Anemia in Dogs
Anemia in dogs is a condition that is typically viewed as a symptom of an underlying disease, illness, or trauma. Anemia occurs when either your pet's body doesn't produce enough red blood cells or hemoglobin, or if your dog suffers severe blood loss due to a medical condition such as cancer, or due to trauma such as a serious accident or injury.
Types of Anemia
These are the common types of anemia in dogs:
- Blood loss anemia
- Hemolytic anemia
- Aplastic or non-regenerative anemia
- Methemoglobinemia
Symptoms of Anemia
Based on the underlying cause, signs and symptoms of anemia in dogs may vary. They may include:
- Weight loss
- Swelling in the jaw or face
- Vomiting
- Black stools
- Loss of appetite
- Weakness or lethargy
- Pale ears, gums, or eyes
- Rapid breathing or fast pulse
How to Treat Anemia in Dogs
An online search for "treatments for anemia in dogs" will reveal a fair amount of advice and opinions on how to treat the condition. Make sure to check any advice with your veterinarian, and ask any questions you may have about recommended treatments or medications.
Depending on your dog's history and current symptoms, your veterinarian may recommend diagnostic tests, which may range from a complete blood count and chemistry tests to specialized tests that may help identify an underlying infectious disease. They may also test for iron in the blood since an iron deficiency can lead to anemia.
If your dog is diagnosed with anemia, their prognosis will depend on the cause and whether the underlying cause of the anemia can be treated. Once diagnostic testing completed by your vet has established the cause of your dog's anemia, a course of treatment can be recommended.
The treatment that your vet recommends for your dog will be based on the underlying cause of the condition. Some of the treatments that your vet may recommend include:
- If your pet is diagnosed with anemia,
- Chemotherapy
- Surgery
- Blood transfusion
- Bone marrow transfusion
- Parasite or de-worming medications
- Change of existing medications
- Antibiotics or immunosuppressive drugs
- Potassium phosphate supplements
- Gastrointestinal medication
The Prognosis for Dogs with Anemia
The prognosis for dogs with anemia depends upon whether there is an effective treatment for the underlying illness.
Sadly, anemia can indicate that your dog is suffering from serious or life-threatening conditions such as cancer, autoimmune conditions, or poisoning. This is why pet parents should always take the symptoms of anemia seriously.
If your dog is showing any of the signs of anemia listed above, contact your veterinarian as soon as possible to schedule an examination.
Good Sources of Iron for Dogs
Adding fresh foods with iron in them to your dog's diet can help boost this important mineral. To start, you can feed your dog canned sardines along with their regular food, raw egg yolk (from organic or local eggs), green vegetables, and beef liver.
Vitamin C can help your dog's body absorb iron from the intestinal tract. Depending on your dog's size, 500 to 2,000 milligrams of the vitamin per day may be necessary.
Do not start your dog on a new diet, medication, or other treatment without discussing this with your vet. Since the liver is a rich food, ask your vet how much your dog should have so as not to cause a case of diarrhea.
Note: The advice provided in this post is intended for informational purposes and does not constitute medical advice regarding pets. For an accurate diagnosis of your pet's condition, please make an appointment with your vet.