I just recently found out that my 13 yr old dog has anemia. I cant get my vet to truly tell me how bad it is. How deadly is this and should I continue with the treatment or should I go ahead and have her put to sleep?
Allison Williams, DVM says:
January 03rd, 2009 at 12:01 AM
Anemia is the decreased amount of circulating red blood cells in the body and is a vague clincal sign for a host of different disorders. It is helpful to think of the causes of anemia in 3 ways:
1. Increased destruction of red blood cells (parasites, hemolytic anemia, decreased phosphorus, cancer)
2. Loss of red blood cells (external bleeding, flea bites, ulcers, internal bleeding)
3. Decreased production (kidney disease, bone marrow disease, cancer)
Did your vet tell you the degree of anemia? What is her PCV?
You should not put her down if it is a treatable cause since anemia can be a result of a host of different conditions. Unfortunately, the information you gave me is not sufficient to formulate a diagnosis but again, if you can find the cause you at least have a shot of finding out how to make her well again. More info would be helpful.
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