Here is just a brief summary of info. on auto immune diseases of which ITP is just one.
You can do a search on auto immune diseases in dogs and a huge amount of info. will come up.
[Dog Owner's Guide: Autoimmune diseases (
www.canismajor .com/dog/autoimmn.html)]
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Autoimmune Diseases
Immune system failures are a serious threat to your dog's health
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What is the immune system?
What implications do autoimmune diseases have for the breeder?
Autoimmune hemolytic anemia
Immune-mediated thrombocytopen
ia
Autoimmune diseases of the skin
Systemic lupus erythematosis
Polyarthritis
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What is the immune system?
The term "Autoimmune disease" is currently making the rounds among dog breeders and exhibitors and in the veterinary community. Diseases caused by a defective immune system are of particular concern among many purebred fanciers. (Some people use the abbreviation AID for (A)uto (I)mmune (D)isease. Due to possible confusion with AIDS, (acquired immune deficiency syndrome), a completely different disease, I have not used this acronym.)
The immune system is a marvelous defense network of white blood cells, antibodies, and other substances used to fight off infections and reject foreign proteins. It is a police force patrolling the body, designed to recognize "self" cells from "non-self" cells by markers found on the surface of every cell in the body. It is this ability that causes the body to reject skin grafts, blood transfusions, and organ transplants. Like anything else, the immune system can fail, either by not doing its job or by doing it too well.
Remember the "boy in the bubble?" Certain children (and Arabian foals) can be born with a severe combined immunodeficien
cy (SCID). In addition, viruses such as FIV of cats, SIV of monkeys, and HIV of people all cause an acquired immunodeficien
cy syndrome (AIDS) specific to that species. In all these diseases, the defective immune system fails to protect the body, leaving it vulnerable and open to attack by an opportunistic infection.
Autoimmune disease, on the other hand, is a different kind of immune system failure. In this situation, the ability of the immune system to recognize the "self" marker is lost, and it begins to attack and reject the body's own tissue as foreign. One specific tissue type such as red blood cells may be affected, or a generalized illness such as systemic lupus may result.
What causes the immune system to short circuit and start rejecting normal body tissue? Many theories exist, but the ultimate answer is "We don't know." Jean Dodds, a veterinarian studying immunology, feels that multivalent modified-live vaccines overstimulate the immune system. Others blame environmental pollutants or food preservatives such as ethoxyquin, an antioxidant found in most dog foods. There is strong evidence for a genetic factor in the development of autoimmune disease in many species. And some cases occur spontaneously, causing damage to kidneys, lungs, or thyroid gland.