Bend dog suffering from blood disease; owner seeking dog donor

Owner in need of blood transfusion to save her dogs life

BEND, Ore (KTVZ) -- Sage is a 9-month-old heeler mix who has immune mediated hemolytic anemia, a disease where the body’s immune system destroys its own blood cells.

Sage's owner, Itzel Coronel of Bend, said Tuesday she's not quite sure what triggered the disease, but one day when Sage was running and hit a fence, she suddenly collapsed. That’s when Coronel knew something was wrong. 

Dr. Matt Vaughan of Veterinary Referral and Emergency Center of Central Oregon said the condition isn't common, but he does average seeing about five cases a month, since he specializes in it. Vaughan says in most cases, the disease is triggered on its own, but there are some reasons it can develop.

“Specific triggers that we look for in these cases are things like some infections spread by ticks, which thankfully we don’t have many of here. Some cancers can trigger this, and some medications can trigger this," Vaughan said.

Coronel shared that on the day of the incident, her dog was very weak and her gums turned pale. Based on the dog's weak condition, she was also told it was the last day her dog would live.

Fortunately, Sage is still here, more than two weeks later.

“She doesn’t have as much energy as she usually has. She used to play a lot," Coronel said.

Coronel also said that Sage needs to go to the bathroom almost every 30 minutes, a side effect of the medication. She added that Sage is always hungry and consumes a lot of water. For safety measures, Coronel made dietary changes from raw food to kibble, to help prevent Sage from getting infections.

When It comes to others who may dealing with this situation, Coronel shares a word of advice.

“Just don’t give up. I think that was one mistake I did. I gave up too soon, because it was going to be really expensive."

Coronel is not quite sure what the outcome will be, but she is glad Sage still has some fight in her.

“We can’t be certain how long she’s going to live, and if this medication is going to continue to work," Coronel said.

Sage is currently fed two different medications- a steroid, and an immune-suppressant pill but Coronel said it's a dog donor that will save her dogs life.

“One of the life-saving measures for dogs with hemolytic anemia are blood transfusions, and not every dog with this condition needs a drug transfusion." Vaughan said. "But in some, that’s what we have to do to keep them going long enough for the medications to take effect."

If you would like to reach out to Coronel, you can email her at: Itzrcoronel@gmail.com.