our 6 yr old golden retriever seemed at last to be growing up and settling down. But she soon became depressed and not interested in her own food unless it was topped with tasty scraps etc. Within days she had no energy at all and blood tests showed a very low platelet count. She was started on huge doses of steroids but deteriorated rapidly and was transferred to Itu at a vet.hospital. She died less than a week from diagnosis.
Looking back, she must have calmed down because she was anaemic, but it was not obvious that she was ill. So please, if any of you see a change in your dog's behaviour please don't hesitate to have them checked out however vague your worries may be. IMHA is a very nasty disease and the outcome is not always a positive one, but our dog may well still be with us if we had not assumed she had at last 'grown up'

I was so sorry to read your post abourt Rosie, she was so young and I imagine you are heart broken.  I had a 3 year old golden that died after his booster in March, so I have some idea how sad and shocked you must be feeling. 

Did the vet give you any indication as to what may have caused her illness and how long she may have been suffering with it before being diagnosed?

nobody really had any answers. We feel that she started to 'change' after her kennel cough vaccination last feb. We asked about this afterwards and the vet. college sent us some research papers-one suggesting a possible link and the other not. They said there is no real evidence of a link but we don't feel there has been enough research. With our new puppy the vet has agreed to do an annual blood test to check antibody levels and vaccination will be given as and when necessary. This is going to be an expensive option-- but one we are prepared to pay for if it means we avoid over-vaccinating.
I would be interested to know if anyone else has a dog who developed IMHA soon after vaccination

It is always really difficult to prove that it was vaccine related.  Most people who have had a pet die or been really poorly after vaccine related illnesses find it very difficult to get any info from the vet or the vaccine manufacturers, they do seem to close ranks. Although in our case Virbac the vaccine manufacturer paid all the bills without us even asking.  How soon after the vaccine did she die?

I think doing the titre test each year is very sensible, this is what I will be doing with my new puppy who is now 6 months old.  I do know there are quite a few people on this forum that do the titre tests too.  Virbac wrote to me and said in a perfect world every dog should have a titre test to establish whether a booster is necessary or not.

There was an interesting article in Dogs Today (November issue) which you might find interesting pm me if you don't have it and I can let you have the details.  You might also find this link of interest too http://www.critterchat.net/immune.htm

There are lots of people on the forum with very strong views for and against vaccine so I'm sure you will get lots of feedback from your post.

Maria

The vaccination was in feb and she died on May 1st. But a few days after the K.C vac. she went into her usual boarding kennels for a week. When she came home she seemed depressed and we thought she was missing the company of the other dogs. We were thinking about having another dog from the local rescue centre. There were definite subtle changes in her behaviour within days of the vaccination. She was a very strong, fit dog and I think there was a slow deterioration in her condition until it became acute and  then it became obvious that something serious was going on.
Thanks for the links. I will have a look later-- have to take the new puppy out now!
Ps. I think it was her red cell count that was low, not platelet count

I lost my last two dogs to Auto immune disease so I now make sure with my current two and any future dogs I titre test for everything including Lepto before vaccination.  I will never put dogs through what my two went through again.

So very sorry to hear about Rosie, tragic loss. :(  As you say another dog can never replace the one you have lost but they do become characters in their own right and I wish you lots of joy with your new pup.

An 11 year old Cocker I trim developed IMHA last year, a few days after receiving a standard booster vaccination. It was touch and go for a while but she was lucky and did pull through but will be on steroids for the rest of her life. This case is interesting as the vet looking after this Cocker did report this to the vaccine manufacturer who then paid for the intial period of treatment (several hundred pounds as she was hospitalised for over a week). I was surprised at this (as was the owner) but it seems that vaccine companies do sometimes accept that boosters can trigger this kind of reaction in certain dogs. I'm guessing that the fact the reaction here was so immediate made a big difference - it becomes more difficult to prove a link if the dog becomes ill weeks or months later.

I lost my 22 month old yankie in February this year from IMHA, she hadn't been herself, but we thought it was due to her mum justing having a litter, and she was grumpy about it.  She went off her food and then started passing blood in her poo, I took her to the vets on the monday and took blood for testing, gave her steroids but unfortunately she died 3 days later.  It was all so quick, we are devastated, but I will think very seriously about boosters again.  I do have puppies vaccinated before they go to their new homes. but my own dogs who are now well over due for boosters, well I'm at a loss what to do.  I feel for your loss - it seems to happen so suddenly, just comes from nowhere

We seem to be building a case that this is always vaccination linked.  Dogs that have been recently vaccinated will get it.  Out of every 52 cases the probability is that one of those will have developed it, or been diagnosed with it I should say, within a week of vaccination, not such high odds that one of us has met such a dog.  The only really useful data would be a comparative study between dogs that have and have not ever been vaccinated.  
I had a friend whose springer died of this a few years and very devastating it was but as I understood at the time it was believed to have a genetic element being relatively common in the breed I certainly did not hear of it being thought to have any link to vaccinations but then most things are these days aren't they. 

Don't think anyone on here has said that dogs that have been recently vaccinated will get it Isabel.  People are just giving their own sad experiences.  The OP wanted to hear about other cases of this awful illness and it seems to me that that is what people are giving. 

>Don't think anyone on here has said that dogs that have been recently vaccinated will get it, Isabel.

I am :) That is my point.

Sorry, you've lost me. :D  I know you hate to think that boosters and subsequent ill effects are linked but surely with autoimmune disease, it isn't so far fetched a theory that a vaccine which is designed to challenge the immune system could also damage it if the immune system wasn't strong enough?  The vaccine may not cause the problem in isolation but could perhaps be enough to tip the balance in susceptible dogs.  Surely people are entitled to consider this and seek alternatives, like titre testing rather than routine boostering, if they are concerned?  Seems reasonable enough to me Isabel.

I don't hate to think anything, I like what I understand to be supported by quality evidence that is all.  Theories are fine but that is all they are. Yes, people are entitled to consider whether it is likely which is why I took the liberty of pointing out to them that newly vaccinated dogs will get ill because dogs do and the probabilities of that occuring within one week of a vaccination is as high as 1 in 52 in response to a poster who was now anxious about vaccinating.  Avoiding vaccination might save them from autoummune disease if it is linked but on the other hand it may lead to other equally fatal diseases.  The other issue I have is whether always looking for a vaccination link is a red herring amongst peoples efforts to look at in terms of breeding, lines etc. when a genetic link may be just as pertinent if not more so.

The other issue I have is whether always looking for a vaccination link is a red herring amongst peoples efforts to look at in terms of breeding, lines etc. when a genetic link may be just as pertinent if not more so.

Fully agree. It is perfectly possible to have a strain where the individuals are more prone to disease of whatever sort than other strains, and THIS is what really needs looking at. After all, it has been proved in some cases -for example cancer in mice and rats can be bred in to a strain, and FIP in cats most definitely has a genetic component -yet both are caused by VIRUS. Some strains develop the disease after coming into contact with the virus, others do not. If some dogs cannot tolerate to be vaccinated, that needs looking into -not just blaming the vaccine. Let's face it, (as I am sure I have said before) penicillin saves millions of lives yet in some people (and also in ALL guinea pigs and ALL hamsters) it is fatal.

To quote a small part of an article by Dr Jean Dodds which I read recently "Combining viral antigens, especially those of modified live virus (MLV) type which multiply in the host, elicits a stronger antigenic challenge to the animal. This is often viewed as desirable because a more potent immunogen presumably mounts a more effective and sustained immune response. However, it can also overwhelm the immunocompromised or even a healthy host that is continually bombarded with other environmental stimuli and has a genetic predisposition that promotes adverse response to viral challenge.......Some veterinarians trace the increasing current problems with allergic and immunological diseases to the introduction of MLV vaccines some 20 years ago" 

As you say Goldmali, other factors besides vaccine are involved but the average pet owner is likely to have no knowledge of these so the only thing within their direct control is the frequency of vaccination boosters.

Don't think it is fair to the OP to get into a pro and anti vaccination debate here - people should just be allowed to continue telling their own stories, so I'm going to clear off now! :)

>but the average pet owner is likely to have no knowledge of these

Then perhaps we should be doing more to point out that other factors may be involved or maybe even be the sole cause.

>Don't think it is fair to the OP to get into a pro and anti vaccination debate here - people should just be allowed to continue telling their own stories

My story was one of a sufferer of this disease that was never thought to be connected to a vaccine.  As far as I can see it is not a pro and anti vaccination debate but rather one as to whether there is enough evidence to make the link with vaccination in the first place.

Then perhaps we should be doing more to point out that other factors may be involved

Thought I had with the quote from Dr Jean Dodds above - I'll leave it to others to make their own judgement. :)

I didn't want to start an argument! When a dog dies unexpectedly the natural thing to do is look for possible causes of the disease. We have looked at research and spoken to vets and the evidence seems inconclusive as far as I can see and really more study into over-vaccination would be welcome. I am not suggesting that people do not vaccinate their pets but that if possible antibody levels could be checked rather than vaccinating each year as a matter of course. My new puppy has had all the routine vaccinations but will not have boosters if her antibodies are sufficiently high in 12 months time.

>When a dog dies unexpectedly the natural thing to do is look for possible causes of the disease.

Of course.  I don't wish to sound patronising :) but that is one of the recognised stages of grief and something we all are inclined to do.  That is not to say that serious events like these do not deserve to be looked into and I believe that is what this discussion is doing.  I think that is a better word for it than arguement ;)
The problem I have with titre tests are they only show the current status.  When the research indicates that immunity will fall, for sufficiently numerous dogs, between the 3rd and 4th year to make this the recommending interval I cannot see how a good status at year 3 anniversary will guarantee that levels will not drop during the coming year.  I can see it's value to ensure that a vaccination has taken and does not need to be repeated, as I understand, can happen in the case of maternal antibodies for example, but I cannot see it's value as a predictor.

Hepatitis B vaccination in humans is given according to antibody titre levels and it seems to provide adequate protection. Protection for dogs is no different

Actually I think it is different :)  Different disease in each species react in different ways to vaccination.  You will see here that Hepatitis is treating in a very different way to the diseases that we vaccinate our dogs for and the titre test is used in the way that I mentioned above, as a confirmation of the vaccine taking not as a predictor.  Routine boosters are recommended for those at risk.

>When a dog dies unexpectedly the natural thing to do is look for possible causes of the disease.

Of course. My dog just died, and in the past I've walked her in town with all the exhaust fumes. She was born in September. She had a chicken wing the day before she became ill. There are possible causes wherever you look, but I don't believe any of those had any influence - but there's always the possibility. Unfortunately sometimes we just get the short straw.

And I also think many of us try to find something or someone to BLAME. It's human.It makes us feel a  bit better if we can get angry as well as having the grief to deal with. When my first dog died, I blamed his food! I've had many more dogs since and many more experiences and don't think the same at all now. When my brother died (suicide pact with his GF), my dad wanted to blame Stephen King books! Until he looked in my bookcase and saw I had them all too.

I agree it is natural for people to look for something or someone to blame.  However, in a more positive light I also see it as wanting to find out more about why an animal may have died in the hope of never having to go through such a distressing illness again.  I'm not saying it won't recur but at least the owner would have the solace of having done everything they felt possible to prevent it.

I would also point out that many people have concerns about over vaccination, including those like myself who have very fortunately not been through the kind of experiences mentioned above, so I and others in the same situation are definitely not looking for someone to blame. :)

Annie I absolutley agree with you, it isn't looking for someone to blame but finding out why it happened and hopefully prevent it happening again - I think it's called progress! :-P

I agree it is worth looking for causes for these things, which of course is what many breed club health committee, the animal health trust, veterinary colleges et al strive to achieve but the homing in on one possible cause, I would consider, actually may be detrimental to that process and I don't really see how that amounts to progress.  What is wanted is properly conducted trials with control groups.  Not trying to match up a handful of anecdotal cases on the basis of whether they occured roughly within a vaccination year.

My dog's breeder had one that developed IMHA shortly after vaccination (first booster). Equally, I have known one that developed IMHA never having had any vaccinations. Middle aged females are supposed to be at more risk.