Editor’s Note: There are times when the Hixson-Lied Small Animal Hospital Emergency and Critical Care must turn away patients because it has reached capacity with critical cases. Tinsley is such a case.
Dogs and cats can develop diseases many would associate with human health issues.
IMHA or Immune Mediated Hemolytic Anemia is one of those diseases and a recent patient in the Hixson-Lied Small Animal Hospital was diagnosed with IMHA.
Normally, a dog’s immune system will protect the body from foreign invaders. That’s not the case with IMHA. The serious autoimmune disease occurs when the dog’s immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys its own red blood cells. This leads to anemia where the body doesn’t have enough red blood cells to carry oxygen which can lead to serious health issues.
When Tinsley came to the Hixson-Lied Emergency and Critical Care, her referring veterinarian suspected IMHA and had already given the six-year-old mixed canine a blood transfusion.
By the time Tinsley was released from Iowa State almost a week later, she had received additional blood transfusions and two cycles of therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE). The Hixson-Lied Small Animal Hospital is the only clinic in Iowa that performs TPE.
The procedure involves taking out a portion of the patient’s blood, running it through a centrifuge where the liquid protein portion, that contains the harmful antibody proteins which are attacking the red blood cells, is removed. The patient’s red blood cells and healthy donor protein is returned to the patient, and the procedure is repeated.
The TPE procedure can also be used to remove certain toxins.
The TBE treatment, plus additional immunosuppressive medications and blood thinners, has led to a drastic change in Tinsley. When she arrived at Iowa State she was not eating and was regurgitating food and water. To help her eat and drink, a temporary tube was inserted through her nose, down the esophagus and into the stomach.
“Since her fourth day here, Tinsley has been eating well, without vomiting or regurgitating,” said Dr. Giulia Toth, ECC resident, “and her hematocrit (proportion of red blood cells) is the highest it has been since she became ill.”
Learn more about the therapeutic plasma exchange and the Hixson-Lied Companion Animal Blood Bank.
If you and your animal need assistance, don’t hesitate to reach out to the Lloyd Veterinary Medical Center at 515.294.4900.
August 2025