Help, My Beloved 3 Year Old Weasel Has Been Diagnosed With IMHA

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Help, My Beloved 3 Year Old Weasel Has Been Diagnosed With IMHA

by Robert
(Tehachapi, CA)

I am so destroyed. What can be done? I have read all the "mainstream vet websites about treatment. Steroids, transfusions, death! Does anybody know of any alternative treatments? I am SO sad!

Comments for
Help, My Beloved 3 Year Old Weasel Has Been Diagnosed With IMHA

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so sorry
by: Anonymous

I am so sorry about your dog. I really didn't know anything about this disease, so after reading your note, I looked it up.I myself use a holistic vet, and she has been extremely helpful with all our dogs for years,in many areas, if I were you, I would look into that.
I sincerly hope all goes well.

Help needed
by: Weasel's dad

I thought I would further describe what has happened: Normaly high energy and atheletic, Weasel started to be lethargic and weak about two months ago. He also has been eating dirt. and his gums were very pale. so the second time he fell while running I took him to the local vet. that was this last fri. They found that his heart rate was very high and his resperation was too fast. the blood work showed that his red blood count was 12 (normal is above 40). The vet started him on steroids (to block his immune system from attacting his red blood cels) he was given a transfusion on Fri. and his cell count went up to 19. He seemed much improved on sat. when we visited him in the hospital, however the vet called in the afternoon to say that his blood was down to fifteen and he felt that another transfusion was nec. ($350)...We are unhappy that the vet is just treating the sysmtoms and not the cause. He has no idea what might have caused the issue in the first place. He has suggested: tick bourn, genetic, trauma, We are looking at some alernitive methods of treating him such as Spirolina, Bio Algae (BAC) and are open to any suggestions.

Re: IMHA
by: Anonymous

I work in a veterinarian office and have for several years, however,I am not real familiar with this disease and unfortunatly, it usually does not have good end results no matter the treatment. You could try Cortizone treatment or Oxyglobin. Cortizone or other steroids work by supressing the immune system. Oxyglobin helps by delivering oxygen to the organs in the body. These may be worth talking to your vet about. Anything may be worth a shot. They are both fairly inexpensive but may take a week or two to see results. I am so sorry for you and your family and above all your 'Weasel' who is very handsome by the way. My thoughts are with you.

So Sorry!!
by: Anonymous

I have no idea. I have never heard of this. But I hope you figure something out for Weasel. We have a 2 1/2 yr. old Australian Shepherd (Molly). I just pray she never gets this. It does not sound like a good out come unfortunetly. I feel so bad for you. I know your pets are just like your kids.

Thanks
by: Robert keeler

Thank you Anton for your help in my desperate situation! You are very kind!

HELP FOR WEASEL
by: MILLIE SPRINGER

PLEASE CALL VITALITY SCIENCE 866-647-4898

http://www.vitalityscience.com/

THEY JUST MIGHT HAVE HELP FOR WEASEL. AM PRAYING FOR WEASEL!1

MILLIE SPRINGER

Thanks
by: Robert keeler

Millie, thank you for your reference.

So Sorry
by: Brandi Sawicki

I am so sorry to hear about Weasel, I have never heard of this disease until I read your story, so I was doing some research and found this website, please check it out. I hope you find someone that can help you. My thoughts and prayers are with you and Weasel.

http://www.optimumchoices.com/Immune_Mediated_Hemolytic_Anemia-IMHA.htm

Thanks
by: Robert keeler

I want to thank all of you that have commented and suggested URLs to visit. We are getting some BAC and some Spyrolinna (sp) shipped right away. Deffinitly not going the standard Vet med. way! (as soon as he is stable and we can wean him off the steroids)

HELP FOR WEASEL
by: MILLIE SPRINGER

ROBERT, PLEASE!! KEEP US ALL INFORMED REGARDING WEASEL. TONS OF PRAYERS GOING UP FOR HIM! MILLIE

Weasel update
by: WEASEL's DAD

Wed. 3 PM

He seems stable. gums are a little gray but not too bad. I think the Steroids have kicked in (this is the fifth day). still pretty listless. Eating well, and we are giving him super green algea three times a day w/ a little Canaden honey in it. Tomorow we get the results of the blood tick panel back so we will know if that may have been the cause. Also tomorw we will get a red blood cell count and that will tells us where we are. thanks to everyone praying and thinking about our Weasel. Robert

thur. update
by: Weaseldad

just got back from the vets. Red blood cell count 20. not as good as we had hoped for but not declining as before after the transfusions. We received our BAC package today and started him on it. Vet believes we are doing the right thing and has no love for Steroids.We will be doing a red blood cell count on a weekly basis.

Note from Anton: Thanks for the update Robert. Keep us posted.

ROOTING FOR WEASEL!
by: MILLIE SPRINGER

What Is The BAC You Are Giving Weasel? On Any Super Foods?

BAC
by: WEASEL's DAD

Bio-Algae Concentrates

Not Tick bourn
by: WEASEL's DAD

Tick panel came back negative.

WEASEL
by: MILLIE SPRINGER

WE KEEP PRAYING!

Species Appropriate diet - grains & beans are toxic
by: Anonymous

I am a physiologist - specializing in health, wellness & chronic disease in humans - 30 yrs of experience... after 30yrs of basically only prolonging life in those w/ diabetes, heart disease, cancer & auto immune disease (ie. pernicious anemial, arthritis, etc. Watching younger, fit people die of diseases that used to be rare... I decide to look beyond the paradigm we live in and to look at what did humans (& other wild animals) used to live on and eat.

#1. GET YOUR DOG OFF ALL GRAINS & BEANS OR ANY DOG FOOD THAT CONTAINS THESE THINGS. Even most canned food have these fillers in them.

#2. To maximize any chance of recovery - put your dog back on the food that is the the ANCESTRAL, SPECIES APPROPRIATE FOOD for Canidae- whole animals, raw. Do you have a butcher near by that you might get the leftovers from butchering (called offal)- organ meats, bones cut so that the marrow is available, curdled blood, intestines, tendons - these are SUPER FOODS that can help you dog get the nutrition it needs to recover.

I cannot guarantee this but I can tell you it is probably the only truly strong chance your dogs has. I can report that I have 20+ human case studies - EVERYONE has had significant health changes when getting off grains & beans but that's just removing the toxins - humans (and dogs/cats more so) ABSOLUTELY NEED HEALTHY SATURATED ANIMAL FAT, MARROW, ORGAN MEATS - TO BE HEALTHY. All of my clients have significant health issues - heart disease (that caused 2 or more heart attacks), diabetes that did not respond to medications, obesity, heart arrythmias, pernicious anemia, arthritis, lupus, thyroiditis, numerous allergic problems - ALL have improved. Our dog are even more sensitive to all the grain/carb based foods we eat or feed them. I AM NOT SAYING TO NOT TREAT MEDICALLY, TO MANAGE SYMPTOMS BUT PLEASE CONSIDER TRYING THIS IN ADDITION.

The best to you and your canine friend,
Carmen

Hi carmin, I have a quetion for you
by: Weasel's mom

I am the one responsible for Weasel's diet. I totally agree with you on grains and commercial dog food. I have been searing calve's liver in coconut oil with lots of garlic 2 times a day as part of his diet. The rest being all cruciferous vegetables and chicken. He gets a raw, organic green drink 4 times a day, including the Bio algae concentrate and loves it! This is the same diet that is recommended for cancer if anyone is interested.

Regarding the bone marrow, how do you cut the bones of get to the marrow? Is this something that the butcher does, please let me know. I am quite willing to find a local butcher and start adding the organ meats and marrow. Thanks for your suggestions.
Lynne

Thank you
by: Weaseldad

Thank you Carmen for the recommendation. Update (Sunday 14th) Weasel is still stable with a red blood cell count of 20. Steroids are apparently doing their job but the side effect is that he is acting like a 12 YO dog. No energy, can't jump into the truck, won't play, etc. VERY sad.

CONTRAVERSIAL
by: MILLIE SPRINGER

reading this article reg. grains and beans sure messes with my head. everything is so controversial! who do we believe? keep changing and is soo difficult to know for sure what the correct thing to do is. anybody else out there agree with me? wow, how mixed up am i!!

Holistic
by: Weaseldad

We have decided to go the "Holistic" route. Anyone knowing a Holistic vet or healer please post contact info. Thank you!!!

Bone marrow
by: Carmen

HI Lynne,
Sounds like your on the right track...
Butchers have band saws that they use to cut through the leg bones (ie the bone in round steak)... and many grocery stores sell these bones for soup or dog bones.

Please be careful to not overdo the green stuff - your dog is a Canidae. Wild dogs, wolves - typically get their "green & veggies" partially digested by eating the stomach contents of their kill. All of us have gut bacteria that need to be healthy -dogs too - the bacteria are critical for immune system health as well as digestion - but it needs to be the right balance of bacteria. So maintaining a diet typical for wild Canidae will help balance for the correct gut bacteria. Additionally, all animals "re-innoculate" themselves by eating partially fermented food, feces, etc. So, at the very least -provide food (like yogurt) that has live cultures to assist your dog's gut.

We all have a terrific capacity to heal but to do that we must eat the food (nutrition) that we were designed to eat (as based on the animal biology). How we got so off track on this is absolutely astounding. If you have doubts - review what wolves eat or look at what wild dogs eat - they do not go out and tear down corn stalks and eat corn ... they hunt and kill whatever they can get (unfortunately, sheep end up being easy prey in many farm communities).

If you'd like to email me directly, or if any others have questions, please do so: carmen@wildrenz.com

My best to your & Weasel,
Carmen

update 08/18/2011
by: Weaseldad

Weasel had a blood count yesterday = 15 NOT good. He was at 20 a week ago. Steroids are not doing enough to suppress his immune system from attacking his red blood cells. And he has been on BAC and super foods for seven days as well as lots of seared liver and lots of dark green veggies. He is very lethargic and listless. Gums are not very pink and he is loosing weight. we may be looking at a third blood transfusion and local vet can't do it. Sorry for the bad news.

update 8/22/11
by: WEASEL's DAD

Well we made the discision to take weasel off all immune suppresants'. He has been losing weight and being very depressed. and his red blood cell count has not gotten any better. So much for western vet. medicine. It seems the only thing they know how to do is make money ($1700 so far). We are hoping that we have better results with Holistic efforts.

latest news
by: WEASEL's MOM

I took Weasel to Beverly Hills to my doctor yesterday. I had been fortunate enough to stop in her office last week when she wasn't busy. I had no idea that she would be willing or able to help me with Weasel's problem. She practices, Quantum Research analysis. A practice of muscle testing for very specific needs. And then prescribing nutritional supplements for those needs.

In her opinion, there is no such thing as auto immune disease. The body is a very intelligent organism and never turns on itself. Instead the cause is a body completely out of balance, toxic or otherwise emotionally disabled and in need of the nutrients that will allow the system to restore itself. Therefore, the idea of steroids or immune suppressants is completely out of sync with the body's desire to heal itself.

Her suggestion was to immediately take him off the steroids, which I was a little uncomfortable doing. Instead I started reducing the amount of prednesone each day. With more testing it turns out that the cause of Weasel's "dis-ease" stemmed from trauma and grief. I then understood her reason for saying that he should come off all immune suppressants cold turkey and I followed her advice.

I think one of the most upsetting things about treating him is that with all the aggressive nutritional work that I was doing, all the prayers and energy work, nothing seemed to make a difference. After removing him from the immune suppressants and treating him for grief with homeopathics and lavish attention, his energy was better, he was more present and seemed to be happier. His gums look pinker and his eyes more alert.

I know many will say that taking him off of the typical treatment for this disease is risky, but how many dogs is Western medicine saving from this disease? Maybe 15 to 20%, those are not nearly good enough odds for me to continue a regime that is not working.

Sorry for the long response, but this has been a very complex problem with no obvious answers. I guess the silver lining in this awful experience is greater knowledge in how to cure incurable diseases. Nor is Weasel cured at this point and time will tell if this is the right path. My gut tells me it is the only thing that makes sense.

I'm happy to provide the information that I have learned, along with the products that seem to be working if anyone is interested. It has been the result of many hours of research on the part of Robert and myself. Thank you so much for your thoughts and prayers on Weasel's behalf. Dogs are the best and there needs to be a better way of bringing them back to health.

WEASEL
by: miLLIE SPRINGER

i thank god for you and people like you who love your weasel so very much to go thru what all you have been thru. you are very special! i had a long run with cancer with my last two and still lost them, yes, money is an issue. vets seem to not blink and eye when we are presented the bills! so not human. well, not over yet, we will keep trying and for sure praying for weasel. please continue keeping us all posted. god bless weasel and you both for doing what you have. millie

Gratitude
by: WEASEL's DAD

Millie, Thank you!!

Weasel
by: Camille Filling

Don't delay. Take him to the best of the best - a teaching hospital for vets; they are the most up to date on the latest issues.

I took my Aussie, Maximillian Tonto, to the
Northern Virginia/Md Regional Vet center in Blackburg, VA on the VA Tech Campus. They are next to God.

They are very affordable, kind, caring and professional. Vet students do not operate - no worries, they have specialized vets on staff in every area imaginable. The contact info is as follows:

VA-Md Regional College of Vete Med
Vet Teaching Hospital
Phase III A-VTH, Duckpond Dr
Blacksburg, VA 24061
540-231-4621

Weasel update
by: Weasel's mom

Hi Millie and Carmin,

Here's a happy update! Ever since taking Weasel off the steroids and immune suppressant, he is better each day. He actually wagged his tail for the first time a few days ago and is beginning to play again. His gums are quite pink and he is starting to gain weight.

It seems the one thing that was keeping him down was suppressing his immune system which makes perfect sense. If you give their body the ingredients to heal itself, nature does the rest.

Thank you Carmin for the suggestion of bones with marrow. He gets several a day and it is his favorite thing in the world. So good to see him happy again. We will get a blood test soon to see how the red blood cells are doing, but there is no question that he is on the mend!

WEASEL
by: MiLLIE SPRINGER

did you guys ever try getting in touch with vitality science?? cs@vitality science,com ask for steve. they are holistic and have great natural supplements. give them a buzz. sure can't help. 866-647-4898 they are great to deal with. wish i had known of them when i had two dogs with cancer. search all avenues. keep us posted
-millie springer

ALL
by: Mac'sMom

Hi, I am so sorry to readthis happened to your dog. My dog had similar symptons and it turned out to be ALL or accute lymphatic leukemia. I was devastated. Took him to a cancer specialist in Tustin, CA and they treated him. They were very good with him. I hope weasel continues to do well. It is awful when our little pals get sick. Please keep up posted.

M

It's official, Weasel has made great imporvements!
by: Weasels's mom

We just came back from the vet for a red blood cell count that up until now has just gone down down and down. Weasel's last test was at 15 and I know he kept going down for the next couple of days. That was the point we took him off the steroids and immune suppressants. Today he is at 28, which is considered stable! All on wholistic superfoods and prayers.

This is the same treatment that a dog with cancer would receive. I feel very fortunate to have come across the information that I now have. One of the best websites was Optimun Choices, Weasel is taking the Bio Algae concentrate (formula 3, 6 tabs a day in his green drink) and yes, Millie I did contact Vitality Science. He has been taking the celloquent and the lipids. Many thanks to my doctor who insisted he come off the steroids and helped to fine tune his new diet. Thank you for all of your emails and prayers. Much love and thanks to all.

And!
by: WEASEL's DAD

And, altho he is not back to the energetic,full of life three year old he was just three months ago, he IS making great strides in that direction! YEA! we are getting our Wild Weasel back!

SOOO HAPPY FOR WEASEL!!
by: MILLIE SPRINGER

oh dear! you just made my heart jump with joy! what wonderful news!! thank god for this magazine and the info we are able to get for out animals. this is a miracle to me. thank you for sharing the good news with us. i am out here in ca. also and have a beloved red merle. lost a tri aussie to cancer nearly three years ago, did not have the opportunity for help like this. so happy that weasel has. keep us posted and we continue praying for him. -Millie : )

better and better
by: WEASEL's DAD

Little by little we see improvements in energy level, and playfulness! We need to get this information out to ALL pet owners. Forget western methods; steroids, immune suppressants,
All just treating the symptoms.

YEP!
by: MILLIE SPRINGER

you got that right! a "good news" day for a change instead of all the bad news we get daily. oh how happy we all are for you guys and "Weasel"!! :)

WOW!
by: WEASEL's DAD

We took Weasel in for another blood test today. His red blood cell count has increased to 35!!(up from 28 In one week!) The vet was astounded! he is, maybe ninety percent better! Still not quite the energy level as before but Again we are seeing small improvements every day! SO happy!

Weasel
by: MiLLIE SPRINGER

Hi, is Weasel still doing well? Looking at your last post but don't know what date that was. Please let us all know? Thanks.....Soo happy for you all!

in response
by: Weaseldad

Millie, I responded to your post but it never posted??? anyway Weasel continues to improve!, We had to cut back on the BAC because he started refusing it and has had some diarrea issues. but he has more and more energy every day. Next monday he goes in for another blood count and we expect to see an even higher Red Blood cell count. Thank you for your concern.

Weasel
by: MiLLIE SPRINGER

Thank you for letting me know. I am so happy for you all! Thank God for this site and people who support it. Keep us posted, again, sooo happy!

digestion problems
by: Weaseldad

Well it turns out it was NOT the bac that was causing his diarrea, indigestion. He has been off BAC for three days and still has the problem. He is eating grass and not wanting to eat his meals. We have no idea what may be causing this...

WEASEL
by: Millie SPRINGER

give vitality science a call.....they most likely will give you a suggestion as to what to do, won't hurt. they have a product called luxolite, might even be that it will help weasel with this. 866- 647-4898. see if you can speak with steve. let me know. thanks, millie

Even MORE good news
by: Weaseldad

Took Weasel in for his two week blood test today.
Amazing news! Red blood cell count was 46!!!
and weight is back up to 72lb. (normal was 75)

the whole staff at the vet center came out to cheer! they want all the info on what we have been doing in lieu of western vet. medicine IE: Steroids and immune suppressants.

I am happy that they are open to holistic methods. We couldn't be more joyful and thankful at Weasels recovery!

Weasel
by: MIllie SPRINGER

Thank God and everyone who had helped with this recovery! Soo happy for you all! Millie

Can you share your success
by: Lola's Dad

Hi Weasle's Mom and Dad,

We found your thread when researching IMHA treatments. It's and inspiring story, and I wonder if we could pick your brains for the methods you used to bring your doggie back to health.

Our story is a long complicated one, and I won't bore you with the details. The short of it is that Lola was diagnosed with IMHA and had much similar treatments as your dog....one blood transfusion and steroids. To complicate the matter she had an inflamed liver and pancreas. Her blood levels went up to 32 and then dropped to 20. It's now slowly on the up and up. But our Lola has a very bad case of ascites that is very troblesome. Her liver is still very stressed...it could be the primary problem that caused the IMHA in the first place. She's too ill to take a liver biopsy. We've been trying some holistic ideas. We went through a bottle of BioPreperation f3+ and are waiting on our next shipment. We've also been giving her bee propolis and bee pollen...and wheat grass juice. We haven't tried the raw meat products that are mentioned in the thread, but will try that now. We're cutting down on the steroids in order to take some stress off her liver. Ha ha... and I said I wasn't going to give you tho long story....sorry.

Anyways, if you could share some of your ideas, we'd love to hear from you. We'll check back on this thread, or email us to bradyst AT gmail DOT com.

Thanks so much!!

Brady, Yuki and especially Lola!!

Help for your aussie
by: MILLIE

Hi, try giving Vitality Science a buzz. They are very knowledgeable and nice! All natural.

Our story of success
by: weasel's dad

Thank you for your comment. We have written an article about the entire process. Just need to proof read it and post it here and elsware. I think the main thing you could do NOW is Get heR OFF steroids ASAP. then the BAC from "Optimum Choices.com" two caps twice a day in 4-6 tablespoons of warm water w/ some quality honey. That is an emergency, red blood cell rescue dosage that can be reduced as she recovers to, say, 35... Hope this works for you as it did for Weasel. there were several more suplements that we used and they will be in the article.

To Lola's dad
by: weasel's dad

For more information on the process please call or email Lynne @ 323-377 9320 llpdinc@earthlink.net

Feed your dog what wild dogs normally eat
by: Carmen

Your dogs genetics are the same as wild dogs - CARNIVORE- but carnivores eat more than the muscle of their prey - blood, liver, fat, skin,intestines, bones, bone marrow. Bone marrow, raw liver would provide much of the nutrients your dog NEEDS to live healthy. Healthy fat is very important - carnivores need higher fat and NO dog foods have a high enough amount, and much of it comes from vegetable oils, which is not healthy for carnivores. Dairy fat and any trimmings you can get from a local butcher (bones too) would be of great help. Additionally, keep your dog OFF GRAINS! I use EVO kibble for my 1/2 dobbie?1/2 Aussie plus daily she gets: at least one raw bones (w/ marrow), raw milk and I get extra fat from the butcher for her. Our dogs are sick b/c they are feed mostly grain based foods devoid of what our dogs need. Of course, that's the same issues for us.... and why we are sick too. Vive Vida!

raw
by: weasel's dad

Exactly!!!

thanks for your support
by: Lola's Dad

Thanks everyone for the comments. We found this thread just too late though. Lola passed away peacefully this morning. She quit eating entirely yesterday. We were trying to get her off the steroids, but her body was just too broken down. We tried so hard for 2.5 months. Tried many natural remedies...BioPrep f3, wheat grass, milk thisle, bee propolis and bee pollen...many things...She was a complicated case. Our latest order of BioPrep arrived about an hour after Lola passed...
IMHA is a terrible condition...and not very well understood. So much uncertainty. I had dogs growing up all my life that lived to 10,11,13...we fed them the cheapest kibble and table scraps....as many people did in the 70s and 80s. We really tried to give Lola the best dog food on the market....I'm not saying it's a dietary cause, I'm just saying it really sucks that it turned out this way. Sorry to bring a bummer to this page. It helps to write about it, so thank you for listening. Good luck to everyone out there!
Brady and Yuki

latest news
by: weasel's dad

Last blood check was 6 weeks ago and was 41. (about normal) today we checked again and it was 54!!!!! amazing! I think we owe it all to BAC (Bio Alge concentrate) sp.... Oh and 75# whooo hoo!!

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Help, My Beloved 3 Year Old Weasel Has Been Diagnosed With IMHA

Comments for Help, My Beloved 3 Year Old Weasel Has Been Diagnosed With IMHA

Comments for
Help, My Beloved 3 Year Old Weasel Has Been Diagnosed With IMHA