I need advice!!! Gracie is very sick!!!**UPDATE ON POST 20**NOT GOOD**

[cyber-sibes]

Did you ask the Vet how she could have picked this up?

Liz - the spores are usually inhaled from infected ground. NO way to predict or prevent it, but they suggest keeping your dogs out of wooded moist areas as much as possible.
More prayers for Gracie

[lute]

Liz - the spores are usually inhaled from infected ground. NO way to predict or prevent it, but they suggest keeping your dogs out of wooded moist areas as much as possible.
More prayers for Gracie

Yes, that's what he said. I go hiking with the dogs. Who knows where she got it. She didn't eat again last night either. I'm worried sick and now I have to leave for TN. I have a dog show. I'm so worried something will happen to her while I'm gone. I can't not go though. I have clients' dogs.

[cyber-sibes]

Try not to worry about Gracie too much. Your parents will keep giving her meds, there isn't much else you can do at this point, really.
Go to the show & give your clients your best - they're counting on you.
We'll all keep up the prayers, & your vet is on top of it. Good luck at the show!

[lute]

Try not to worry about Gracie too much. Your parents will keep giving her meds, there isn't much else you can do at this point, really.
Go to the show & give your clients your best - they're counting on you.
We'll all keep up the prayers, & your vet is on top of it. Good luck at the show!

Well, I'm back from the show now. My parents got her to eat about a cup of food since Friday morning when I left. I talked to a few of my dog friends and Gracie's breeder this weekend. They all think she has Blasto. Her breeder told me to feed her a/d canned food. It'll give her at least some nutrition. I called the vet on Friday on my way to TN to tell him she wasn't eating. He said it may be because of the meds so he told me to cut back from 1 pill to 1/2 pill. I haven't noticed a difference yet, but hopefully will soon. Please continue to keep her in your prayers.

[ramanth]

Prayers for Gracie.

[clara4457]

My sister’s dog, Hutch, just got over blastomycosis (he’s a purebred GSD). It was terrifying for them and Hutch was very sick for a pretty long time (about 3 months). Their biggest obstacle was getting him to eat. The problem is that the meds he was on made him so nauseous that he wouldn’t eat anything. He went from weighing 95 pounds to 65 pounds in just a few months. She tried everything to get him to eat, assorted canned food, people food, whatever it took to get some nutrition in him. It got to the point where they were buying steaks to cook just for him and hand feeding him. They also had to time his feedings just right so that he was being fed while the anti-nausea meds were the most effective. It is a nasty illness and poor Hutch had it so bad that they had to tap his lungs and remove the fluid several times, while we were waiting for the medications to take affect.

One of the problems was that their regular vet hadn’t ever treated the illness before and made a few mistakes in treatments initially. Their first diagnosis was cancer, but once they took fluid from his lungs and sent it in for testing, the diagnosis was blastomycosis and prescribed anti-nausea meds, lasix and Itraconazole. They were finally able to get in touch with a specialist and were told that lasix was contraindicated and that the fluid in his lungs would aid in the clearing of the fungal infection. Once the proper medication protocols were followed, we started seeing improvement in him, but he had to go in every couple of weeks for monitoring and to tap his lungs of excess fluid buildup.

Another problem is that the prescribed medication is very expensive – almost $1000 per month normally for a dog Hutch’s size. What was great is that Walgreens allowed them to enroll Hutch in their prescription savings club, which kept the cost of the medication down considerably. It has been a long arduous road, but Hutch is back to his old self and is feeling great. I don’t know if this is what your dog has, but I would definitely do some research so that you know the right questions to ask your vet when you see him/her next. If my sister hadn’t read that the Lasix is contraindicated and insisted they call a specialist for information, Hutch might not be here today.

Sending healing vibs your way.

[wolf_Q]

I'm very sorry to hear about Gracie. I hope she will have a full recovery!

[lute]

Just a little update on Gracie. She's of course still sick. She is still not eating much more than a 1/2 cup a day. She is walking a little. I've been doing some research and talking to other dog people. I haven't had conformation from my vet, but I think the fungal infection Gracie has in called Blastomycosis.

I am talking to my vet tomorrow and asking him to check Gracie's eyes. She ran into a chair this evening. Like she didn't even see it. She also would only see the hamburgers we were feeding her if it was right in front of her. I really hope it's nothing. I would just feel horrible if she lost her sight.

Please continue to keep Gracie in your prayers. Looks like we won't be done with this any time soon.