[Kanna S]

I was wondering if anyone has suggestions for my 10 year old French bulldogs nutrition. She has been a raw fed dog for the majority of her life. She has had high hemoglobin and hematocrit for a long time but it has recently been high enough for a diagnosis of polycythemia. She eats primal raw duck. Does anyone know of a modification of her diet that could help with the polycythemia? Thanks in advance.

[Patricia A]

Kanna Polycythemia is very rare . Don’t believe changing of diet would be of any solution. Treatment would be removing blood red blood cells . Which type does your vet said she had?
Relative polycythemia – Usually a vet will fix this by re-hydrating the dog, sometimes with intravenous fluids.
Transient polycythemia – This is most often a temporary condition brought on by stress or excitement and resolves itself without treatment.
Primary absolute polycythemia – This is a chronic, rare disease that a vet may resolve with a phlebotomy, more commonly know as blood letting. The vet puts a catheter in a central vein to remove blood that’s too high in red blood cells, then they replace fluids intravenously to avoid a drop in blood pressure. They may need to repeat the procedure several times. The vet may also prescribe medications to inhibit red blood cell production.
Secondary absolute polycythemia – The vet must diagnose underlying cause, and because there are so many potential causes of the condition, treatment can vary a great deal. Often treatment of the underlying cause resolves the issue and dogs won’t need further treatment, though in some cases, dogs may need phlebotomies to reduce the amount of red blood cells.

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