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Anemia Due to Bone Marrow Failure (or Toxicity) in Dogs

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Treatment

Your veterinarian will start treating your dog immediately after a confirmatory diagnosis has been made. Your dog may need to be hospitalized for few days to be monitored and treated. With aplastic anemia, there are number of problems to deal with and supportive therapy will be initiated to provide the required nutrition and energy that your dog is lacking. If required, whole blood transfusions may be recommended for severely anemic patients. As this problem is mediated mostly through the immune system, the primary treatment involves suppressing the immune system with drugs like cyclosporine A. Cyclosporine and other related agents suppress the bone marrow’s over-response. Drugs supporting the bone marrow functions are also recommended for these patients. Antibiotics are given to treat ongoing infections as well as for the prevention of further infections.

Living and Management

During hospitalization, your veterinarian will monitor your dog's status daily. Blood tests will be repeated to determine the current status of the problem. In some dogs, bone marrow sampling may need to be repeated in order to see if the bone marrow is responding normally or not. Unfortunately, with aplastic anemia few patients survive despite extensive care and treatment. Young dogs have a better chance of survival, but even if initial recovery is attained, it may take several weeks to months for a complete recovery.