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[gunner]

Hi,
I have a 2 and a half year old, female, English Bulldog.  I live in West Texas and most of the vets here have not heard of Blastomycosis since university.  My dog is now now on a really fast down hill slide after 10 frustrating months and almost $7,000 since she first got sick and we are no further ahead than when we first started! 

Any help anyone can offer at this point I am most incredibly grateful for!

10 months ago, we helped with a huge landscaping project at a nature preserve and of course Gunner did her best to help.  It was incredibly windy that day and every bag of potting soil and landscaping mulch that was opened as well as all of the colorful, imported gravels was blowing everywhere.  We were all coughing at the end of the 2 day effort.  Gunner never stopped coughing and within a week she was running a temperature. 

I took her to the vet and her white blood cell count was elevated, so they gave me some antibiotics and sent us home.  Within a week, she was worse, so I took her back.  By now she had pneumonia and besides having the typical lung x-ray of fluid in the lungs, her lungs were criss-crossed with what can only best be described as kind of spider web tracks.  Round after round of anti-biotics had no effect.  She eventually got over the pneumonia (I think mostly on her own).  She then developed euvitis which of course, the vet never really searched for the underlying cause though one blood test did show that she also was suffering from Spotted Rocky Mountain Fever as well so she thought that was what was causing the eye trouble... (maybey).  After several months of treating her eye, the retina became detatched, the cornia folded and she was blind in that eye.  I got desperate and typed in all of Gunner's symptoms into Google and Blasto kept coming up.  Then I found your site.  I talked to my vet about Blasto and she did tests on the absess and said that it was negative for Blastomycosis, but she did find weird cells that she could not identify and was sending the slides to the pathologist.  He couldn't identify it either, though blasotmycosis didn't seem to be present either. 
All fungal tests have come back negative. 

A few weeks ago, she began to develop small and huge absesses, her eye ulcerated also and was just removed last week.  She now has edema and pain in her back legs.  We took her to emergency yesterday.  The vet there listened to our concerns about a fungal infection and perscribed Ketoconazole for her just incase it is Blasto or some other fungus infection that is the root of her problem. 

From what I have been able to find out so far, Ketoconazole is not one of the ones recomended for Blastomycosis.  Does anyone know anything about this drug? Does Gunner's symptoms sound like Blasto to you?  What is the best way to test for this disease?  ANY help anyone can give will be so very appreciated and I am sorry for this being such a long post.
Best to all of you!
Joyce
(Gunner's Mom)

[Jen110103]

Hi Joyce (& Gunner).  So sorry to hear of Gunner's illness.  But, you did come to a great site to find out more about Blasto.  I'm still pretty new to the disease, but this site has given me a lot of great information about the disease and the treatments.

My boxer Louie is currently taking Keto also.  This was my vet's only available medicine since the Itra was so expensive and she didn't have any in stock.  Louie's been on Keto for a few weeks now, and he's had his share of side effects from the drug, but he seems to be doing ok.  Many of the folks on here have their pets on Itraconazole - the better version of anti-fungal medicine than Ketoconazole.  So far my boy has been having the same side effects as Itra users - loss of appetite (he's lost about 8 pounds in a week) and he also has been lethargic and has some diarrhea.  He's been panting a lot more too, but I'm assuming its because the fungus is dying in his lungs - the first part of treatment is the worst since all the fungus is dying, it takes a toll on the dog's body.  Louie's Keto dosage was just lowered slightly since he was panting so much and had no appetite and had diarrhea, and it seems to have helped.  He's able to eat a little more and seems to not pant as much.

The symptoms you've mentioned do sound a lot like Blasto.  The coughing, pneumonia, absesses, lameness, eye infections, etc.  The lung x-rays that look like spiderwebs sounds familiar too.  My vet keeps calling them snowflakes - but it sounds very similar.  My Louie also started with a cough and it was treated as heart problems and pneumonia for the past 6 months.  It wasn't until we had a second x-ray taken when they found a mass in his left lung the size of a baseball.  The biopsy of the mass came back and said it was just inflammation and they hinted at it being Blasto.  To find out for sure, they took a urine sample and some samples from his lymph nodes and we're now just waiting to hear back (it's slow getting results from the holidays).

Sorry I'm not much of an expert, but I did want to tell you what I've experienced so far with the disease and the treatment with Keto and what I've read on the disease from this website and others.

Hope to hear that Gunner gets the best treatment possible & she starts feeling better soon!!

Louie sends some boxer wiggles to Gunner too!!

Jen & Louie

[Jen]

Yikes-
   It sounds as though you may have more than one thing going on. Dirtbike was dx'd by slide samples of her lesion, but they may need to do a more specific test for you.  Blasto isn't the only nasty fungus out there, (Aspergillus, Histoplasmosis, etc.) but all the symptoms are sadly familiar to those of us who have been through the Blasto.
   There are any number of oddball infections that could produce Gunner's symptoms, but they may at least be on the right track by prescribing the antifungal to get started. Given what you've described, I don't think it could hurt even as a prophylactic measure.
   We used Itraconazole, but there are some who have had results that are just as favorable with Keto.  The treatment is hard, but worth it. 
Let us know if they find something definitive; this must be very frustrating for you. And keep on the vets to look at fungal infections, even if they don't often deal with them.
Fingers crossed-
jen

[Wilson3]

hello
boy it sure sounds like you guys have really been through a lot!!! gunner is very lucky to have you!!! most pet owners wouldhave just given up!!! gunner is still fighting cause you are fight with her to beat this!!!
keep pushing the vets the harder you push and demmand that they figure this out (be nice though) they will find the right answer
as far as the keto vs. itra this site kind of helps http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&A=520&S=2&EVetID=900000012

from what i have read it sounds like the keto vs itra diference is the side effects and that the itra cost a lot more  the itra is said to be safer pet heath pharmacy is a good place very good pricing on meds (thanks again jen for findingthat site)
i also know it is hard to get the righ answer somtimes the slide/tissue test fromthe lessions and lymp nodes have to be just right 
i'll look for the sight that talks about that it is on one of the links listed on this sight

 what did they say about the Spotted Rocky Mountain Fever? are they treating this?
Thsi is also a very very serious disease
i know wilson was tested for blasot 1st becaus ei knew others with it but there was afew other things they would have test for also and that was one of them they all kind of act the same
how long have u been using the keto?
good luck to you and keep positive
and keep doing what ever you have been gunner is still here and fighting!!
wilson3

[gunner]

Thank you so much for you advice and especially so for your emotional support! 
Gunner has only been on the Keto for a few days now.  The swelling is down in her back legs, she is acting like she is feeling better but she still refuses to eat anything and when we do force some food down it mostly comes back up an hour or two later undigested.  I am not sure if she is keeping it down long enough for the medication to take effect or not. 

The one absess that was on her back is coming back again and she is developing a HUGE lump on her left shoulder.  When it started to form, it was tested and two vets argued, one thought it was just a fatty tissue, and the other one thought that it was a lymph node enlarging.  She had 4 of her absesses tested and none of them matched each other.  One pathologist said "I feel that there are Mast Cells" and that Gunner has cancer.   I don't want to make life and death decisions on "feelings", I want a definitive something!  They haven't been able to identify anything.  It is so unbelievably frustrating for them as much as it is for me, however, at this point, the vetrinarians have begun to take their frustrations out on me and also suggested that I have Gunner put down.

I don't know, as long as she is breathing and isn't in any great pain at least, I guess we will keep fighting cuz that's what we bulldogs do  :-) 

I hope you all have a New Year filled with cold wet noses and shiny coats!
Fondest regards,
Joyce

[Jen]

   The antifungals are notorious for causing a loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting.  We used a spoon of margarine with the Itra capsule, and for about a week we were force-feeding DB Ensure Plus through a baby-bottle. She was down to an alarming 45 lbs. from 80. (Now she's about 95.) It's hard, but keeping something on their stomach along with water is important. People here have used everything from tripe to sausage and egg patties, Pedialyte sprays, ice cubes, anything we could think of.

   I don't like the way vets throw in the towel. There have been so many misdiagnosed dogs whose owners have shown up here, people who have treated their dogs for cancer, pneumonias, and other diseases for up to a year or more before getting a proper diagnosis.  They've spent themselves into the poorhouse because the vets didn't listen.
It's very frustrating and sad. We were lucky to get a quick diagnosis.
Good luck-
jen   

[gunner]

Thank you so much for the encouragement and good ideas. 

I woke up in the middle of the night and thought about the Ensure.  I picked some up this morning and have given some of it to her by squirting it into her mouth by syringe.  She seemed to like the taste well enough.  Now if she can just keep it down!  ~sheesh~   

When Gunner first got sick, she was a perfect, slim, trim,  52 pounds.  Last vet visit she weighed a discouraging 42.  I think she has lost more since then.  I am afraid to weigh her.  Do they ever get over the lack of appatite and vomiting while they are on the anti-fungal?  Also, the vet said to keep an eye on her for signs that the antifungal was effecting her liver.  What signs do you look for?   
 
I stopped by the local feed store to see what they might have and they have this product in a package called Electrolytes Plus - concentrated nutritional supplement made by Sav-A-Calf.  It seems to be good for all kinds of critters from babies to adults (dogs included) and has all the live bacteria that is so important for good digestion and intestional health.  So I thought I would try to get some of that into her as well.

At this point it sure doesn't seem like there is anything left to loose. 
thanks again,
Joyce 

[Wilson3]

sorry to hear things don't sound to good (
have you checked with other people about vets? it sounds as if you have really done a ton of tests already? and sounds as if you may have a few things going on? Where are you located again?
if the liver id effected it is the same signs as with people yellow skin watch the color of the gumms also a few other not sure any more
i had wilson on many supplements andhe still is on 2
dandillion root is great for the liver he was on that as a support the liver the supplements really helped wilson he was also on a immune booster and a few otehrs
boy i hope they find out soon for sure whats all going on you have doen soooo much stay stronge!!!! the answers will come and you will know when itis time do not let any one tell you when it is
good luck
wilson3

[gunner]

Thank you for the great advice on the liver booster.  Dandylion Root is a good one and so is milk thistle.  I will see if I can get some and get it into her. 

I am so proud today, I was able to get in 1 and 1/2 cans of ensure and a cup of the calf enzimes into her and she kept it down!  She kind of spit up once but 99% of it stayed down.  She seems to really like the vanilla ensure. 

She seems to be having all kinds of "tumors"  or beginning abcesses showing up as well.  She had started with just little leasons, and then they went away but now new things are showing up and they are getting HUGE!  There is one on her shoulder that you can almost see growing.  Last week it was about the size of a hazel nut and now it is like a half a grapefruit stuck under her skin.  It is starting to impede her movement.  That was the one that the vets couldn't decide if it was an enlarged lymph node or just a fatty deposit.  ~sheesh~  It doesn't look like either to me!  There is one on her flank that is the size of a tennis ball.  It seems like new ones show up daily.

Gunner has had litterally 100's of tests in the last 10 months and we are no closer to diagnosing anything than we were the first day she was sick.  All of her lumps and bumps, no two are alike.  Nothing is coming back positive for anything.  They tell me that they are looking at cells that they have never seen before and can't identify.  I guess maybe she doesn't have Blastomycosis but she sure has a lot of the symptoms and all of the information on this forum has been so very helpful! 

I live in West Texas.  It is a 2 hour drive to the vet.  Vets around here can go their entire carreer without ever seeing a case of Blasto so it is no wonder they are having trouble figuring out what is going on.   

I was wondering if anyone knows about getting the drugs from Mexico?  I only live a couple of hours from Ciudad Acunia and could go to the pharmacy there as long as it is legal to bring drugs back.  I will have to look more into that. 
Anyway, thanks again for all the really great help!!!
Joyce

[Jen]

I'm flummoxed as well over the growths. That's just wierd.
Glad that the Ensure is helping, and I remember the calf powder very well - wish I'd thought of it when we were treating her.  Dirtbike overcame the nausea, etc. about 2 mos into treatment.  After that she gained her weight back very quickly.
   The meds are much cheaper through compounding pharmacies.  We used Pet Health Pharmacy in AZ.  It was about $80 for 2 mos. worth of Itra, and that included overnight shipping. The vet can call it in for you.
   I hope they find something, and SOON!
We're all hoping the best for you.
jen

[weluvmoose]

I also live in an area where blasto is never seen.  My dog was diagnosed in November - got blasto while visiting canada.  My friend who also lives here and visited Canada with us had a dog that our vet tested for blasto but the test came back neg.  My friend's dog died.  When my dog also got sick I had our vet call a vet in Canada where they treat this all the time.  It appears the type of test our lab here did is not the same test they do up north.  We sent my dog's test off to the lab the Canadian vet uses and it was positive - we started Itra and he is doing great now.  After treating my dog our vet is convinced my friend's dog also had blast and antoher dog she lost last year after getting sick post Canada trip.  Maybe your vet could send a sample off to a lab that has expereince testing for blasto.  We used Cornell and got the results back in 4 days to Texas.  We started treatment also before definitive results.  My dog's appetite returned after about a week after we started treatment.  From everything I have read Itra is the drug of choice and I figure if I am going to the expense and trouble to get them well why not use the best if possible.  Best to you - 

[Wilson3]

joyce and gunner
ifeel sooo bad for you two!! it has to be so hard to want to help your best friend and getting no where,more lesions and lesion growing doees nto sound good gunner has made it this far so hang in there
i would stay away from geting meds from mexico at least that is me the US has more laws and such with meds the place jen mentioned is good and at a good price and they come fast
pleae keep us posted and we will be thinking of you 2
take care
wilson3

[gunner]

AT LAST A DIFINITIVE ANSWER!!!!!!

The vet called this morning and said that Gunner finally tested positive for Blasto.  I think she had 5 or 6 tests for blasto and finally a biopsy on one lump on her paw came back positive.  At long last we know what we are fighting! 

Although also a test for some other fungal disease (can't remember the name, I will get that again from her later as she is getting that confirmed) came back as a definite maybe and that one is contagous to humans.  Great!  Just what I need on top of it all. 

My vet seemed to feel that the huge lumps are just part of Gunner's body trying to fight off the fungus, but she will continue to test until she gets an answer for sure.  Once the Keto starts working the lumps should start going down.  We will keep our dew claws crossed! 

I asked my vet about the differing oppinions of the Keto or Itra...  She seemed to think that the keto was just as effective and had less sideffects.  I think she might be wrong on that from what I have read.  I have so much money sunk in my dear little dog now what is a few more thousand? 

As far as getting medicine here from Mexico, almost everyone around here goes down there to get their perscriptions and they have to smuggle it back because it is illegal.  But when it can save them thousands a month, that is a chance they are willing to take. I just didn't know if it is illegal to bring back drugs for a dog.  It is one tenth the price down there.  But that place in Arizona sounds good to me for now, but I will check out Mexico next time I go. 

Thanks again so much!
Joyce & Gunner

[Wilson3]

Thank goodness they have found somthing!!!!
Every vet seems to have their own ideas of what works best you could try print the information about the 2 drugs and show your vet and once again ask questions wilsons vet was always open to things and would research them furture and tell me what he thought somethings i didnt agree with him but he was very open to everything his goal was to save wilson and willing to do the research and himself to treat any thiing that came up
it is hard because we all have different ideas try things and stick with what works best for you
be proud of yourself and gunner for making it this far!!!!
wilson3

[Wilson3]

i do have a ?
i never knew that blasto is cantagous to people i do know you should use caution and ther ewas a 1 in a million chances of getting i would love to read more aout this on if anyone has the info
wilson3