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[mhitesman]

It's been just over 4 months since Comet was diagnosed with blasto.  Since his lungs and all organs other than his right eye never showed any symptoms, and because his antigen test showed WEAK POSITIVE, we stopped the Itra a week ago.  Apparently, that is two months longer than the "recommended" treatment period, but I know you understand how scary it is to stop -- ever.  Anyway, he had another antigen test last week, and it came back NEGATIVE.  Of course, that does not mean it will not relapse or that it will not recur or even that the test is accurate, but we are elated.

Comet lost his right eye, and it was more painful than it had to be because we had trouble letting it go.  Blasto dogs are not good candidates for prosthesis, as you all know, so it is sewn shut.  Sometimes I shed a tear over that, but my tears are selfish.  He loves life and does everything he ever did .. except compete in AKC Field Trials.  But maybe in time we will get back to that too. 

He is ALIVE and otherwise HEALTHY.  His stamina is returning now that we have discontinued the meds.  Naturally, we are watching him like a hawk and ever fearful. 

He is a survivor, and a success story.

The optho just called me and asked if I would be willing to talk with a patient whose young golden was just diagnosed with the disease and has one eye infected, just like Comet.  Like us, they are afraid to remove they eye.  Like us, it is probably more due to impossible hope that a blind eye with a detached retina will regain sight.  Regardless of their reasons, they want to talk to us. 

Everything I read says this thing is RARE.  I think what is rare is a proper diagnosis.

[Wilson3]

this is wonderful news!!!!
everyone is on it for different amount of time Barney was on it for only 10 weeks and has been of meds for a littel over a yr ( a dog i know from the park) you guys did great and and are sooo lucky!!!
as for being blind look at amazingaussies.com lots of blind dogs they really can do just about anything we had a foster pup he was 100% blind but learned our stairs and my friends doggie door with a deck attached with stairs and allit took was talkinghim through it once he ran through the wood to we where his eye we learned very fast that we would direct him in the right way and ran as free as the next dog look at this site has lots of good training ideas
and congratulations!!!
wilson3

[BRANDO]

I just read your update on Comet and am elated to hear that he is a SURVIVOR and a FIGHTER!!!!!!!!

I was unaware that it could affect the eyes.  Sounds like Comet will do great!  He may surprise you and get back to his AKC Field Trials sooner than you think.

It's okay to shed a tear, you're only human.... It's not selfish by no means.  I cry over Brando sometimes because of what we went through with his Blasto treatments.   I look into his beautiufl big-brown eyes and wonder what he's thinking.  Being around animals brings out the best in humans...  I always tell people that he is my sunshine every day!

Sometimes I get scared when I hear him cough and wonder could it be??? 

Brando, my 6 year young Golden Lab,  has recovered twice from Blasto.  I thank God for the vets in Minocqua and Eagle River, WI for their expertise.

I'd admire everyone for sharing their stories.  Thanks for sharing about Comet.
Sharon and Brando, 2x blasto survivor
Wisconsin

[luvmyjacks]

Would they consider asking their vet to call the vets at OVC in Guelph to at least talk vet talk about the retinal detachment.  I know people are wary about the quality of medicine in another country (it often works both ways believe it or not) but Bosun was clinically blind and now has regained most of his sight.  It must surely be worth a phone call or a try  ..... if it isn't too late.  These poor, poor creatures don't deserve this terrible disease.

[mhitesman]

Retinal detachment, by itself, is not always a cause of permanent blindness.  Severity and duration are key, but also what caused the detachment makes a difference.  We had hoped, early on, that if we could control the pressure (with meds) and cure the illness, that the retina would reattach as it was the pressure that caused the glaucoma and the detachment, but the optic nerve was still party attached.  We were giving him eye meds every 3 hours, round the clock.  I hate to think about how painful it was for him during all that.  He never complained.  Our optho vet is a resident at VA Tech Teaching Hospital, but she did her internship in Minnesota, where blasto is more common than here.  She was hopeful at first, but when it got worse and worse, she was doing her best to prepare us for a decision.  It ended up that the eye ruptured in her office, and the decision was out of our hands.  Blind eyes can regain sight, but eyes infected by blasto don't -- once they acquire secondary glaucoma and 100% detached retina, including the optic nerve itself.   The dead fungi made it so much worse once we started itra.  It is only in retrospect that I wish we had spared him that pain.  I would probaby do the same again -- to hold out hope even after we are told it will take a miracle.  Doctors don't have all the answers either.  They just have more than I have.

[luvmyjacks]

That was a great post - lots of good information and it clarified a few issues for me. 
I know I seem to be pushing for the new eye treatment and I'm sorry if it sounds just like that - too pushy..... and here comes the but.  My friend went to a very well recommended eye specialist and was told to remove both Bosun's eyes.  He was of course devastated because their leisure time is all on boats from April to October and while dogs might fare quite well on land when blind, the thought of Bosun riding high on a powerboat was going to be very difficult.  So off they went to the university of Guelph which houses the Ontario Veterinary College - I think the biggest and best in Canada; and the injections were given. 
I understand that there are lots of reasons why the treatment wouldn't work but I guess my thought was that if the alternative was removal what was the downside to a phone consult or an attempt at the course of treatment?  So many vets have had limited or no experience with blasto and might turn away from the thought of this treatment because it is not past the experimental stage yet in dogs.  I thinK though I did post that it had been successful in a horse, or horses.  It sounds as if you have a lot more knowledge on the subject that many of us have so thanks for the comprehensive and informative input.

[mhitesman]

You are right on.  And all my knowledge is less than 4 months old.  My optho vet is at a teaching college too.  I was told by someone shortly after I moved here that only special referals could go there.  That tidbit of incorrect advice cost Comet his eye.  It only makes sense that the teaching hospitals are giving, in general, the very best treatment, doesn't it?  For the most part, they have endless pocketbooks for the best equipment plus they can embark on experimental treatments as they also have all the research staff plus my animals see TEAMS of specialists when they go in.  Teams!  Ultrasounds, xrays, biopsies, isolations, ICUs, CAT scans, al right there.  Additionally, the staff in one teaching hospital often have relationships (formal and friendly) with other teaching hospitals. The U of Wisconsin, Madison, is a reknowned blasto research center.  It was there that Comet's diseased eye was ultimately sent.  I like to think it is helping students and researchers to fight this awful disease right now and for some time to come...(fight the tears, Marillyn, fight the tears).  So it would not surprise me if my Dr is now knowledgabe about this treatment although she certainly never mentioned it when maybe it could have helped us.  I sent her the information (email) last night.  Maybe it can help the new little golden she diagnosed two days ago with blasto in his eye -- just like Comet.  She called to ask if I would talk with the owner, but he has not yet called.

I am anxious to provide the owner this website url.  What a wonderful support group and tremendous source of information.

You mention the misdiagnosis.  Well, that's what makes it especially hard, isn't it?  We screwed around 2 precious weeks with vets that did not have a clue.  The problem is they ACT like they do.  If they would just say I DONT HAVE A CLUE, I would have been doing more.  Comet was diagnosed, right from the get-go with uveitis.  But none of the three vets he went to during that 2 week period EVER talked about looking for the CAUSE of uveitis.  There is ALWAYS a cause!  The cause is either injury or disease.  The treatments are contraindicated.  He was treated like it was an injury -- like most blasto cases are mistreated.  The steroids he was given reduced his immune system -- kind of like feeding the blasto.  If, instead, he had been given anti fungal meds, he probably would not have lost his eye.  By the time we got to the third vet, her diagnosis was galucoma, which he did indeed have.  SECONDARY glaucoma.  Once again, no mention of the underlying cause (blasto).  She wanted to check him into her unattended clinic over the weekend and remove his eye on Monday morning in the hopes of saving the OTHER eye.  I said WHAT IS PLAN B because no one is operating on my dog unless we know what we're dealing with, and I am sure as hell not leaving him alone here.  She refered me to the teaching hospital.  Now all my animals go to the teaching hospital -- for all care. 

I firmly believe that if you have the ability to go to a teaching hospital for regular vet care (community practice), that you should do it.  The appointments run a little longer because there are so many people involved, but the quality of the care is so much better.

The tool the Dr used to check the pressure (IOP) on Comet's eye at the vet's private practice office was barbaric by comparison.  She has to put this piece of metal right on his iris.  Not close.  ON.  His eye hurt so bad; it was so hard for him.  Because the pressure was SO HIGH, she kept doing it over and over and over and on both eyes.  By comparison, the teaching hospital used an instrument that was like a pen sized (not so intimidating), and it had to be within 3-4 inches of the eye and shot a little puff of air (quietly) onto the iris.  My dogs don't mind that at all.  I am told that instrument costs over $100K which is why the private practice does not have one.  Every optho office (there are 5) at the teaching hospital has one hanging on the wall!

I ramble.  I guess I am still really upset at the misdiagnosis.  If I had known then what I know now, Comet would still have sight in both eyes.  The people, other than me, that could have helped him DONT EVEN FEEL LIKE THEY LET HIM DOWN.  A dog's eye.  Big deal.  Frankly, I hope a couple of these people  suffer.    Never again will I blindlly trust any doctor, and I am pretty quick to point out to them that while they have more training,  I have the personal interest to seek out the information.  We will make the decisions together ... or I will make them alone.

[evayola]

We also were giving Marge meds for her eyes every three hours and it was on the dot. We own two businesses and work A LOT! Unfortunately we dont have the ability to work from home but we made sure that one of us was home with Marge 24/7. We didnt leave her alone for almost a month. We were prisoners in our own home but wow was it worth it.

We too struggled with misdiagnosis for months and months and months. I have said it before and I will say it again... Marge was on borrowed time. I think that a few more days and she would not have survived. Once we started treatment for her eye everything was doing okay but the eye still didn't look good. One Sunday the eye looked soooo bad and was pussing and she was obviously very irritated so we felt like we had no choice but to take her to the emergency vet that was open. This is the same place that couldnt diagnose Marge and we had stopped going there so you can imagine how reluctant we were to go there. This is a chain vet (VCA) and I have not one good word to say about them. They have every specialists on staff that you can possibly think of and they did NOTHING for us but give us a nice fat bill. When we took Marge in that Sunday, not only did we wait for 3+ hours but once we were seen, they had no answer for us but to remove the eye. The vet wanted to run all of these tests that we knew were unneccesarry and we told her no. We got very pushy with this woman because after checking her pressures, stain testing, and hearing what meds she was on- her answer was to remove the eye immediately and to change her meds. I explained to her that removing her eye at this point was not an option because she would not have been able to handle the anesthesia. The vets response to me was "well then just keep your eye out for any changes and let us know if there are any". UM HELLLOOO? Why did she think we were there? BEcause there were changes. Just stupid. I was so mad when we left that place and spent $700 for that answer. What a joke they are.

Marge's eye calmed down that weekend and the eye is still in place and it looks beautiful. I am so glad that I stuck to my guns and told them no, I am not removing it. We saw a specialist opto and he told us that under no circumstances should we remove the eye. So, I am totally with you on the irritation with misdiagnoses and uneducated vets.

I would love if we could take our animals to a teaching hospital but I am not sure if there are any near me. How would I find out? You sound like you have collected a wealth of knowledge. I would like to think that I have as well from all of you here. It has been great for all of us to be able to share our personal experiences with eachother.

[mhitesman]

I am jealous for you and Marge having both eyes...but in a good way.  Envious maybe. 

The vet wants me to tallk to this new person with blasto infected eye.  She said the owner is worried that the dog will suffer so much with only one eye.  I think she thinks I will tell this owner that it is OK to just remove the eye.  But I will never say that.  If Comet's eye had not ruptured, we would not have removed it.  Period.  Having said that, I believe that things that are done out of love for these animals are never wrong...no matter what the outcome.  We do the best we can, and that's all we can do.   I would advise anyone facing what we faced to study, research, ask questions, and then follow your own head and hurt with the doctor as one (powerful) data point.  Personally, I would fight to save that eye with all my being just lilke I did last time.  Doctors are sometimes a llittle hasty to kind of "put a lid" on it maybe.  There is just one thing I have to keep reminding myself:  saving that eye would have been for ME, not for Comet.  The choice was about cosmetics.  The retina was completely detached; there was zero possibillity of vision being restored.  His health was still good enough for the anesthetic they needed to use for the surgery, and that would not necessary continue to be the case.  Lastly, the pain was so over-the-top in this stoic dog that it seemed to me that he was "giving up".  I remember laying on the floor just begging and begging him to fight this thing -- for me.  His need for the eye was already gone.  I needed to let it go too.

It's just so darned different for every dog and every person.  Everyone on this board is doing the best they can to save their best friends.  There is just no downside to any of that even though some of us have different choices to make and different experiences.  Whatever is done from the heart with love is the right thing to do.  That thought helped me calm some of my fears.

[weluvmoose]

Moose's eye looked horrible for days - 3 times its normal size - the eyeball itself.  We had started him on Sporanox and were doing eye drops several times a day for two weeks.  However, I think the prednisone she put him on for two weeks helped the swelling more than anything.  He still has his eye and it looks great - not sure how well he sees out of it though.  Luckily, his other eye was unaffected.  It did take about two weeks for it to look normal again.  We kept Moose on as low a dose of prednisone as possible and weaned him off ASAP. 

[mhitesman]

I know what you mean by his eye 3X normal.  Comet looked like he had a golf ball sitting below his eyebrow.  We were giving two kinds of steroid drops in addition to some med that reduced the amount of fluid created behind the eye as well.  Was the prednisone you were giving Moose drops or did you give pills?

[weluvmoose]

They were pills.  We gave a whole pill for 5 days - then 1/2 pill 5 days then 1/4 pill for 5 days.  The first time we reduced to 1/4 it swelled back up again so we did the 1/2 for 5 more days then we weaned him off no problem.  The prednisone also made him gain weight (increased his appetite) which was good at the time since he had lost so much.  But now he is back to his normal size. 

[mhitesman]

There is no doubt that the steroids that Comet was put on pre-diagnosis kept the swelling down (and hence the pressure).  The vet was worried that the steroids would inhibit the immune system and, essentially, feed the blasto.  Kind of a "save the eye, kill the dog" scenario.  I think the correct mix, which you obviousy achieved, woud have saved his eye if not his sight in it.  He was receiving steroid drops in the eye as well as other eye meds to decrease the natural fluid buildup behind it... of course it was not enough as it turns out, and the eye ruptured.

It is just such a scary time, isn't it.  And no one, ultimately, has all the answers.  This site is a wealth of valuable information.  Thanks for the prompt response.