Autoimmune Disorder

[Susan'sFreddie98]

Should an Autoimmune Disorder be of concern? Does anyone have info on this?

I am considering choosing Allie from DRWP site (CA.). I just spoke with Allie's owner tonight. Their Vet seems to think that Allie may have an Autoimmune Disorder, which is causing her bad breath to keep returning, despite dental cleaning and tooth brushing. Is this serious? Could her life be shortened because of this?

Also, she is taking steroids, which will need to be continued throughout her life.

We are planning to meet this weekend, and I'll bring Freddie to see how he and Allie react to eachother.

I kinda feel (after getting more info) that Allie may have originally come from a Mill before the other Breeders had her.
So, is it common for Autoimmune Disorders to show up in Mill dogs, or ill-bred dogs?

Oh, it was a surprise to learn that the owners got their other dachshund from the SAME Breeder that I got Freddie from. Her Augie and my Freddie are related.http://dachsie.org/ubb/smilies/biggrin.gif

Susan

[Mickamack]

I would say that you first have to find out WHAT autoimmune disorder it is. I think there are variations about different types of disorders. Some can be very serious condition, but others? I'm not really sure.

The only experience I've had with autoimmune disorders is my last dog Buddy, who came down with Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia. He started to urinate with a bloody tinge to it. Soon it turned to pure blood that he was urinating. Needless to say, we immediately took him to the vet. The vet said before he even got the blood work results that he thought it was some sort of autoimmune disorder, but he wouldn't be sure until the results came back.

When the diagnosis came back with Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia, the vet explained that the disorder meant that Buddy's immune system was attacking his own body. The immune system was somehow recognizing his red blood cells as "enemies" as killing them...which in reality meant that his little body was destroying itself.

My vet recommended that we take Buddy up to Cornell for more specialized care. I have never seen a dog that sick before! It just broke my heart to see Buddy get that sick...I'll never forget it. And it all happened so quickly. 5 days after Buddy was diagnosed, he died in intensive care at Cornell. Within a week, his body completely destroyed itself! He was never sick a day in his life, until he got this.

So yes, some autoimmune disorders can be very serious.

While we were at Cornell, we met another woman whose dog had the same disease as Buddy, but survived. I have heard that some dogs can survive something like that, but I'm not really sure what type of quality of life they have afterwards. I don't know if they can get this back as a recurring thing, or if they'll be somewhat sick the rest of their lives, OR, if they can live a mostly normal life, with little complications after the initial bout with the disease....I just don't know.

From my research, I have found nothing that says that Buddy's disease was a result from bad breeding. It could be caused from an infected tick bite, or zinc toxicosis (like if he swallowed a penny), or sometimes even routine vaccinations could trigger something like this. And it appears to hit different dogs with different severities. Apparently, it just hit Buddy really hard and he couldn't beat it.

My suggestion is to get as much information as you possibly can about exactly WHAT this dog has suffered from. If you can find that out, then I would do a little research to find out what that really means for her life from now on. If she could get sick again from it, prepare yourself for some possibly big vet bills.

Please don't misunderstand me, I'm not trying to scare you or tell you that you shouldn't get Allie. I don't really know what she's had, or what affect if any, she will have for the rest of her life. And it sounds like the little girl could certainly use a nice loving home like yours.

I just wanted to tell you of MY experience with an autoimmune disorder, for whatever that's worth...and the reality of what it meant for me. And I wanted to advise you to get as much info as you possibly can so you can make the best, most informed decision that you can.

Please, I will be interested to hear what you find out and what your decision will be, so keep us updated. You and little Allie will be in my thoughts.

Karen

[pluto'slanie]

Hi Susan, I agree w/ Karen and make sure you know what autoimmune disease you're dealing with and gather as much info as possible.

My dog Junior, a street dog, developed an autoimmune disease similar to lupus in humans - his immune system attacked his joints. He was 4 when he was diagnosed and lived on prednisone until he was 14. He lived a good long life.

Good luck and keep us posted.

[dutchman]

Hi Susan,

Yet another vote to try and find out more specifics on what autoimmune disease they have diagnosed. Autoimmune diseases cover a very wide range of diseases. Many people don't realize some forms of arthritis are considered autoimmune diseases.

I like the others don't want you to abandon the idea of getting this dog but feel you should have a better idea of what you may be getting into. If a little bad breath and affordable steroids are the main things you are facing I would not rule the dog out. If there is a large possibility of a major medical crisis in the near future then you need to be sure you are both emotionally and finically prepared to face those possibilities.

Good luck,

Tom and the boys (Frank and Tanner)

[Susan'sFreddie98]

Karen,

Thank you so much for sharing your experience with Buddy, and providing the pros and cons. That's exactly what I'm looking for. I appreciate this.

I searched last night online. Evidentally, Autoimmune Disorders are in groups; Blood, Tissue, Skin, Joints, etc.
It seems that the anemia hemolytic would be one of the worst (like Buddy had), as well as one that would attack the liver (Lupus). Graves Disease is also part of AD.

I'm going to ask the current owners of Allie if they can find out exactly what it is. Maybe their Vet already knows but miscommunication is there.
Allie has not been sick, she seems normal and eats well. They're feeding her Nutro Naturals, which seems to be ok. I would switch her over to Freddie's kibble though.

Again, thanks everyone (Tom, Lanie too). I'll keep ya posted.

Susanhttp://dachsie.org/ubb/smilies/smile.gif

[Roxane]

Just wanted to say regardless of how this turns out, there are so many dogs that need people just like you. Adopting a rescue is high on the list of wonderful things people can do. http://dachsie.org/ubb/smilies/angel.gif
Roxane and crew

[pkmiddler]

Yes everyone is right there are several hundred autoimune problems and they are showing up more in our breed. There is one blood line of standard longs that is being used alot and has BIG problems.Some vets are also saying that dogs have things wrong that really do not have it happened to a friend of mine the vet said Addison's and after a trip to MSU we found her girl was fine.