Print

[braunie]

Please help- our beloved 4 year old Springer, Chester, was diagnosed with Blasto yesterday.  He doesn't have any of the skin problems or eye sores I've been reading about in these posts.  But his left lung is completely full and his right lung is partially full.  He's coughing up mucus w/ a little blood.  We've started him on Sopranox and an antibiotic.  Last night he started vomiting and has vomited twice more this morning.  This morning he threw up his medicine.  I've now given him one pill w/ a little peanut butter and he's kept it down for an hour.  I'll try another in about an hour.  He's eating very little, but drinking ok.  Except that he's occasionally vomiting right after drinking.
The rattling in his chest, and the effort it takes for him to breath is hard to watch.  They think we caught it early.  On Friday (three days ago) you could barely tell he was sick.  He just had this occasional dry cough.  This seems to have progressed very fast.
What can we expect?  Will the fluid in his lugs clear up? Please be honest, we want to prepare ourselves for the worst if that's his fate.  But we'll do ANYTHING to keep him with us.  This is tearing our hearts out.

[evayola]

I am sorry that your poor Chester was diagnosed but if it was caught early then he has much better chances of beating this horrible disease. Some of the most important things when it comes to blasto are... keeping your dog fed even if it means force feedings, keeping your dog hydrated, being on top of meds, and keeping a positive attitude. When the lungs are so filled you should try to do everything you can to keep him comfy. With Marge we slept downstairs so she never had to walk up any stairs and we kept our air on very low, somewhere in the low 60s. It was cold for me but it was much easier for her to breathe in the cold air. Some people here have put fans up where their dogs lay to keep it cool too. You unfortunately do have to be prepared for the worst before it gets any better. There were many here that thought their dogs final days were approaching including myself but the dogs were able to pull out of it. We went through a month or so of force feedings and watching Marge waste away before she started turning the corner. Marge too had both of her lungs completely filled. I will bump up the blasto newsletter, take a read and soak in as much info as possible. Again, keeping your spirits up will help keep Chesters spirits up as well. We spent many days laying on the floor with Marge reading to her and telling her stories. It may sound crazy but it works. It is amazing what our spirits can do for one another. Any other questions you may have please ask.

Eva

[Rudy]

So sorry to hear about Chester.  It is heart-wrenching to go through this. But know that you’re not alone; the people on this site can help immensely; I know we would not have survived our ordeal with Blasto were it not for them.  They helped us through those frantic foreboding feelings, and confusing and discouraging times with concrete advise, support and encouragement.

While I am fairly new to this, I hope that our story re our 3 ½ year old Irish Setter, Rudy, can be a testimony of hope for you.  Rudy had Blasto throughout his body. He had a large mass/clump in his lungs.  Two specialists who reviewed his x-rays told our vet that essentially the meds could not penetrate through this and the prognosis was very poor. Our vet gave us 3-4 days to make a decision. His respirations were high, he developed Emphysema, lost over 20 pounds, plus he was having several nose bleeds every day. Yet, against all odds, we had seen also some very small yet significant (to us) signs of improvement that indicated to us that Rudy wasn’t ready to go. We also took hope in that he had already lived approximately six weeks since diagnosis; because he made it past the first few days, we felt that the longer he lived, the better his chances.

Some steps we did that might be helpful:  Our vet doubled his dosage of Itraconazole & added a second & different type of anti-biotic (I think it was one to treat pneumonia). We force-fed him every 2-3 hours with high calorie mashed or canned puppy food; kept him hydrated with fluids (water, blue Gatorade or Ensure Vanilla Plus) every hour through a syringe through his mouth. We reduced his “pee outings” to our backyard or about two house lengths from ours (sometimes he’d have to rest or be carried home). We kept him cool with a fan and gave him lots of love and affection. When he could, we would sit outside with him so he’d have a change of scenery which did seem to pick up his spirits. We set up his bed, and even brought out the fan on a long extension cord. Small visits from friends and neighbors bearing treats also helped.

Because we saw subtle signs indicating some improvement (he wagged his tail one time; he gave my husband a kiss once; and another time he barked at a passer-by), we held off on our decision to put him down for a full week or so & very slowly he started to show other improvements. His breathing rate at rest reduced to @40-50/minutes (not the normal 20/min but marked improvement from 80-90/min before).  And when he did cough up clots of blood the size of a chicken liver; we decided to take it as a sign that he was getting rid of that nasty Blasto in his system vs. getting worse and we told him, & ourselves this was so (better out of his system than in). We held onto to every sign of improvement and embellished it.

Rudy has now gained the 20 pounds he lost and is able to go for walks and even short off-leash runs. He can lie on his side and back whereas before he couldn’t breathe if he did. He can still tire easily and we know that we have quite a bit of care left ahead of us before we can stop worrying.  His antigen level was 62.9!  But even though he’s not 100%, he’s one million times better than he was.

So please hang on; keep strong and positive. You’ve got catching it early on your side and everyone on this site. For some reason, knowing that it can get worse before it gets better helped us through the worst times- to realize that it’s a natural process of the disease and that it can get better. And similar to what Eva mentioned: keep him well-nourished and hydrated, keep him cool and not over-exerted, give him lots of words of comfort and positive energy while the medication and treatment do their job.  Please keep in touch: the people on this site are a godsend.

I hope this helps in some way? I just had to respond: I remember how it felt when Rudy was having such a difficult time to breathe.  Many others can also relate. We are all thinking of you.  Take care.  You and Chester are in our prayers.

Sheila, Paul (& Rudy)

[Cathy, Bailey and Duke]

Good thoughts and prayers coming your way!!!!! Food and nutrition is foremost! Scrambled eggs, salami (always give fat at the same time a Sporanox. It will dissolve better!) Give steak, ground beef any food in the world that they will like. Try EVERYTHING! Force feed if needed!  Good luck!!
 My story is below! Cathy

[braunie]

Thank you for the replies, and for sharing your stories.  It's so uplifting, and encouraging to know that we're not alone.  There is still no change in Chester, in fact his breathing sounds a little worse today.  But feel better knowing you went through the same thing, and turned a corner.  He's drinking good, almost too much?  But not eating much at all.  We've had to force feed him a few times.  Please keep the prayers coming

[Cosmo]

We had springers before we got the terriers.  Our hearts go out to Chester.  I'm sending positive , healing thoughts to him.
Cosmo

[evayola]

Have you done the MiraVista blasto urine antigen test? I know that you already have a positive diagnosis but it is a good test to use so that you can measure Chester's progress. We would do the test every few months just to be sure that Marge was healing and getting rid of the blasto and not just staying stable. There is also another miravista test that will check the level of medication in the blood to be sure that you are giving the correct dosage. These are obviously very optional tests and they can get pricey but for me the piece of mind was well worth every dollar. How is Chester doing today? Make sure he is getting plenty of food. How much do you think he is drinking that you say too much? I would express your concern to your vet about that for sure. Keep your head up!

Eva

[braunie]

Chester is doing about the same today, except taht now he's turning down everything we try to feed him since yesterday afternoon.  All his favorites bacon, sausage, ham sandwhich meat, cheese.  He smells it and walks away.  My husband an I were able to syringe some Ensure into him this morning, and about 15 minutes ago he ate half a bite of a sausage.  But that's it.  IT almost seems painful for him to swallow food.  We're going to take him to the vet today and they are going to give him a shot for pain and inflammation.  I forget the name of it, but he said it can be doen every 48 hours.  We're hoping that makes him more comfortable an he will eat.
WE haven't had a miravista test yet.  Our vet said we should first get him trhough this week.  But you're right, I'd give anything for a sliver of peace of mind.  He's drinking cloase to 2 gallons a day and right now he weighs 40 lbs (he was 48), and if we leave a toilet open he'll occasionally drink from that.  The vet said it could be the stress the medicine puts on the kidneys, or, it could be that he has a kidney infection (he is on an antibiotic).  Next week he's going to do a full blood panel to check kidney and liver functions.  Should I be pushing them to do more?

[Dollface]

Sending positive thoughts your way.  Call your vet with all of your questions...no matter how many times.  When we went through Blasto the best thing about it was how our vet returned our calls wihtin 5 minutes, day or night.  Plus, the people on here are very knowlagable.  Best of luck to Chester.....

[Wilson3]

so sorry to hear Chester and your family have to deal with this nightmare! Glad you found this site!
it is good he is drinking water,you may try giving him room temp. water to help with the vomiting haft drinking. Wilson has to have room temp or he tosses his cookies almost ever time. Try feeding anything and everything you can think of. The stronger the smell the better.
The pee test is a great idea but just be carful with using it, it did not work for us. But no test is ever %100. It is a wonderful tool to have.
Chesters lymph nods in his throat are probably bothering him or he could have sores/lesions in his mouth. Feel his throut the way you would a humans throat you will feel them swelled up if they are. Even on the side of the neck like ours. Wilson lost part of the tip of his tongue  to blasto. But it he has been blasto free for almost 3 yrs. Once Wilson's mouth healed and nods went down about 1/2 he ate much better
your family and chester will be in my thoughts read as much as you can from this site lots of great info and ideas from many. Right down any questions you have for your vet so you do not forget. I know I would when I would call or go for a check up. No question is ever a stupid one either. Oh yes make sure Chester is not on to high of a dose that to will upset the stomach
wilson3

[Wilson3]

how is chester doing?
I did forget to mention that wilsons scar tissue he had on his lungs did clear it self up  menaing his lungs did hear all the way. they thought he would have permitt damage but to our surprise dogs lungs can heal the tissue like ours.
take care
wilson3

[braunie]

We got some bad news today, and I'm hoping everyone who reads this will take heed.  Chester is the same, still running a fever of 105 and very labored breathing.  We were down to our last Sporanox pill.  The original dose of 15 pills were given to us by the emergency vet who saw him over the weekend.  Our normal vet said he would call a couple local pharmacies to get us the best price on a refill.  When he told me the best price in town was $125 for 15 pills I was shocked.  I told him that the emergency vet gave us 15 pills for $60.  He was surprised and asked me if it was Sporanox or just Itracanozole.  I told him it said both.  At today's appt I brought the pills in with me.  He said it did looked legit, the lael looked good and the pills were the color and size they should be, but something didn't add up.  He switched Chester to Fluconazole because the Sporanox wasn't working.  He asked me to take the pills I got at the emergency vet into the pharmacy to look at. 
Tonight we got a call from the emergency vet saying they were going to refund our $60 and take all the pills off their shelf.  The pharmacy found that the pills we got from the emergency vet were illegitimate.  They had no medicinal value at all. 
The emergency vet said that they had no idea, they buy these from a legitimate Canadian pharmacy and had "no idea that this Canadian pharmacy farmed out their prescriptions".
We are beside ourselves, we've been giving him nothing but a sugar pill for 9 days.  We might lose him now because of this.  We've been taking him in every other day for a pain shot and to have his vitals taken. We've stayed up with him night after night afraid this might be his last breath.  We trusted that Dr.  How could we have let this happen to our poor sweet Chester.   We're hoping the fluconazole will hept, but we fear that it may be too late.  I can't believe this has happened.

[evayola]

I am in such a state of shock. I cannot believe this. Here are some things that you are going to have to ask yourself... Is Chester eating? Is he showing signs that he is still fighting? How about drinking? Is he moving around? There are MANY dogs on here that go undiagnosed for weeks if not months (including my Marge). Getting him on fluconazole immediately is most important. Maybe even ask your vet about doubling his dose for a couple days if not weeks. What my vet did with Marge is put her on the high end of the safe dose for her weight which was 600 mg. We did that for 2 weeks and then backed down to 300 mg which was the normal dose for her weight. Please please stay positive. Dogs have made it through this. It will take a heck of a lot more work from you but well worth it in the end. I also suggest sub q fluids if Chester is not drinking or eating. Keep your head up and give Chester lots and lots of encouragement.

Hugs,

Eva

[Dollface]

Wow...what a horrible story.  We trust in our vets to provide our pets with the best care possible.  I feel your vet should have checked further into a Candian pharmacy or at least made that information available to you.  Having said that, you certainly have done everything right.  Sending more positive thoughts to Chester. 

[Wilson3]

WOW that is horrible!
I have heard this can happen
I agree with eva do not give up think about the questions she asked...
we used pet health pharmacy and where very please with them wilsons pills where $175 for a month but through this company we paid only $80.40 for 2 months
stay strong and positive...  wilson had blasto for about 6 months at least before he started to really show signs he was sick then another 5 or 6 weeks before we knew what he had and yes he was at deaths door the breathing is sooo scary there heart beats so fast they are restless and you wonder how they can keep going... pain meds helped to settle him a bit, it kept the fever down which he had the first 3 months of treatment /until the swelling went down in his legs
we also for the 1st 10 days of treatment doubled the dose (safe for his weight) then went to the normal dose it was to jump start the meds in his system
try anything you can think of for food lots of great ideas on this site the IV may be need for fluids
chester sounds like a fighter get him started on the pills and look into other places to get the meds I think some have gotten them at walmart for a good price
please keep us posted I feel so bad for you guys as if this disease isnt bad enough
positive energy sending your way
wilson3