My baby girl is sick and I'm scared!
She's had a bit of a cold this week, but I wasn't too concerned (I feel horrible about that now). She's been a bit wheezy for a few days so I booked her an appointment at the vet for tomorrow morning and rented a car to take her there. Today, though, she's really scaring me. She's still wheezy and her little nose is dry. She's also twice today done something that she hasn't done in years. I can't really explain it but it looks like she's shaking her head like she has parkinson's. It lasts only a minute or so. The thing that is weird and that has thrown me off is that she's still happy...tail wagging, has an appetite for food and water, plays with the other dog, generally acts just like normal. She's also started occassionally kind of retching but not throwing up. I explained these things to the vet over the phone and she said I didn't need to bring her in today, that I could wait until her appointment in the morning. I'm worried, though. Has anyone else experienced these things? She's such a sweet girl and, though it hasn't been easy for either of us being in a small apt in a big city, I don't know what I'd do without her. Thanks for any advice. |
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| Sorry to hear she is sick... I know how hard it is to deal with...
I'd definitely take her in to the vet for some tests and get checked out. It would be a good idea also to print off a list of diseases common to oes to take to your vet, as not all of them are familiar with the breed. I hope it's nothing serious..... You wouldn't by chance be UrbanCowgirl from TG about ten or twelve years ago would you? |
| The head shake could be related to an ear infection or fluid in the ear canal, too so don't think the worst. I'll bet it's all related to the cold. let us know what happens. |
| Sounds like she has an ear infection with the head shake, that is pretty normal if there ears are bothering them.
Take a deep breath and relax and wait and see what the vet has to say when you see them tomorrow. The coughing/wheezing could be Kennel cough, they still get it even when they are vacinated for it, just not as bad. Or it could be just an allergy to something in the air.Keep us posted to how you go at the vets and do get them to check her ears as well. |
| well, we went to the vet today and it wasn't good. charlie, the pitt/retriever mix checked out just fine, but the vet wasn't so sure about daisy. she asked to keep her for a few hours to run some tests. she wanted to take some chest xrays and a few other tests to diagnose her wheezing and said i could pick her up at 4. well, dan and i had barely left her when we received a call from the vet saying that the xrays showed a large blockage around the lungs that she believed to be either cancer or fungal infection. she said she was inexperienced in this area and that her office lacked the equipment to properly test for either of these so she put the xrays on a disc and had us take her to an emergency/referral hosipital. they couldn't have been nicer at either place. regardless, they all think that she has either metastasized cancer or a fungal infection. i had to leave her overnight and i'm just waiting by the phone. i'm so scared. i hate to think about money, but today alone i've paid at the least $1,700 and i'm not sure how much i can afford.
thanks for all your kind words. i'm somewhat new at this, but i called my dad today and he called our family vet in TN and everything here seems to be on the up and up. it's a bit hard to find a reliable vet in brooklyn, but i'm really impressed at how nice and caring everyone was today. i'll post another report as soon as i hear anything from the vet. |
| I am sorry, your poor little girl. I'll keep her in my thoughts. |
| I am so sorry for the bad news. What a shock it must be. I am hoping for the best. . . |
| I am sorry to hear this news. Prayers and positve thoughts going your way. |
| Sorry to hear the bad news but I think you should look into the Red Bank Veterinary Hospital in Red Bank, NJ, not far from Brooklyn. http://www.rbvh.net/
The prices there I am sure are much more reasonable than NYC prices and they have top docs, and do a lot of cancer work. Sorry to hear you paid $1700. That seems expensive to me for xrays & bloodwork but I don't know what tests they ran. I wish you well. I hope it is not something as serious as cancer. |
| I am so sorry for your news. We are sending sheepie hugs & positive thoughts your way.
Stephanie & Winston |
That is really sad news for you and Daisy. 
I hope you get some better news tomorrow. |
| Keeping fingers and paws crossed the news is not too bad. Sheepie hugs to you all. |
| The Red Bank Vet Hospital is excellent!
When my Owen needed cancer treatment we really didn't have the money at the time. We had to put it on plastic. It took a while to pay off, but so worth it! Some vets will let you pay the bill off. Sending positive thoughts & hugs to Daisy & you. |
Oh, poor Daisy and poor Mom and Dad!  My heart goes out to you all, hoping for better results today.  |
Hugs, prayers and best wishes to you all. Please let us know what the vet says. We care.  |
| We are thinking about Daisy and hoping for the best. If it is a fungal infection, our friend's chocolate lab had blastomycosis last year, and responded well to treatment.
Sending you hugs.......
Laurie and Oscar |
| Hugs and prayers coming your way. |
| I will say a prayer for you and Daisy. Hugs to both of you! |
| That is shocking and devastating news. You are in our thoughts and prayers. |
| Sorry to hear about daisy. Did you get any more news? |
| Hi...I'm sorry it's taken me so long to get back to the forum. Things have been crazy and we're all tired. Thank you for all of your comments and private messages; you have no idea how much they mean and I promise to get back to everyone soon. We picked Daisy up from the hospital today and her diagnosis is blastomycosis. This is awful, but it's honestly the best we could have hoped for. We have her home now and, even though she was so happy to see us at the vet's office, she's done nothing but lie on the floor and sleep--breathing very heavily--since we got to the apartment. My boyfriend did get her to eat almost a whole can of wet dog food by spoon feeding it to her. She's also drinking water. It's just that this heavy, wet sounding breathing and lethargy is scaring me to death.
The vet was very nice but admitted that this is the first case of blastomycosis that she's seen. They did a trach wash on her and a lung aspirate and the results have come back with a definite blasto diagnosis. They also gave her an iv today to try to bring down her fever a bit. So far we're up to $2500 but, hey, that's what credit cards are for. Now for the hard part and my question for you guys. My vet from TN told my dad on the the phone that Daisy would need 300 mg daily of itraconazole but to ABSOLUTELY not use a compounded form of the drug. Now--the vet at the hospital in Brooklyn where Daisy was treated has prescribed 300 mg of itraconazole (good!), but she's called it in to a pharmacy in Brooklyn that will fill the prescription in a compounded form. This medication comes only in 100 mg capsules and he's making 150 mg capsules. What scares me is that, not only did the TN doctor say no compounds, there are a few articles online that discourage the compounding of this medicine and one even goes so far as to say that compounding it renders it useless. God, I have no idea what I'm talking about anymore. Right now, they have her on fluconazole until I get the itraconazole. So...does anyone have any real life knowledge of this? I'm just hearing so much stuff. Has anyone had success with compounded itraconazole? I know that it will cost a bunch more to get the regular 100 mg itraconazole, but I want what's best. I'm really sorry for the rambling. |
| I don't know anything about blastomycosis.
I think you should call a third vet (even if you ask the med dosage question over the phone). The Red Bank NJ vet has helped to answer my question over the phone. Just a suggestion. Hope Daisy recovers soon. |
| I will call Red Bank first thing. My boyfriend is from South Jersey and his mom is also going to call her vet. I just want to get the best medicine for her. My parents just emailed and they think that their vet will give me the medicine for $9/pill which is actually alot less expensive than I've found so far for the uncompounded stuff. Here's hoping! She's kind of up an playing right now. I need to post a pic. Her feet look like dust mops from where they shaved her ankles for the IV! |
| Good, let me know how you make out.
She's up & playing, she's improving already. |
| I'm glad to hear that your girl will be fine, that is such good news. I never heard about blastomycosis either so I'm hoping you can educate us with your experience.
Glad to hear that you might be checking out Red Bank Animal Hospital. The place is as huge as a regular hospital too. Which vet in South Jersey does your boyfriend's mom go to? We live in South Jersey and use Willingboro Vet Clinic which has an amazing staff as well. Also, a couple of forum members so far are going to Westminster on the Monday, Feb 11. Since you live up there maybe you want to go too. OES show at 10:30. |
I've never heard of this either. I really hope that Daisy gets better. I will be following her progress with you.  |
| I never heard of it before? What is it? |
ej wrote: I never heard of it before? What is it?
It's a fungal infection. Nasty. The county I live in in SE Wisconsin is evidently a hot spot for it. You can read up on it at http://www.oeshealth.org/fungalinfections.htm My vet wrote the article (it's informational - basic). Her mom lost one of her OES to blasto, but they were able to save her brother. Hang in there.
Kristine |
| Hi guys~just checking back in. Last night was a rough night for Daisy and no one slept much. She basically just paced around the house and she now has this habit of just standing in one spot and staring. It doesn't sound so bad, but I find it really scary. She's also panting alot, coughing/retching (loudly--the vet said may be a result of the trach wash), and not eating very much. I'm spoon feeding her for the most part and I'm able to get almost a whole can of wet dog food into her per day. BUT--tonight we start her on the itraconazole!! It took a little wrangling, but we finally convinced the vet to cancel the order for the compounded prescription. She placed an order for the liquid Sporanox (the brand name for itraconazole) at my local pharmacy and my mom's vet in TN called some in for us, too. It's expensive, but we want to start her out on the good stuff so she has the best chance of survival. If this takes, we might move her over to the compound medicine in a few weeks. It costs approximately $180 for an 8 day supply, but I'll do it as long as it takes (as I pray to the Chase Visa gods).
Here's hoping! Everything I've read says that the first few days on the itraconazole are rough, but if it takes we should be ok. We're going to switch her over from the fluconazole tonight. Here's another article on blastomycosis: http://www.thepetcenter.com/gen/blasto.html and here is one of the statements that scared me off the compounded itraconazole: Q: Should I compound Itraconazole? A: Pharmacists should note the following important information regarding compounding of itraconazole products from the bulk chemical: Itraconazole bulk powder (brand name - Sporonox) is NOT bioavailable in mammalian species. All of the commercially available Itraconazole products (capsules, oral solution and injectable) are complexed onto a cyclodextran molecule to increase solubility and systemic bioavailability. Unless compounding pharmacists are also utilizing this cyclodextran technology, the Itraconazole products from bulk chemical are not being absorbed and are therapeutically worthless. Dr. Mark Papich, our clinical pharmacologist, has studied the bioavailability of Itraconazole (both FDA-approved and compounded from bulk) in animal patients, and the bulk chemical is simply not bioavailable. We have had MULTIPLE therapeutic failures (and some resulting deaths in dogs suffering from blastomycosis) in the veterinary community from Itraconazole capsules and suspension compounded from the bulk chemical. We had another therapeutic failure today that resulted from the compounding pharmacist offering to compound Itraconazole suspension because the commercially available products are "too expensive". As most of the systemic fungal infections that animals suffer from are life-threatening, we must do everything we can to educate compounding pharmacists to stop compounding with Itraconazole bulk chemical. Thank you for any intervention that you might be able to provide. |
| Hi,
You've all been in my thoughts since I first heard your story and I've been anxiously waiting any news. Thanks for the update and educating us all on Blasto. I hadn't heard of it before but currently am treating one of my foster kitties with Grisiofulvin for 6 wks as he has ringworm. I do know that both vets recommended a high intake of fatty foods to offset the potential damage it may cause to the liver and help absortion of the medicine. I suspect Grisiofulvin and the meds you are using are similar as both are needed to fight off fungal infections. I had a difficult time tracking down the meds and ended up going to 6 different pharmacist until I found one that also caters to animals. Without charge he made up the formula in liquid form rather than pill form. They are out there, however, seems as if you found one that is helping you out. You may also want to look into natural immune boosters to help mother nature out (I replied to someone regarding dog food and what I did to help one of my ailing dogs in the past.) Doesn't hurt to try! Best wishes to you all and lots of belly rubs and kisses to your girl. Marianne and the boys |
| Poor Daisy girl When my Daisy was ill and didn't want to eat I fed her yogurt and baby food, both are easy to swallow and she could keep it down. Big hugs to both of you, Daisy is lucky to have such a great mom. |
| Just read this post and I'm sending my best thoughts your way towards your girl. Yikes - what a crazy time you have had. Let us know what that 3rd vet says about the meds, too, maybe they've had experience with it before - good luck - and some sheepie hugs. |
| Hi everyone,
I'm sorry to have not responded earlier. This has been a really rough few days. We lost Daisy on Sunday night. I have such a deep sense of sadness. I genuinely thought she was doing better. On Saturday, she ate more than she'd eaten since starting the medicine and I took that as such a good sign. She had all the meat from a large Arby's sandwich and a whole can of wet cat food (I was basically feeding her anything possible). She was up and around all day on Sunday and she was hanging out in the bedroom during the Super Bowl. My boyfriend went back to check on her and found her. I can't believe she's gone. This is a horrible, horrible infection. I was looking at pictures from Christmas and she was so happy and energetic just a month ago! We called a car service and took her to the animal hospital, which is what you have to do in NYC. They're going to cremate her separately so I can take her home to TN. Thanks to everyone for all of your support and I sincerely hope that none of you experience this infection. I'm sorry for not having posted sooner. I was hit by a car--not hurt badly, but I'm moving a little slower than I had been. Samantha |
| Samantha, I am so very sorry for your loss. What a sad time for you. |
| Samantha, I am very sorry . Big hugs from us to you..
Brenda Dudley and Murphy |
| Samantha,
I am so sorry to hear about Daisy. You are in my thoughts and prayers! |
| Honey, I am so, so sorry.
Kristine |
| OMG!!!! I can tell you were not expecting this. I am sooo sorry. I have been reading this post and I was shocked to see you had lost Daisy. AND you were hit by a car!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I hope you weren't hurt too bad. I am so sorry!! |
Oh Samantha I'm so sorry for your loss.  |
| Oh my, I am so sorry for your loss. It had sounded as everything was going better.
Know that you did everything that you could and gave her the best life possible. Please PM me, if you need to.........Kathy |
| Samantha, I am so sorry for your loss of your precious Daisy. You will be in my thoughts and prayers as you go through this grieving period. |
| I am so sorry for your loss.
Hugs to you during this very difficult time. |
| Not the news, I've been hoping for. I am so sorry for your sudden loss! I've experienced how quickly their health can turn on a dime. I know it's very difficult, again I'm so sorry for your loss! |
| I am just so sorry. We all all here to listen.
Sending many hugs |
| Very sorry for your loss of Samantha and sendings some .s |
| I am so sorry about your beautiful Daisy. We are sending thoughts and prayers to you.
Stephanie & Winston |
| I'm so sorry. |
| Oh no. This is not the news I was hoping for or expecting. So sorry for your loss, Samatha. |
| I am so sorry for your loss. You have my deepest sympathy. |
| I am so sorry for your loss and hope you were not hurt to much. Take care and rest. |
| What a very sad story for Daisy and her family. This is that chapter in a dog's life that everyone hates. All you can do is contrast the thousands of good days that you shared with your dog against the one or more bad days. Daisy is lucky to have had such a caring family.
If you need a fix of sheepdog joy, the Westminster Dog Show is at Madison Sqaure Garden next Monday and Tuesday, and the OES are being shown next Monday morning, I believe around 10:00 AM. Admission is $40.00/pp. |
| Samantha, I am so sorry.
I truly thought like you she was going to be fine. You and in my prays. Remember when you get back to Tennessee I hope we can get together. Take care of yourself . Antoinette |
| I have reread this thread several times, and I am touched by how caring and brave Daisy's owner is. What a sad series of events. Poor Daisy. Poor Daisy's owner(s).
Rest in Peace, Daisy. |
| So sorry for your loss of your baby Daisy!
Hugs to you and I hope you feel better soon! |
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