Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Pregnant dog with immune-related anemia and recovery after whelping
By Fernandez, Yordan et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary emergency and critical care (San Antonio, Tex. : 2001)·2020·The Centre for Small Animal Studies, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Pregnancy-associated immune-mediated hemolytic anemia in a dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 6-year-old pregnant Bichon Frise was brought to the vet because she was very tired, not eating, and had low red blood cell counts. Tests showed her body was destroying her own red blood cells, which can happen during pregnancy. After she started giving birth, her anemia improved on its own without any treatment. When her medications were reintroduced later, she didn't have any further issues with anemia. This case highlights that severe anemia in pregnant dogs can sometimes resolve after they give birth.
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Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To describe the clinical presentation, diagnostic investigations, and outcome of a dog with pregnancy-associated immune-mediated hemolytic anemia. CASE SUMMARY: A 6-year-old, pregnant Bichon Frise was presented due to lethargy, inappetence, and progressive regenerative anemia with spherocytosis. The dog had been recently receiving ranitidine and amoxicillin/clavulanate. An in-house saline agglutination test identified marked agglutination and a urinalysis identified hemoglobinuria. Thoracic and abdominal imaging, as well as infectious diseases testing, was unremarkable. The bitch started whelping shortly following hospitalization, and the anemia progressively resolved without any other intervention. Ranitidine and amoxicillin/clavulanate were re-introduced within the following 2 months but the anemia did not reoccur. In light of these findings, a diagnosis of pregnancy-associated immune-mediated hemolytic anemia was made. NEW OR UNIQUE INFORMATION PROVIDED: Pregnancy-associated immune-mediated hemolytic anemia should be considered in female dogs that develop severe hemolytic anemia during pregnancy and may resolve spontaneously following parturition.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32189467/