Canine IMHA Diagnostics and Management Quiz

Approach to Secondary Causes of Anemia

• The text discusses a systematic approach to identifying secondary causes of anemia in dogs, including infection, neoplasia, toxicity, and drug reactions.
• It outlines the level of clinical suspicion and risk factors for each potential cause, offering a structured approach for investigation.

Identification of Potential Toxins

• The text highlights the importance of investigating potential toxin exposure, particularly from medications that may be present in the client's home.
• It lists specific medications, such as antibiotics and methimazole, that could be ingested inappropriately by the dog.

Diagnostic Process for Anemia

• It describes a case study of a dog named Murphy and the diagnostic steps taken to confirm the diagnosis of immune-mediated hemolytic anemia (IMHA).
• The diagnostic process includes assessing environmental exposure, vaccination history, and reviewing the medical records.

Therapeutic Goals for IMHA

• The text outlines the therapeutic goals for managing IMHA, including improving red blood cell mass, minimizing pigment impact on organs, mitigating thromboembolic risk, and suppressing the immune system.
• It emphasizes the importance of balancing therapeutic effects with potential adverse effects when managing IMHA.

Blood Transfusion Considerations

• The text discusses the criteria for administering blood transfusions in dogs with IMHA, emphasizing the importance of clinical signs of compensation or decompensation due to anemia.
• It specifies the types of blood products, such as packed red blood cells or fresh whole blood, that may be used for transfusions.

Complications of IMHA

• It highlights the potential complications of IMHA, including pigment accumulation leading to organ damage such as pigment nephropathy and bilirubin encephalopathy.
• The text underscores the importance of IV fluid support in managing these complications.

Thromboprophylaxis in IMHA

• The text addresses the hypercoagulable state associated with IMHA and the high risk of pulmonary thromboembolism in affected dogs.
• It discusses the use of anticoagulants (heparin, rivaroxaban) and platelet inhibitors (aspirin, clopidogrel) for thromboprophylaxis in IMHA.

Different Protocols for Thromboprophylaxis

• It outlines various protocols for thromboprophylaxis in IMHA, including the use of rivaroxaban, aspirin, heparin, clopidogrel, and low-molecular-weight heparin.
• The text emphasizes the need for a practical approach to thromboprophylaxis based on the presence or absence of evidence of thromboembolism in IMHA.

Immune-Suppressive Therapy in IMHA

• The text underscores the use of corticosteroids as the mainstay of immune-suppressive therapy for IMHA due to their broad properties and evidence-based efficacy.
• It also mentions adjunctive immune-suppressive agents such as az