ITP in dogs can be a scary diagnosis but it doesn’t have to keep your dog from living a great life. Take it from Dr. Laura Garlow, veterinarian and mom to Fletcher, a Goldendoodle who lived with ITP for nine years. On the invitation of integrative veterinarian Dr. Julie Buzby, Dr. Garlow takes a comprehensive look at ITP in dogs and shares her experience walking this path with Fletcher.
I think that everyone’s first dog as a “grown-up” holds an extra special place in their heart. That was the case for me and Fletcher. I like to affectionately call Fletcher the “best bad dog” in the world. No other dog will ever be able to fill the Goldendoodle-sized hole he left in my heart when he passed away a little over a year ago at the respectable age of 11. He had a long happy life, nine years of which he lived with immune-mediated thrombocytopenia, but it still never feels like long enough.
My now-husband (who was my fiancée at the time) and I picked Fletcher up as a rambunctious ball of fluff the summer before I started veterinary school. I wanted to make sure I did everything right. So I spent that summer reading all the puppy training manuals I could and hiding everything chewable in our little apartment.
Fast forward a couple of years and Fletcher had turned into a pretty great dog. Maybe the puppy training manuals I poured over so carefully had worked. Or maybe he was just destined to have a wonderful temperament. Regardless, he was a good boy and he brought us so much joy.
Tiny signs of an issue with blood clotting
My husband and I got married during the summer between my second and third year of veterinary school. While on our honeymoon, we boarded Fletcher at a doggy daycare that he loved. He had a blast playing with his doggy friends but had gotten a little scruffy. So when we got home, I gave him a bath, dried him off, and brushed him out. He was his normal self at that point. But just a couple of hours later, I noticed that the insides of both of his ears were covered with tiny pin-prick red dots where I had brushed him.
While I was only halfway through my veterinary education, I knew enough to know that this was not normal. With a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach, I quickly texted a picture to a close friend and mentor. He confirmed my fear that the tiny pin pricks looked like petechia, or very small bruises. Then he gently reminded me that petechia are evidence of an issue with blood clotting. This meant we needed to have some lab work performed ASAP to try to pinpoint the problem.
Since Fletcher was otherwise feeling well with no other evidence of bleeding or bruising, we decided that it was okay for me to wait to take him into the clinic until first thing the following morning. I didn’t sleep a wink that night.
A diagnosis of ITP, immune mediated thrombocytopenia
We went into the clinic the next day. A couple of blood tests later and just like that, Fletcher had been diagnosed with immune mediated thrombocytopenia, or ITP.
This diagnosis had a profound impact on our family, and on my career. I developed a special interest in internal medicine and immune-mediated diseases. This interest led me to complete an intensive one-year internship at a specialty and emergency veterinary hospital after graduation. I found that I enjoyed the challenge of complicated medical cases, and I especially enjoyed helping pet parents understand and navigate the challenging situation of having a hospitalized pet.
After my internship, I spent many years at the same specialty hospital caring for sick hospitalized patients. In that time, I treated many wonderful dogs with immune-mediated thrombocytopenia. Through the years, I have learned so much about this condition, both from our experience with Fletcher, and from my experience caring for my patients. I want to share some of my knowledge with you.
If your beloved dog has been diagnosed with ITP, I hope you finish this article feeling empowered with the knowledge you need to face this challenge head-on.
What is ITP in dogs?
Immune mediated thrombocytopenia (ITP) is one of several autoimmune diseases in dogs. In ITP, the dog’s own immune system attacks and destroys his or her platelets. As a result, the dog has thrombocytopenia, which is the fancy medical term for a low platelet count.
Platelets 101
Platelets are tiny cell fragments within the blood. They are made in the bone marrow and are vital to blood clotting. You may think about platelets helping stop bleeding from a large cut or wound, but platelets aren’t just there for the primetime trauma. They also prevent life-threatening bleeding from normal daily microscopic wear and tear to blood vessels. When these tiny tears occur, platelets clump together at the site of the damage to form a blood clot. This stops any bleeding before you would even be able to notice there was an issue.
Normal platelet counts vary depending on the laboratory equipment being used to measure their levels. Generally speaking, a normal platelet count is anywhere from about 180,000 to 500,000 platelets per microliter of blood. Most of the time, there are no signs of ITP until the platelet count dips below about 40,000 platelets per microliter of blood. At that point, the risk of spontaneous bleeding sets in.
Occasionally, dogs are diagnosed with ITP due to a moderately low platelet count found by accident on routine yearly bloodwork. However, it is much more common for dog parents to have no idea there is a problem until the platelet count is less than 10,000 platelets per microliter and their beloved companion starts showing obvious signs of bleeding.
What are the symptoms of ITP?
The clinical signs of ITP can be broken into three main categories:
1. Direct signs of bleeding or bruising
- Small pinpoint bruises on the skin or mucous membranes (i.e. petechia)
- Larger bruises on the skin or mucous membranes (i.e. ecchymosis)
- Blood in the urine (i.e. hematuria)
- Dark, black, or tarry stool (i.e. melena)
- Fresh red blood in the stool (i.e. hematochezia)
- Blood in vomit that can appear like coffee grounds ( i.e. hematemesis)
- Nose bleeds in dogs (i.e. epistaxis)
- Bleeding into the whites of the eyes (i.e. scleral hemorrhage)
2. Signs related to anemia in dogs (i.e. low red blood cell count) from losing too much blood
- Pale or white gums
- A lethargic dog
- Decreased appetite
- Exercise intolerance
- Rapid heart rate
- A dog who is breathing fast
- Collapse
3. Signs related to the body system where bleeding has occurred
- Blindness from bleeding into the back of the eye (retinal hemorrhage)
- Dog seizures or other neurologic signs from bleeding in the brain
- Difficulty breathing from bleeding into the lungs
If you notice any of these signs, please make an appointment with your vet immediately. In some cases, severely affected dogs may need an emergency vet visit .
How does the vet reach an ITP diagnosis in dogs?
At the appointment, your veterinarian can check your dog’s number of platelets on the in-house laboratory equipment as part of a complete blood count (CBC). Since low platelets are the primary characteristic of ITP, a platelet count is the diagnostic tool of choice.
The CBC will also allow your veterinarian to check your dog’s red cell count. This is important as anemia can be present due to bleeding from ITP. Or sometimes ITP is combined with immune-mediated hemolytic anemia (IMHA in dogs). Evan’s Syndrome is the name for ITP and IMHA in dogs.
Occasionally platelets can clump together and read as falsely low with in-house machines. This means that in most cases, your veterinarian will want to confirm the low platelet count by looking at a blood smear underneath a microscope.
The vet will also take into consideration your dog’s age, gender, and breed when diagnosing ITP. Any dog can have immune-mediated thrombocytopenia, but like most conditions there are some dogs who might be more predisposed. Many auto-immune conditions are more common in females, and ITP follows that trend too. Middle-aged dogs are the age group most likely to have ITP. Some breeds have a higher risk as well. These include Poodles, Cocker Spaniels, and Old English Sheepdogs.
Once the vet has determined your dog has ITP, he or she will start looking for the underlying cause, if there is one.
What causes ITP in dogs?
When veterinarians think about ITP, they break it into two classifications—primary and secondary. Primary ITP (i.e. idiopathic ITP) is a diagnosis of exclusion. This means the vet will use additional diagnostic testing to rule out the presence of a trigger. If the vet doesn’t find a clear cause, he or she will categorize it as primary ITP.
Secondary ITP occurs when another medical condition triggers the immune system to run amok within the body, attacking its own cells. Common triggers of secondary ITP include:
Infections
Almost any infection can over-stimulate the immune system and trigger autoimmune disease. However, there are some infections where this is a much more common occurrence than others. Fleas and ticks spread many, but not all, of these infections.
Some of the more common infectious triggers of ITP include:
- Tick-borne disease in dogs such as Ehrlichia, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, or Babesia
- Bartonella
- Mycoplasma
- Leishmania
- Leptospirosis
- Heartworm disease in dogs
- Systemic fungal infections
Drugs or vaccines
- Sulfa drugs
- Cephalosporins
Note: While vaccines were once thought to be a common trigger for immune-mediated diseases like ITP, more recent studies have not supported this link. In general, vaccines are safe and do a great job of protecting your pet from preventable illness. If you are wondering which dog vaccines are absolutely necessary, I recommend having an open conversation about your concerns with your veterinarian.
Cancers
- Lymphoma in dogs
- Leukemia
- Multiple Myeloma
- Histiocytic Sarcoma
- Hemangiosarcoma in dogs
How do you find the underlying cause?
To look for these triggers, your veterinarian will study your pup’s medication and vaccine history, ask you questions about preventative medications and lifestyle, and run additional diagnostic tests.
Your vet may perform a more limited in-house test for some common tick-borne infections. Alternatively, more comprehensive tick panels are available through outside veterinary diagnostic laboratories. In some cases the vet may decide to start a course of the antibiotic doxycycline while awaiting these results because doxycycline is effective against many tick-borne diseases.
To look for any underlying evidence of cancer, your veterinarian will likely recommend full lab work. He or she may also recommend chest and abdominal radiographs or even an abdominal ultrasound.
Fletcher’s ITP trigger
In Fletcher’s case, he had not been on any recent medications and we were diligent about giving him his flea, tick, and heartworm preventative medications. His chest radiographs were normal. Since I had access to internal medicine specialists at my veterinary school, we also performed an ultrasound and a more comprehensive infectious disease panel a few days later. Thankfully, Fletcher’s ultrasound did not show any evidence of cancer.
When the infectious disease panel came back, we were surprised to discover that Fletcher was positive for Bartonella, an infection that is spread via fleas and can sometimes trigger ITP. We treated Fletcher’s Bartonella infection with a course of antibiotics and crossed our fingers.
Many times, if you treat the underlying trigger, the ITP can resolve. However, this was unfortunately not the case for Fletcher. His ITP did not go away, but with the help of daily medications, he managed to have a wonderful life.
What is the treatment for ITP?
After reaching a diagnosis of ITP, the veterinarian will propose a treatment plan. It may involve:
Immunosuppressive medications
An out-of-control immune system is the root problem with ITP. So you would be correct if you guessed that medications to suppress the immune system are the mainstay of treatment. Steroids like prednisone for dogs are almost always part of the arsenal. However, the vet may also add on other secondary immunosuppressive medications like cyclosporine, mycophenolate, or azathioprine.
Vincristine
If your furry friend ends up needing to be hospitalized for ITP, your veterinarian may talk to you about a medication called vincristine. This is an injectable chemotherapy medication. Since it is given at a lower dose for dogs with ITP, side effects are rare. Vincristine functions to push any leftover tiny platelet fragments out of the bone marrow and into circulation. Studies have shown that dogs who receive vincristine have slightly shorter hospital stays due to a more rapid increase in their platelet count.
IVIG
Intravenous Immunoglobulin (IVIG) is a more intensive treatment option that veterinarians usually reach for in severe cases or if a patient is not responding to more standard therapy. It is a human product and can be quite expensive, making it cost prohibitive for many pet parents.
IVIG essentially works by neutralizing the immune system cells by clogging up the site where they would bind to the platelets they were planning to inappropriately destroy. It is an injectable medication that must be given in the hospital as an infusion. IVIG can be a good option for some situations, and is generally well-tolerated. However, it is not a common day-to-day medication in the arsenal against ITP.
If you are interested in learning more about vincristine and IVIG, a study published in the Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine compared these two options in dogs with ITP.
Blood products
Some dogs with ITP experience significant blood loss since they cannot mount an effective clotting response. If dogs lose enough blood that they are experiencing clinical signs from their anemia, they may need a blood transfusion. Packed red blood cell transfusions are the most common type of blood transfusions performed in veterinary medicine. These transfusions don’t provide any platelets or stop the bleeding, but they do stabilize the patient to buy more time for the medications to stop platelet destruction.
In some cases, veterinarians may reach for a whole blood transfusion to help with anemia and ongoing life-threatening bleeding. Whole blood contains both red blood cells and platelets, but unfortunately the platelets in the transfusion last for an incredibly short time inside the body. They may very temporarily help with severe bleeding, but this effect is short-lived. Unfortunately, a whole blood transfusion will not lead to an increase in platelet count.
Since ITP destroys platelets, it would seem like giving the dog more platelets would be a good treatment option. However, while platelet transfusions are relatively common in human medicine, they aren’t that useful in dogs with ITP. Two issues are at play in this situation. The first is that canine platelet products have somewhat limited availability. The second and more significant issue is that the platelets, once transfused, will be destroyed within hours by the same abnormal immune response that is destroying the dog’s own platelets.
Other supportive care
If your beloved pup is diagnosed with ITP, your veterinarian may add in other supportive medications to help treat specific symptoms. These may include:
- Antacids or stomach coating medications if your dog is experiencing gastrointestinal bleeding.
- Antinausea medications if your dog is nauseous.
- Appetite stimulants for dogs if your dog is not eating.
Your veterinarian will work closely with you to tailor the medication and treatment plan to your furry family member’s specific situation.
What is the prognosis and survival rate for dogs with ITP?
Using the treatment options we just discussed, the short-term prognosis for ITP Is good. The overall survival rate is roughly 80 to 85%. Unfortunately, though, this does mean that 15 to 20% of dogs pass away or are euthanized due to ITP.
There are a couple of factors that have been linked to a lower survival rate for some dogs with ITP. These include bleeding from the GI tract and an elevation in a blood marker known as BUN. If your pup falls into one of these categories, instead of losing hope, I recommend specifically talking to your veterinarian about your worries and discussing ways to tailor your dog’s treatment to his or her specific clinical situation.
The ups and downs of ITP treatment
One of the harder things to counsel clients on during treatment for ITP is the very normal, but understandably anxiety-inducing waiting game. It can take anywhere from four to seven days on average for immunosuppressive medications to kick in. During that time, we often check the platelet count and red cell count on a daily basis.
It can be very disheartening for dog parents to see that platelet count go from 8,000 to 5,000 to 5,000 again, especially if their dog is showing signs of bleeding. However, it is important to understand that just because a dog hasn’t responded over the first few days, doesn’t mean they still don’t have a good chance of responding positively to their medications.
Indications of improvement
You can breathe a sigh of relief when your dog’s platelet count increases above about 40,000 platelets per microliter. This is generally when your veterinarian will consider your dog to be out of the woods. At this level, life-threatening spontaneous bleeding is much less likely. Even so, you will want to treat your dog as if he or she is quite fragile until the platelet count increases back into the normal range.
This means no running or jumping or boisterous play. I even tend to recommend soft or canned food to decrease the risk of bleeding from the gums while waiting for the platelet count to normalize.
Happily, once the platelet count begins to rise, it normally continues to do so very quickly. Your veterinarian will likely want to monitor the platelet count every several days until it is normal. Once the platelet count has been in the normal range for three to four weeks, then the first step is to gradually reduce the dose of the steroid medication (often prednisone).
The vet typically decreases the dose by about 25% every three to four weeks while continuing to monitor to ensure the platelet count does not start to drop back down. If a secondary immunosuppressive agent was part of the treatment regimen, the vet will decide whether or not to stop or wean that medication once he or she is able to get the dog off steroids.
Medication side effects
Vets aim to taper the steroid dose first because while steroids are potent and effective medications to suppress the immune system, they do come with a number of side effects. Being able to use lower doses of steroids can be one of the advantages of adding in a secondary immunosuppressive medication.
All dogs are susceptible to experiencing steroid side effects, but large and giant breed dogs tend to be most sensitive. Some of the side effects you might see with chronic, high-dose steroid administration include:
- Increased thirst in dogs and increased urination
- Increased panting
- Lethargy or listlessness
- Weight gain, especially for small to medium-sized dogs
- Weight loss and significant loss of muscle mass, especially for medium to larger breed dogs
- Pot-bellied dog appearance
- Increased appetite
- Increased risk of other infections (skin infections, UTIs in dogs, etc.)
- Thinning of the skin
- A thin or dull haircoat
- Insulin resistance, which may increase the chances of diabetes mellitus or cause issues in an already diabetic dog
- Iatrogenic Cushing’s disease in dogs
If you think your dog’s steroid side effects are becoming problematic, speak to your veterinarian. He or she may be able to adjust your dog’s medications to reduce or eliminate some of the side effects.
What to expect long-term
Because of these side effects, vets always hope that we will be able to wean our ITP patients off all of their medications. That is possible in many cases. However, approximately one-third of dogs will have a relapse of their ITP either during their medication tapering or at a later date.
Sometimes it can be harder to get these dogs back into remission, but often they do still respond well to immunosuppressive medications. In some cases, dogs end up on life-long immunosuppressive medications to keep their ITP at bay. The vet will always try to get them on the lowest doses of medications that both control their disease and minimize their side effects.
Fletcher’s long and happy life with ITP
I can’t end this article without telling you what happened to Fletcher. He responded well to his medications and went into remission quickly. Happily, he never ended up needing a stay in the hospital or any blood transfusions.
A couple of months after weaning off his medications, a routine recheck revealed a significantly decreased platelet count. This indicated a relapse, which of course we felt disappointed about. He responded well again but his platelets dropped once more as we got him on the lowest doses of medications. This meant that he fell into the camp of dogs who need lifelong immunosuppressive medications to keep their disease at bay.
We bought a pill organizer, and we were diligent about giving his medications every day and keeping up with his routine rechecks. He experienced some side effects of the long-term steroid use including having to pee more often and losing a lot of his muscle mass. Luckily, at this point I was working at a specialty hospital. The internal medicine specialists were great about giving me lots of advice on his care.
We switched up his medication cocktail and found the right combination of medications that kept him in remission but also minimized his side effects. He lived a very happy life on those medications for more than six years.
Fletcher’s legacy lives on
Fletcher’s happy-go-lucky nature was both a blessing and a curse because by the time he started to act sick from cancer (unrelated to his ITP), it was already in his liver, spleen, and bones. We kept him as comfortable as we could and fed him lots of tasty, previously off-limits foods. Then we let him go when he told us it was time.
We still miss him very much, but we have so many wonderful memories with him. I am grateful for all the lessons he taught me, both about navigating a diagnosis of ITP and about how to empathize with dog parents when they are dealing with a complicated medical condition in their beloved companions. I hope that if you are facing a diagnosis of immune-mediated thrombocytopenia with your beloved dog, this article and Fletcher’s story give you the knowledge and the hope you need to make it through to the other side.
Has your dog been diagnosed with ITP?
What words of advice do you have for other dog parents who find themselves in a similar situation?
Just wanted to say that I found this article and story comforting, and wanted to add my voice to the many commenters. My dog, Ruth, was diagnosed with primary ITP Memorial Day Weekend 2022 (she’s 2 years old, born 4/14/2020). We’ve been on quite a journey and are still working with our vet team to find the right combination of medications for her and dealing with side effects (most notably significant GI issues). I know we have a long road ahead of us, but it’s comforting to know that we’re not alone (sometimes it feels that way), and also that it’s possible to live through this diagnosis. Ruth is my Fletcher, my sweet baby angel, my soul dog, and I hope we get so lucky as to have her as long as you got to have him! I agree with other commenters who have noted the importance of pet insurance. To anyone considering it, just do it, you never know what crazy things might happen and it’s so much better to have it when you need it! My heart goes out to all the pet parents still navigating this and any other medical issues, I empathize with you so deeply <3
Hi Amanda,
Thank you for sharing your experience with us! I am glad Ruth is still fighting and working her way to a better quality of life. I second your advice about pet insurance. It can literally be lifesaving. I hope Ruth can get into full remission and have many happy days ahead. Give your sweet girl a hug for me. ♥
I am located in Abany, NY. Currently in the midst of an ITP relapse in my 9 year old cocker spaniel. She is home and responding to the medications but I would really like to find a vet that specializes in such diseases. We do have a specialty vet in the area but they are more of an emergency practice. Do you happen to know of any vets within a couple hours drive any which way from upstate NY that specialize in pets with autoimmune disorders??
Hi Ashley,
I am not familiar with the Albany, NY area so forgive me if I am recommending options that are further away than what you are asking. I found a practice called Upstate Veterinary Specialties (www.uvsonline.com) located in Latham, NY. If this is too far of a drive, it says they also offer telemedicine consults. They have an internal medicine specialist on staff. Maybe they could be the resource you are looking for to help your senior girl through her current ITP relapse. I hope your Spaniel girl is feeling better and beginning to stabilize. Prayers for a positive outcome and a complete recovery.
Thank you for this article. It’s so enlightening to hear about Fletcher and how you gave him such a great life. My 6 year old Leon (mix breed) was diagnosed with ITP 2 years ago after I noticed his gums bleeding (he’s a fetch fanatic and the tennis balls started to show blood on them). He had a few day stay at a hospital with blood and vincristine treatments. After 2 days he came home. He has been on a couple of different regiments from prednisone (the constant) and a cyclosporine to now prednisone and azathioprine. The prednisone has caused muscle loss hair loss and a belly. He also has cushings. However, he’s happy and spoiled and living his best life. He gets liver and chicken broth made with high iron vegetables, and he takes some supplements. My vet is amazing and always willing to change gears. Hoping others here will read your story and be inspired as well.
Hi Beth,
Thank you for sharing your story with our readers. I am glad Leon has been doing so well since his diagnosis 2 years ago. What a blessing to still have your sweet boy by your side. It sounds like you have a great partnership with your vet. I hope others will find hope in your words and be able to better advocate for their beloved pups. Bless you and give Leon a hug for me!
Our sweet, five-year-old, Australian Shepherd succumbed to ITP one week ago today. The vet did everything possible to save her. We are numb from the loss of our dear Addison.
Dear Brent,
I am so sorry for your recent loss of Addison. My heart goes out to you as you work through your heartache and grief. May her memory be a blessing.
This article was wonderful!!
My husband and I rescued a dog in January of this year that we believe is a pit bull mix (some vets say she’s three some vets say 6, we just meet in the middle and say four or five)! Two days after getting her from the pound we found out she was heartworm positive! We went through treatment and are please to say she is officially heartworm negative! But! As soon as we thought we were out of the woods she should bruising on her stomach in July! We rushed her to an er clinic which then gave us the diagnosis of ITP.
We started with 2 1/2 prednisone then 1 1/2 now just 1 but just got the call that her platelets went from 193,000 to 93,000 this month after reducing dosage. When we first took her in she was at 5,000 platelets, so we aren’t as worried but still very disappointed! When your pup was going through this, what types of tests did you all go through to really ensure and rule out cancers and causes? What did it look like when his platelet count dropped when the dosage lowered? Have you come across many other heartworm survivors who also get ITP. I know you said it can be a trigger but would you consider it to be primary or secondary? Since she really won’t get into remission I just wonder if her system is still recovering from all she went through at the beginning of the year! We just aren’t sure how often to get this blood work done since she is losing platelets again. How often did you guys continue regular blood work since you continued his medication for the duration of his life?
We were so comforted by your story and the story of others here! This is our first dog and Willa’s life and our knowledge of itp is better because of Fletcher’s story 🙂
Hi Emily,
I am sorry your pup has had so many issues arise this year. She is a very luck dog to have found her way into your lives and have you advocating for her health and wellbeing. We reached out to Dr. Laura Garlow (author of this article) and asked her some of the specific questions you had pertaining to Fletcher’s case and disease management. Here is what she shared with me:
“As far as testing that Fletcher had:
– full labs including a path review on his CBC
– comprehensive vector panel including testing for babesia and bartonella
– chest radiographs
– abdominal ultrasound
His relapse looked similar with a platelet dip into the 60-80k range that we caught with preemptive monitoring CBC’s. We monitored his bw (specifically CBC’s) every 3-4 weeks after any medication adjustments and then once his disease was stable on his lifelong meds I still checked bloodwork (CBC/Chem/UA) every 3-4 months for the remainder of his life.”
Dr. Garlow also mentioned that because your dog came out of remission very early in the weaning process of reducing the prednisone, she seems to be “one of the more complicated varieties”. It might be a good idea to schedule a consult with a specialist and discuss the possibility of adding on an additional immunosuppressive medication. I hope your sweet girl can make a full recovery and get back to living her best life. Best wishes to you both and good luck!
I have a 4 year old cocker spaniel that was diagnosed with ITP on Tuesday, Aug. 23. I took him to emergency vet because his nose was bleeding. By Wednesday morning he developed anemia and was given a blood transfusion. Friday his platelets were still near zero and he continued to have anemia and gastrointestinal bleeding. They gave a second blood transfusion Friday evening. By Saturday he is now showing low BUN levels. They gave him a third transfusion and are going to try another with whole blood and platelet transfusion to buy time. He perks up with the blood so my 15 year old son and I are holding out hope for a miracle within the next 24 hours. The internal medicine doctors and the clinic have been very supportive, but I think we will have to say goodbye either Saturday afternoon or Sunday morning. Any advise or encouragement to continue or discontinue treatment would be welcomed. We visit him a couple of times a day and he calms down when we are there..
Dear Cheri,
My heart breaks for you and this tragic situation you are in with your young pup. I agree that if the transfusions can’t get your boy stabilized then saying goodbye may be the most loving option. How did things go over the weekend? It sounds like you have done everything in your power to give your dog the best chance possible to recover. Feel free to leave an update if you feel lead to do so. Praying for a miracle. ♥
Just got off the phone with our Vet. Baxter our 10 yr old TeddyBear was just diagnosed.
. I noticed his stools were black and tar-ish so we took him in. Yesterday his white count was 3,000. After one round of medication, it was zero this morning. They have checked him into the hospital to monitor him and see if a transfusion would help.
I don’t know what to tell our youngest. He is her dog…can we hold out any hope or does it sound too dire. I would appreciate any insight you can provide.
Dear Lori,
My heart goes out to you and this tragic situation you are in with your senior pup. I can only imagine how worried you must be and the emotions your daughter will deal with. Always hold on to hope. There is still a chance. I have seen dogs that shouldn’t have made it find a way to pull through. I hope the transfusion and medications will be able to get Baxter stabilized. Praying for healing for your sweet boy and comfort for your heart. Feel free to leave an update if you have a chance. ♥
Charlie made it. The third blood transfusion bought enough time for the prednisone and other drugs to work. We brought him home on Monday, August 30. He is doing well but has some weakness in his back legs and hips from the internal bleeding. The neurologist thinks it will get better with time. His survival was due to the efforts of the vets and staff at VCA hospital in Norwalk, CT. They didn’t give up.!
Hi Cheri,
YAY!!! This makes me so happy! I am so glad Charlie is still with you and has the possibility of making a full recovery. Thank you for sharing this amazing update and for the positive shoutout to the veterinary team of VCA in Norwalk, CT! Bless you and your sweet boy.
Hi there,
I am so glad Fletcher had a long and happy life despite his diagnosis. I have a 2 year old golden doodle who was diagnosed with IMTP about 6 months ago due to a secondary infection (believe a reaction to a medicine he was put on). We have been continuously going to the vet for CBCs and shifting of his medicines. We have yet to have any luck of truly stabilizing him which is very discouraging. But I am hopeful we will find his perfect medical concoction soon!
Hi Rachel,
I can only imagine how worried you must be for your doodle pup. It sounds like your vet is staying on top of things and you are working well together in hopes of getting your boy stabilized. Thank you for sharing your story with us. I pray you find the right combination of treatments soon and your sweet guy can get back to living his best life. Bless you both. ♥
Thank you for this article! I have a 10 year old female border collie mix who I believe has secondary itp (she ingested 800 mg of Rimadyl… I didn’t realize they were treat flavored and left the closed bottle in a bag she could get to and she chewed through the bottle to get them!) She has been on prednisone for 5 days, As of her blood draw on day 3 there were no improvements, so I’m praying that by her next blood draw we can see an improvement. Your article provided me with some great information to ask my vet about. Please pray for my dog Dallas with me… she is our Fletcher.
Hi Meghan,
I am so sorry you are dealing with this crazy situation with Dallas. I know you must be worried, but there is hope for this to resolve! I am glad you found the article helpful and appreciate you taking the time to share your story with me. Praying for Dallas to make a speedy and complete recovery. Bless you both. ♥
I have a 1 1/2 female Yorkshire terrier who was diagnosed with ITP 9 days ago. She was in the hospital for 3 days, had several transfusions with packed blood. was given vinochristine (sp?) we saw improvement, her platelets at one point were 0. She was discharged on day 4. She was home for 3 days and we noticed her gums were getting pale again, brought her back to the hospital where she has now been for 3 days, they changed out her oral steroid for a IV and given 2 whole blood transfusions. She has not had a increase in platelets. I feel I’m losing hope but I have read that it’s a waiting game and can take time. Only advice I can give to anyone is to get pet insurance, we are over $10,000 and still do not know if she is ever coming home with us. Hopefully we have better news tomorrow!
Dear Shelli,
My heart goes out to you with this difficult situation you are in with your little pup. I am glad she is receiving the best of care and being given every opportunity to turn things around. How is she doing today? I hope things have improved and she is making good progress with her platelets. Praying for a full recovery.
Thank you so much for this article. I have a 10 month old mix who was recently diagnosed with Primary ITP. He is about a month into treatment and doing well. Do you have any dietary recommendations?
He also has Cerebellar Hypoplasia.
Hi Meredith,
I am glad to hear your pup is doing well with the current ITP treatment your vet prescribed. I do not have any specific dietary recommendations as long as your dog is already eating a good quality well balanced diet. I am not sure what medications your dog is currently taking, but in my research, I found many articles with information about a melatonin supplement being extremely helpful for ITP treatment. If this is not part of your pup’s current treatment regimen, it might be a good idea to talk to your vet about possibly adding this to the mix. I hope your sweet boy will continue to respond favorably to his treatment. Praying for a complete recovery and many happy days ahead.
Thank you for the suggestion. My both my internal med vet and regular vet are very hesitant with any supplement so we have not added melatonin – do you have specific canine studies you can share?
I’m also wondering how dogs with ITP are being treated for allergies. My pups team steers clear of meds and supplements but he’s chewing his feet like crazy.
Hi Meredith,
While there is not a lot of information available about using melatonin in dogs with ITP, I do have a resource you can check out. Here is a link to an article we published back in October of last year. Read through the section titled “What conditions is melatonin used for in dogs?”. You will notice there is a number for the reference listed at the bottom of the article. Resource 1 has a link to the article where the info was obtained. I wish I had more advice on allergy treatment. But with all the risks of triggering an ITP relapse, I would defer to your internal medicine specialist.