Systematic review of evidence relating to the treatment of immune-mediated hemolytic anemia in dogs

Abstract

Despite being the most prevalent autoimmune disease of dogs, there is considerable variation between individuals and institutions in the treatment regimens that are employed for the management of immune-mediated hemolytic anemia. The aim of this review was to evaluate evidence relating to the treatment of the disease systematically and to use this evidence to draw conclusions that are applicable in wider veterinary practice. Search tools were employed to identify relevant articles and these were assessed according to stated criteria. The overall quality of published evidence was poor, with many articles failing to provide details of the enrollment, treatment, monitoring, and assessment stages of the study process. In view of this, firm conclusions cannot be drawn regarding the treatment of this disease and further research of a higher quality is required.