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[Pandomania]

We originally got the Brand itra from Michigan State Vet school for ~$9/100mg pill.   Through networking we found a cheaper source at ~$1.50.  Have you vet Fax the script, call for the fax number.  It is the compounded form.


AZ pharmacy, Roadrunner.
PH: 1-877-518-4589

Good luck...

[GSP_Mom]

I just got Bodi's RX of Itra filled through Roadrunner.  The compounders pharmacy I normally use increased their price wanted close to 1k for a two month supply!  So I decided to take more of the advice of this website and the people who have learned before me.  I paid half of what I paid through my local compounders.  And the Roadrunner pharmacy included a toy for Bodi in the shipment!  Meds came quick.

[gunner]

Just a little reminder for those using the compounded form to be sure to give the meds with some sort of fat.  Whether it is cheese, butter, peanutbutter or what have you doesn't matter.  The compounded form of Itraconazole needs the fat to get the best absorbtion into the system.  It is even a good idea with the name brand or generic versions as well. 
Best wishes to you all,
Joyce

[Harleys Mom]

I've just run accross this website for the same reason most of you have....My sweet chocolate lab Harley has been diagnosed with Blasto. Fortunately his regular vet tested for it fairly soon after he developed problems and sent him right to the University of Illinois small animal clinic. So far he's doing well but I've got lots of questions. Maybe there are some helpful suggestions out there.
First, I'm not sure what you're referring to with compounded form?

Second, the vet at U of I said we should stick to the name brand Sporonox since there had been instances where the dogs don't do so well on generics. Anyone else hear this from a vet?

Thanks for any help on this
HM

[Jen]

Welcome-
   So sorry that you had to join us, but this is the place to be for Blasto help.
We've all used several different anti-fungals, but Itraconazole seems to be the most common.

Sporanox (Itraconazole) is usually only available in a standard dose for humans. (100 mg.)  It's very expensive, but generic is also available.  As most dogs need a different dosage, compounding pharmacies make the generics in custom doses to fit the person or animal (Dirtbike had 150 mg. capsules from Pet Health Pharmacy in AZ, at a cost of about $80 for a 2 month's supply - I was very happy with it.)

While we've listed the ones we "trust" in the newsletter, compounding pharmacies are NOT regulated by the FDA. (But neither are companies who manufacture vitamins and supplements, so take that for what it's worth.)

There are many questions (see "Sporanox, Itraconazole, ending the controversy" by Gunner) regarding whether it's as effective, or whether the quality is the same. The law states that generics must be identical in every way except for the look and the inert ingredients.

 Whether it works as well (I believe it does) is a matter of opinion. Knowing how to use it (many of us didn't at first), and what to expect from it are a different story.

Some vets didn't really expect the animal to survive and were making it up as they went along.  They didn't tell us about the initial fungal die-off, or what to expect from treatment, either.
What we've found is that many vets don't even know; they just give you a scrip and you're on your own for at least 6 months of treatment. THAT is most likely the reason people have trouble.

None of the vets told us that Itra needs fat and stomach acid to even get into the bloodstream, so it's wasted on a dog with an empty stomach. Hence the margarine, the bologna, peanutbutter dosing. It also makes them anorexic, so it's sometimes necessary to force-feed them, esp. just some fat with their dose.
The oral suspension doesn't need food, but only a very few have used it.

So, the best thing to do is download or print off a copy of our Blastomycosis Newsletter. (It's printed iin 2 topics here.)
It should answer many questions, and help you know what things you may expect.  It was our goal to put everything we've learned into one format. 

When I first came here in April '07, very few dogs were making it.
Now we know a lot more, and with everyone's help and input, many more dogs are having a good outcome.
Good luck, and let us know what's going on.
We're all very nosy and must know how you and Harley are doing at all times.
 
jen

[mhitesman]

Amen on the nosy :-)  If I have to get on my knees to pray for these dogs, I expect regular updates and postive results :-)

Comet had generic itra (capsules with beads).  Since, as Jen says, the capsules were 100mg and his daily long term dose was 150 mg, I just eyeballed it and split the capsules to give him 1.5 capsules per day.  One advantage of that was the capsule coating itself can cause stomach upset, so removing it made it easier on his system.  I usually hid the beads in some luncheon meat or bologna or whatever he would eat.

My doctors told me that I should use generic itra or the brand Sporonox because it treated his whole system better even though fluconazole penetrates brain and eye (and testicles) barriers better (his eye was seriously infected and was removed pretty early in the diagnosis).  He was on the drugs for 4 months --after testing negative for blasto.  I worry that he was not on it long enough....  I have him tested every two months using a urine antigen test, aspirated directly from his bladder (and a blood panel just becauase).  His next appt is 8/14.  I fear every swallow, blade of grass he eats, monitor his drinking, eating, pooping, peer in his eye, and feel him non stop for lumps, watch for limps, any strange behavior (which is everything he does), energy level, etc etc etc.  Poor dog is becoming as neurotic as I am.  Such is life after blasto.  I have read that the relapse rate is 20% - 30% -- higher in dogs with nervous system, testicle, or eye involvement.  It is not clear whether the relapse rate is higher when the affected eye has been removed, as is the case for my Com.  The same article indicates that those dogs remaining blasto free one year after meds stop are no more likely to suffer blasto than a dog that has never had it.

The biggest change I have made in my life (other than development of paranoia) is that I have signifigantly altered my dogs' diets to consist of only highest quality kibble (along with their meat supplements) and vitamin/mineral supplements (alternate between Missing Link Plus and wild Salmon Oil) to try to keep them healthy and improve the immune system -- particularly in my Com, who had always had "a little something" going on with him (ear infection, hematoma surgeries, hot spots, itching probably also due to food allergy, and conjunctivitis).  Amazingly, ALL this stuff went away when I switched food ...and I think his immune system is stronger and maybe even great.

[Harleys Mom]

Hi,

I read the post - very informative. Sounds like the main problem with the generics is in not being given with food properly, not that it doesn't work the same as name brand. Except for a couple days before his diagnosis, Harley's appetite has been same as usual....eats anything that doesn't eat him first . From what I've been reading, his healthy appetite is a positive sign. There's an online pharmacy in Canada that carries 100mg capsules & if those can be broken I'll probably go that route. A 45 day supply of name brand would only be about $160, well within my budget. What I got through the vet clinic was a 28 day supply for almost $500....do-able, but the debt would linger well beyond the end of the treatments.

Harley's regular vet diagnosed him & suggested he go to the University of IL College of Vet Med's small animal clinic because the clinic sees lots of blasto cases. I had never heard of it until now, but I'm learning fast. The vets at the clinic have said with treatment Harley's prognosis is very good, his lungs are not severely afffected, his eyes & nervous system don't appear to be affected at all & he had already been neutrered so that's not an issue. After reading some of the other posts, I'm so glad my regular vet knew what to test for.

My thoughts are with all of you & I'll definitely share any info I find.

[gunner]

Hi Harley's mom,

I have 6 week's worth of name brand Sporanox you are welcome to.  I ordered them from Canada.  They are in different packaging that what I was used to getting in Texas, but I took them to the druggist and he assured me that they are, they were just manufactured in Germany.  Anyway, I HATE to have to throw them out.  When I ordered them from Canada, it took a couple of weeks before they arrived, so you might want to keep that in mind, but if you would like the one's I've got, you can take the money you would save and get Harley a couple of year's supply of big ol' bones to chew on cuz I am sure he is going to be needing them     Just message or email me if you would like them.  I'd be ever so pleased to send them on. 
Joyce

[Jen]

It's really great that it was caught early.
Our vet said we caught Dirtbike "early", but she already had lesions and pneumonia.
Her first month of treatment was awful, and even though the vet was great, he didn't have as much knowledge as we've come by on this site.

We had just lost 2 of our own dogs in the year before to what we're now pretty sure was Blasto. (We'd never heard of it, and treated for resp. infections with antibiotics.)
2 of our neighbors (with whom I had just split a couple tons of landscaping mulch) also each lost a dog the same way at the same time.

One actually belonged to a doctor, who looks back now and can see blasto clearly.
He had spent thousands on Curly, only to lose him to what their vet called a "wasting" disease.
Dirtbike was the only one correctly diagnosed and treated - we were so lucky.

Glad Harley's keeping his appetite; that's worth a lot in the first weeks.
If it's all in your budget, way to go.
Whichever you use, as long as it's not the oral suspension, just making sure he gets some fat with his dose seems to do the trick. 
Hope it goes smoothly-
jen

[Harleys Mom]

Hi Joyce,

Thanks for the offer of the Sporonox, but I'd rather you try to get them to someone who may not be able to afford treatment. Not so many years ago if any of my dogs had developed this I would have had to put them to sleep, not having the means to treat them. I'd rather it go to someone who may otherwise have to lose their dog. Harley's getting treatment regardless of the cost. Of course my hubby's not thrilled, but we don't have kids so this is a lot cheaper than 4 years of college tuition

Thanks too for the helpful hints. Harley loves bacon grease on his food so that should be a good source of fat. He used to get straight dry Pedigree, now he gets that mixed with canned food & bacon grease on top. Boy is he going to be disappointed to be done with these pills!

[luvmyjacks]

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