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[mhitesman]

My Comet started blasto treatment last October.  He was on itraconozole for 4 months at 150 mg (1.5 capsules) per day.  He has had 4 miravista antigen tests since that time, the most recent was last Friday.  I dont have those results yet, but the previous one (June) was .4.  Anything below 1.0 is a negative, I am told.  With 4 tests since stopping meds end of February, you are correct to assume I am paranoid.  I will bet we all are...

The antigen test was also used to initially diagnose him where he was said to have a "weak positive".  His lungs were not infected.  He had a bump on the scruff of his neck (for months and months), constant ear infections (and two ear hematoma surgeries!) and, finally, an eye infection ...before the blasto was finally diagnosed correctly.  Within a week of diagnosis and beginning of treatment, his eye ruptured and was removed in an emergency procedure.  We had been (for the week after diagnosis) been putting several different drops in every three hours round the clock in an effort to try to save the eye.  His pain was unbelievable.  The vet kept him on itra, rather than fluconozole, because she said it treated his entire system more effectively and that the tough part of a fungal infection is completely clearing it out of the body.  His eye was already blind due to detached retina (100% detached), and he had secondary glaucoma.  It was also the size of a golf ball.  While we were given almost no hope of restored vision in that eye, we fought to save it until it ruptured and there was no decision to make.  The vet would have removed it earlier as she says that relapse is much higher in blasto dogs with eye involvement if the eye is retained.  Not meaning to say she was anxious to remove his sighted eye -- she had no confidence of vision restoration once the retina was 100% detached and we could not control the pressure (glaucoma).  We are hopeful that it never comes back...but I have him tested frequently.  In fact, when I was at the hospital Friday, the vet said. "Well, this will be the fourth negative in about eight months, so ... I think we can safely hold off for another six months after this".  I said, "..ok.  ...unless I change my mind ..."  He doesn't have another eye to lose.  And, like everyone else with their dogs on this site, he is my best friend and I need him.  Poor thing  :-)