Primary Endpoint
Overall, 5 dogs did not survive the study period and necropsy was performed in 2 of them. No secondary cause for IMHA was identified in these 2 dogs at necropsy. One dog in each treatment groups did not survive to discharge from the hospital. Suspected thrombotic events occurred in 1 dog of the CL with fatal acute onset of neurologic signs, and in 1 dog of the ULDA group with fatal PTE based on arterial blood gas analysis, clinical, and radiographic findings. The dog in the CL-ULDA group was euthanized on day 9 because of refractory anemia. Necropsy did not reveal any thrombi. Six out of 8 dogs in each of the CL and the ULDA group were alive at day 90, and 7 out of 8 dogs in the CL-ULDA group were alive at day 90. The additional fatality on the CL group was because of humane euthanasia secondary to intolerable adverse effects of chronic corticosteroid administration on day 56, and the additional fatality in the ULDA group was because of sepsis on day 28. The latter dog necropsy revealed multiple organ microthrombi. Thrombotic events were not suspected in any dogs in the CL-ULDA group. There was no significant difference between groups with regard to occurrence of thrombosis. Survival analysis did not indicate any differences between the treatment groups at discharge and 90 days (Table 2).