Anemia and Aranesp

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macdebbie

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I apologize if I should not be posting, but I am desparate...

My precious little kitty, age 7 has been diagnosed with FIP and has developed severe anemia.

I found this forum searching for info on ESAs.

Cailie (my cat) was started on Aranesp on 7/28 at 6mcg. She had several "seizure-like" reactions to Aranesp, shortly after the shot.

The next week we reduced the dose to 4 mcg, but she had several more episodes.

We are petrified to continue this drug, but know without it she will die of anemia. At her last recheck last week, her PCV had fallen to 13. The vets were amazed that she was even functioning, let alone that she was active.

I am curious if anyone has experienced reactions to Aranesp, and whether or not reduced dosages solved the problem.

Again, I am desperate, and apologize if I should not be posting here....
 
No need to apologize. While the specialty of most members is feline diabetes, many people on the board have multiple cats and more than one challenge. We are united by our love for animals, and understand your desire for help. Larry has offered some help - others may have other suggestions. I hope that they provide some help for you.
 
My CRF cat, Bear Man was treated with Aranesp. He responded well to the drug, and had no side effects. If I recall correctly, he was on a high dose of 6.25 mcg. Bear Man passed away from his other diseases, but his anemia was under control. I did give an injection of iron dextran with the first shot of Aranesp (Darbepoietin). If I recall correctly (Bear passed away 10 months ago, and I have not been doing reading on anemia lately), a higher dose of Aranesp does not cause a higher risk of side effects. The risk with a higher dose is related to the speed of red blood cell production.

I only have experience using Aranesp on a CRF cat with non-regenerative anemia. A cat with poorly functioning kidneys cannot produce enough erythrpoietin and may respond to an ESA. I believe that ESA's only work on non-regenerative anemia. I am not familiar with the mechanism involved in FIP related anemia, and whether ESA's are suitable in those cases.

I was a member on the two support groups mentioned above. There is less experience there with Aranesp than with Epogen, but there is still a lot of good information on the feline anemia group. Have you also looked into the possibility of blood transfusions? They can work well in some cats.

This website about renal failure has an excellent subsection on anemia. You will find a lot of good info and links there. http://www.felinecrf.org/anaemia.htm
 
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