My dog has a really low red blood cell count My vet is giving him predisone to build this back up. good?

Question

anyway this started about a week and a half ago no apparent reason for his blood count to be going down. Does any one know what could be causing this. This is a mystery even to the vet. Does anyone know what could be causing a dogs red blood cell to be going down? Is predizone usually used to build it back up?

Answer 1

Wow this is strange. My dog was given Prednizone for allergies. I thought this was a steroid, I didnt know it was for red cell count.When my dog was ailing (cancer) and needed blood count boost I supplemented his diet with liver. Chicken livers are really good and boost energy. I made a concoction of chickens livers boiled or micorwaved and mixed this with rice. You can also give the dog beef liver. It stinks to high heaven cooking it but is great for the dog. Is it possible that the dog has gotten into a poison of some kind in the last week. This is the time of year when everyone is putting antifreeze in their cars and leaving bottles open and spilling the stuff on the floor. Cats and dogs love the taste of antifreeze and people are really careless with this stuff. It is absolutely lethal if not caught in time. I am not trying to scare you but look around your garage or basement and check out the neighborhood and call your vet right away and ask if these are symptoms of antifreeze ingestion.

Answer 2

Predisone is given for many things as it has many properties which affect different aspects of a living being. It has anti-inflammatory properties and is used for allergies and lung problems. It also has immunosuppresive properties. If this dog has immune mediated hemolytic anemia it could stop the destruction of the blood cells by the dog's body. But it doesn't mean that's what the dog has. What is the dog's PCV (packed cell volume)? What tests did the vet run to determine the cause of anemia? If the pred isn't having an affect (not stopping destruction of the red blood cells) further tests will need to be done. Anemia (low red blood cells) can result from a chronic disease, blood loss into the GI or other area in the body, destruction by parasites or the own animals immune system. Also renal failure, or bone marrow (where the red blood cells are made) disease. So the pred isn't buliding the blood cells back up but if used for immune mediated hemolytic anemia is used to prevent them from being destroyed.

Answer 3

Prednisone is a steroid that weakens the dog's immune system. It's commonly used to treat autoimmune hemalytic anemia, which is a disease that causes a dog's white blood cells to destroy the red blood cells. As with most medications, you have to balance the benefits against the side effects. (the best way is to do some research on the internet)

If your vet doesn't know what's causing the low red cell count, I would find a different vet immediately. If this is autoimmune hemalytic anemia, it is an extremely serious disease and you will want a vet with as much knowledge about it as possible.

I have read that zinc poisoning can cause similar symptoms (from swallowing a penny) but I don't know if it is true or not.

Answer 4

RE:
My dog has a really low red blood cell count My vet is giving him predisone to build this back up. good?
anyway this started about a week and a half ago no apparent reason for his blood count to be going down. Does any one know what could be causing this. This is a mystery even to the vet. Does anyone know what could be causing a dogs red blood cell to be going down? Is predizone usually used to build...

Answer 5

Well first the Vet needs to figure out what is causing the problem not just the solution. If you fix the problem then it keep happening, if you only work on the solution then it is probable that it will continue to occur. Jaundice is the yellowish discoloration of the skin and of the whites of the eyes caused by abnormally high levels of the pigment bilirubin in the bloodstream. Old or damaged red blood cells are constantly being removed from the circulation, mainly by the spleen. This causes a low blood count. More then likely the liver is in need of attention. If the liver improves then yellowing will go away. What you need to do is talk to your vet about the best possible plan that is with in your budget and go there. Try to only listen to the trained professionals. You can get a second opinion but it will cost more. Good Luck! Sorry about Tinkerbell.

Answer 6

RBC is an abbreviation for red blood cell count. These cells are responsible for transporting oxygen throughout the body. Oxygen is used as fuel for the body and is very important. High red blood cell numbers usually indicate dehydration but can also indicate uncommon diseases that cause an excess production of red blood cells from the bone marrow. Low red blood cell counts are referred to as anemia and can be a result of blood loss, active bleeding, bone marrow disease or excessive red blood cell breakdown that is seen in some immune diseases and toxin ingestion.
There are causes to WHY the dog would be anemic, and that would have to be determined through physical exam, medical history and (maybe more extensive) blood work. Could be an autoimmune disease, kidney or liver disease, cancer, drug or toxin reaction, vitamin or mineral deficiency, hypothyroid, heavy intestinal parasite infestation...
Prednisone is a steroid and can help suppress the immune system, helping to prevent red blood cell destruction. This could take months or years.
What was the primary cause of concern that you brought your dog into the vet? Lethargy? Rapid heart beat? Blood noticed in urine or stool? Pale gums? Fever? Depression?
Any questions regarding therapy or prognosis should be directed to your vet. Have a paper and pen ready with a list of questions and write down the answers to help you remember. The vet should NOT mind questions, this tells them that your are concerned for your pets well being and you want to do everything you can.

Answer 7

Hi, I understand that you are looking for some advice or resources to help fully train your dog or fix behavior problems. If a professional dog trainer is not an option at this time, or if you want to trt training your dog on your own (a great way to bond), I'd suggest you https://biturl.im/aU7OY

A friend recommened it to me a few years ago, and I was amazed how quickly it worked, which is why I recommend it to others. The dog training academy also has as an excellent home training course.

Answer 8

Has your Vet ruled out autoimmune hemalytic anemia? This is a disease where the dogs immune system (WBC) see the RBCs as foreign and attack them. High doses of Pred are a common treatment, Azathioprine (a human med given to help organ transplants from rejecting) should be given short term as well.

Were the WBCs high? Does he have healthy, well formed immature RBCs? What was the RBC count at?

Answer 9

Prednisone is given if the anemia is immune mediated response to the body, meaning the body is attacking the red blood cells and killing them before they develope. The red blood cells go through stages of development in the bone marrow. If the the dog has non regenerative anemia (does not make new red blood cells) they uses a steriod to surpress the dogs body from killing off the new developing blood cells.

Answer 10

I'm not sure but try different vets to see if they say the same thing so your dog doesn't end up dying. But you better do this soon or your dog would end up dying by losing all his blood cells. But try more than one vet.