What is Systemic Autoimmune Disease?
Systemic autoimmune disease is rare and occurs at any age. It occurs when high levels of antigen-antibody complexes form and deposit throughout the body, attacking cells, organs and tissues as they would normally attack diseases.
Systemic autoimmune disease refers to a number of autoimmune diseases in which a dog’s immune system begins to fight itself and its own protective antibodies, attacking its cells, organs, and tissues.
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Average Cost
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Symptoms of Systemic Autoimmune Disease in Dogs
Symptoms may vary widely, depending upon the location of the immune complexes. Common symptoms across all types include:
- Lethargy
- Anorexia
- Fever
Additional symptoms are specific to certain types and are distinguished by the bodily system affected.
Hypoadrenocorticism (Addisons Disease)
Occurs when antibodies attack a dog’s adrenal gland. Symptoms include:
- Muscle weakness
- Depression
- Weight loss
- Collapse and shock
- Kidney failure
- Lack of appetite
- Diarrhea
- Abdominal pain
- Increased thirst and/or urine production
Hemolytic Anemia
Occurs when antibodies attack a dog’s red blood cells. Symptoms include:
- Anemia
- Free hemoglobin in blood and urine
- Jaundice
- Lethargy
- Blue, reddened, swollen, ulcerated or crusted extremities
- Swollen lymph nodes
- Swollen spleen
Systemic Lupus Erythematous (Lupus)
Is a multiple organ autoimmune disease that occurs when antibodies attack cells, organs and tissues throughout a dog’s body. Symptoms can vary according to the disease’s progression and the sites affected although they include:
- Arthritis in multiple joints
- Hair loss
- Production of dandruff
- Skin ulcerations and crusting of extremities
- High body temperature
- Loss of appetite
- Anemia
- Weight loss
Thrombocytopenia
Occurs when antibodies attack a dog’s platelets, hindering the blood’s ability to clot properly. Can occur as a secondary condition to Systemic lupus erythematosus. Symptoms include:
- Hemorrhages and/or internal bleeding
- Nosebleeds
Myasthenia Gravis
Occurs when antibodies attack acetylcholine receptors in your dog’s muscles. Acetylcholine is the neurotransmitter that controls muscle function. Symptoms include:
- Muscle weakness
- Fatigue
- Disinterest in exercise
- Difficulty swallowing
- Regurgitation of food
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Occurs when antibodies attack immunoglobulin G, which regulates your dog’s circulation. Symptoms include:
- Lameness
- Elevated body temperature
- Lack of appetite
- Swollen joints
- Restricted or nonexistent joint movement
- Dislocated joints
- A clicking, cracking or grating sound when joints are manipulated
Lymphocytic Thyroiditis
Occurs when antibodies attack your dog’s thyroid. Symptoms include:
- Hair loss
- Thinning skin
- Muscle weakness
- Slow heart rate
- Constipation
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Dry eye
- Hyperpigmentation of skin
- Dandruff
- Lethargy
- Obesity
- Cold intolerance
- Fat deposits in the corner of the eye
Bullous Autoimmune Skin Disease
Occurs when antibodies attack your dog’s skin. Subsets and their symptoms are as follows:
- Pemphigus Vulgaris
- Erosions/ulcers around orifices which secrete discharge and crust over
- Depression
- Lack of appetite
- Pemphigus Foliaceus
- Pustules under skin surface
- Crusting
- Dandruff
- Loss of hair
- Excessive itchiness/scratching
- Hyperpigmentation, typically black in color
- Peeling foot pads
- Often found in the head and nose
- Pemphigus Vegetans
- Pustules
- Crusting
- Formation of papilloma, what looks like small warts
- Often found in groin area
- Pemphigus Erythematosus
- Sores secreting discharge
- Crusting
- Excessive itchiness/scratching
- Often found around the eyes, ears, and bridge of the nose
- Bullous Pemphigoid
- Erosions/ulcers around orifices which secrete discharge and crust over
- Depression
- Lack of appetite
- High body temperature
Breeds Affected
- Autoimmune Haemolytic Anemia
- Breeds - most often found in Cocker Spaniel, Old English Sheepdog, and Poodle breeds
- Gender - Is more often found in female than male dogs
- Autoimmune Thrombocytopenia
- Breeds - most often found in the Poodle breed
- Gender - Is more often found in female than male dogs
- Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
- Breeds - most often found in German Shepherd and Poodle breeds
- Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Breeds - most often found in toy breeds
Causes of Systemic Autoimmune Disease in Dogs
There is no identifiable cause of systemic autoimmune disease. While not a cause, ultraviolet light can exacerbate the disease.
Diagnosis of Systemic Autoimmune Disease in Dogs
Diagnosis of systemic autoimmune disease is difficult, as all dogs don’t exhibit the same symptoms, and many symptoms overlap with other diseases.
The veterinarian will conduct a comprehensive blood panel measuring complete blood count in order to measure red and white blood cells and determine if your dog has a low platelet count, low blood cortisol, and blood chemistries in order to determine if your dog tests positive for anti-nuclear antibodies, thyroid hormone levels, high plasma potassium concentrations, high calcium concentrations, high blood urea and creatinine. These blood metrics will determine if you dog has a systemic autoimmune disease, and if so, what type. For instance, a positive anti-nuclear antibodies test indicates lupus, a low platelet count indicates thrombocytopenia, low thyroid hormone level indicates lymphocytic thyroiditis.
Treatment of Systemic Autoimmune Disease in Dogs
Your dog may or may not require hospitalization, depending on the severity of the symptoms. In cases of extreme red blood cell destruction, your dog will need to be hospitalized in order to manage red blood cell levels. However, in many situations, the disease can be treated on an outpatient basis. Corticosteroids like prednisone are prescribed to decrease inflammation and autoimmune activity. Often, this will be supplemented with a secondary immunosuppressant, such as azathioprine, cyclophosphamide or cyclosporine. Additional treatment will depend upon the type of autoimmune disease.
- Hypoadrenocorticism - Requires long-term mineralcorticoid therapy, likely with fludrocortisone acetate, in order to restore salt and water balances.
- Hemolytic Anemia and Thrombocytopenia - May or may not require a blood transfusion and surgical removal of your dog’s spleen.
- Myasthenia Gravis - Requires cholinesterase inhibiters, such as pyridostigmine bromide, injected daily.
- Rheumatoid arthritis - Requires aspirin, only in the absence of lupus and thrombocytopenia. Additionally, your dog will be prescribed cytotoxic drugs (or antineoplastics), which target and attack the dangerous antibodies. Common cytotoxics include azathioprine and cyclophosphamide. An additional tactic may be gold salt therapy, which helps to reduce further inflammation and slow progression of the disease.
- Systemic Lupus Erythematous (Lupus) - Requires cytotoxic drugs, such as azathioprine and cyclophosphamide.
- Lymphocytic Thyroiditis - Requires synthetic thyroid hormone replacement therapy to return to normal thyroid functioning.
- Bullous Autoimmune Skin Disease - Requires cytotoxic drugs azathioprine or cyclophosphamide, gold salt therapy, and limiting exposure to sunlight. Autoimmune skin diseases are exacerbated by ultraviolet light.
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Recovery of Systemic Autoimmune Disease in Dogs
Prognosis of dogs with systemic autoimmune disease varies widely, with some dogs dying of complications and others living a relatively healthy life with treatment. However, treatment will likely be necessary for your dog’s entire life. You must monitor you dog carefully for symptoms of side effects, and the veterinarian will likely require frequent checkups in order to make sure the treatment is appropriate. The frequency of checkups will likely decrease over time.
When you dog comes home, it is important to provide a comfortable, quiet space for recovery, possibly in a cage, until your dog is healthy enough to move around more. Continue to be aware of your dog’s exposure to sunlight, limiting outdoor exercise to dawn and twilight times. Other specific treatments will require additional precautions. For instance, in the case of kidney complications, the veterinarian will likely prescribe a specific diet.
Systemic Autoimmune Disease Average Cost
From 2 quotes ranging from $650 - $2,500
Average Cost
$1,400
Top
Systemic Autoimmune Disease Questions and Advice from Veterinary Professionals
Lab mix
Copper
9
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My pet has the following symptoms:
Crusting Skins Lesions On Groin And Hind Leg.
Removal Of Spleen
Decrease Red Blood Cell Count
Ear Infections
Eye Discharge
Liver Disease
In October my 8 year old lab/springer spaniel mix stopped eating. I took him into vet two days later, (as I had been told he suffered from anxiety and allergies. His history was crusty round skin lesions in groin area and on legs occasionally, plus recurrent ear infections, Which treated would go away.) When we went to vet he had a 102 fever. They took blood samples and were concerned possible tick disease or AID. The vet started him on a course of steroids and antibiotic to combat either disease. The lesions that he had which was minimal on groin cleared up, and his ears were also cleared up. Normally I have to clean ears with RX rinse.
One week later his abdomen swelled up, took back to the vet. He had fluid and an ultra sound pans X-ray was done. They determined he had a mass in his spleen. Which then I was sent to emergency/specialty vet. Splenectomy was performed. They were concerned about possible cancer. However all tests were negative for cancer. This was in October 2016. It's now January, his red blood cell count is up, and liver levels are near normal. However his skin lesions, which tend to be round, extremely flaky have come back, not like before which looked like pustuals. We never got a firm diagnosis. He was negative for Cushings, tick, and cancers.
Do you think this could be a form of an auto immune disease.??
July 26, 2017
0 Recommendations
Dogs have a higher body temperature than humans, the physiological range is around 100-104°F depending on the literature you read, which would place Copper in the middle of normal. The reduction in circulating red blood cells may have been due to the splenic mass, which now after a splenectomy, red cell levels are returning to normal. It is possible that Copper has an autoimmune disease which can be tricky to diagnose as they can resemble other conditions, however allergies, parasites, infections, contact with irritants may also be the cause; due to the variety of different causes, it would be best to have your Veterinarian scrape them to examine under a microscope or have a biopsy sent for examination as the new skin lesions may be unrelated to the previous problems. Regards Dr Callum Turner DVM
July 26, 2017
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American Cocker Spaniel
Duke
8 Years
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My pet has the following symptoms:
Diarrhea
Depression
Weight Loss
Drowsiness
Weakness
Normal Appetite
Duke is a 8 yr old cocker spaniel male, he has had chronic diarrhea for 3weeks, he has taken antibiotics also had a shot, steroids and anti diarrhea medicine and then another kind of anti diarrhea medicine and it is still not improving. Still has an appetite, drinks water but he is getting lethargic, needs help getting on couch which he never had problems before. The vet here, took a blood sample and his white cells where a little high, but nothing real alarming, vet figure the count was up to help fight an infection.
July 26, 2017
0 Recommendations
There are various possible causes for the symptoms which Duke is presenting with including systemic infection, parasites, autoimmune disease, toxins, poisons or foreign bodies. Duke’s increased white cells maybe an immune reaction to infection but also possibly due to inflammation; Duke’s hind leg weakness maybe due to the long term diarrhoea and weight loss. Stool samples (culture and sensitivity as well as parasites) and x-rays might be a useful next step in the diagnostic process. Regards Dr Callum Turner DVM
July 26, 2017
My Dog Chipper has had an elevated white blood cell count for 11 weeks. We could not identify the infection and suspected autoimmune disease. His count got as high as 163000
We switched him to Cytoxan and his count dropped to 43000 in one week. That was last week 10/18/17. He's eating very well. He seems to be doing really good!
Oct. 19, 2017
Rock
Mason Noah
I was diagnosed with RA at age 50. Now I'm 55 and I was in pain constantly, not to mention the intense fatigue. I was on Remicade, Arava, folic acid, and Percocet. It started in my neck and spread to both hips, hands, feet, back and just in the last two months, to my knees. I purchased RA herbal remedies online from a great herbal home called GOOD HEALTH HERBS HOME,I only used the herbal remedy for 5 weeks, my RA disappeared.pleases anyone out there going through RA pain don't hesitate to purchased RA herbal remedy from GOOD HEALTH HERBS HOME,contact details wwwgoodhealthherbshome .com . I am so grateful i find a miracle cure. I feel like i am 30 years old now,am so strong and healthy ..
Dec. 4, 2017
Noah M.
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Daschund
Amira
11 in april of 2017
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My pet has the following symptoms:
Blood In Urine
My female Dash/chow has IMHA, and has been on cyclospine for about two years, I took her in to the vet because she had blood in her urine. they dx'd her with a UTI, when I went back in for a recheck, her PCV was fine but her platelets were really low, so they put her on pred and azathioprine. She has been dong better, and there has not been any blood in her urine for over a week, but today I let her out and there was a lot of blood. she acts fine and seems happy, so I am not sure where to go from here.
July 26, 2017
0 Recommendations
There are various causes for blood in the urine apart from infections; one of the reported side effects of azathioprine include in some cases bone marrow suppression causing a reduction in the production of blood cells including platelets, luckily this suppression reverses after withdrawal of treatment. I wouldn’t be too concerned, but I would recommend visiting your Veterinarian early in the New Year to check her over (bloods etc…); obviously if you notice any other concerning symptoms including pain, fever or blood in her stool or vomit (if she would vomit), visit your Veterinarian or Emergency Veterinarian immediately. Regards Dr Callum Turner DVM
July 26, 2017
I felt a lot better until, I went to order her medication and was putting in the rx #. The pharm. gave me the wrong medication and she has been taking it for two months. It looked the same and I didnt pay close attention, because they asked me all the questions that a pharm. does and I didnt look at the package. she has been taking Cyclophosphamide 70mg. she should be taking cyclosporine, and I am not sure of the dosage now, because I don't see it in her records on line. She is bleeding a lot. in her urine. Could this be the reason?
July 26, 2017
Amira's Owner
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Systemic Autoimmune Disease Average Cost
From 2 quotes ranging from $650 - $2,500
Average Cost
$1,400
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Easily compare quotes from the most trusted pet insurance companies in the United States.
