and high protein foods. She went into remission. We were told there was a 20% chance that it would come back later.

When we took her to the ER Vet and her platelets (PCV) were 27% where they should be 35%, they did all the diagnostics that they could do to rule out IMHA and if it was a relapse, possibly what was causing it. Diagnosed with IMHA again, but said we caught it early. She was in the 20% that has a relapse. They sent her home with an appt with her primary vet to recheck her PCV with the strong steroids again. Over the next two days, she refused to eat.

On Wednesday night sometime, she vomited. Thursday morning, we went to her primary Vet, and they said her PCV was 11 and we had 3 options. Blood transfusion, try the steriod route again (but they didn't have high hopes as it was a relapse), or talk about quality of life :(

We rushed her back to the ER Vet, and they scheduled her for a blood transfusion. Everything went fine, and her PCV was 22%. While getting ready to discharge her, they found that she had aspiration pneumonia. They did IV antibiotics and sent her home (which Jeff and I agreed was too soon with her critical state of IMHA AND pneumonia).

On Friday, she was very lethargic and still not wanting to eat. On Saturday, she was very ill and not wanting to move. I rushed her back to the ER Vet. Now her PCV was 12.7%. She had dropped 10% in less than 48 hrs. They scheduled her for another transfusion. This time they kept her for 48 hours and called to say that she was being referred to internal medicine specialist to find out why her body was not accepting the transfusions.

While at the specialist, she was given a full exam and blood work was done. She said her extremely elevated white blood cell counts, very inflammed lymph nodes, and her body destroying her red blood cells led to her to thinking it was leukemia. She sent Bowie home with us, as there was nothing more that could be done until they knew for sure. Said to try to feed her lean meats (99% beef, etc).

When we got home, Bowie WAS EATING! She liked the chicken patties that he daddy made for her. She was still very weak and slept most of the day.

The specialist called and said there was no signs of cancer, so she was ruling this idiopathic IMHA (no known cause). High protein foods, her strong steriods, appetite increaser, antibiotics, and a probiotic are her course of action for now. She needs to have her PCV checked weekly with an XRay next week.

While she has some more spunk in her step we are not out of the woods at all. Bowie has to have weekly PCV checks and periodic XRays.

Hi, I am Sara. My husband, Jeff, and I live in Springfield, OR. We have lived here for 4 years this summer. We moved here so that I could return to school to get a degree in Landscape Architecture. We moved across the country from Louisiana with our three dogs. Our dogs are everything to us.