“Fiela” Tolken

Fiela is a 5 year old, happy and active, Jack Russel terrier. She was brought in to Dr Karin by the owners, because she was suddenly having episodes of weakness, and collapsing every time she played outside. After Dr Karin did a thorough clinical exam, she noticed that Fiela had a fever, extremely pale gums, and a fast, thready pulse. After some in-house laboratory tests, it was discovered that Fiela was severely anaemic, and had a condition called “Immune Mediated Haemolytic Anaemia” (IMHA).

This is a very rare condition, where the immune system malfunctions, and starts destroying its own red blood cells, for no apparent reason. This disease is very serious, and can be fatal, if not treated aggressively! This severe anaemia, is what was making Fiela so weak. Fiela was treated with strong doses of cortisone and a chemotherapy drug, to stop her immune system from attacking itself. Unfortunately, a few days later, her blood count had dropped even further. Fiela rapidly deteriorated, and she was so ill, that we thought we might lose her.

Dr Karin immediately referred Fiela to a specialist hospital for a blood transfusion and overnight monitoring. The blood transfusion was a very risky thing to do, as it could potentially make her even sicker, if her body reacted to the new blood, and destroyed all the new cells, but on the other hand, she could not survive without it. Thankfully Fiela’s blood count increased significantly after the transfusion, and she was much improved, and came back to us for further treatment. Miraculously, Fiela’s blood count finally started climbing, very slowly, until it was back to normal 6 weeks later! She was a real fighter! Fiela had one more relapse about 6 months later, but after the same treatment, she is now back to her old playful self.