histiocytosis bernese mountain dog

Histiocytosis in Bernese Mountain Dogs. He gave Xena packed cells, ozone therapy and every other treatment he could think of. I did choose a stud that had longevity behind him - father and uncle lived to 11, mother lived to 13 and other dogs showed a variety of ages and causes of death. The biopsy of that sample was confirmed to be Malignant Histiocytosis Sarcoma by three pathologists in three different laboratories. Took Visuditibhan Devon, 11/13/92 9/18/98 That was good news. The first message regarding treatment only offered amputation of the leg. On the morning of December 8, 1999, he showed no interest in his food, was depressed, had labored breathing and started vomiting. Malignant Histiocytosis in a Bernese Mountain Dog Presenting as a Mandibular Mass. We took her to the local emergency vet. We stopped the thyroid meds. It had spread, she had MH and there was no point in doing radiation. I knew that Wendy's grandmother died of histio (reported by the owner) at 11 years old. I feel he's really fighting this with us. Then we discovered he loved chicken livers so we added that to his diet. We put her down on May 9, 2000. X-rays revealed a corncob stuck in her intestines, but it also showed a slightly enlarged spleen. Xena's spleen biopsy showed that she was making red blood cells in her spleen (which is abnormal in postnatal life). One night he could not settle and would occasionally yelp in pain for no apparent cause. When Blithe's PCV dropped to 9 she was euthanized. The x-rays show that her nodules in her lungs are clearly reducing. That's good because that's a benign lump - not that uncommon. We also gave her Epogen hoping that it would boost her red cell production. All the other cases were in dogs old enough to have lost their thymus gland. The disease process seemed to wax and wane during a "cycle" with a steady progression of symptom advancement from cycle to cycle. That afternoon we received more bad news. During the course of the chemotherapy treatment, Devon began to have less of an appetite but was still happy and eager to go for his daily walks. September, 2001 We need to share the knowledge that research provides us as a tool improve the health and longevity of our breed. During our last two weeks, she would make extra surprise trips upstairs when she really didn't have the energy, to be with us. We tried all of his favorites, but he was only taking a bite here and there. On August 12 our world crashed in on us. Understanding and using the data is a time consuming and difficult task and the rewards from this process are not always easy to determine. I should have had my veterinarian call for a staging and evaluation the moment we had confirmation from Dr. Moore. Moore. Bottom line, we went from an apparently healthy dog to a dead dog in four days and we lost him 17 hours after we received the diagnosis. We visited Jay Jay that night. The chemo is given every three weeks. Chemotherapy is used in many cases, but dogs have died soon after starting chemo, or lived for many months without any treatment at all. Col-3 is the only drug I found that claimed to be effective against malignant histiocytes. Scherlie, Smedes, Feltz, Dougherty, Riis. But then I was surprised. Since Xena had high titers, we never vaccinated her again. Her beautiful, loving spirit will always be guiding us. I am very happy with Baci's oncologist. Xena had about 6 Ukrain treatments. At this time Baci was lively, and appeared healthy. We treated Tully with traditional and holistic therapies. Tests were showing a reduction in her lymph nodes, and spleen. I reported this to Barbara Packard who put me in touch with Dr. Peter Moore at UCDavis. Her platelets and blood proteins were low and she was anemic. Xena had a history of autoimmune reactions and the coccidia and urinary tract infections she had as a pup may have been an indication of immune dysfunction. Systemic histiocytosis was first described as being separate and distinct from histiocytic sarcoma; later it was defined as a variation of histiocytic sarcoma; and most recently it is back to being considered a separate and distinct form of histiocytosis. We have chemo number six planned for September 21, 2005 The first week of September, he started to turn down food- I called the vet. Disseminated histiocytic sarcoma is generally so far spread throughout the organs at the time of diagnosis as to preclude surgical excision as a viable treatment option. We took her to the vet and they said she was fine. Blood chemistry may be normal; it may show anemia; it may show a decrease in the number of platelets (thrombocytopenia); or it may show high liver enzyme activity. JAVMA (1986); 188:1041-1045. My vet had them cut a fresh sample and retry, but the results were the same. The existence of the Berner-Garde database, and the BG/MI State DNA/tissue repository is an excellent start. At this point we knew something was seriously wrong with him so we went to The Veterinary Hospital at the University of Pennsylvania (VHUP). First we need to define some of the terms and concepts. The initial presentation of systemic histiocytosis is multiple masses in the skin. Since she LOVED to eat, we were very concerned in early February of 2000, when she began to get picky about her food. Her ovaries and uterus looked completely normal but sections were sent for histopathology anyway. When the liver enzymes came back 4 times normal levels, we had an ultrasound done. We put Griffon to sleep that night. Your dog will likely experience metastatic disease soon - first to the liver and then the lung. It is only when we are willing to take a chance that we will come upon a cure for this. Since they didn't have blood available they transfused her with oxyglobin. Side effects could include nausea, diarrhea, lethargy and fever. Dr. Moore didn't find any evidence of histiocytosis in the bone marrow sample that we sent. This is a devastating cancer and we have no answers to treat it effectively at this time. It could have been a coincidence but every time we tried to add an anti-cancer treatment (Ukrain, cloud mushroom extract, red clover hoxey, etc) her PCV seemed to drop more quickly. Our vet's final entry in Devon's medical record was, "multiple tumors located in both chest and abdominal cavities, 8 masses in lungs ranging in size from 1 cm to 10 cm diameter, over 10 nodules in liver, 3 in spleen, mesenteric ln grossly normal, as were stomach, intestines, kidneys.". Within a span of 2 years, he had 6 surgical procedures on his right knee joint, as well as an ACL surgery on his left knee in September 1999. Ocular Manifestation of Systemic Histiocytosis in a Dog. The pathology report that we got back from Cornell didn't give a clear diagnosis, so we sent spleen samples to Dr. Moore at UC Davis. We still take every day one at a time. Their firmness was like that of a ripe orange. No further breedings came from this pedigree. Severe anemia may be the result of the tumor(s) in the spleen, and once it is removed, the red cell count may return to normal. Benoit Hedan & Catherine Andre: Canine Histiocytic Sarcoma in BMDs: Genetic progresses and update(2018), Gerard Rutteman:Molecular biological and genetic investigations of cancers in companion animals (2018), Jerome Abadie, Benoit Hedan et al: Epidemiology, Pathology, and Genetics of Histiocytic Sarcoma in the Bernese Mountain Dog Breed. The blood showed high levels of white cells and protein in the urine. So Griffy had the MRI, which showed more clearly that his spleen was indeed severely enlarged. Griffon started Prednisone which gave him his appetite and bounce back. Regardless however, there were abnormal cells (not necessarily cancerous) present and with that we decided to remove it anyway and have it analysed. Cytology of Canine Malignant Histiocytosis. The genetic aspects of MH were evaluated using data stored in the Berner-Garde database in a study initiated in 1989. We switched Xena from prednisone to natural cortisol to reduce the side effects of the steroids. He got his 1st round of chemo- 3 pills given orally. He had always had a good appetite, so this was a cause for concern when it persisted beyond a day or two. At Griffon's next chemo visit to VHUP they found that his spleen had shrunk by 25%. It wasn't until three years later that Crystal began to fail, and in four weeks from start to finish Crystal went from being a bouncy healthy girl to dying of malignant histiocytosis. The type of histocytosis that Xena had is rapidly progressive (1-5 months) and there is often concurrent involvement of the bone marrow. He was able to rule out mast cell tumour right away. Subsequently, she was diagnosed with Evan's Syndrome, an immune mediated anemia and thrombocytopenia. The oncologist, conventional vet and holistic vet have all been consulted and informed about everything I'm using on her. Padgett, Madewell, Keller, Jodar, Packard. We went out for our early morning walk with Jay Jay bouncing and dashing about as usual. He had run around that day far more than normal in the excitement of being at the beach, so I thought he may have aggravated his arthritis, and tried to keep him calm. Briefly she showed new symptoms occasional limping (similar to polyarthritis) and corncob chewing at her legs but these cleared up, perhaps due to the imuno-suppressive drugs she was given. The vet took a sample from the lump and went to the back room and had a look at it. We had a bionutritional analysis done by a holistic vet, Dr. Konrad Kruesi, and we started Xena on thyroid support, Visioplex, Vasedex, Lecithin, Gynplex, and Ferrofood to facilitate the production of new red blood cells, enhance immune function and stimulate her liver to be active again. She wanted to stay with us as much as we wanted to save her. This form of the disease is more frequently seen in males, and has a mean age of 4 years at onset. Vet Pathol (1986); 23:1-10. He took a few more naps throughout the day, but he was happy. Tully had his right anterior cruciate ligament repaired in January 1997. The diarrhea continued until Friday. I would encourage anyone facing MH with his or her dog to try to keep your options open to both holistic and traditional treatments. About 3 weeks after sending spleen samples to UC Davis, Dr. Moore gave us the true diagnosis. We switched to home-cooked diet and gave him Vitamins C, E, B complex and other supplements. If it has not spread it is histiocytic sarcoma. There were pale patches of "necrosis" in her spleen. With declining condition, at 9.5 years she was euthanized and a necropsy performed. Written off by the vet as a dislike for her food, a change in food made no difference as Blithe gradually lost weight. We were unable to get a diagnosis for 22 month old Arrow's eye problems until long after his death. She looks wonderful. Pathology results found tumors in the liver, spleen, lymph nodes, lungs, and left hip joint capsule, diagnosis malignant histiocytosis. Christy Kabler Blithe, 4/16/95 1/25/00 A few days later Xena's abdomen felt taut and her gums seemed pale. With his theory in mind, Stoney was used in an experiment in which I injected her weekly with freeze-dried calf thymus supplied by Dr. Moore. Ocular Manifestation of Systemic Histiocytosis in a Dog. Results showed adenocarcinoma in the ovaries. When he returned to VHUP for his 3rd round of chemo, his platelet count was all the way down to 4,000 (it should be in the 100,000's). There was no medical problems with this dog that I could see. Maggie's liver was over 75% tumor, and smaller tumors were spread throughout her abdominal cavity, covering her other organs. Elizabeth Malcolmson Tycho, 03/25/90 10/15/98 He started to get sick- he threw up a few times and had diarrhea. Her weight is stable, appetite excellent, her coat is lovely. Treatment four. One additional thing is that Baci is a confident, gregarious dog. Collies and Shelties get cutaneous histiocytosis which is a nuisance, but not at all deadly. By 5/3 the transfusions were only lasting a day. Pathology results showed anaplastic histiocytic cells in the spleen, and the pelvic lymph node. But by the beginning of July, he would leave the dock and go lay on the patio by himself after swimming only for a bit. After consultation, the vet decided to remove both the corncob and the spleen. I knew that histio was a problem within this line. From the day we found out Griffon was sick, we swore he would not suffer. Dr. Moore told me Stoney was the 8th reported case of histiocytosis in our breed. His health has been deteriorating for a week and he didn't show signs of improving. Promise whelped four litters here and was spayed at age eight due to a continuous discharge odor which was troublesome to our males. Not until the samples were sent to the lab at UC Davis could we get a firm diagnosis Blithe had malignant histiocytosis. Some days she ate very little. This is an oral medicine and treatment could be given through the hometown vet. Then in December I heard her cough three times one morning. They varied in size from the end of a #2 pencil to the size of the last section on my index finger. The lymph nodes may be enlarged. [Note: Chemo was around $65 for pills, $35 for office visit. It has allowed us to do follow-up tests as needed to provide the clearest picture of her health. It may take time to spread, but once it does it acts much more like disseminated histiocytic sarcoma. In the next day, it was clear that her energy was a non-renewable resource. Wendy's mother died of histio (reported by the owner) at 8yrs. Vet called next day to tell me his platelet count was so low he could spontaneously hemorrhage at any time. If Baci's cancer had spread, there would be no point in doing radiation. Entering the results into open databases like Berner-Garde are necessary to allow breeders to make informed breeding decisions. On the last morning, she lost control of her bowels and had no strength. Andrea Madeley Aari, 6/28/95 still bouncy and happy in August of 2001! By the end of February, the specialists started to reconsider the IMHA diagnosis. We consulted with a friend who is a MD. The bumps were not visible to me in the muzzle but were found on necropsy. Moore, Rosin. Affolter, Moore. The bone marrow smears suggested that Xena's anemia was due to accelerated destruction rather than diminished production and were supportive of the clinical suspicion of IMHA. The lab report finding was "Histiocytoma". Normally a histiocyte would not destroy red blood cells unless those red cells are abnormal (in which case a Coombs test might be positive - a test used to determine the presence of nonagglutinating antibodies on cells). lost to Canine Malignant Histiocytosis. X-ray showed a large mass on her spleen, and an enlarged lymph node on the base of the spine. He was sending the specimen back to my veterinarian, Dr. O'Brien, to be forwarded to Dr. Moore at UC Davis. Vet Pathol (1984); 21:554-563. Her liver was enlarging and we just couldn't bear to make her suffer any longer. Carioto. These are the histiocytes. Acupuncture, regular RIFE treatments (a method of using vibrational energy for healing discovered by Royal Rife, see http://www.naturesalternative.com/rife.html), anti-inflammatory medications and holistic remedies, as well as a modified diet were the methods that we chose to help him feel happy and comfortable. Donna Soderstrom Baci, 10/10/96 present, 9/6/2005 But she is doing better than we had ever hoped. To see these pages visit "Histio Roll Call" at: http://www.angelfire.com/anime3/longlease/histiorollcall.htm. Then she became a bit more picky about her what food she wanted to eat and she dropped some weight. Griffon was an avid swimmer; he would spend all day in the water, barely coming out for a breather. And I would like to thank a wonderful vet who never stopped trying to help, Blithe's very supportive breeder, and many others who were emotionally supportive. As people who love the breed, it is incumbent on us all to help find ways to reduce the incidence of histiocytic disease in our breed. Systemic histiocytosis has been successfully treated with immuno-suppressive drugs, such as Cyclosporin A and Leflunomide, and variable success with immuno-suppressive doses of corticosteroids. Current Histiocytosis Health Studies http://www.bmdca.org/health/studies.php, Histio Pre-Test - Using Antagene's Histiocytic Sarcoma Index Mate Selection Tool - INFO at BMDCA - A food tube was put in so that she could be fed through the tube if she continued to refuse food. This showed shadowing which the vet felt may indicate neoplasia (cancer) of some sort. It took a week to realize that she wasn't gaining normal weight, but her abdomen was becoming enlarged, probably from fluid. Symptoms usually include loss of appetite (anorexia), weight loss, lethargy, weakness, and poor general condition. Griffy didn't move much over the weekend. Britney started going off her food in January. MH is an inherited disease and it is horrible the way these dogs suffer. I knew there was trouble, but thought it was a sore tooth. End of walk, called the vet and took him in. Xena's gums were very pale and she was very picky about eating, taking food only if she was hand fed. Hannibal's appetite stopped entirely within a week of the first sign of trouble, and even prednisone wasn't stimulating it. In July 1997 alone Jay Jay and I walked almost 50 miles in our New Hampshire woods together. He had swollen lymph nodes under his front legs, and when the vet couldn't find anything wrong, he did a full blood workup.

Field Bred Welsh Springer Spaniel,