Iggy Joey's ITP Diagnosis and What You Need to Know
I am not a vet. Everything here is based on my personal experience with Iggy Joey. If you are concerned about your dog's health, please consult your veterinarian.
Small ones, on Iggy Joey's stomach. She lives with her sister Anna and they roughhouse, so my first thought was that Anna had been too enthusiastic. I made a note to watch it.
Then the bruises changed. They spread. New ones appeared in places that made no sense for roughhousing. Iggy Joey is not a quiet dog about discomfort, so the fact that she wasn't complaining almost made it worse. Something was happening underneath the surface that she couldn't tell me about.
I booked a Vetster virtual appointment to get a vet's eyes on her before deciding whether to go in. The vet took one look at the bruising pattern and told me to go to emergency. Same day.
She was admitted that evening. Two weeks in ICU. Approximately $30,000. That's the short version.
Total cost of diagnosis and treatment
ITP stands for Immune-Mediated Thrombocytopenia. It is a condition in which the immune system mistakenly identifies the body's own platelets as foreign and destroys them.
Platelets are what allow blood to clot. Without them, bleeding doesn't stop. Minor internal bleeds that a healthy dog's body would resolve on its own become serious. A bump. A scratch on an organ. Normal metabolic processes. Any of these can become a crisis when platelet counts drop low enough.
The bruising I saw on Iggy Joey's stomach was petechiae and ecchymosis: small hemorrhages under the skin caused by a platelet count that had dropped dangerously low. Her blood was no longer clotting normally, and I had been watching it happen for days without understanding what it was.
ITP can be primary, meaning no identified underlying cause, or secondary, triggered by infection, medication, or another disease. It can appear at any age and in any breed, though middle-aged female dogs have a higher documented incidence. The cause isn't always found, and treatment often begins before the full picture is clear.
Further reading: Immune-Mediated Thrombocytopenia in Dogs via Vetster
On July 22, 2024, Iggy Joey was admitted to the Veterinary Emergency Clinic Internal Medicine service under Dr. Doug Mason, a board-certified small animal internal medicine specialist. Her platelet count came back at 89 on the first test. Normal is between 170 and 400. Within days, it had dropped to 14.
The clinical exam found petechiae and ecchymoses on her ears, belly, vulva, right armpit, and mucous membranes. Her immune system was attacking her own platelets faster than her body could produce them. The team started treatment immediately: IV fluids, dexamethasone, trazodone to keep her sedated and calm so she wouldn't move in ways that could cause internal bleeding to worsen, azathioprine, and sucralfate. After six days with no meaningful improvement, cyclosporine was added.
On July 30, they performed a bone marrow cytology to understand what was happening at the source. The result showed megakaryocytic hyperplasia: her bone marrow was working overtime, producing platelets at an accelerated rate. The problem wasn't production. Her immune system was destroying platelets the moment they entered circulation.
@iggyjoey on Instagram, July 24 2024 "Joey is currently in doggy hospital receiving treatment for Thrombocytopenia - Her platelet count is low which means she is bleeding internally and not clotting normally. She is stable, eating and I am getting twice daily updates from @vectoronto - they have been amazing and I know she is in good hands. I canât visit her as it might cause a bleed. We will hopefully see an improvement in platelets in 3-5 days. Thanks in advance for the positive vibes. If anyone asks, Joey is in rehab - it often happens with models that were famous in their youth."
The Night Everything Changed
For the entire two weeks Iggy Joey was in hospital, I was not allowed in to see her. The team needed her calm. Any disruption, any excitement, risked a bleed they couldn't stop. So I stayed out. I called for updates. I waited.
On the last night of her admission, they let me in. She was sedated. I sat with her and held her and told her she was coming home. Whether or not she could hear me in any meaningful way, I don't know. What I know is that the next morning, her platelet count had gone from approximately 10 to 1,185.
The medical explanation is that the treatment had finally reached a tipping point. I choose to believe it was also something else. Try and tell me that wasn't a mother's touch.
She came home shortly after. Treatment continued for close to a year: prednisone, azathioprine, and cyclosporine, tapered gradually under monthly recheck bloodwork. The medical team noted that she should not be vaccinated in future, given her history of autoimmune disease, including the meningoencephalitis she had in 2016. Her immune system has been through enough.
@iggyjoey on Instagram, August 2 2024 "dogs everywhere shave their shoulders - Joey went from 10 platelets to 1185 this week! She is doing great. We start the slow 9 months of tapering every 2 weeks next week. Thanks everyone for the comments, dms and support!"
She's in remission now. We monitor her periodically. ITP can recur, and knowing what to watch for means that if it does come back, we will catch it faster than I caught it the first time.
Unusual bruising
Small reddish-purple spots on pale skin: belly, inner legs, ear flaps, gums. These are petechiae and ecchymoses, hemorrhages under the skin. If bruises are appearing or changing without a clear physical cause, take them seriously.
Bruises that shift or spread
This is what I saw. Bruises from roughhousing stay where they are and fade. Bruises that appear in new locations or change over hours or days are telling you something different.
Bleeding from unusual places
Nosebleeds, bleeding gums, blood in urine or stool, prolonged bleeding from minor cuts. Any bleeding that seems out of proportion to its cause.
Pale or white gums
Healthy dog gums should be pink. Pale or white gums indicate inadequate blood oxygenation and require emergency care immediately.
Sudden lethargy or weakness
Dogs with significant internal bleeding may collapse or become very weak very quickly. This is an emergency. Do not wait.
If you are seeing any of these signs, do not wait for a regular appointment. Call your vet immediately. A standard blood panel will show platelet count and can confirm or rule out thrombocytopenia quickly.
Get the Insurance Before You Need It
The ITP diagnosis cost approximately $30,000 between the emergency admission, two weeks of ICU care, and a year of follow-up treatment. Iggy Joey also had encephalitis at age two, which cost approximately $20,000. That's $50,000 in major medical events across one dog's lifetime, and that doesn't include the meat skewer incident or twelve years of routine care.
I'm not sharing those numbers to alarm you. I'm sharing them because when people tell me they're thinking about skipping pet insurance because their dog seems healthy, I want them to understand what healthy can look like from the outside right up until it doesn't. Pre-existing conditions are excluded. You cannot add coverage after a diagnosis. By the time I noticed Iggy Joey's bruises, it was already too late to cover this particular incident.
We had insurance. It covered a significant portion. I don't want to think about what that situation would have looked like without it.
Furkin Pet Insurance â Iggy Joey's pick
Canadian-built, straightforward claims process, comprehensive coverage. This is what Iggy Joey is on.
Get a Furkin Quote
See the full breakdown including Fetch and Trupanion in the main insurance post.
And if you want to read about Iggy Joey's earlier health crisis, the Encephalitis diagnosis that came when she was two years old, that story is here: What Encephalitis in Dogs Actually Looks Like.
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