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[breasdad2009]

found this board today in an article on google. glad I did. My young female German Shepherd of 2 yrs Brea, was diagnosed with blasto 1 week ago. never even heard of this infection before. I live in West Chicago, IL and have been going to the same field with dogs I've had for the past 11 yrs. started when I noticed Brea coughing, didnt think much about it. but it grew more frequent ( about 1 week) and decided to bring her to emergency one night when I heard some weasing. the vet said she suspected some minor upper respiratory irritation, and prrescribed amoxicillin and to watch her. plus, her temp was 104.1 then. a bit high, but she wasnt concerned since the lungs were clear. also, she was in heat. over the next several days her cough subsided, but then I noticed some swelling of her left nostril, which grew quickly. I then brought her to my regular vet. her temp had come down some, but the Dr decided to get a smear of the cells on the nose and send it to a pathologist. the next day he called me and told me of the blastomycosis. his hunch was right and said she needed the itraconisol immediately. its been 1 week since the meds started and her breathing has become a bit more labored. she also became almost completely lame, not wanting to get up to even go for walks as she always loved to do. I was carrrying her around for 2 days. fortunately, my girlfriend who works for an animal hopsital wanted brea to be seen by her favorite dr who prescribed her some rimydel (sp?) which improved her by 100%. I was told the first 2 weeks are critical, my fingers are crossed.

[breasdad2009]

her appetite is still very good. understand weight loss is very common. I'm just really nervous about this, never even heard about it before. been doing alot of reading about it. glad again I found this and can relate with people who have dealt with this horrible stuff. will need some support 

[carolh]

So sorry to hear about Brea.  You are fortunate that your girlfriend works in animal hospital.  Rimydal is a pain killer and I can't see that it will help ridding Brea of blasto so don't stop using the itraconizole!  Blasto is a nasty disease so be prepared for some up's and down's coming at you and Brea.  Have you had your dog around rivers/cattails/beaver dams/swampy areas? If so, could be where she picked this up.  Have you taken her with you on a visit to rural Wisconsin?  Also where she could have picked it up.  Keep reading.  The newsletter on this forum is TERRIFIC...more information at your fingertips than you'll find elsewhere.  Good luck.  We're pulling for you both.

In peace, Carol

[Kash-]

If your vet hasn't heard of it, there is a test called the Mira Vista antigen test.  It'll be a good confirmation that it's blasto.  Granted, a smear and a knowledgeable pathologist should be good enough. But I'm a double down sorta guy. 

Rimydal will also suppress the fever, which will make Brea feel better too.  Just look up the dosing information, it's based on weight. 

You did good taking your dog in as fast as you did.  Tell yourself you're a good Dad.  Half, more that half, of the blasto fight is early diagnosis.  Surround yourself with experts.  Sounds like you have a savvy vet, let them know you've been reading on the internet, maybe it'll make them do a little extra reading themselves!

[breasdad2009]

thx everyone, it is somewhat comforting knowing theres someone to talk to who know what i'm going thru.  they found 2 swollen lymph nodes on her and another small lesion appeared in her rt earlobe. it pains me to see her breathing difficult and unfortunately, I'm 25 miles away from home due to work so I'm, unable to check on her during the day. makes me nervous. seems from reading on here theres going to be up and down days. the last few have been steady, shes in good spirits. much better following the rymidel. her temp has come down to 102, so thats encouraging. appetite is still real good....so far.

she is scheduled to get a blood test done sunday to find out how her liver is holding up to the meds. I was told not to use milk thistle until they get results. I'm thinking, WHY? I know MT has ability to aid in liver protection, so why wait? they are thinking they may have to adjust dosage. from what I've been reading on here, I'm thinking her dose is low. she is on 90mg/BID. she weighs 80lbs.

I think she got it from the swampy area at the field we go to. actually there are 3 water sources over there. a running creek, a pond and a swampy area where they have been going most recently. I am no longer taking them anywhere near the water right now, any of the spots. theres over 180 acres, so they have plenty of space. my male loves the water, but I'm now thinkiing better safe than sorry.

[Jen]

   Welcome - this is a good place for information and support from people who've been where you are.   
It's really hard to be away from them all day while you're trying to treat them.
   During this time, it's really important to make sure that they eat and stay hydrated.  It helps for them to have a fan to lay in front of.  Small comforts, it's about all that you can do. 
   Try not to worry a lot about liver function at this point. Itraconazole is pretty well tolerated, (with the exception of the first few weeks of die-off) whereas the fungus definitely kills, and it kills quickly. I think it may be more important to bump up the dosage.  Dirtbike was down to approx 45 lbs and was getting 150mg/ 1x per day.  It was rough, but in the end, completely worthwhile.

jen

[breasdad2009]

thx Jen. last nite was kind of rough. I was up with her, she seemed to be uncomfortable due to her breathing. she seemed to settle down and we got back to sleep. seems to be a bit better this AM. her temp is down to 101.3, so thats good. last nite she ate all her food, so her appetite is no issue right now. her spirits seem good. her back right lg is more swollen. Dr said it was edema, possibly due to itra. this is the same leg she originally started favoring before the diagnosis.
I took her over to my girfriends this Am. she has been an so supportive and has taken Brea underher care since she gets a discount for the hospital she works for. says I'm on the interenet too much about it. she is going to get her blood drawn ( to check her liver/ kindey functions) plus I'm goig to get the test done for the antigens. I guess thats the miravista test. Donna is her name and am thankful for her. the lesion of her nose is aweful. its just affecting her lf nostril. are there any antifungal creams that aid in healing those??
  

[Kash-]

Yeah, I got that "stop reading on the internet" too.  But luckily, I my vet was happy that I found a real pro at treating blasto, she happily took the advice from this other vet.

I'm going to throw in on the low dose too.  But it's good to see the results of the blood test.  My dog was 60# pointer on 75mgs. twice a day (for the first while, couple weeks, I don't really remember I think we gave him three or four pills a day).  If anything, we ran heavy on my dog.  Itra was kinda new to the vet community back in 2002.  In fact I had to buy the non generic form called Sporanox and have it formulated in 75mg caps because it didn't come that way.

Here is a article from DVM360;
http://veterinarymedicine.dvm360.com/vetmed/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=596603&sk=&date=&pageID=5
read it yourself, but it suggests 5mg Itra per kilo per day. X2 for the first 5 days.  If you think the dose is low, then ask your vet why.  I wouldn't settle for "stop reading on the internet".  To me that says, "don't question me, I'm always smarter than you."  Which in my world, is time to lppk for another vet.  Don't get me wrong, I cede to vet experience and wisdom a lot.  But they have to earn it from me, not just demand it.

I'm glad you have a friend that is  a vet tech or what ever.  The Techs where Knight was treated really adopted him too.  That goes a long way in helping with their care and the confidence you have leaving them there.

Good luck, let us know what's going on, or come and vent.  It's all good.

[breasdad2009]

 Donna called and brea has lost 4 lbs since this started 2 weeks ago ( 1 week since the diagnosis). but again her appetite is still very good. the Dr prescribed a weak diurectic to bring down the swelling of the back limb. the lymph node there is very swollen. her spirit is normal...pulling Donna on the leash and barking at the other dogs...LOL. we're waiting for the blood test results on liver/kidney functions. temp was 101.

[evayola]

So sorry that your Brea has blasto but I will tell you one thing, you have found the greatest place for support. I am shocked to see somebody so close to where I live and where Marge got her blasto. We are in Aurora area so you are just a hop skip and jump away. The first few weeks will be very hard like everyone has said but luckily your girlfriend works for the vet and you get the discount and can take her anytime I am sure. I dont think the weight loss is that bad in comparison to some others. Marge went from a happy drooling 140 lb st bernard down to skin and bones at 115ish. It was utterly disgusting and painful to see her that way. We spent many many night making sure Marge was still breathing okay so we all feel your pain. We kept our house at a bone chilling 63 degrees all summer long so she could breathe much easier. We moved our bed into our family room so Marge didnt have to do stairs and we too carried her a few times. Her hocks were sooo swollen. She had very swollen lymph nodes as well, they felt like tennis balls! Marge was treated with fluconazole due to her eye going blind. How is Brea's vision? Have you had her chest xrayed to see how bad it is?

Definitely keep us all posted. Any questions you may have - no matter how stupid they may seem- please ask! We have all been there! Keep your head up and stay positive for Brea!

Eva

[breasdad2009]

Eva, thanks for your support. I'm not going thru even half of what I see other people go thru..........so far, including yourself. hope it stays that way.we did get an xray, I didnt see it, but was told it looked snowy, but overly bad. just got word her liver/kidney functions are normal. thats great. I will try to keep my place more cool in the future. hope the weather continues to be on the cool side.

[Kash-]

Knighty had the swollen leg too.  I think he got it in his toe first, but who knows.  His whole leg swelled up like a sausage.  I thought the skin would split.  In fact, that sore and swollen foot is what took Knight to the hospital in the first place.  When the Doc couldn't find anything, she suspected blasto.  Chest X-ray, yup... and we sent off for a titer and blasto culture. 

We went sparingly on the rimadyl, as that and Itra both metabolize through the liver.  We used it, just not continuously.  Knighty lost about 20#, and starting at 58, that's a damn lot.  He was never a big eater, all lean and athletic looking, so when he was sick, he just went off the food.  We did everything to get him to eat.  Hamburger, steak, hotdogs, anything to get a few bites in him.

I'm really really glad you're having a easy start to it.  Hopefully, having a vet tech girl friend is reduces the time to Dx! 

Thanks for checking in and letting us know.  It's nice to hear good news.

[comebye]

Hey, saw you live in West Chicago, same here. Where is the field you've been going too?? Scary!!

Research on the internet I find is the one thing to help our dogs. I got the "don't believe all you read on the internet" from Cool's vet. They diagnosed him with classic blasto, HUH! turns out he had "classic" hermangiosarcoma. I did the Mirravist urine test, came back negative for blasto, it was assumed it was a false negative. There was nothing that could have saved him but I could have spared him 2 weeks of misery.

Hoping Brea will see some relief soon from the evil blasto!

Janine and Cool forever in my heart

[Jen]

   There was a question about the lesion on her nose - most of us have dealt with lesions as well.  Since the oral azole drugs are systemic and are already treating the infection from the inside, there's not a lot of need for topical treatments.  That's good, because we don't really know of any that are specifically for a hardcore fungus like blasto.
   To make ourselves feel better, and as though we were actually doing something to help, many of us have used topical antifungal creams on the lesions.  Our experience is mostly anecdotal.  Whether they work on their own or not is debatable, but they may actually help. (Although on a nose, I'm not sure how happy she'd be.)
   These are available OTC from drug stores crowded with people who all know you, and they usually say lots of things about Jock Itch or Feminine Itching in bright red capital letters that can be seen from a great distance.  Make sure to purchase an assortment; it enables you to part a crowd like the Red Sea. 

   Seriously, Dirt's first lesions were disgusting, and they seemed to respond a bit to creams.  Neosporin can't treat them, so an azole can't hurt.  Anti-dandruff shampoos also contain antifungal medications (Diflucan, Nizoral, Ketoconazole) and may help heal sores that may be hiding under the fur.  Wilson3 has great advice on agressive treatments for large areas as well. 
   Definitely keep using the internet.  It may not be the greatest resource for every single thing, but for Blasto - (pardon me) but many vets are woefully uneducated. 
   We've seen too many animals lost to a lack of knowledge, delayed or missed diagnoses, wrong dosages, use of improper treatments, people not being told how to give medication, not having an affordable source for meds, you name it.  Find out all you can, and share it with your vet. 

cheers-
jen

[jiggasmom]

Sorry to hear your dog has been diagnosed. Glad you found this site. I wouldn't let anyone say you are reading too much on the internet. Knowledge seems to be one key in fighting this terrible disease. This site helped save my dog's life. My vet just joked with the other day that I probably know more about Blasto than she does from this site. Glad to hear your pup is eating good. WE had to practically force feed jigga. he would only eat a little bit of food. We fed him whatever he would eat. He lost 20lbs. The first few weeks are the worst. You just need to stay by her and let her know that you are there for her. We actually slept in the living room with jigga. We took turns with him at night because he was in so much pain. It is terrible to watch them but be strong you will get through this. Sounds like you caught it early. That is a huge key as well. Good luck and keep us posted. Be strong! Ask questions people here really seem to know and be able to help.