Anemia

[julie6dogs]

Hi... My dog Ozzie had his Spleen removed on June 10th with a bleeding Hemangioma.  He had an incident last night where he had become Anemic and his heart rate spiked.  We rushed to the ER vet.  They did not find any bleeding or an enlarged heart.  They said he was anemic and they do not know why other than he may not be regenerating RBCs.  I am an acupuncturist.  I needled him and it seemed to get his heart rate down.  Since it is more stressful for him at the vet, he wants to leave so badly he freaks out, I brought him home.  Can you tell me what is the best formula to help him begin building RBCs?  I don't know if it is the bone marrow or if he has an autoimmune issue or if it is the Hemangioma.  I have him on Vascustatin for the tumors.  What else?  Homeopathy?  Points?  

Thank you for your help....

[Jim Humphries, B.S., D.V.M.]

Hi Julie:  Sounds like you are a very involved dog owner.  He's lucky to have you.  

The most common splenic tumor in dogs is hemangiosarcoma. The breed most commonly affected is the German shepherd dog, but other breeds can be affected too. It is usually seen in older animals.  Other types of tumors affecting the spleen include fibrosarcoma, mast cell tumor, lymphoma, osteosarcoma and leiomyosarcoma

Two-thirds of all splenic tumors are maligant and the remainder are benign
Of the malignant tumors, about two-thirds of them are hemangiosarcoma.
About 80% of the dogs that have internal bleeding due to a ruptured splenic tumor have hemangiosarcoma.  The prognosis with dogs that have hemangiosarcoma is highly variable - some dogs live for about 1 year yet others shorter.  
.
If he had a hemangioma of the spleen, that can cause enough bleeding (slow or fast) to cause anemia, low blood pressure and the other symptoms. Splenic disease can lead to heart beat problems.  If he has made it through the surgery okay he will start rebuilding RBC's on his own and replace the blood volume he lost.  I'm sure the surgeon looked around the abdomen to see if there were any other points of concern.

The Vascustatin is most likely a precaution for spreading of the cancer.  They will work with you on follow-ups as that must be monitored closely.  

I don't know from anything you have said here that would cause a doctor to turn their attention to either an autoimmune disease or a bone marrow problem.  But those certainly are areas of interest and possible things to monitor.  

Excellent nutrition and several weeks of recuperation should do the trick and at his age he should do well as any.  There may be some natural supplements that could stimulate RBC production and Dr. Cheng or one of our nutrition experts may be able to add to this.  

[Jim Humphries, B.S., D.V.M.]

Hi Julie:  

Dr. Cheng's bio shows up on all our doctors.  Med Help is working on fixing that problem.  Hence, I am not the acupuncturist.  I also know that Dr. Cheng is out for a few weeks.  So I can't help you with your specific herbal or acupunt needs.  

Cancer is a horrible disease.  I have just volunteered my time to be on the Board at the National Canine Cancer Foundation to see if I can contribute to the cure.  It has taken many of my pets and my family.  I understand how you feel.  

I felt so bad for Farrah after seeing her story on Lifetime.  My father-in-law just died from the same cancer.  More people should know cancer's devastating effects on both people and pets.  

You have had a very bad sequence of experiences and I do understand how that would make you feel numb and emotionally exhausted.  

That said, I still have pets because of the positive they bring to my life, and even though we have to say good bye much too soon, their love is worth the pain.  

I hope Dr. Cheng or someone on the PetDocsOnCall.com team can help you with the specific questions of acupuncture points and herbs.  

[julie6dogs]

Thank you doctor H... I am lucky to have him.... he is such a sweet boy.  Thank you for your reply.  I sent my questions to Dr. Cheng... I read your reply and answered to quickly I didn't even read that you are the acupuncturist.  Any points I can use to build blood?  Herbs?  Thanks again doc.  This site really helps me not to feel so lonely with this.  This is my 3rd dog in 3 years to die of cancer.  1 other cat, an iguana a bird and a squirrel have all passed during this time.  I am burnt out of pets dying.  Don't know how to feel anymore other than I don't want any more of this.  Julie

[julie6dogs]

As I was saying.. Ozzie is nauseous and his bowel is a very runny and very small amounts.... Is there anything that you can recommend?   Acupuncture points for building the RBCs?   How about the Vacustatin for the tumor blood vessel growth... good idea or not?  Anything else that you know about?  Chinese herbs?  

Thanks.. Julie Riechert