After receiving an initial diagnosis of Evans Syndrome and an estimate of 2,000 to confirm the diagnosis, we sought a second opinion. We opted to take Petey to a long-time family friend who is a veterinarian. Although we respected the opinion of the initial hospital, we just felt more comfortable having another consultation with someone that we knew. We were then referred to Dr. Slusser, an internal medicine specialist.
We took Petey in immediately for evaluation and treatment, knowing by then that he was a very sick boy. His energy level was non-existent, and I was worried that he might not make it through the night. He was seen by Dr. Slusser who confirmed that he was in very serious condition. He was given a complete ultrasound and additional blood work was ordered. His red blood count was so low that he was admitted into ER for blood transfusions. Without them, it was doubtful that he would pull through, and even with the transfusions, there were no guarantees. After the final round of blood work, it was confirmed that Petey had Immune Mediated Hemolytic Anemia (IMHA). Like with Evan’s Syndrome, IMHA is a disease that attacks its own red blood cells. Evans has an additional component that also attacks the platelets which thankfully was not the case with Petey.
Petey was given a 30% chance of survival, with the first few weeks after diagnosis being the most critical. It was not a good prognosis, but Dr. Slusser worked with us in terms of what our best options for treatment would be. To be continued…
Hi All! The comments left on this website has given me a great sigh of relief. My lil Lily is a 5 yr old multi-poo, who is typically a very loving and happy girl. I call her my bouncy kitty, bunny, puppy. I got the devastating news tonight that she most likely has Evans Disease. It’s been a roller coaster ride the last 3 weeks. It all started with her yelping or crying when we tried to pick her up. We didn’t Rush her to the vet because she’s been very dramatic before with other things and we couldn’t place a time she could’ve gotten injured. After a day of watching her, her pain seemed to decrease. She was eating and drinking normally. But then she became very lethargic. I knew it was time to have her seen. The vet took X-rays and there seemed to be some slight damage to her upper and lower vertebrae. The vet sent me home with muscle relaxers and a pain killer with strong advice to have her rest. It only got worse from there. She became more lethargic than before, she was very weak and couldn’t even hold herself up to eat or drink. She stopped having bowel movements and would only urinate once a day. The good news was she would still eat and drink, but only if I put it in front of her. I took her to the vet again 3 days later. This time they tested her blood. They found her white blood cells were high, red blood cells seemed normal. But other things in her blood test led them to think she might possibly have Cushings disease, although she didn’t show the normal symptoms. They then refereed me to an internal medicine expert over 2 hours away. This was on Friday. The vet told me to get her in next week sometime and that she was stable enough to get through the weekend. I set the appt for Wed. As the weekend wore on, Lily seemed to be doing ok, not better, but not worse….until this evening. Her eyes were seeping and swollen, her breathing became labored, she was refusing to eat and still hadn’t had a bowel movement on her own. I rushed her to the emergency vet (same hospital she’s been seeing). While in the vets office waiting to be seen, my lil girl struggled out of my arms (the most movement I’ve seen from her in several days), after taking a couple steps she vomited several times and there was blood in her vomit. While vomiting she was also pooping and there was blood in her stool. They admitted her right away and took blood. The blood test was terrible news. They said she most likely has Evans Disease. The vet didn’t have any good news after that. They are going to treat her with steroids, fluids, and possibly a transfusion in the morning. The vet didn’t seem very optimistic about her ability to survive the night. I left the hospital thinking I will never see my sweet baby girl again. The positive posts about other pets turning the corner and fighting this terrible disease, has me seeing some light. I hope this post has a happy ending as well.
Today I took my 12 yr old bichon boy Oscar to the vet. He had been sleeping a.lot, energy level low, vomiting, doing a lot panting. Moaning.Since Vegas a history of back.pain an crazy was done. It showed some spinal changes and an enlarged spleen. CBC. Showed anemia and low platelet count. A coombs test is in process. The vet started him on prednisone. He said it was good that we caught it before his counts were too low. He will have another Cbc next week, and be on the . Prednisone for 2 months before starting a wean! I almost didn’t bring him this am because he seemed to feel better. I thank God did, and I am praying for my son. So happy to have found this site and can learn from the experience of others!
On Oct. 26, my nearly 11 year old cocker spaniel , started treatment for Evan’s. we almost lost him twice, but after 2 blood transfusions, and a week in the emergency vet, he came home with a pharmacy of drugs. Nearly 4 weeks later, red cells are up to 33, but also white cells are at 33. He is taking 30 mg of pred, atopica, ursoliol, amoxicillin, and famotidine. For the past week his temp has been steady at 37.7. Tonight when we came home his temp was up to 39.1. He took his meds and ate fine, but I’m unsure what to do. To say the Evan’s is a roller coaster, is putting it mildly. Going to monitor him tonight, and call the vet in the morning. I’ve never been so confused and scared in my life.
Hemmroing under the skin is part of Evans disease. I guess she could have hemmorged behind her eyes. What u need to know is what her red blood count is normal between 37-55. You also need to know what her platelet count is. Normal is between 143000 to over 400000. Anything below 75,000 dogs can start to hemmorge. Bandits was down to 20,000 and red blood count was at 37 but then feel to 24. Hopefully they have started treating her with something to stop the immune system attacking itself. Bandit was put on steroids right away along with Prilosec for stomach because steriods can cause bleeding ulcers. Bandit was also on liquid aspirin because steriods can cause the body to throw a blood clot. She was also on doxycycline since we did not know what caused any of this. Steroids were a long process to ween her off. Can’t just stop. Body has to readjust slowly. She was on steroids for 4 months dropping in half each time. She started at 40mg then to 20mg then to 10mg and the finally 5 mg and after that it was every other day for awhile. Lucky we have not had another incident. That was 3 1/2 years ago. But I do have her blood tested every 3 months and check her daily for any bruising and check gums for color. Evans disease is one thing I had never heard of till this happend. Best survival rate is when it is caught early. Spline being enlarged is part of it. If your vet recommends taking it out dogs do fine without it. Also I would have a second opinion asap. Her internal medicine medicine was excellent. I hope Fancy recovers quickly! We may have been lucky because we caught it so early that it did not cost us an extreme amount of money. I do not mind paying for blood tests even though she has no symptoms because I would like to catch it early. Please remember that there is always hope for a full recovery. Dogs are tough! And bandit is living proof of it! Keep good thoughts! I know it is hard but recovery is a long road but soooooo very possible! We will be saying a prayer for you and Fancy!
My 7 yr old dashsund Fancy, had some trouble with one of her eyes matting up. We took her to the vet and received some ointment. Took her back the next week for checkup and was told it was worse. Received different medicine and come back. Next visit we could tell she couldn’t see anymore out of that eye and the other eye was now doing the same thing. Went to an eye specialist and referred to internal specialist. Now they say it might be evans syndrome. Does this sound correct? This evans is what caused blood behind eyes causing blindness. Ultra sound shows enlarged spleen, due to evans they say.
This will be a long road they say with many trips to vet and much $$
How do I send a photo?
Angie, I’m so very sorry for your loss. I know there isn’t mcu I can say to heal the hurt and sorrow, please know that you’re in our thoughts.
Every update helps raise awareness, while there are more good outcomes than there used to be, we’d all like to find a cure or long-term treatment for those battling Evans and IMHA.
If you’d like to send a picture or write-up, I’d be more than happy to post it here to honor your sweet girl. Again, I’m very sorry for your loss.
Denise
On August 3, 2014 my sweet 14yr 8mth old Westie died of this horrible syndrome. Saturday she was quiet and not herself and then perked up for awhile. Then Sunday afternoon she began bleeding when she peed. This quickly turned into nothing more than blood with every squat. I took her to the ER and they thought she had a bad UTI but blood work soon showed the monster storm raging inside her. Within five hours my girl was gone. She went from a happy little senior Westie one day to gone. Needless to say I am devastated. She was a joy as my companion. The matriarch of our pack. We are lost without her. I had never heard of Evans Sydrome but have since meet four different people who lost their dog to this. I am glad my girl did not suffer long. I will miss her forever.
Kandis,
I’m so sorry you and Digger are going through this battle. Thank you for sharing your story and reminding us all not to give up hope. We are here for you, and hope that you’ll keep us updated on Diggers progress. You’re in our thoughts and prayers.
-Denise
6 yr. ago my dog Digger who is a 50 lb. mutt got real weak and sick and not eating suddenly. I took her to vet, her blood count was way down and I didn’t realize her gums were almost beige instead of pink. Vet gave her prednisone and aziothiaprin. Next day she was peeing red, which was the red blood cells being eliminated. It was 3 day holiday weekend so it cost us over $1000 for 12 hr. stay and IV’s at emerg. vet clinic. I then spent a whole week off work staying with her 24 hr. a day. I put our inflatable air mattress on living room floor and I slept there for a week . She was too weak to go upstairs to our bedroom, too weak to walk outside. She would only eat if I hand fed her, and I cooked ground beef, buffalo meat, the highest quality of dog food , and I fed her off a big spoon. I also had to cup water into my hand to get her to drink water, as she would not drink otherwise. But there was no way we could afford to leave her longer at emerg. vet clinic. A week later she started to revive and was acting normal. Eventually after a couple months her prednisone was gradually removed, she spent 6 yr. taking aziothiaprine two days a week. Did great. Now she is 12 yr. old and last week she vomited yellow bile. I didn’t know why, so I took her to vet. He said she looked great but her gums were slight lighter, so he took CBC blood test. Her count was slightly lower than it was 6 yr. ago when we revived her. SO he put her on prednisone last week every other day one pill. A couple days ago she was fine. We put her out in her fenced in area for an hour when we went out to dinner. Got home, went to let her in house and she could barely walk. Next morning back to vet. He thinks she somehow did back injury, as when he pushed on spine she yelped. Then he put her on pain meds, that is compatable with prednisone. It is called Gapapentin . BUT, it made her excessive tired and she staggered around and didnt’ do well. My husband and I have been taking turns sleeping on couch so we can be on main level of house next to dog at night. The BIG reason I think she survived the first round of this is because she didn’t want to let go and I had constant contact with her. I not only spoon fed her for a week, but I even read the entire newspaper out loud to her, petted her constantly, and sleep near her with my hand on her back all night long. Dogs seem to do better if their people are close to them, and they try harder to survive just for you. So, today I took her back to vet as she was so dazed from the pain meds. He took her off pain meds and doubled her dose of prednisone. Blood count today was lower than it was last week, gums are very pale, but she still is peeing clear, no red blood cells being eliminated in urine. Now she is off pain meds, and is eating. I asked vet what to feed her, he says whatever she will eat as long as she keeps eating and she is drinking lots of water due to 2 prednisone pills a day now. Have vet appt. this Fri. and I hope she s doing better. This is very upsetting to go through again, however you all need to keep hope. SHe has had 6 yr. of a great life and full of energy after the first round of Evans Syndrome. Hang in there, I am unfortunatley going through all this again with her just like you are. Now she is older dog, but just last week she was running around backyard chasing squirrels and playing fetch with us and running up and down the stairs in our house to follow us around. Now Digger is sleeping next to me, breathing a bit heavy which is symptom from prednisone. One can only hope. SO to all of you, give your dog extra attention, feed them by hand if you have to, give them whatever they will eat, even if this means human food for protein just to get them to eat. And feeding them off a spoon or out of your bare hand seems to be a special treat that makes them eat more. Good luck.
Hi Bailey
This is very bizarre as we had a irish setter that almost died from bleeding ulcers from pred. Her name was Bailey. She had 3 active bleeding ulcers from pred. They put her on it because she was not eating. Her red blood count was down to 13 and had 3 transfusions. We took her to specialists and they figured that out right away. My original did not put her on Prilosec when she was on pred. She almost died! When Bandit was diagnosed with Evans Dr. Quehn her specialist had her on pred, Prilosec, asprin, and doxycycline. We have no clue what set her off. They ran tick test and came back clear. Bandit is from the Dominican Republic. We now have a new family vet who worked in St. Thomas for awhile and thinks it may still been a tick that we do not test for here in the US. Doxycycline is drug they used over there. Asprin is because pred can cause them to throw clots. Bandits was liquid form and out on her food and she never knew she was taking it. So with Bailey’s bleeding ulcers they went in and cauterized them and she was on Prilosec for awhile. We never had another problem with her from ulcers. Hopefully this will help. Keeping all paws crossed for you and Raider!
Thanks for your support! We took Raider to see a specialist at the university of Minnesota to see if they could identify an underlying cause. They speculate his red blood cell count plateaued due to ulcers which he either had prior or were caused by the prednisone. He was started on a new medication as well as some stomach coaters to heal the ulcer and protect it from happening again. They could not find any cancer although his spleen was quite enlarged. Blood tests again next week will hopefully tell us if we can start tapering prednisone. Fingers crossed!!
Bailey,
Right now I would not worry about the pred. Bandit is 37 pounds and was on 40 mg of pred for at least a month. The only bad side effect she had was she was mean with our other dogs! At a month, then they reduced it to 30 mg for another month and then cutting dosage in half for each month after till she was down to 5 mg for last month. I think I was from Feb, 27-June 30. Must decrease slowly so immune system starts to act normal again. Luckly she has had no relapses and that was 3 years ago. Like Denise I hold my breath every time she has a cbc and I get the results! So hang in there. Were her platelets clumped? Have to read bottom of report. If so, 3 or more platelets are reading as 1. Which means the count is much higher. Sometimes red blood cells take awhile to rebound. He is not that far off from normal red blood count. Normal is 37-55. Sending prayers for you and your best friend!
Bailey,
I’m sorry to hear you’re going through this. Like people, each of our companions have a slightly different journey with Evans and IMHA. We had a bit of a roller coaster with Petey for a while but things eventually stabilized. I always breathed a sigh of relief when his CBC and chem panel results started coming back “normal”.
Keep an eye on him, and if you see any changes that concern you, let his vet know. My thoughts are with you. Please let us know how he’s doing.
Hello, my best buddy raider was diagnosed w/Evans about 3 weeks ago. His platelets increased from 24 to 225 and then fell back to 175 this week and his RBC increased from 16 to 33.4% but only increased a half a percent this last week. He is 44 lbs on 40mg of prednisone. Not sure why he has stopped making progress – he is eating well and seems to have normal amounts of energy. Has anyone else seen this slow rise to normal levels? I am afraid if he doesn’t get better faster he will begin to see negative effects from the pred…
Hi Ray,
Did they reduce the steroids? Bandit was reduced on steroids, but vey, very, slowly. She started out at 40mg a day, then the next month down to 30mg, then 20mg next and so on until she was down to 5mg and then finally off. If taken off too soon, the immune system just goes back on the attack. Doing it slowly retrains the immune system. February 27 this year will be 3 years since her diagnosis and we have been very lucky she has had no relapses.
Bandit was treated at Michigan Veterinary Specialists. Evans disease does really require a Internal Medicine specialist.
We will be praying for you, your dog and your family! I know it is expensive, but remember there are worse things that can happen. When you get her stabilized, hopefully she will stay that way. Best advise is blood tests regularly. Bandit gets tested every 3 months. Also look at gums daily and constantly look for bruises especially on her belly. Catching it early can reduce pain and expense. I know this is hard, since we have gone through it and also had a dog with bone cancer at the same time. It can tear your heart apart! But they are part of your family. If you have any question please feel free to contact me any time. My email address is dakota412009@yahoo.com.
My dog cookie had evans syndrome was treated with steroids she got better for a month and relapsed.Just took her to the vet on Tuesday needed to have 3 blood transfusions.Her rbc count was at 10 as of today Thursday her rbc is at 18 and she is starting to eat again.She lost 28 pounds she went from 108 to 80 hopefully she will come home on Friday past 3 days cost me $5,800.00
Hi Kelly,
I know what you are going thru! We had the battle 2 1/2 years ago but all I can say is it is worth. Bandit(my Australian Cattle Dog) was diagnosed with Evan’s Disease. She was a rescue from the Dominican Republic.
Fortunately we caught it in time and she only stayed in hospital 2 days. She was treated with pred., prilosac, aspirin, and doxacyclin. She responded well but didn’t like the other dogs in the house when on pred. She was mean on it, only 4 months and has had no problems since. She even has had her rabies and lepto shots. Did titer test for DP has a high ammunity still so high holding off on that! Yes it is long road but I would do it again in a heartbeat. She is such a good dog and is only 4 1/2. So hang in there! Saying prayers for you and Lemmy!. Keep the faith!
Thank you for the informative blog. Our rescue boy, Lemmy, was just diagnosed with Evan’s Syndrome on Saturday. We are starting the long hard battle to get him back to normal.
What does it mean when you say comment is awaiting moderation?
My Chihuahua of 18.10yrs was not so fortunate. I did not realize he was so ill as he had vomited white mucusy emesis..He had done this before on occassion and just had an upset stomach and he had not shone any s/s of being ill the day before. I waited until his vet opened because he was on an assortment of meds for heart and had then been on a series of prednisone. At 8am doctor could not draw any bld from his little veins to test.he did get an IV inplace and was giving him fluids, gave pain meds., and antibiotics, and 02. By 10am we decided he had had enough sufferring and put him to sleep. I broke my heart more than I can say and worse yet don’t know what happened as it was so sudden. This was on Aug 31, 2013 and I have every day been searching the web for some answers. There had been reports of a mysterious dog disease in Oh. & Calif. the dept of agriculture has no handle on it yet.
Hi Michael,
I am very sorry for your loss! I know how hard it is. I lost 2 irish setters last year 5 months apart. As Denise said, you did the very best thing you could for Herbie! I know how difficult the decision was to make. Both setters ended up having trouble breathing and watching this broke my heart! One had Congestive Heart failure and the other one was fighting cancer for year and half till it made to the chest. You cannot second guess yourself! You did the right thing for your best friend.
I also know about never hearing of Evans disease. I have a 4 year cattle dog that was diagnosed with it 2 years ago. There is really no outstanding warning signs that they have it. She actually was fine the day before and then we found a bruise on her inner thigh. Within 2 hours it was 10 times as big! Took her to emergency (of course it happened on Sunday). They knew what it was right away but drew blood from neck and caused a hemorage. Her gums instantly went white. After a hour there, and no improvement we took her to Michigan Veterinary Specialists. They keep her for 2 days and she was put on meds. Since then she has been fine. But the day before all of this happened my vet called and said her blood work was great. He never looked at platelet count.
Just remember you did the right thing! Herbie is now playing and doing anything he wants! My heart goes out to you and will saying prayers for you!
Michael,
My heart aches for you and with you. It sounds like Herbie had a wonderful life with you and was loved and cared for. You made a very difficult decision that was based out of love and to prevent Herbie from suffering. I have had to make that same decision with another companion, I know how painful it is and I’m sorry you have to experience that.
Our love and compassion is the best gift we can give our companions. Please don’t second guess yourself, the loss is hard enough. Know that Herbie is at peace and not suffering. I’m sure he would not want you to be in pain. You listened to your heart, and you knew Herbie best. Please be at peace with yourself. Our thoughts are with you. Please stop by any time. Our readers are amazingly supportive.
My sincere condolences. Sending healing thoughts your way. Take good care of yourself.
– Denise
I had an 9 year old Airedale that I was told by my Veterinarian that I should put down. She told me that he had giving up and I should make a decision and that the best thing was to stop his suffering.
The night before he was doing just fine he was his old self playing and eating. The next morning he would not eat I knew right then something was wrong it wasn’t like him, so I took him to my primary Vet. They took blood work and told me that he had conducted Evans Syndrome. I had never heard of it before, they recommend that I leave him over the weekend and they would give him medication to bring his count up. Monday morning they called me and said he may not make it. I went to see my beloved son and he could not get up and he was struggling to breath. To me he looked like he was suffering and I didn’t want to see him that way. I am still wondering if I made the right choice for my beloved Herbie. I am grieving really bad. I just need peace of mind. Please help.
Hi Ann, what happy news about Bandit, I can’t believe it’s been two years!I love that Bandit can out run Morgan. My apologies for such a lapse in reply and my maintenance, I definitely will get back to a routine. No excuse, but it’s been a challenging year personally. I’ve lost two very dear people this year and have a couple others that are battling through a tough time. Your update brings me absolute joy!
Petey is doing well, we’ll be going in for a check-up within a month. He is transitioning into a more senior guy and I am enjoying him each and every moment. There’s a post about this that I’ve been wanting to write for quite some time, but it’s difficult emotionally. Big hugs to Bandit and Morgan, love to hear the great news! Thank you for helping everyone keep the faith during a trying time. Keep in touch everyone, we love the good news.
Just a quick update on Bandit. Today is her 2nd anniversary of being diagnosed with Evans Disease. She is doing great and holding steady at 226,000 platelets. She had her heartworm test so they ran her platelet count too. I can’t believe it has been 2 years already! She continues to amaze me everyday.
She loved her new irish setter puppy Morgan until Morgan got bigger than her. She still tries to be in charge but Morgan can just walk over her! The 1 avantage Bandit has is that she can still out run Morgan!
Wishing everybody the best!!!!
Yeah she does actually she has 2 new playmates, my roommate took a puppy as well. Brook has the mothering instinct and she went to my friends for the day as soon as she got home straight to the puppies she went to make sure they were ok. Lol Of course she puts them in their place when they are being bad too.
That’s great news on Petey! I’m glad he’s doing well!
Hi Tabitha!
So good to hear from you again, and so happy to hear the news about Brook. 🙂 Sounds like she has a great new playmate to keep her energy up.
Petey continues to do well. He’ll have his next check-up within a month and I’ll post the results. He’s about twelve years old now and he still gallops like a horse towards his food bowl despite a little arthritis.
Here’s to continued good health for all our “kids”.
Hello,
I’m sorry I haven’t been on I’ve been in the process of moving. Brook is doing very well so well that at her last checkup he moved her medicine down to 2.5 mg or prednisone. Also, she has a new sister beagle puppy as well. She seems to like her except when the pup thinks she’s her mommy and tries to nurse. Lol
Just want to give a update on Bandit. She had blood work done today and she is holding steady at 225,000 platelets! February will be 2 years since she was diagnosed! Danielle her vet tech said her blood work was perfect. We always stress when taking her in, but she just loves going to Michigan Veterinary Specialists! The hardest part is waiting on the phone call with her results!
We hope everybody had a wonderful Christmas and will have a very Happy New Year!
As always we will be saying prayers for any dogs and dog parents who have to go through this. At least in our case it was a very surprising diagnosis. But Petey and Bandit are examples that there is always hope!
Hi Tabitha,
Thanks for the fantastic update! I’m so happy to hear that Brooklyn is home, healing and and gaining weight.
If you don’t mind me asking, what medication is she on?
Have a wonderful weekend!
Denise
I hope everyone is doing well.
Brooklyn is home and doing very well. She’s getting back to her old self. Also the big sore on her side is healing very well. She is only taking one pill a day and it’s going good. Her appetite is back and she is gaining weight. The first few days I fed her an egg and beef liver along with her egg that has helped her gain weight quick.
Thank you very much to everyone that comments on this page I know it has help me stay positive.
Tabitha – That’s FANTASTIC news!! I’m so happy for you both. Thank you so much for checking back in. When you get settled in with meds, let us know how that goes. It’s been good to see the similarities and differences with the meds that are prescribed.
I’m truly, so happy for you both!
Take care and know that you have us all wishing you continued great news.
Hi everyone. I called and got awesome news about Brooklyn she gets to come home tomorrow. Guess I will find out what medicines she has to be on and everything when I get her. I wish everyone luck with their doggies.
Hi Ann,
It’s Soooo good to hear from you and to hear the great update on Bandit. I almost sent out a message to everyone to check in.
I’m very sorry to hear about Bailey and Cody, I’m sure they had a wonderful life with you. Being there for them through thick and thin and giving back the love they give us is a tremendous gift.
Thank you as always for checking in – wishing you, Bandit and her new puppy companion a Happy Holiday Season!
Tabitha,
So sorry to hear about Brooklyn! It is a tough issue to go through because sometimes (like Bandit’s case) you will never know what set it off! But sounds like you did everything right! And it sounds like she is on the mend.
It has been over 1 1/2 years since Bandit was diagnosed. She recovered really quickly and everything seems to be normal. She had her last test in September and her RBC was 50 and platelet count was 232,000. She will go in over Christmas break for a blood count. We do it about every 3 months. I am a over protective mom and would rather catch something wrong early than when blood count is too low. Bandit has had a tough year this year because she lost her 2 irish setter buddies. Cody went into CHF on Memorial day and we just lost Bailey on November 9 due to cancer. They were brother and sister out of the same litter. Knowing that Bailey was leaving us soon, we adopted another irish setter puppy on Labor day. Bandit is now learning to live with a puppy chasing her all the time. But they are best buddies and will sleep laying on each other!
The best advise I ever got after Bandit recovered was from her Internal Medicine tech who said “let her be a dog!” I worried about her all the time and one of the bad things that can happen is being stung by a bee. Sets the immune system into over drive. Well she got stung in beginning of October and off we go to Michigan Veterinary Specialist at 5 am! A shot of benedryal and a steroid shot and she recovered within 3 hours! And has been fine since!
We will be crossing all paws and sending all prayers for Brooklyn! As i have said before dogs are tough! Sometimes I think they are stronger than humans when it comes to health issues!
You’re welcome. The transfusion did help I picked her up from the emergency vet Monday and took her the 2 hours to my regular vet. I just called and checked on her. They said she is doing better and better everyday. She’s eating everything they put in front of her. They said if she keeps doing better they will let her go ome Saturday. I’m crossing my fingers. They sent her blood work off and they will get the results tomorrow. I also had them do a lead test because of where I used to live to see if it has anything to do with that. They said it may take up to a week for that one to comeback since it was sent off to Michigan.
Thank you for the update Tabitha, I hope the transfusion helps Brooklyn stabilize quickly. Don’t get discouraged if it takes a bit to find the right combination of medications. That was the hardest part for us with Petey’s IMHA ups and downs.
Denise,
Thank you so much. I do have a vet treating her. Actually she has been at an emergency clinic since Saturday. I just took her to my regular vet yesterday. So far they have done one blood transfusion so we are hoping that will help her out. So far her blood work hasn’t dropped.
I’m glad to here that Petey is doing good. You’re in my thoughts and prayers!
Tabitha,
I’m so sorry you and Brooklyn are on this journey. We’ve been fortunate to have some wonderful readers share their experience. I’m not sure if you have a vet to treat the Evans syndrome yet, but the thing I’ve learned the most from all of the encounters whether it’s Evans, IMHA, seizures or other health issues, is that the vet makes a huge difference in both outcome and cost, in the long run. Someone who specializes in Evans or internal Medicine might be a little more expensive up front but it saves quite a bit in the long run.
Please keep us posted on how things are going. I would also love to hear any updates from our long-timers? Petey will have his next check-up in December. So far his blood work has been “normal”. Thank goodness. My thoughts are with all of you!
Hi,
I just found out that my dog has Evans Disease.
I had never heard of this before tonight. I’m glad
that I found this page to read up on it and glad to
know I’m not the only one going through it.
I just feel so bad for my dog, Brooklyn. The way
I found out was she got a big lump on her side.
So I rushed her to the vet to find out what it was.
He decided to do surgery to remove it and find
out what it was along with spaying her. Well it’s
now been about 12 days and her the lump on her
side got even bigger (she also looked to have
internal bleeding). So I rushed her to an emergency
vet to find out that her blood work was really bad.
Her RBC was at about 30 and her platelets were at
16. I guess we are headed down a tough and expensive
road.
Krista I’m so sorry to hear that. I know that nothing I can say or do makes this any easier, please, please know that we care and support you. If there’s anything I can do to help, please let me know. Sending good thoughts and prayers your way.
Ann, thank you so much for the info regarding pred. and ulcers. With all the meds involved in treating this disease, it’s so hard to keep track of each side effect and interaction. Hope all is well with you and Bandit.
Krista–
Also check stomach for ulcers. Pred can cause these and if bleeding in stomach can bring the red blood count down. My irish setter Bailey had ulcers due to pred. She almost died. Her red blood count was down to 18%. She had a blood transfusion and then they found what was happening. They went to surgery and stopped the bleeding. She has been fine since and that was 3 years ago. Carafate also coats the stomach and helps stop the bleeding.
We will be saying prayers for all of you! Sending you all good thoughts!
Seamus update: unfortunately, his RBC fell again from 36% to 32%. the Dr. doesn’t know what else we can do and is ordering another toxicology screening. To say I am deviated is an understatement.
Denise -Yes I always hold my breathe till we get results! Thank you for all your support!
Krista-Bandit was on pred and prilosec and aspirin from the beginning. Prilosec was for stomach because pred can cause ulcers. Aspirin was for blood clots. They keep her on all meds till the pred was weened down and completely off of it. We even had aspirin in liquid form (compounded). I would just put it on her food and she ate it. I think it was beef flavored. They could do also in liver or chicken flavor.
We wish everybody the best and say prayers everyday for anyone who is battling this disease! I know I watch everyday for any signs of a relapse. But as of now Bandit is doing great!
Ann — Fantastic news on Bandit!!!! I remember I felt like jumping for joy when I got those great reports. It so helps all of us to know that this horrible disease can be beat.
Krista, I’m sorry to hear you’re still in roller-coaster mode. We went through the same thing (excessive panting) with Petey, and did end up getting an X-Ray to rule out any clots.
He was on 1/4 baby aspirin daily as a preventative measure. His X-ray came back clean and in our case, once he got off of the Pred. his breathing went back to normal. He was gradually tapered off of it. He was also on a lot of other meds at the time. Keep us posted. The good news is that his RBC went up. Hang on to that. WE have to hold on to those successes to get through through the tough days. Keep us posted. Keeping you in our thoughts and Prayers.
Seamus update: Good news and bad news – Good news, is his RBC count went up from 27% to 34.6%. Platelets at 205K (no change). Bad news – he is having bad side effects from all these meds. He is panting constantly and can’t walk very fast and won’t go up the stairs, without a little prodding by me. It’s def. not the same symptoms like anemia. With anemia he wasn’t even out of breath and he would refuse to walk and was lethargic. This is like he is out of uncomfortable and out of shape. The dr is concerned he may have a blood clot in his lung and If he gets worse he needs to go in for a chest x-ray. It’s like if one thing doesn’t get ya the other will. Hopefully things don’t get worse. I’ll keep you all updated and thanks for the prayers!
Ann – thanks for responding to my post. Bees, I did read something about them but they tested for parasites and found nothing. I have some wasps around my house can those also cause IMHA? I also read about food like onions, years ago before I read that feeding your dogs grapes was dangerous for them all of my dogs and I would eat them. Once I read that I stopped buying them, Santina knew where they were in the refrigerator and in what bowl. She used to get in there when I opened the door. I hope that I wasn’t the one that caused her to have IMHA. I’m having a difficult time as it is knowing that I couldn’t save her and the thought that I may have been the cause of it to begin with, well that is more than I can cope with. She has been gone for a month and it feels like it was just yesterday. Today has been a hard day for me and I go through days like today. Some days are better than others. Santina did have a couple of dark spots on her but my vet said that it was due to oily skin but I never saw any bruises on her. I will remember everything that you have mentioned to watch out for. I have had all of my dogs blood work done, as I have Santina’s mother, father and two of her pups. I did read that this can be genetic so not only are cockers predisposed to this but if it is genetic my concern is my other dogs. But any and all help educating myself with this disease will be beneficial and appreciated.
I am so happy that your baby is passed her blood test with flying colors!! 🙂
Denise – thanks so much for responding to me I really appreciate it. Funny thing is my vet never called it Evans they always called it IMHA but in Santina’s records that is where I saw Evans written down. When she was first diagnosed her platelets were low, I stayed home with her for that week and by the end of the week when she had her blood test her platelets were back to normal. We were succeeding keeping her IMHA at bay and then she broke her leg. Even with that happening we still managed to keep it under control, although her levels never did get above 37 at their highest. But it was being managed. Then she broke her second leg, there was nothing that could be done at that point for her. I appreciate you researching this for me, like I mentioned any help will be greatly appreciated. My other Cocker Spaniels are related to Santina, I have her mother, father and two pups from her.
Just a update on Bandit. She had blood test today and she passed with flying colors! Her platelet count was 208,000! She has been cleared to have her lepto shot next month!
I cannot stress the importance of these blood tests!
I hope everyone the best and praying for those who need it!
Joanne – So sorry for your lose of your little girl! This disease is devasting!
My little girl Bandit was disgnosed with Evan’s disease February 27, 2011. She is a Blue Heeler (cattle dog) and she came from the Domican Republic. We noticed a bruise on her belly on a Sunday morning and 3 hours later it was 4 times the size. Pet emergency here we go. They drew blood at neck and cause a hematoma and her gums went pure white. Off to Michigan Veterinary Specialist.
Luckly the diagnosed it right away and was on pred and stayed there for 2 days. She was on pred for 4 1/2 months lowering each month. She has been fine since. Best advise I could give you is blood tests! In fact Bandit is going this coming Tuesday to have one. Her last one was end of February and was great! She is due for her Lepto shot in August. We highly medicated her with benedryal and dexamothsoze shot. She stays on Benedryal for 3 days after and weekly blood tests for a month. Be careful of shots, foods like onions that they can find on floor and bees! Check body for bruises and always check gums for pink color! Bandit is a survivor and hopefully will continue to be! We think Rimidyl set her off so watch any new meds! She is on nothing at moment! If any other questions please feel free to ask.
Joanne, I’m so very sorry for your loss. I wish I had an answer for you, I am most familiar with IMHA, which is slightlt different than Evan’s.
Initially it was thought that Petey had Evans, but he did not have issues with Immune mediated thrombocytopenia (ITP). ITP is when the body destroys it’s own platelets and with IMHA, the body destoys it’s red blood cells.
Perhaps one of our readers who has first hand experience with Evan’s has a little more insight. I will do some research and see if there are any studies that may be of some help. Again, I am so sorry for your loss, Evans and IMHA are such heartbreaking diseases.
Hi everyone…my little Santina girl was diagnosed with Evans in March, we don’t know the cause but with this disease you don’t. Although I have read that there is an underlying issue with this disease. I sure wish that I would have found this site back in March, I would have gotten a better idea of what other types of things could have been done for her. I laid her to rest on 6/11, she broke her left front leg and since she was on pres and azothiprine her leg never showed any sign of healing after 4 weeks of being in a cast. Two days after her 4 week x-ray she broke her right front leg. Santina was a Cocker Spaniel and they are predisposed to IMHA. I have 4 other Cocker Spaniels, I hope and pray that they don’t come down with this disease. Her vets seem to think that there was an underlying cancer that was causing her bones to be brittle and break. Unfortunately, that is something that I will never know. Any insight that anyone here can give me as a precautionary measure will be greatly appreciated. Thanks
Krista, I’m so sorry to hear that. Like people, our companions respond differently to meds, maybe the cyclosporine will be the one his immune system responds to on an ongoing basis.
Keeping you in my prayers. I know this disease is absolutely devastating to deal with and I’m still praying for Seamus to be one of the happy ending stories.
So things are not looking good for Seamus. His RBC Count continues to drop, even with an increase in prednisone. The Dr. is very concerned. He is adding cyclosporine into the mix to see if he responds. To say I am beside myself would be an understatement, after 3 months of doing so well to have a relapse now. This is such a cruel disease.
Hang in there Krista, we’ll keep good thoughts that it’s just a temporary setback. I’ll never forget being devastated after hearing the words “it’s not looking good for the home team” and then having Petey rebound a few weeks later after a tweak to his meds. I’m so sorry you’re still on this roller coaster. We’ll keep you in our thoughts and prayers.
Seamus update: well bad news. His RBC count has been dropping steadily over the past 3 weeks and his dr. is concerned he is relapsing. He raised the prednisone a bit and will have another blood test this week. I’m of course heart-broken that this is happening after he has been doing so well since march. I’m praying a medication tweak will help fix the situation.
I know I hope they are ok. Hopefully it is helpful to see how Seamus’s Dr. is tapering down the meds, and what the #’s are of each test.
Krista, That’s fantastic!!!
I’m so happy for you and Seamus!! It definitely gives hope to everyone That is battling.
I’m hoping that things are stabilizing for reader Joan, I’ve been worried since we haven’t heard back.
Seamus update: another good blood test! RBC up to 40%, WBC count down, liver enzymes improved and platelets at 306K. Pred is lowered another 20% to 5mg in the AM, and 2.5mg in the PM, all other meds the same. Another blood test in 2 weeks!!
HI Joan – I think we have all felt the way you did at one point of another. It’s a scary disease, but treatable, especially if they can’t find any underlying cause such as cancer, a bad vaccination or a tick disease. Hang in there, there is hope, and it sounds like he’s in great care.
Joan, I’m so sorry to hear that you and Zachary Baggins are in the midst of this battle. There is hope. All of us here feel your pain in every sense of the word and we’re here to help in any way we can.
As you’ve probably read, the treatment and response can be very different patient by patient so sometimes it takes a lot of adjusting of meds. You’re at a wonderful facility, and our thoughts are with you as you go through a trying time. Please let us know when you get news.
Sending good thoughts your way,
Denise
We are in the middle of trying to find the right drugs for our much loved Golden, Zachary Baggins. We are so emotionally strung out from the ups and downs of Evans Syndrome. I stumbled across your posts and it heartened me as I sit hear waiting for the Vet Hospital faculty at UC Davis to tell us what to try next. Thank you for sharing your experiences. I went to sleep last night believing there was no hope.
Reading this site renewed my faith that my boy has a chance.
Krista – that’s awesome news!! Every time I see a positive update it makes me smile. I so vividly remember those days and the happiness and relief I felt when I saw and heard “normal range”. Have a wonderful weekend, and as always, thank you so much for taking the time to give us updates. 😉
Seamus update: he had another good blood test, RBC went up to 35%, WBC decreased slightly, liver enzymes decreased slightly and platelets fell to 363K, still in normal range. His prednisone has been lowered another 20% to 2.5mg twice a day. all other meds the same. He is spunky and seemingly happy. Hopefully I’ll have another good update in a couple weeks!
Hi Leann==
Not weird at all! Bandit started it last February and it has not stopped yet! Bandit is good! Cody(irish setter) then came up heartworm postive within 6 weeks! Cody does not have heartworm. But we did find a heart condition,, Both Bandit and Cody were cleared on June 7th. 14 hours later Bailey (irish setter, cody’s sister out of same litter) had lump on leg! 2 weeks later found out she had bone cancer in her leg! Orginal diagnose she would be gone in 2 months! It is now end of April and she is doing great! We had leg amputated, of which we swore we would not due because we thought she would not handle it, but she is doing great! She is off all drugs and at this point has not spread anywhere! We greatly appreciate everyday! My point is that dogs are champions. They can
go through so many things and still come back as champions! So don’t give up! I know it is hard but just remember how much fight they have in them to live! I have learned that this year from all 3 dogs! Sending all the best hopes and wishes to you and your family!
Hi All,
Results from blood work show that Panchos platelets are going down again, now at 70. The Vet said he didnt really want to increase his meds, but didnt really want to keep giving vincristine injections either. He asked if Pancho had a round of doxycyline and of course he did at the very start of this.(Even though bloodwork came back negative for all tick diseases). Pancho does not act sick right at this moment, in fact he is pretty spunky. I asked to have a full assessment done on Pancho since this time around all that had been done was blood work. In May/June last year we thought that he just had IMHA, (they didnt pay attention to the platelets). He was fighting low RBC, Hgb, Hct. Now he is fighting low platelets. RBD, Hgb and Hct are usually normal or high. So we go today and hopefully do an ultrasound and some other tests. I don’t think the meds have been doing anything. Only the vincristine. It seems to cause the bone marrow to dump the platelets and such and they last about 2 weeks. I am at a loss. I think the Vet doesnt know what to do and he is supposed to be a specialist. Interestingly enough, my other shih tzu was in for teeth cleaning and a lipoma removed and his blood work came back with very increased blood count. RBC, Hgb and Hct all very high. They gave him fluids in case dehydrated. Will have rechecked in a week. So keeping an eye on him. How weird is all this.
Hi everyone, thank you so much for continuing to share your experiences. Leann, sorry to hear that Pancho is going through the prednisone hunger that leads to eating poop, never a pleasant thing to discover or come home too. I think the only thing that spared us with Petey is that one of his meds made him drowsy so his desire to sleep or rest was greater than the desire to eat constantly.
Definitely let the vet know about the color change on his nose and keep an eye on it to see if it changes texture. Marina went through a bout of that. It mysteriously disappeared after her anti-seizure medication was increased. A caause was never identified.
Krista, I so agree with you – if they’re fiesty enough to drive you crazy, it’s a good sign!
Ann, good luck – keep us posted, we’re thinking of you.
I’ve never heard of a dog’s nose going from brown to black, but I’ve heard of the opposite. Maybe he got into something outside (maybe the poop! :)) I still say if they are driving you crazy they can’t be feeling all that sick so maybe it’s a good sign he’s acting restless. the large abdomen is the pred belly, but i would have the vet check it out anyway. good vibes for a positive outcome in the next day or two for you!
Krista,
I am so glad to hear that Seamus is doing much better. Pancho goes in for bloodwork tomorrow. I am so ready for the prednisone to be lowered as Pancho also wants to eat everything in sight. I have to monitor feeding times as I also have another shih tzu, a lab mix and a cat. He will run them away from their food and eat it. He constantly patrols the kitchen for any food crumbs and absolutely barks for treats or digs on my leg to get my attention begging for food. Unfortunately I have also caught him eating poop. We have a doggie door that allows the dogs to go outside when they need to, so now I have to be very diligent of when Pancho goes outside. Once he brought it in the house. I dont know if he now has a deficiency that he is trying to self correct or if he is just so hungry that is even appealing. ugh! His abdomen is also very large and I have noticed his normally light brown nose has turned dark on each side. I am wondering if his medications are causing. I am afraid that he is not urinating as he should be. He is also on 10 mg prednisone (5 in morn and 5 in evening).
Ann,
I have wondered also about removal of the spleen. If nothing else works I would definitely consider it. I was speaking to a human cardiologist about Panchos problems, and he suggested a splenectomy.
Tomorrow or the next day (when results are in) I guess will give me an idea of what my next step shall be. I will keep you posted.
Krista,
I will definitely ask about the med Leflunomide that Seamus is on. When he was diagnosed in May/June 2011 he had no vaccinations, in fact they were past due. They did an ultrasound but said they did not see anything. Since this started in February, they have only done blood work.
Seamus update: His bloodwork came back saturday and his platelets were up to 420K and RBC steady at 32%. His Dr. has lowered his pred once again from 10mg to 7.5mg. Next blood test is in 2 weeks. He is always hungry – waking me up at 4:30 AM to eat, kicking his food bowl around all day. At night he sits by his treat jar and barks at me. he is driving me crazy – and I’m so thankful that he is! Will update in 2 weeks. Hope everyone is doing well!
Hi Leann- Ask if it possible to remove his spleen? I was told if Bandit did not respond to treatment, this might be a option to stop this disease.
I have a friend who had a sheltie with a autoimmune disease and they removed her spleen. She lived another 5 years and crossed the bridge at a old age!
Prayers for Poncho and your family!
HI Leann – the blood work will be able to tell you in no uncertain terms if his bone marrow is producing lots of platelets. that would be a good sign. Ask your Dr. about the med Leflunomide that Seamus is on. It has less side effects than Imuran and cyclosporine. His Specialist here in NYC only deals with auto-immune diseases in dogs and this is his drug of choice for this situation. Every dog can react differently to meds too. It’s worth a shot if the imuran is not working. Did they do ultrasounds and x-rays looking for cancer masses, or did he have a vaccination around the time he was diagnosed? Trying to think of everything. I personally wouldn’t wait 2 weeks in between blood tests at this stage, even with seamus’s platelets above 350k his Dr. wants a cbc and chem panel every 5 days after lowering/changing meds and every 7 to 10 days if there is no med change, until he has several good tests over a few months time he told me, esp. since Seamus had a rocky start to all this. If you are worried I wouldn’t wait and I would take him in and get him tested. please keep us posted, we all learn from each other. Prayers for your baby Poncho.
I am so sorry it has been so long since I have posted an update on my Pancho. It has been up and down. I did find an internal specialist. When I took him in his count was extremely low and he needed a vincristine injection. Also he had not tolerated the imuran, his ALT shot up to 2515, AST to 312, and ALK phos to 518. So it was stopped and he was started on 50 mg of cyclosporine daily along with 10 mg of prednisone. They did extensive blood testing for any of the tick/blood diseases and all were negative. We continue weekly blood counts. About 2 weeks after his vincristine his count dropped dangerously low again. It was normal on Thursday and by Sunday evening I saw bruises on his abdomen so back to vet on Monday and received vincristine again. It has been about 2 weeks since then and I am anxious, waiting to see if the platelets will drop again. 2 weeks ago it was also noted that WBC count was up and there was hemolysis making me fear that the imha is also rearing up again. Earlier CBC Hgb, hct, mcv,mch, mchc are increased to normal at different times. I think that means that the bone marrow is working properly, sometimes putting out immature large cells. Still a little concerned it is not cancer or something else as all they have done is blood work. Thanks everyone for posting your stories, it gives me hope that we can be successful treating my baby too. Also reading what test and treatments your babies are receiving helps me think about what the docs are doing for Pancho and if I might need to ask for other tests if we continue to have drops in platelets. Thanks again and I will be praying for all.
Krista – what fantastic news!!! One of the best signs is that Seamus is going back to his normal energy level. As Petey stabilized, his energy levels seemed to go back to normal and thankfully, have stayed there. The good vibes definitely will continue. There are still some nights that I catch a glimpse of him sleeping and am reminded and amazed of how he pulled through such a rough time. Thank you for continuing to update us, you’re helping everyone else that’s going through this.
Hi Everyone sorry I was away for work travel, but here is Seamus update: 2 weeks ago his platelets shot up to 480K, RBC went up to 32. His Dr. lowered his Pred another 5mg because of the WBC count level was still a bit high, keeping the leflucamide the same, and then we waited 5 days and did another blood test. this time the RBC was steady at 32 and platelets dropped to 363K. Of course a drop in platelets worried me but His Dr. said he is not worried about the drop at all at this time, that 480k was a very high number and that many times in his experience the meds cause a big spike in the beginning and as the hormones settle down and the pred is decreased, the platelet count also starts to settle at a lower, more normal level. He had diarrhea again, Dr. gave us more meds and its seemed to clear up. His keeping all meds the same this week and Next blood test is in 7-10 days. Once again, trying to stay cautiously optimistic as you said. He is acting very much like his old self, even running up 2 flights of stairs with no problem. Will keep everyone posted. Thanks for all good vibes and hope everyone had a nice holiday weekend!
Yes, it took a little bit for the PCV count to rise and stay there. As for the diarrhea, we really didnt have a major problem with that; our problem was she couldnt hold her bladder as well as before. We really have to watch her water intake at any one sitting or she will overload and then have an accident! And ABSOLUTELY take it each test at a time – baby steps or as I told out Dr. “cautiously optimistic”!
We took Sugar for her latest test yesterday and her PCV count is at 47. They are continuing to lower her Prednisone but are still keeping the Imuran the same. We let her go swimming in the pool for the first time today and she did very well! I still feel “cautious”! I look at each day she is here as a gift and just really try to enjoy her! I wish you the best Krista and please continue to keep us posted!
Krista that is great news! Bandit’s RBC was slow going up but I was told that was normal. It just takes longer. But it did eventually rise!
I was always very stressed after every blood test! Think that it is just normal.
Sounds like things are going in the right direction! Will keep saying prayers for your family!
Krista, Thanks or sharing a great update. I know the feeling of being apprehensive about good news, keep those positive thouhts going. It took me a year of “normal” test results before I was really at ease after each test.
We’re wishing you good luck for tomorrow – please let us know how it goes.
Seamus update: his latest blood test had his platelets at 262,000 which obviously is really good. His dr. Wants another blood test on Wed. Since that will be 10 days since he lowered the prednisone. His RBC remained stable at 28, and his WBC dropped a bit. He said he would like to see the RBC higher but is more concerned now in getting the platelets up higher and stay there. I am cautious about being optimistic but I’ll take a short term success at the moment and try and stay positive hoping he is turning a corner! Krista
Hi Krista – I’m so glad that there was good news on Saturday, I’ve been hoping that was the case. Petey’s white blood cell count took a little while to stabilize, hopefully the prednisone adjustment will help Seamus.
As far as the diarrhea, yes – unfortunately Petey had that side effect. In our case, cephalexin was the main culprit and it caused a rash in addition to the diarrhea so we had to change to another antiobiotic. Once Petey was down to just taking Azathioprine, his bowels finally went to “loose” and then back to “normal”.
We’ll definitely continue to keep you in our thoughts and prayers. Thinking good thoughts for you on Thursday.
Seamus update: Blood test on saturday, his platelets went up to over 80K and were clumped, so most likely they were a little higher so that was good news. On the negative, his white blood cell count went up so the Dr. is lowering the Predisone a little bit keeping everything else the same and we will check blood again on thursday to see if that helped. His RBC count came down a little bit too, but the Dr. didn’t seem too concerned about that. Hoping for another positive patelet count on thursday. Question – did Sugar and Petey have bouts of diarrhea from the meds? poor Seamus has been dealing with this on and off since he came home. Thank you Shawna and Denise for your kinds words and thoughts! I pray for things to get better or stay better for all our doggies. Krista
Krista,
Wow, you have truly been put through the emotional ringer! (as well as the financial ringer!) I am sorry it has been so hard on you and seamus! This is such a hard path to walk down – feeling like I am being dragged where I dont want to go, but have to! I pray that these new drugs will be exactly what seamus needs and will work perfectly! Sugar was always on two meds and still is! The dose of Imuran has not changed, they have only changed to Prednisone! I pray for excellent test results on Saturday! I know every time I take Sugar for a blood check, I just want to see improvement – I dont care how big, just like you said, moving in the right direction! Will be waiting to hear!
Shawna
Krista, I’m so happy to hear that Seamus is home, we’ll continue to send positive thoughts your way.
The ICU care is so hard on the heart and budget. You know you need it, but the expenses seem to be never-ending. Every once in a while, a hospital will work with you on ways to cut the costs – like giving giving a discount if you ask, or even asking if a tech vs a vet can administer a test to keep the costs down, etc. Every little bit helps.
Best wishes til the next update,
Denise
seamus update: they released him finally to go home today after being there 5 days. His platelets went up slightly every day – from 5K, to 16k, to 28k, to 38K today, after 2 blood transfusions, and his RBC count has been holding steady for 2 days at 35. I so hope the medicine is working and he is headed in the right direction, as I would not be able to afford another 16K(total all expenses so far) of ICU care. next follow-up blood examination and blood work with the Specialist will be on Saturday. thanks for all the positive vibes and thoughts. Krista
Thanks that’s so nice of you, but he’s in probably the best critical care center in NYC so I’m comfortable he’s getting the right treatment. They say they see this often, but every case is different. his platelets fell to 5K which is why he started to bleed last night. I’ve never read any case where a dog had absolutely no response at all to an immune-suppressant med, but the waiting is torturous, and of course the Dr’s don’t want to sound too pessimistic or optimistic and just state the facts of what is going on. Thank you for keeping us in your prayers and I will give an update tomorrow. Sharing and reading experiences others go through with this is definitely helpful.
Krista, I’ll keep you in my thoughts and prayers. I have no idea if it would help, but I can email you our vets contact info – sometimes on cases like these, vets do consult with one another. Like people, our copanions respond differently to treatment. Just a thought, and really just want to offer anything I can to help.
Hi Denise – they did an ultrasound and x-ray and didn’t find anything in that regard. However,I just spoke to the DR in intensive care where he is. now overnight, his RBC count has fallen from 34 to 20 and he threw up some blood clots, which would indicate bleeding in his GI Tract. They gave him an IV of steroids this AM and are watching him closely. They said it’s now a matter of the meds hopefully kicking in to get the platelet numbers up and dealing with all these complications as they arise until then. They are still concerned with his breathing, but they said it doesn’t seem to be any worse than yesterday. I’m so scared the Leflunomide isn’t going to work at this point, and we have possibly 3 more days until it does.
Krista, I’m so sorry you and Seamus have to go through this. I agree that not knowing is one of the hardest parts of this.
Does Seamus have ascites (fluid build up in the abdominal cavity)? Petey had a pretty severe case and That also contributed to his labored breathing.
It’s an extremely difficult time to go through. You know him better than anyone, just keep an eye out for any new symptoms or changes and let the vet know. At one point Petey had an ultrsound to check his internal organs – thanksfully everything looked good which gave us a little peace of mind. The costs I’ve seen range from $300 – $500. I don’t remember what ours was at the time, but I can pull the paperwork if you need a better idea.
Keeping you in our thoughts,
Denise
Thank you for the kinds words of support. They are scaring me about his breathing. It’s like he’s breathing deeper(mouth shut). They said it’s atypical than other Pred-type side-effect breathing they’ve seen. Of course they aren’t ruling it out, or the fact that his liver is enlarged and may be pushing up against his diaphragm or other organs making breathing a little more difficult. But they’re not sure. All the uncertainty and not knowing what’s going to happen next is enough to make you crazy. They gave him a 60% prognosis based on the fact that he’s a more complicated case since he didn’t just improve on Prednisone alone. But most cases I read about the dog almost always required another med. I’m sure they are just being cautious, but it’s all just so scary.
Krista, I’m so sorry to hear the Seamus is back in the hospital – however it’s good that he has an even more experienced specialist. Petey was on Prednisone for quite some time, and he did have a lot of heavy breathing and panting during that time.
I know it’s horrendously difficult. In some cases it takes a few times of changing meds and dosages to find the best combination for whats going on at the time. I think Petey was on 11 meds at his most critical point, the vet made the adjustment as his body changed and responded to each treatment. Our thoughts are with you. Please let us know if there’s anything we can do to help.
Denise
HI there -Seamus update: well, he’s back in the hospital. Friday’s blood test showed his platelets plummeted to 38K. we met with a new dr. the critical care dr.’s recommended who has more experience with this disease. After reviewing everything, he said that Seamus doesn’t have Evan’s but has the ITP half of it, and the low platelets and the internal bleeding is what causes the RBC count to drop. So they gave him another transfusion, increased the Pred and added Leflunomide, another strong immune-suppressant that supposedly works in same manner as imuran and cyclosporine but doesn’t have as strong side effects on the liver, which is already causing him issues, and Demarin, the liver protectant. To make matters worse, his breathing seems to be a little erratic and heavy. Although this is a known side effect of the Pred, they are concerned about a blood clot in the lungs. If he has one it would be very bad as they can’t do anything about it because the normal course of action is baby aspirin, but obviously adding a blood thinner to a dog with low platelets is not an option. This emotional roller coaster is so heart-breaking. I’m praying this new drug protocol works.
Shawna, what a fantastic update on Sugar!!
I’m so happy that she’s so much better. Hopefully before you know it, the visits will be spaced further and further apart. I’ll bet Sugar is a star patient at the vets!
I’m glad you found a healthy food brand she likes, I think that also makes a big difference in their overall health. I couldn’t believe the change in the coat of our two. Petey’s went from being dull and coarse to smoothe and shiny pretty quickly.
Shawna – thanks again for stopping by with a great update. I’m so happy for you and your family. Keep it coming and have a great week ahead.
Denise
SUGAR update: I cant believe it has been a month since I last posted! Sugar is doing very well right now. Last Friday her PCV was 43%. We have gone every two weeks for a checkup and medication adjustment. As of today, we continue the Imuran every other day and are now giving 20mg of Prednisone every other day. We will return now in 3 weeks! She is slowly returning to “normal” – she is still not 100% her usual playful self like she was before, but she tries. She may never be 100% but what she is now is perfectly good with us! She has gained about 10 pounds since she was so sick and we are trying to hold her weight steady there. We continue to see the specialist and they have given approval to continue Heartguard and Comfortis. We have her on Blue Buffalo food and she loves it! It is the Wilderness one(high protein) since we know we will be battling yeast again once the Prednisone is taken away! So, the less carbs the better!
I feel for each one of you as you take on this challenge. I cannot stress enough the value I feel in using a specialist; I truly believe it has made a difference!
Krista, I hope the blood test was good news on Friday!
Ann, Congratulations on your good news!
LeeAnn, I truly believe you would benefit froma good specilaist!
Thanks
Shawna
Krista,
I’m so sorry to hear that you and Seamus are battling Evan’s. I’m glad to hear that he’s responding to treatment, we’ll definitely keep him in our thoughts and prayers.
The ups and downs are so difficult, we had a few episodes where we thought things were not going in the right direction, but after a tweak to meds, he’s was on the road to recovery, so hang in there if there are some rough spots along the way. Please keep us posted on his progress.
All my best,
Denise
I relate to all these stories and how scary they are. My Brussells Griffon Seamus, who is 9, collapsed on feb 24th. I rushed him to the vet and low and behold his red blood count and platelets were dangerously low. THe vet said he needed to go to a critical care center immediately.
There after a blood transfusion and further testing he was diagnosed with Evan’s. His platelets were 15,000 and RBC (after transfusion) was 28. It fell to 22 and he started having blood in his stool. so they gave him another transfusion to give the prednisone, the human hemoglobin, and Vincristine IV time to work. After 4 days he was discharged with his RBC at 30 and platelets at 85.
3 days later, his platelets fell to 50. The Dr’s thinks he had a surge at first with the hemoglobin but now on just prednisone the amount is not enough. They increased his dosage from 10mg to 15mg. and as of monday his platelets rose back to over 80, RBC still at 30. they were going to start him on Azathioprine but decided against it for the time being since he 1. seemed to be responding to the higher dose of Prednisone and 2. his liver enzymes rose(side effect of the pred), not to a dangerous level but would rather not introduce a new powerful drug that could exacerbate the side effects he was having. They never found any signs of cancer masses, poison, tick, or infection so hopefully at this point its just finding the right medication and dosage to get him back to normal ranges. He goes for another blood test friday morning. Praying that he is now on the right track!!
Leann
I would not worry about it be “toxic”. My setter who has bone cancer one of her test came back same way. Next test she was fine and she is having chemo! She has had her leg amputated a week ago and you would not believe the difference! She acts like a puppy again!
I also agree with Denise about internal medicine specialist! I know it is what got Bandit through it! How is Pancho doing? We know how you are feeling! Please keep us posted and we will be saying prayers for your family and Pancho!!!!
Denise
Thank you so much for your kindness. I have started searching for a specialist in my area. It is so hard to believe my little boy is sick becuz he sure doesn’t act like he is. If you saw him you would not believe there was anything wrong. I did pick up a copy of his labwork and saw a mention that his neutrophils looked slightly “toxic”. Do you know what that means?
Thanks again. Just having a place to put into words What is happening seems to help the anxiety.
Ann!!! Thank you so much for posting the wonderful update. It’s so good to hear the happy endings when you’re in the midst of battling this terrible beast of a disease. I’ve thought about you often.
If you or anyone else ever wants to submit a photo, I’d love to post it. Send it to denise @ The name of this website. (I’d list it but the spammers are always on the prowl).
Big hugs to you and Bandit!
Just a quick update on Bandit. February 27 is her 1 year anniversary of her diagnosis of Evans disease. Her platelet count as of today is 256,000! She is doing great She has not had any meds since June! Hopefully we will not have to go through this again. I guess we will never know what set her off!
We say a prayer everyday that someday nobody else ever has to go through this. Hopefully find what causes this! We wish everybody the best! Stay strong because the dogs can make it!
Hi Leann,
I’m so sorry to hear all that you and Pancho have had to go through. One of the toughest things about Evans and IMHA is getting an accurate diagnosis in a timely manner.
In my experience with Petey, and knowing others who have battled this, a specialist can make all the difference in the world. Petey is treated by an internal medicine specialist who I truly feel saved his life.
Petey was tested for Lyme disease. We don’t live in an area that is normally associated with lyme, but apparently it can mimic Evans and IMHA symptoms and they wanted to rule that out early on.
Knowing what I know, I would recommend finding a specialist who has had experience in treating Evans and IMHA. Please keep us posted, we’ll keep you in our thoughts.
Hi, my Pancho is a shi tzu, 4 1/2 yo, and was diagnosed with IMHa June 2011. He has always had a huge appetite and when he turned down his food I knew something was wrong. His gums and tongue were also pale. The next day I took him to the vet and his hct was low. I don’t recall exactly but he was started on imuran prednisone doxycycline and misoprostol. I have all this in my notes at home. For I week I was not sure he would make it, but as I read other stories it seems we were lucky. He never needed a transfusion. We eventually weaned him off all medications and thought all was great. I always wondered if his diagnosis was correct. It seems that the Coombs test didn’t exactly do as you would expect. The vet tested him 6 times for heart worms thinking it was that. Anyway, in December I noticed him chewing on himself and scratching a lot. He had horrible bruises and a scabby black sore on his tail he would not let me touch. Back to the vet who said it was hot spots, gave him a shot of steroids and prednisone 5 mg once a day for 5 days. I noticed this past weekend he was scratching his ears and looked and they were all bruised. Back to the vet. He did swabs and said a little yeast. Looked him over. We found little bruised scattered wherever he had probably scratched himself. He sd we don’t know how much of this he just did to himself. I asked him to do bloodwork to satisfy myself it was nothing. His platelets were 10,000 but his hct was normal. He said that they could have just clumped but would send to outside lab to make sure. He also sd that on prior test his count had been low which they assumed clumping. Some times it had been normal.Outside lab confirmed these not clumped, really low.so he says it’s Evans and we will start him back on imuran etc. He said there were other symptoms of evans but he wasn’t interested, felt this what it was. Asked if could be cancer somewhere but told possible but he had no way of knowing. Now I know that most of these cases seem to come on pretty quickly, but as I look back I know that last spring he had been getting sick for a while. It was a general slowing down over several months. And I know that he has had these bruises off and on for quite some time. I can’t even imagine what his platelets were in December when he had “hotspots” but the shot and small dose of prednisone helped for a couple of months I guess. He doesnt act sick. Does anyone think there is any other possibility he may not have Evans. I don’t really like any other diff diagnoses. I just want to be sure what I am dealing with. I think I may try to find a specialist.
Shawna,
Thank you for your post. I have tears in my eyes at this moment–thinking of Juan. I can’t forget how sadly he looked at me that last morning. You are right about being taken by surprise by this disease. I never would have dreamed that Juan would have something as terrible as this. He was the strongest dog I had ever known, but Evan’s Syndrome took him down like he was a weak little puppy! Please let me know how your dog is progressing. I wish you the best with your dog, Sugar.
Frieda
Frieda,
I am so very sorry for your loss. Please do not doubt your and your husbands decision. You took wonderful care of Juan and I can tell you loved him very much. You made your decision based on love and what was best for Juan! The pain in doing so is so difficult at times to bear – your grief is real and you must allow yourself the time to grieve your loss. This is a devastating disease and very aggressive; it takes us by surprise because we have never heard of it and we are faced with making a life altering decision during a period of shock and confusion! This is part of the reason it is so emotional – we have no time to think or even try to prepare ourselves. My heart hurts for you and I pray that your guilt and pain will ease soon.
Shawna
Hi Frieda,
Petey’s illness and his original story as a rescue is what made me create this site. Unfortunately, from what I have seen and experienced, there just isn’t enough awareness and experience in the veterinary community with treating Evan’s and IMHA.
I think we just “got lucky” in finding the specialist that treated Petey. He was a referral from our family friend and vet. Even he said that Petey was an extremely difficult case and we got to one point where he told us that things weren’t looking very good. I don’t know if we would have had the same outcome with another vet. I hope that as the success stories are published more vets will take a longer, more aggressive approach to treatment.
My thoughts are with you. Allow yourself the time to grieve, it’s not something we can rush. Also remember the good times, and know that everything you did was with love and caring.
Denise, thank you for your kind words and I want to say that I’m very sorry about the loss of your dog, Cajun. I am crying every day for Juan. Just can’t help myself. I am still really confused as to why no one wanted to treat him. Some of the other dogs that I’ve read about in Success Stories seemed in worse condition than Juan and yet they bounced back and are leading happy, healthy lives. I would have done anything or paid any amount to see to it that Juanny got back to his old energetic self. My husband firmly believes that he was “too far gone”……. but he had only been sick a very short time. Anyway, I was wondering if anybody else has had an experience like mine. I am very happy for those of you who have had such great success in fighting this disease and in so doing, have given your pet a new lease on life.
Frieda, I am so very sorry for your loss. Please, please don’t doubt yourself – you’re already going through a tremendously difficult time. The decision you made for Juan was based out of love, that is the thought I hope you will hold on to. I had to make that decision with Cajun, who was diagnosed with end-stage liver disease. It is extremely difficult, but again, a decision made with love and compassion. I wish you peace and healing during a difficult time. Thank you for sharing your story. Please keep in touch, we’re here to help, and we care.
My dog, Juan, was euthanized on Friday, Feb. 3. We received a diagnosis of Evan’s Syndrome just the night before. Juan had just recently lost his appetite and I had been tempting him with canned dog food–which he ate a little of. He was becoming lethargic as well.
I remarked that he must be finally calming down some because he was always “wide open”. He was only 5 years old. On Thursday night, he seemed okay, but he becan sneezing and blood was coming from his nose. My husband immediately rushed off to the emergency clinic with him. The vet–after many blood tests–diagnosed him with Evan’s disease and suggested that he be euthanized that night. I said, “No way!” I was in shock! I told my husband to bring him back home– which he did. The next morning, his nose began bleeding again. He tried to go through his regular routine, but was too weak. My husband took him to our regular vet and they looked over his blood tests and said that he did need to be euthanized. My boy was put to sleep and I am left wondering if something could have been done for him. My husband agreed with the vets’ diagnosis. I feel so guilty! I am very sorry for anyone who has to deal with this disease!
Christy, so good to hear from you, thanks for saying hello, you’ve been in my thoughts.
Shawna – What a great update! Thank you for continuing to update us, it gives everyone who’s battling this horrible disease hope. Years from our original diagnosis, I still breathe a huge sigh of relief everytime I get results back and I hear the words “normal”. We’re keeping the good thoughts going your way. Sorry to hear you had to miss your son’s basketball game – hope his team won. It’s always nice when things get back to normal. Hope that happens quickly for you.
Denise, thank you for this blog or whatever. I hadnt been able to return til now. Its nice to know dogs do survive this. Shawna it sounds like yr baby is doing well. You all have my prayers.
Denise,
Yes I am reading…….sorry to let so much time go by without an update! Sugar seems to be slowly improving. Her PCV count Monday was 30-31. I took her for another PCV with a CBC today and am waiting for those results. Her energy level has improved and she is eating very well! We have her on Blue Buffalo Wilderness; she is getting meds 3x daily – Prednisone, Doxycycline and Carafate and then Imuran every other day. We spread her water out over the course of the day instead of leaving her bowl full, otherwise she drinks so much in one sitting that she has accidents! I am still getting up once during the night to take her out to help prevent accidents! We had to cancel our trip this weekend – we were going to Kansas to watch our son play basketball, but just felt her care and needs were too intense right now to leave. So every day we get a little more hopeful! Thanks for thinking of us. I will let you know the numbers as soon as I get them!
Shawna, if you’re reading, how is Sugar doing? Hoping the numbers are rising and she’s feeling better..
Hi Denise, Sugar had a very good night. She, of course, slept with us! We got up around 4am to check on her and let her use the bathroom. I took her at 10am for her blood work and her PCV was up from 20 to 25. That was good news. They are also running another retic count to check on bone marrow function. I have not heard from them about the results yet. Sugar is still weak and just lies around. She did go and get her ball but decided she was too tired to play! Hopefully things will continue on this healing trend. Thanks for the support!
Shawna – Thanks so much for posting back, I’ve been wondering how things are going for you. Very glad to hear that the pcv is going up and that Sugar will be able to rest at home for the night. Keeping the good thoughts going for you both.
Sugar update: The chest xray and abdominal ultrasound were both normal. The retic count was a little low, but not low enough to make the vet super concerned. Still waiting on the tick titer. No more blood transfusions so far. Her pcv count is now up to 20 and they are letting her come home for the night. We will go back in the morning for another pcv and another retic count. So for tonight we just have to watch her closely – her gum color and breathing etc.
Shawna,
Thank you for sharing your progress, we have Sugar in our thoughts, I know what a difficult process this is. The expenses you have shared to this point are in line with what ours were. I’m happy to hear that the platelets dont seem to be involved. My understanding is that it indicates it’s not Evan’s. Again, I’m not a vet, just what we understood from our experience. With Petey, it was purely his red blood cells that were effected.
Please keep us posted on Sugar.Wishing you all the best. Thank you for sharing your experience, I know it’s difficult.
Thank you Denise! We picked up Sugar this morning from the emergency clinic ($1800) and took her to the specialist. We have let them keep her in case she needs another transfusion. That required a $2000 deposit. Hope this information will help others too! They will be running some more tests to make a definitive diagnosis. At this time they have somewhat disagreed with the emergency clinics diagnosis of Evans syndrome in that the platelets do not seem involved. They will be doing a Reticulocyte count, Tick titer, chest xray, abdominal ultrasound to help them make a firm diagnosis. Sugar seemed a little more alert this morning but her count was still only at 15. Any lower and she will need another transfusion. I cried all day yesterday but am better today. So, now we wait to hear the results of the tests. I so appreciate reading the posts here and hope I can help others the way this has helped me!
Shawna,
I’m so sorry to hear of your girls diagnosis, and that you have to go through this. The largest portion of our treatment cost was in the initial overnight stays. Petey was hospitalized for three days and had to have multiple (3) transfusions and round the clock care to get him through those initial days. From what we have heard, those are the touchiest.
The vet that treated him for IMHA and that still sees him for regular check-ups is an internal medicine specialist. Although it may seem more costly, in the long run, it helped us reach a faster diagnosis and appropriate treatment.
I wish you the best, if you have any questions whatsoever, please post back. If I can’t answer them, perhaps one of our readers can or I can give you our vets contact information. Vets do consult with one another.
Our 5 year old German Shepherd was diagnosed last night with Evans Syndrome. Needless to say, we are devastated! This morning she had to have a blood transfusion. She is such an amazing dog – she constantly is surprising us with her intelligence and love and devotion. I am so afraid of losing her. Will keep you posted. I appreciate the posts from everyone! I am also concerned about the cost – saw a post earlier saying $8000.00 at least!
Christy,
My heart aches for your loss. I’m so very sorry to hear your news. Charlie was incredibly lucky to have you by his side in good times and bad. You rescued him and gave him the gift of love and a good life with you and also in passing, the gift to have it happen with love, dignity and grace. Thank you for posting and for your love and respect of your companions. My heart and thoughts are with you.
Sorry to say we lost Charlie today. This is so painful. At least he was able to spend his last night at home with his favorite toy and sleeping next to me. This is a horrible disease. I pray they figure it out eventually.
Christy, that’s great news!
My husband goes on an annual fishing trip and when Petey was in the hospital with absolutely no appetite, we hand fed him pieces of cooked tuna. He started with a few bites, and eventually started eating a little more each day. Maybe something that smells different than the norm will stir his appetite a bit? Cooked chicken and turkey were also “bribes” that helped get some of those medicines down.
We’re keeping you in our thoughts.
good news today. Did Charley’s transfusion at the VCA hosptial. Not reg vet office. Just got the call his pcp protien was at 11% when they started hes up to 36!! Fever gone as well just wont eat yet. They are cking in a few hours and if hes stable gets to come home. Lots of meds they say and daily bloodwork will be a must. So thankful we tried this . Lost a dog a few yrs ago after transfusing but was done at reg vets office. These big clinics are here for a reason! Thnaks for the support will keep u posted. He do was rescued at 7 months. now is 6.
Christy, I’m so sorry to hear you’re going through this, it is an emotionally draining experience. I’m not a vet, but I can tell you that after several, several months of trying different treatments and combinations of medications, Petey’s condition (Immuned Mediated Hemolytic Anemia) stabilized and he is now a “normal”, happy, healthy guy.
Petey is a rescue who had a horrendous past and seemed to have a tremendous will to live. In his case, I felt that if he had a fighting chance, I wanted to give it to him. He had at least three transfusions in the beginning. If he had not had them, I don’t think he would have made it more than a few days, he was that weak. In a couple posts, I’ve listed the treatment (meds) he was given to give you an idea of what it took to get through it.
It was no doubt a heart-wrenching experience and I’m sorry to hear you’re going through it. I’ll be happy to share any information that may be helpful. Please keep us posted on Charlie.
My dog Charlie has just been diagnosed after taking an anitboitic for an ear infection called cefpodoxime. Immediately showed symptoms such as not eating and not moving off the staircase. Also urinated on himself. took him in and he has fever of 104.5 and blood work showed Evans. all other things been ruled out. After fluids etc he is not doin better and Vet tryin meds and possible transfusion. I want to know if this is just a bandaid and if it works can he have a good quality of life. Lost another dog to similar situation after puttin her thru all this.
Ann, that’s fantastic news – thanks for a great update!!!
I’m so glad the Lepto shot didn’t cause any negative reactions. I was hoping we wouldn’t see another Lepto outbreak, sorry to hear it’s back.
Petey is fantastic, his next check-up will be in December for a full annual exam.
Keep the great news coming, I know it gives hope to those that are battling as well as those that have battled. Have a wonderful time in Georgia!
Took Bandit in for checkup yesterday before we leave on vacation to Georgia. She had her Lepto shot back in August and had no reaction to shot. Platelet count dropped down 69,000 but clumped and coming back adequate. Yesterday’s platelet count was 254,000! She has been on NO medication since June! She did get steroid shot right before her Lepto shot and had 37 1/2 mg of benedryal for about 3 days every 8 hours! Seemed to work and glad we did it cause we have had a outbreak of Lepto here in Michigan!
We hope Petey and all other dogs with this disease are doing well! Dogs are amazing and can overcome so many things!
We take Petey in for a check-up this Tuesday, all outward appearances are good. I always rest much easier after a clean bill of health though.
His vet has excused him for life for getting any vaccinations. In IMHA, there is research that suggests vaccinations are a trigger. We aren’t taking any chances that may lead to a relapse. Wishing everyone here continued healthfor their loved ones – furry and non.
Jan,
So sorry for your lose! We feel terrible for you! My heart goes out to anybody who has to deal with this since you love them with all of your heart! This is a terrible disease and comes on so fast! Same thing happened to Bandit. Little bruise on inside of leg and 2 hours later it was 6 inches large!
Bandit is running at 145000 platelets but they are clumped! She has been steady for 2 months now off of steroids! She just had lepto shot and had no reaction. We did give her benedrayl and she had a shot of dexamothsone! We are doing weekly blood test for next month to make sure she does not have reaction! Dr. Kuehn her internal medicine vet says shots dont cause problem! Not sure of this but she had reaction 6 months after so do not think that was what set it off. Still do not know!
This is scary because you do not what can send them into reaction! Please keep us informed on any information you can find out!
Jan, let us know if you find anything conclusive about dogs being genetically predisposed to Evan’s. I hope your findings support being able to adopt Cliffords brother – I do understand the cost issue. Petey’s formal diagnosis was IMHA and the cost is essentially the same. It’s such a brutally difficult thing to go through and battle. I look forward to your updates.
Dear Denise, Thank you for your input. I am now researching Evan’s syndrome as a genetic disorder, because we could possibly adopt Clifford’s brother. But, we couldn’t go through another of this. If your dog has this syndrome, it will cost at least $8,000, and this is just a down payment. There is no price we wouldn’t pay, but we would now have to sell our house. Let’s keep in touch.
Jan, I’m so sorry for your loss. You did everyhing you could for Clifford, it was wonderful that you found each other, even though that time was cut short.
Thank you for sharing your story, we’ll keep you in our thoughts during this difficult time.
Evan’s syndrome is such a terrible disease–a double whamee. Our dog, Clifford, a red standard poodle, was sick for less than a day. We took him immediately to our vet who recommended we take him immediately to UC Davis Specialty Vet Hospital where he was diagnosed within an hour, given 3 blood transfusions, autoimmune suppressors, etc., etc., He was only 2 years old, and on the third day of treatment, had blood clots that went to the brain. We are so mourning his death, and I feel a special connection to anyone who has to experience this terrible disease. My thoughts and prayers are with all of you.
Thank your for your good thoughts! the one thing I left out of all of this was Bandit is from the Domincian Repulblic. I was asked to foster her and my 2 irish settes feel in love with her! So I truley believe they find us! She is a great cattle dog and trys to herd setters all the time! Since her diagnose and treatment she has more energy than she ever had! So there is always hope even when you think it looks bad. That is what I think about my setter too. Bandit is now the one who keeps the lookout on the setter like Bailey did when Bandit was sick! We sends prayers for Petey and your other dog! We are glad Petey is still doing good. You also gave us hope when Bandit was sick. Please keep this going and let people know there is hope!
Ann, I’m so sorry to hear about your Irish Setters diagnosis, I’ll be sending good thoughts your way. A friend of ours drove an hour each way to a canine cancer center for chemo treatments and it did give them more happy years together. Please keep us posted.
I’m a firm believer that our dogs have a way of picking us. Our other rescue suffers from a seizure disorder which I’ll be posting on very soon.
It sounds like you’re in good hands with MI Veterinary Specialists. Often people think that a specialist will be more expensive, but in our case, having a fast proper diagnosis not only saved Petey’s life, it also cut our costs by having an internal medicine vet who was familiar with IMHA and it’s treatment. He knew what to test for.
I know Grosse Pointe Woods! I grew up in Pontiac before they started calling it “The Yak”. I left in early ’85 when the economy started to get really bad. I still have relatives all over southern MI and am due for a visit next summer.
yes it funny how they know who will help them through one of the toughest times of their life! Michigan Veterinay Specilaits also tell me that the dogs pick us we don’t pick them They know who will take care of them! We live in Grosse Pointe Woods. I was hoping to be finished with MVS after Bandit’s next blood test on July 5 but my one of my other dogs, a irish setter was just dianosed with bone cancer. They have never seen muiltilobular cancer in the leg so we have just started Chemo last Saturday! Have know idea what will happen but have to say MVS is the best place to go! Where did you grow up in Michigan?
Ann,
Thank you for the positive update, during such a trying time, it’s always nice to hear the success stories. Isn’t it funny how Bandit and Petey seem to know that they’re in a place that helped them. Petey loves the tech that helped him through the roughest points – she hand fed him during his initial hospital stay and they became best buds.
where in MI are you? That’s where I grew up. 😉
I also did forget to mention that she is not being treated by our vet. From the first day of this disease she has been treated by Michigan Veterinay Specialists. You would think she would not like going there since she spent 2 days there and so many blood test after but she loves it there and especially her vet tech Danielle (by the way she is a vet also). Dogs are remarkable and can bounce back quickly!
Natasha it is a very scary disease but sounds like you caught it in time! With Bandit we had no clue except for a bruise on inside of leg. She had just had blood test for yearly checkup and was told she was great! 24 hours later we were in the ER with her. She repsonded quicly to predisone and we are on out 4 month aniversary! Once we started treatment she has only gotten better! I know you are always worrying but there are success stories! Bandit has 1 more blood test and then they consider her in remission. Bandit and I will being saying prayers for you and your little girl!
Natasha, I’m so sorry you’re having to go through this. It is a serious disease, although there are definitely positive outcomes. The blood transfusion was a huge turning point for us. Know that there may be ups and downs along the way, but hang in there. Petey is doing great now, lots of energy and his test results continue to be “normal”. This August will mark three years from his original diagnosis!
Please keep us updated on your girls progress and feel free to ask questions at any time.
Thank you guys for the positive view on this disease. My 3 year old Pom/Poodle mix was diagnosed on Saturday. We did the emergency blood transfusion, and she was able to come home from the ER late last night. We take her back today for blood work to see how she is reacting. I’m scared to death! Almost everything I’ve read has been so negative!
@Ann, that’s fantastic news!!!! I feel as happy for you as I was for Petey when he got off his meds and was on the road to recovery. Thanks so much for another encouraging story. Definitely – Keep the faith! Big hugs
UPDATE ON BANDIT 6/7/2011. Bandit had a blood test yesterday. She had been on 5mg of predisone every other day.
platelet count was 269,000 pvc 46! She started out on 40mg of predisone a day. She has come a long way! Starting today she has been taken off all meds and goes for blood count in 1 month! Hopefully she will continue to stay strong! We pray for every dog and their owners who have to go through this! But the dogs can have a great outcome! Keep the faith!!!
Hi Ann, I’m sorry, not sure how I missed your post earlier. Thank you so much for stopping by. I’m so glad to hear that Bandit is getting better. She sounds like Petey – determined!
Bandit sounds like she’s in great hands. Since you know her so well, it’s a lot easier to spot any “off” behavior. Prayers for her as well. Please stop by again, I’d love to hear an update!
Hopefully Petey is feeling better!! I know this is a very scary disease. My dog Bandit who just turned 2 was diagnosed on February 28, 2011 with Evans disease. She was put on 40mg of predisone right away. Luckly she responded right away. She is now down to 5mg of predisone a day. She got sick last sunday but I think it was from heartworm pill. Her platelet count was 215,000 and red blood count 45. Down a bit but they tell she is in normal range. There is always hope! She has fought very hard to get this far. Will be saying prayers for Petey! At this time Bandit seems pretty good. But always have an extra eye on her!