Beau is battling Blastomycosis again. This time, it is in his abdomen, not lungs/skin.
(Beau's a 4 and ˝ y/o Collie/ Australian cattle dog X in Ohio)
Apparently, the blasto hid in his abdomen, not being eradicated despite 10+ months on Itraconazole (brand and generic – no compounded… even the generic by EON had little spheres in the capsules).
He was off meds from late September 2007. On 2/5/09, an abdominal ultrasound showed a mass in the upper abdomen associated with the pancreas: the specialist looked at the cytology himself and thought it was blasto, but he wouldn't rx Itraconazole until the official pathology came back… The official results came back 2/7/09, and he started itraconazole again. The waiting was hard--- Me, I wanted him to be on meds ASAP, figuring we were playing with a time bomb!
Beau's blood work is much wackier than in 2006 with his first diagnosis…I hope his liver tolerates the med, as 1 enzyme is elevated now at baseline (or perhaps from the recent rimadyl?).
I had thought Beau was one of the lucky ones, a Blasto survivor. He went a month before a skin biopsy diagnosis in 2006, with a HUGE mass of Blasto in his lung. In that month, he developed skin sores all over, a lame leg, and swollen lymph nodes, but his eyes and nervous system remained unaffected. With the meds, his lungs returned to normal, and his skin sores healed. I kept him on itraconazole extra long, hoping he wouldn't be in the 25% who relapse.
He had been diagnosed with Lyme disease around Thanksgiving 2008, was treated with the antibiotic Doxycycline for 30 days, but fever lingered as did decreased interest in food and play. Blood work 1/30/09 showed the lyme was treated, and the chest xrays were fine, so why the fevers, consistently over 103? At his appt 2/5/09, his temp was 105.2!!!
I wish I had been checking the urine antigen regularly (his first is in progress now).
This may well be a losing battle for Beau. His whole spine is very tender, either due to the inflammation body-wide, or he may have the blasto in his nervous system. Hope as I might, I can't imagine that adequate blood levels of Itraconazole will get inside the blasto-mass that his body has tried so hard to wall off...
I don't know how to judge when enough is enough: I suppose when it seems he is not happy at all? Or is it better to treat the inflammation and pain now, have time of walking, tugging, doing the things he loves, and then helping him to rest in peace without letting him go through the decline? Love him as I do, I don't want to selfishly keeping treating while he continues to weaken and suffer, but it's so hard to know where to draw the line…
Now at times my best friend is breathing 60 /min at rest, up to 120/min when panting at rest (before restarting meds!) His increased breathing is thought to be due to fevers, but I think he has some metabolic acidosis due to the infection, too, so he's driven to get rid of CO2 with fast breathing.
I can't help but wonder if I am being cruel by helping him keep fighting. I am crying as I type. Beau is on the bed next to me, looking at me with sad but loving and trusting eyes. The bed shakes from his panting. He is concerned about my tears and trying to cheer me up by resting his head on my arm and licking my hand. I need to do what is the right thing for HIM.
I spent until 3 am the night of 2/5 searching the web trying to find more on abdominal masses of Blasto, and where to now order his meds. It hit me last evening that perhaps my rapid rush to searching is just an attempt to do something, so that I can feel like I CAN do something about his illness. Perhaps I should be concentrating my efforts more on what the extent of this hidden attack from inside means, and less on busying myself ordering meds that won't arrive for a month…
Folks, I feel like this fear of Blasto, once a pet gets it, never ends. When Beau got a growth on his gums, I feared Blasto was back (fibrous epulis, removed twice). When he developed haziness of his corneas (lipid dystrophy –appears as if his eye's surface needed a windshield wiper), I feared it was Blasto in his eyes. When he suddenly didn't want to get up in November (and had a fever and hot, tender paw), I knew it was Blasto. But the lyme titer was 120 –he definitely was fighting Lyme…..And now it is Blasto, and yet I am not ready for the diagnosis!!!
Sorry all, to subject you to my sad thoughts. I know all who read this have likely dealt with the same fears/hopes/worries. It is hard.
Thanks for listening, Lisa Marr and Beau
Hey, does any one living near a Safeway grocery store know what type of generic itraconazole they sell? A Seattle friend reports he got 12 wks of txment for his foot fungus for just $8 (?!!!)…..
Author
Topic: Beau relapses: Blasto mass in abdomen (Read 2180 times)