CIMDA

Hi Jo
We had another consultation with the vet today. Her platelets were done again and are 208. So we are tapering off the prednisolone over the next 6 days. They are now saying that the marks on her gums are probably not petichiae. They are more red blotches rather than pin prick marks.  One side has cleared up anyway. They think it is more irritation by something. To be safe they are asking the lab to look at the morphology of the platelets and are sending images to a specialist vet (Anderson Moore's) for advice/reassurance.
We are happy that this is the correct diagnosis (and relieved of course). The vet who saw her was a new, young vet who originally diagnosed the IMT a year ago. Her gut instinct was that it wasn't a relapse of her IMT but she consulted a senior vet who was the one who put Pippa back on the precautionary steroids. Sometimes new, fresh knowledge is better.

Hi Jo
Just had call from vet. Platelets all normal (217 in house, 138 in lab but lots of clumping so would be in normal range). So Pippa has unexplained petichiae. Got to keep her on steroids?, keep her safe and take her back on Thursday (earliest appointment!). The vet didn't have any idea what it could be! So I have sent an email to the specialist who treated her for Aspergillosis and asked them some questions. Don't like the ideA of her being on 'precautionary steroids' when they don't know what is wrong.

Hi
I am back on here a year after first diagnosis of IMT in our now 9 year old WCS, Pippa. She was successfully weaned off steroids and was discharged from the vet in March this year after stable platelets for several months. Whilst checking her over yesterday I discovered petechiae again on her gums. We made an out of hours appointment at our vet who ran blood tests to check for platelets and clotting time. The smear showed normal platelets on their in house machine (which is usually lower than actual). The bloods have been sent to the lab and she has been put back on 15mg prednisolone twice a day. We get results tomorrow. I am after any advice/idea as to what this could be if she has a normal amount of platelets. Could they be non functioning. I am devastated as she was doing so well and all her fur had returned to normal.

Our girl has dry skin after all the steroid medication for IMT. She is off steroids now. Can dogs with immune conditions have fish oil supplements?

Our dog Pippa was diagnosed with IMT back in June 2020. She has just finally come off steroids. In the last couple of months she has lost a lot of her fur. This didn't happen in the first months. It has thinned so much and she has flaky skin under her fur, like dandruff. Could she now have Cushing's as a result of the steroids? Has anyone experienced this? Will her fur recover now she is off steroids?

Thanks Jo

Pippa is under a specialist vet and nasal aspergillosis is confirmed. Oral treatment does not work and she has to undergo the invasive procedure on January 5th. They have confirmed that immune suppressed dogs are predisposed to it and I have already heard of another dog on a FB page with IMHA that was also affected. It is just a warning to anyone whose dog is on high dose steroids to watch out for any nasal discharge.

Hi all
I am absolutely devastated and wanting to know if anyone has experienced this.
Our Pippa was diagnosed with IMT in June and has been on Prednisolone (currently tapered to 6mg every other day). In September she stated to get nasal discharge and was treated with antibiotics but it hasn't gone away. Today she is at a vet specialist hospital and they have diagnosed aspergillosis in her nasal cavity. She has to undergo some invasive treatment to try and treat it. We can only assume that this opportunist fungal infection has come about because of being immune suppressed. Has anyone ever experienced this or have any advice. From a very worried owner. 😢😢😢

Hi
Has anyone had issues with colitis in a dog with IMT? I have read that dogs with immune conditions commonly develop other ones. Our dog has colitis at the moment of unknown cause but I have read that there is immune mediated colitis. Hoping it isn't but just wondering if anyone has experienced this?

Thank you Jo and Catherine.
The discharge isn't bloody and is fairly clear. She has had it about 2 weeks and it is continuous, worse at night when laying down and asleep when she doesn't like it away. The vet thinks it is likely to be a foreign body up there but isn't rushing to get it out. We are using a spray saline solution 5 times a day at present. She is absolutely fine in herself, she just keeps making sniffing noises.  In fact the last reduction in steroids has seen her pot belly start to go and she is definitely more like her normal self. She has another blood test in 2 weeks (currently on 12mg once a day). She has recently had to have sedation to remove a grass seed from her paw and that has healed well.

Hi
Our Pippa is being treated for IMT. Her platelets are in the 300's and her dosage is being tapered. She has been havinb discharge from one of her nostrils and it is suspected that she has something lodged in her nose. A general anaesthetic is needed to check this out and flush the nose out. Antibiotics aren't doing anything. Is it safe for a dog with IMT to have GA. We might not have much choice as it needs to be investigated in case it is something more sinister but wanted to ask what people think?

Pippa only had one episode of diarrhoea and it was soon after she started steroids. It was successfully treated with gastrointestinal food for a few days.

Pippa's platelets didn't rise for the first few weeks. And even then she was only just in the 200's. She has had 3 reductions in dosage in the 3 months she has had the disease. She went from 20mg every 12 hours to 15mg, then 11mg and her current dose (8mg) should be reduced this week if bloods are all ok. She is very much her old self. There is no excessive drinking or peeing, no further loss (although it isn't growing much on her bare patches where they take blood). She has a little bit of a pot belly and is hungry lots but has not gained weight. Our vet is very experienced.

Hi Jo
The vet has been reducing the Prednisolone by 25% every 4 weeks. I thought any rapid reduction could cause a relapse and other consequences. She has been fine in herself, just hungry. She has muscle wastage but isn't this a side effect of the steroids?

Hi,

Our Pippa with IMT is on the tapering path and is currently down to 8mg Prednisolone twice a day. She has huge indents to the sides of her eyes where her temporal muscle has disappeared. Is this a common side effect of the steroids?

On a second note, we haven't given her any Eastecto flea and tick treatment since she was diagnosed. Is it ok to do this now she is back in the 'normal' platelet range?

Thanks for your reply Catherine. We have been given Royal Canin Gastro food (tins) plus some paste to give her in order to try and settle her stomach. We also had blood tests done today and after 2 weeks on reduced steroids her platelets have dropped from 338 to 228, so not good news but she is still in the 'normal' range. We have to repeat bloods in 2 weeks and if there is no improvement (or further reduction) then they said they will give an additional drug. Can't remember which one the vet said though.