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[luvmyjacks]

I'm still pushing for some kind of chart too.  Lisa thought she might be able to create a program on this site but I assume she has been too busy to find time yet.  If anyone on here would tackle a spread sheet of some kind I'm sure lots of us could give our stats to them via e-mail.  We might be able to get Lisa to post the chart weekly so we could see our successes and give hope to the newcomers here.  Originally I wanted a lot of detail about exposure, time to correct diagnosis, drug choice, symptoms etc but I can see the forum answers a lot of questions for those willing to read back over months of posts.  The common stories quickly emerge: loss of weight, loss of appetite, test for this, test for that etc, what to feed and what worked for those of us with dogs that have made it.  I for one would be happy to give every possible detail if it would help.

[Wilson3]

i was looking through old posts boy this goes waaay back jen remember these days?
it sure seems we have grown a lot through the past couple yrs lots more are making it now it seems too!
hard to beleive this was a wonderful ideas lisa had in helping sooo many!!
maybe i shouldnt have posted here to bring forward but maybe for the new members to read ( it may help knowing we all felt the same way ,helpless)what some of us seniors went through the same thing we are not alone none of us
the amout of info on this board is jsut wonderful!
everyone on here is the best! and has given so much to help so many that we do not even know we only share the will to try and help our loved ones if only the whole world was liek this
you guys all rock and are the best!!
kristin (wilson3)

[Jen]

I remember those days; they're hard to look at huh?
We've done a LOT of work, and a lot of people have been helped by dogs and their owners whose stories, for better or worse, were shared here.

I'm looking at my big girl now, lying on her back like a beached whale and wiggling until someone comes over to rough her up.  She sounds like a whale too, it's hilarious. Her 3rd birthday is coming up.
I might've lost her without this site.

Everyone hang in and be tough. These dogs are worth it.
j

[mhitesman]

First off, compounded itra is better than no medicine -- so it makes a good choice for those who cannot afford the generic itraconazole or sporonox brand name itra.  Having said that, some of us on here have ordered Sporonox from NorthdrugMart (www.northdrugmart.com I think) in Canada.  They are S-L-O-W.  In fact, they told me it would take 30 days, and after two weeks they called me to say it would be shipping from the UK and would take another 2-3 weeks.  SO, it cannot be your first prescription.  You need a script from your Dr which you can fax to them or mail to them, but they will also call your Dr -- which takes the longest.  The cost is $149 for 90 (100 mg) capsules.  I think there is a couple bucks shipping on that too. 

The Ampho-B therapy is dangerous all by itself so consider that very carefully before deciding that way.  Some people on this board have done it; most would not do it again, but none of us would take that decision lightly.

Here in Virginia, the teaching hospital where I vet (VA Tech) is seeing a run of blasto cases as well.  It is that time of the year, and I guess the weather was especially good for molds this year.  Lord knows I saw enough fungus in neighborhood mulch.  Since Comet got it last year at this time, we are staying away from the woods and creek until cold weather sets in here.

One other thing...most conventional treatment indicates that blasto meds should be continued for at least FOUR months, not TWO.  My optho vet told me two months when Comet started on treatment last year, but her info was a little outdated.  He was on meds for 4 months (and is back on for possible relapse, but he's ok...)

[Harleys Mom]

To add to the discussion of getting Itra cheaper or quicker, I've ordered from a pharmacy in Canda called   canadapharmacyonline.com
They carry generic & name brand Sporonx but still takes 16-18 days to deliver. That's a little shorter than 30 days.

Also if anyone has been prescribed Fluconozole, WalGreens has a prescription drug program that has an annual fee of around $30 for a family membership & then drugs are around $10 per month. The pharmacist at my local WalGreens said dogs can be included in a family membership. Itra is not in the program but Fluconozole is. I don't know if WalGreens has stores in Canada, but they're springing up all over the place in the US. I live in a town of about 35,000 with a slumping economy & there are 3 here.

[mhitesman]

Wow this thread goes WAY back when most of us were new on here.  It was so painful to read our histories and feel the panic and sadness in the words.  I had been thinking we have come so far until a few days ago ... I think this disease is very cyclical and Fall is the time when most infections occur.  Maybe the worst cases appear in the fall because they are the high exposure cases -- the dogs really get a snootfull -- as opposed to the dog that was exposed to just a couple spores and his immune system staves it off somewhat successfully for months before the fungus gains the upperhand...

I dont know; just trying to theorize and make some sense of it like so many