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YOUR HISTIO STORY
I am looking for similarities
in all individual cases of
Histiocytic diseases.
I wonder if we all tell our
stories we might come up
with some commonality
between the specific
situations in which all of
our pets got this disease.
So please email me the
details and I'll put your
pets story on Shelley's
Histio Website
UW HISTIO VERHAAL
Ik ben op zoek naar
overeenkomsten in alle
individuele gevallen van
Histiocytose.
Ik hoop dat wanneer wij
onze Histio verhalen
vertellen, wij overeen-
komsten ontdekken over
de manier waarop onze
huisdieren deze ziekte
hebben opgelopen.
Stuur mij de details en
ik zal het verhaal van uw
huisdier op de Histio
website van Shelley zetten.
WARNING !
These stories are all
different. Individual
symptoms, situations
and circumstances
may vary and response to
therapy is not always the
same.
- Disclaimer -
WAARSCHUWING !
Deze verhalen zijn allemaal
verschillend. Individuele
symptomen, situaties en
omstandigheden kunnen
verschillen en de reactie
op therapie is niet altijd
hetzelfde.
- Disclaimer -
HISTIOCYTOSIS IN
OTHER LANGUAGES
German - Hund
Maligner Histiozytose
French - Chien
l'Histiocytose Maligne
Italian - Canis
Maligni Histiocytosis
Spanish - Perros
Histiocitosis Maligna
Dutch - Hond
Maligne Histiocytose
Survey report for histiocytic diseases in dogs !
Data collected by Mo van den Tillaart
In loving memory of my Sheltie Shelley who died of Malignant Histiocytosis in 2001,
and all other pets who fell victim to this dreadful disease.
This histio survey report is to determine the frequency and/or possible causes of histiocytic diseases in all dog breeds. It is an ongoing research, so if you have/had an histio stricken dog, please complete the questionnaire and send it to me.
(Please note that I will update the report with newly available data on a regular basis)
Warning: This report consists entirely of information provided by third parties and most respondents have not answered every question, which resulted in a lower sample size for some questions. Also this is my own interpretation of the data received. Therefore I hereby disclaim any liability for the accuracy or meaning of any such information provided in this survey report. The results of this survey should be interpreted with caution. Users hereby agree to use or rely on this information solely at their own risk.
So far: 56 questionnaires were completed. 23 were males and 33 females. 47 dogs were neutered or spayed and 8 were intact. (one owner did not answer the neutered/spayed question.)
1 Australian Blue Cattle Dog
2 Australian Shepherds
2 Beagles
7 Bernese Mountain Dogs
1 Border Collie
3 Flatcoated Retrievers
15 Golden Retrievers
1 Irish Setter
2 Labrador Retrievers
1 Maltese Terrier
3 Mastiffs
3 mixed breeds
1 Pekingese
1 Rhodesian Ridgeback
5 Rottweilers
3 Scottisch Terriers
4 Shelties
1 Siberian Husky
30 dogs were diagnosed with Malignant Histiocytosis (MH), 12 of them were males and 18 were females. 27 dogs were neutered/spayed and 3 were intact. Oldest dog in this survey who died of MH was a 12 year old spayed Beagle (female). The youngest dog was a 2,8 year old intact Maltese Terrier (male).
24 dogs were diagnosed with Histiocytic Sarcoma (HS), 10 of them were males and 14 were females. 19 dogs were neutered/spayed and 4 were intact. Oldest dog in this survey who died of HS was a 13,5 year old spayed Sheltie/Shetland Sheepdog (female). The youngest dog was an almost 3 year young Golden Retriever (male).
2 dogs were diagnosed with Systemic Histiocytosis (SH), 1 male and 1 female. 1 dog was neutered/spayed and 1 was intact. Oldest dog in this survey who died of SH was a 10,4 year old spayed Beagle (female). The youngest dog was an 8,5 year old intact BMD (male).
Residence
Of all 56 Histio cases,
40 dogs lived in the United States of America:
5 in California,
1 in Colorado,
1 in Florida,
1 in Georgia,
2 in Illinois,
1 in Indiana,
1 in Maine,
1 in Maryland,
2 in Massachesetts,
1 in Michigan,
1 in Minnesota,
1 in Nevada,
2 in New Hampshire,
1 in New Jersey,
4 in New York,
2 in North Carolina,
1 in Ohio,
1 in Oregon,
1 in Pennsylvania,
2 in South Carolina,
1 in Texas,
3 in Washington and
2 in Wyoming.
3 dogs lived in Canada,
2 dogs lived in Australia:
1 in ACT and
1 in Queensland.
11 lived in Europe:
1 in Italy,
7 in the Netherlands,
1 in Scotland and
2 in the UK.
Source
Most dogs (
25 ) came from an established breeder,
7 from a casual breeder,
7 from a backyard breeder and
4 dogs came from a shelter or rescue organization.
5 from a private party, like a friend or neighbor.
4 were from a petstore,
1 from a newspaper add,
2 were stray dogs and
1 owner did not answer this question.
Some dogs diagnosed with HS had multiple tumors in different parts of their bodies.
Therefore I doubt whether their actual diagnosis is correct.
Health issues prior to histiocytic disease
As for health issues in life before the onset of an histiocytic
disease, multiple answers were possible. From a total of
56 dogs in this survey,
19 had no prior health issues and only
1 owner did not answer this question. This leaves
36 dogs with one or more health issues prior to the onset of their histiocytic disease.
The breakdown for reported health issues is:
22 dogs had fatty tumors,
6 had chronic infections,
6 torn ligaments/tendons,
5 reactions to certain medicines,
5 allergies,
4 gastritis,
3 dogs had reactions to vaccinations,
3 had arthritis,
2 mast cell tumors,
2 bladder infection/stones,
2 chronic cough,
2 seizures and
2 lyme disease.
All other health issues in these dogs were reported only once:
bloat,
demodectic mange,
double uterus,
dry eye,
elbow displasia,
enlarged prostate,
entropion,
giardia/coccidiosis,
herniated disc,
histiocytoma's,
hotspot,
kidney problems,
liposarcoma's,
neosporosis,
pancreatitis,
parvo,
poisoned,
sarcoptic mange,
broken sesamoid bones,
thyroid and
tonsilectomy.
Treatment for health issues within 6 months prior to histiocytic disease
From a total of
56 dogs,
24 received no treatment for their health issues prior to the onset of their histiocytic disease.
1 owner did not remember and
12 owners did not answer this question. This leaves
19 dogs who received some form of treatment in the 6 months prior to the onset of
their histiocytic disease.
2 dogs were given anesthesia and
3 were given steroids.
1 dog was given 15 different meds in an attempt to control her neosporosis.
Medicines used are:
Antibiotics:
2 x Amoxicillin
3 x Baytril
2 x Clindamicin
3 x Doxicyclene
Other antibiotics reported only once are: 1x unknown, ampicillin, ceferal, cephalexin,
clavamox, flagyl, gentamicin, metrodinazole, penicillin, sulfamethazole.
Narcotics:
All these drugs were reported only once:
buprenorphine, fentanyl patch, gabopentin, percocet, procaine, tramadol.
Non Steroid Anti inflammatory meds:
1 x carthrophen
2 x deramaxx
3 x Metacam
1 x Previcox
4 x Rimadyl.
Gastroprokinetic agent
1 x Centrine
1 x metaclopramide
1 x omeprazole
1 x Sucralfate
Other medicines:
1 x Atarax (allergy)
2 x Benadryl (allergy)
1 x Denosyl (Anti Oxidant)
1 x Phenobarbital (Anti Seizure)
1 x Protexin (Probiotics)
1 x Enalapril (Angiotensin).
Misdiagnosis
27 dogs were NOT misdiagnosed, but the remaining
29 dogs were diagnosed with another disease while in fact
suffering from a histiocytic disease.
3 dogs were thought to have a tick borne disease
2 AIHA/IMHA
2 a Thyroid disease
2 gastroenteritis
2 were diagnosed to have only fatty tumors
2 lymphoma
2 were supposedly posioned by a parasite or spider
Other diseases (only reported once) were:
arthritis, autoimmune disease, bloat, brain tumor, burrs in throat,
cervical disc/neurological, clotting disorder, cutaneus histiocytosis, flu,
hemangiosarcoma, hernia, Histiocytoma, infection, kidney disease, liver cancer,
osteosarcoma, tooth abcess, unknown cough,
and uveitus. One diagnosis said no cancer and one owner doesn't remember
the name of the illness.
Symptoms
Multiple answers were possible. One dog presented no obvious symptoms. Only after
death the owner realized the dog had been sleeping more than usual.
All other
55 dogs had one or multiple obvious symptoms.
The breakdown of the most common symptoms is:
27 x Less/no appetite,
26 x Lethargic/weak,
11 x lesions or lumps,
10 x Limp,
9 x Anemic,
9 x Weight loss,
8 x Cough,
7 x Panting or labored breathing,
6 x Vomitting,
6 x Depression or behavior change,
4 x Seizures,
3 x Fever,
3 x Drinking more,
2 x Diarrhea,
2 x Obvious pain,
2 x Refusing or difficulty walking,
2 x Restless and
2 x Hypoglemic.
Al remaining symptoms were reported only once:
Constipation, hairloss, Isolation, Orange Urine,
Reverse Sneezing, Snoring, Squinting Eye, Swollen Stomach, TIA, difficulty swallowing.
Diagnostic methods
1 owner did not answer this question. In all other
55 cases, several diagnostic methods were used to get a definite diagnosis.
The breakdown for the most common methods is:
37 x biopsy/FNA,
31 x bloodwork,
28 x X-ray or scan,
22 x ultrasound,
7 x surgical removal of tumor and biopsy,
3 x autopsy (necropsy),
2 x histio stain.
Other methods used only once are:
HIG test, opthalmascope, urine analysis, neurological test and the marker test.
Tumor sites
Abnormalities were found in:
25 x Spleen,
17 x Lungs,
17 x Liver,
11 x Lymph nodes,
7 x in the abdomen/intestines,
6 x on the skin,
4 x in the bone,
3 x in the kidneys,
2 x in a joint,
2 x in the neck,
2 x in the heart,
2 x in the chest and
1x in the stomach, nose, eye, esophagus, belly and brain.
Treatment after diagnosis
8 dogs received no treatment at all after being diagnosed with a histiocytic disease.
6 dogs were euthanized or died within a week after diagnosis,
2 dogs died before diagnosis, and
1 owner said the dog did get some form of treatment, but did not recall which kind.
13 dogs were given no other treatment than drugs.
1 dog had cancer surgery to remove the tumor but no other treatment,
8 dogs had cancer surgery and received drug treatment after surgery,
6 dogs had cancer surgery and received chemotherapy treatment plus medication,
1 dog had cancer surgery and chemotherapy without medication,
2 dogs received chemotherapy without any other treatment,
1 dog received chemotherapy but the owner does not remember the exact protocol,
6 dogs received chemotherapy and medication and
1 dog received chemotherapy but it was discontinued after one round.
17 dogs were given chemotherapy. In some cases their vets used more than one
chemo protocol. The most used chemotherapy treatment CCNU, was used
14 times. Other chemo protocols used are
2 x Doxorubicin,
1 x Carboplatin,
1 x Cyclophosphamide,
1 x Asparaginase and
1 x Vincristine.
Corticosteroids and/or Immunosuppressants were used
24 times. The most prescribed was Prednisone, which was used
23 times.
1 dog was given Ciclosporin.
8 dogs were given painkillers. One owner did not recall the name of the drug. The
painkillers used were
1 x Cortaphen Forte,
1 x Metacam,
1 x Rimadyl,
2 x Tramadol,
2 x Deramaxx.
3 Dogs were given Narcotics:
1 x Fentanyl Patch,
2 x Morphine.
Antibiotics were used
8 times and anti nausea medication
5 times.
1 dog was treated with Diazepam (Pamlin)
11 owners tried supplements like antioxidants, herb tea or vitamins.
VACCINATIONS
The response to my questions about vaccinations was disappointing. Respondents did either not
remember anything about the vaccinations or did not answer these questions (completely or partially).
Also many people did not remember exact dates, making this part of the survey practically useless at this moment.
But for the sake of numbers, here are the results so far:
43 people did not split vaccinations for their dog and 13 respondents did not answer this question.
Combo/Cocktail Vaccination
4 puppies received the combo/cocktail vaccination before they were 6 weeks old,
14 puppies were 6/8 weeks old at the time of vaccination,
5 puppies less than 3 months old and
2 puppies were between 3/6 months old.
31 forms had no information about the first ever combo/cocktail vaccination for the puppy.
24 dogs have received an annual booster after their first combo/cocktail vaccination,
2 dogs received a bi-annual booster,
7 dogs received that every 3 years,
1 dog received boosters depending on titers and
3 dogs were titered and never needed a booster. Leaving
19 dogs, whose owners did not answer this question.
In
3 dogs the first symptom of histio showed between 1 and 2 months after they received the last combo/cocktail vaccination, in
2 other dogs it was between 3 and 4 months and in
27 dogs it was more than 6 months.
4 dogs were vaccinated after the onset of histio and
19 people did not answer this question.
Rabies Vaccination
1 dog was never vaccinated against Rabies.
2 dogs received the rabies vaccination before they were 3 months old,
9 dogs were less than half a year old at the time of vaccination,
5 dogs less than 1 year old and
4 dogs were more than a year old.
35 forms had no information about the first rabies vaccination for the dog.
1 dog received his booster shot only two months after the first shot and then again a year later.
1 dog was only vaccinated against rabies once or twice in its life.
7 dogs received an annual booster,
3 dogs every 2 years,
16 dogs every 3 years, leaving
27 dogs, whose owners did not answer this question.
In
3 dogs the first symptom of histio showed within less than a month after they received the last rabies vaccination, in
2 other dogs it was between 1 and 2 months, for
1 dog it was between 2 and 3 months, for
1 dog it was between 3 and 6 months and in
14 dogs it was more than 6 months.
3 dogs were vaccinated after the onset of histio and
31 people did not answer this question.
Kennel Cough Vaccination
7 dogs were never vaccinated against kennel cough.
1 dog received the kennel cough vaccination when it was less than 3 months old,
1 dog when it was less than 6 months old,
2 dogs when they were less than 1 year old and
5 dogs were more than a year old.
40 forms had no information about the first kennel cough vaccination for the dog.
1 dog got a booster every 6 months,
4 dogs were vaccinated annually and
1 dog every 3 years
3 dogs were only vaccinated against kennel cough once or twice in their lives.
2 dogs received a sporadic booster, leaving
38 dogs, whose owners did not answer this question.
In
2 dogs the first symptom of histio showed within less than a month after it received the last kennel cough vaccination, for
2 other dogs it was between 1 and 2 months and for
8 dogs it was more than 6 months.
37 people did not answer this question.
Lyme Vaccination
10 dogs were never vaccinated against Lyme.
1 dog received the lyme vaccination when it was less than 3 months old,
2 dogs received the lyme vaccination before they were 1 year old and
2 dogs were more than a year old.
41 forms had no information about the first lyme vaccination for the dog.
6 dogs received an annual booster,
10 never and
40 people did not answer this question.
In
1 dog the first symptom of histio showed between 3 and 6 months and in
4 dogs it was more than 6 months.
1 dog was vaccinated after the onset of histio, and
40 people did not answer this question.
Flea Preventative
15 Dogs received a monthly flea preventative and
8 only during the summer months.
7 owners gave their dog a flea preventative, but don't remember the protocol.
14 dogs didn't receive any flea treatment at all.
8 only sporadic,
1 only once and
3 owners did not answer this question.
The brands used were:
3 x Advantage,
1 x Advantix,
2 x Biospot,
1 x Capstar,
30 x Frontline,
1 x Hartz and
1 x Revolution.
Tick Preventative
12 Dogs received a monthly tick preventative and
8 only during the summer months.
5 owners gave their dog a tick preventative, but don't remember the protocol.
16 dogs didn't receive any tick treatment at all.
7 only sporadic.
7 owners did not answer this question. And only
1 dog was treated with an annual Lyme vaccination.
The brands used were:
1 x Advantix,
3 x Biospot,
26 x Frontline,
1 x Revolution and
1 x Scalibor.
Heartworm Preventative
13 dogs received some form of heartworm preventative but the owners don't remember the protocol.
16 dogs didn't receive any heartworm treatment at all.
15 dogs monthly all year long, and
4 only during summer months.
1 dog twice a year and
1 sporadic.
5 owners did not answer this question. And
1 owner reported that his dog was vaccinated against heartworm with Guardian.
The brands used were:
1 x Hartz,
19 x Heartguard,
11 x Interceptor,
1 x Iverheart,
1 x Ivermectin,
1 x Proheart injection,
1 x Revolution and
1 x Scalibor.
Worming Prevention
A majority of respondents (
36 ) reported not to deworm their dogs. In general these are dogs that already received
a form of heartworm treatment, so no regular deworming was necessary.
2 dogs received a quarterly worming prevention,
5 every half year and
3 annual. Only
1 owner does not remember the protocol and
9 people did not answer this question.
The brands used were:
1 x dog + cat,
4 x Drontal,
1 x Excil and
2 x Milbemax.
Lice
One owner reported having his dog treated against lice (Advocate) more
than a year before the onset of her dogs histiocytic sarcoma.
Diet:
The vast majority (
38 ) of respondents fed their dogs commerical food.
1 prepared homemade meals for her dog and
3 people combined homemade meals with commerical food.
7 others fed their dogs a combination of trable scraps with commercial food.
1 person fed her dog RAW only and
3 dogs got RAW combined with commerical food.
3 people did not answer this question.
The break down by most used brands is as follows:
7 x IAMS
7 x Purina
5 x Pedigree
4 x Proplan
4 x Eukanuba
4 x Nutro natural choice
4 x Innova
4 x Wellness
3 x Canidea
3 x California Natural
3 x Hill's
2 x Natural Balance
2 x Ceasar
The remaining foods are all reported only once:
Bakers,
Blue Buffalo,
Bonzo,
Carnibest,
Dog Chow,
Eagle Pack,
Evo,
Flint River Ranch,
Lucky Dog,
Mark's + Spencers,
Member's Mark,
Merrick's,
Nature's Gift,
Nature's Recipe,
Pittah,
Repnor Gold,
Royal Canine,
Scoots,
Sensible Choice,
Solid Gold,
Summit,
Taste of the Wild,
Tesco,
and Various.
Most respondents (
33 ) indicated no supplements.
The most used supplements are:
11 x Glucosamine,
5 x Fish oil,
3 x Veggies and/or fruit,
2 x Flaxseed,
2 x Omega 3-6-9,
2 x Missing Link.
Change in Diet
44 owners said they had not changed their dogs diet. And 2 owners did not remember, or did not answer this question. For 1 dog the onset of histiocytic disease was at less than 1 month after the change of diet. For 1 other dog it was between 1 and 2 months, for 2 dogs it was between 2 and 3 months, for 1 dog it was between 3 and 6 months and for 4 dogs it was after more than 6 months. 1 owner did change the diet of her dog, but did not remember the time between the diet change and the onset of the histiocytic disease.
Lawn/mosquito/ant treatment by government or private party
34 owners said no treatment was used and 8 did not answer this question or did not remember. For 1 dog the onset of histiocytic disease was within less than a month after being exposed to such a treatment. For 1 dog it was between 1 and 2 months, for 1 dog it was between 2 and 3 months, for 1 dog it was between 3 and 6 months and for 2 dogs it was after more than 6 months. 8 owners did recall the use of a treatment but did not remember the time between the use of the treatment and the onset of the histiocytic disease.
Remodel home or move
40 owners said they did not move or remodel their home and 4 did not answer this question or did not remember. For 3 dogs the onset of histiocytic disease was within less than a month after the remodel or move. For 4 dogs it was between 2 and 3 months and for 4 dogs it was after more than 6 months. 1 owner did recall the remodel/move but did not remember the time between the occasion and the onset of the histiocytic disease.
Introduction of another pet
45 owners said they had not introduced another pet into the household and 2 did not answer this question or did not remember. For 3 dogs the onset of histiocytic disease was between 1 and 2 months after the introduction of the new pet; for 1 dog it was between 2 and 3 months, for 1 dog it was between 3 and 6 months and for 4 dogs it was after more than 6 months.
Kennel
49 owners said their dog had never been in a kennel and 1 did not answer this question or did not remember. For 2 dogs the onset of histiocytic disease was less than a month, for 1 dog it was between 2 and 3 months and for 1 dog it was between 3 and 6 months
Detergent
One owner told me her dog always had a toy in its mouth. The toy was washed regularly in detergent 'Tide' and dried with half a 'Snuggle' dryer sheet.
Conclusion
56 dogs are currently in the survey. This number is way too low to draw any definite conclusions.
So far it only confirms the commonly known facts about this disease, it has yet to reveal new facts.
So hopefully more people will complete the questionnaire and help us in our quest for answers.
THANK YOU !
First report dated February 20, 2009
Updated August 20, 2009
Updated March 2, 2010
Histio verhalen
All truth passes through three stages.
First, it is ridiculed,
second, it is violently opposed,
third, it is accepted as being self-evident
Arthur Schopenhauer
DOG OWNERS SHOULD REPORT ALL CASES OF HISTIO TO THE BREEDER AND THE BREED CLUB!
