My Dog is going to Die

He can be saved but it might not be cheap:

Diagnosis

Diagnosis of blastomycosis involves finding the yeast organism in samples from draining skin lesions or a lymph node. Chest x-rays and a complete blood count (CBC) are important tests but are not diagnostic by themselves. Serum chemistries are usually within normal limits. Fungal titers confirm the diagnosis and help differentiate blastomycosis from histoplasmosis, a related fungal condition with similar signs and geographic distribution.
About 65 percent of dogs diagnosed with blastomycosis do survive. Because the treatment is long, complicated, and expensive with the potential for serious side effects, some owners elect to euthanize affected pets. In treated dogs, survival rates are approximately 85 percent, with up to 25 percent suffering relapses. Dogs with brain or eye involvement have a worse prognosis, and dogs with poor liver or kidney function may not be able to tolerate the necessary medications that must be metabolized by these organs. If an eye is involved, it usually must be removed since eyes don't respond well to therapy and serve as a source of infection.



Treatment

For many years, the standard therapy for blastomycosis has been amphotericin B. It is still the best choice for acute, life-threatening illness, and treated dogs show improvement in three to five days. Amphotericin must be given as an intravenous injection, either as a slow IV drip over several hours or as rapid IV bolus injections, one to three times weekly until a maximum cumulative dose is reached. Rapid injections increase the potential for acute drug reactions, and the drug has a toxic effect on kidney function, which requires close monitoring. The veterinarian may temporarily delay therapy while the kidneys recover from the injury.
Ketoconazole given orally twice a day has been effective against blastomycosis. Although it may take 10-14 days to see clinical improvement with this drug, it may be useful in a dog with poor kidney function and a mild form of the disease. Given alone, ketoconazole has a lower cure rate than amphotericin, but when given together, the two drugs work synergistically, allowing veterinarians to use lower doses of amphotericin and minimize the risk of kidney failure as well as promoting a more rapid and complete cure. The side effects of ketoconazole are related to liver toxicity and include anorexia, nausea, and vomiting. It can be harmful to pregnant dogs and may also affect the fertility of male dogs.
Itraconazole is the newest drug used to treat blastomycosis. It is given orally twice a day at first, then once daily for 60-90 days. Like amphotericin, it takes effect quickly, and has the same cure rate as the amphotericin-ketoconazole combination. The side effects are related to liver toxicity, like ketoconazole, with the addition of ulcerative skin lesions and swelling of the legs at the higher dose.
The biggest drawback to itraconazole is the cost, about $10 per day for a 40-pound dog for the medication alone, about twice the cost of ketoconazole. Because these drugs are dosed on body weight, larger dogs will have comparably larger drug costs. Blood tests and other veterinary services must also be considered in the cost of treatment. Total fees of $1000 or more would not be unusual.
Blastomycosis is not generally considered a zoonotic disease, meaning one that is potentially contagious to people. If you have a pet with this infection, it indicates that you may be at risk for contracting the disease through a common environmental source such as contaminated soil near a waterway. Since it is the mold form that releases infective spores through the air, you cannot get blastomycosis from the air around your dog who is infected with the yeast form of the fungus.
Recent studies indicate some risk of exposure through penetrating wounds with sharp contaminated objects such as a sharp stick or a dog bite, so good safety and hygiene precautions are indicated. Needless to say, persons with deficient immune systems should not be handling infected dogs.


Please do not have that dog killed.He looks like he would be an awesome investment if you would save his life.I once spent over $1,300 on my sick cat and he was worth every penny.Please do not kill Sugar.

 

+1

At least get another opinion. The whole situation breaks my heart.

 

Thanks for all of the support. I would treat her if her chances were better. She has a severe case and it is into her lungs and limbs. Making walking and breathing more difficult for her. The vets give her only a 15% chance with treatment (if the treament works). At $1800 for the first treatment i cannot afford to do this (especially a dog I have had for a week). It is a tough decsision, but I have seen a lot of dogs with this disease and its not fun to watch. I can't imagine how hard things are for her and feel this is probably the best for her. So I am going to spoil her as much as possible for the rest of the day. Thanks again for the support, it meant a lot to my GF the people we dont even know are giving us the support. (Maybe she wont bug me as much for being on TW all the time now.)

 

Animals are a true blessing especially for me dogs..... I could not even imagine if I was going to lose my dog. I feel your pain and hope everything works out in the end. I am truly saddened by this

 

Sorry to here. But ^^^very true

 

Sorry to hear this. Unfortunatley it seems that many of the dogs in pounds have some injury or disease that is either incurable or expensive to fix. I think people have the dog for a while then when it needs expensive work doing they'll dump it instead of stumping up the money. I live opposite a park and we see lame dogs around here quite a bit, people just leave them here.

 

Sorry to hear this Nick. You were her hero and you'll be a hero to another pup I'm sure. It's your heart.

 

That is so sad to hear. Good on you and your GF for taking her in and showing compasion for her.

 

It is amazing and highly commendable what you are doing for this dog. She could not have been more lucky to spend her time with you two.

We've rescued 3 cats from our local shelter in the last couple of years and know how hard it is when a pet passes. They become considered family quickly.

 

Sorry to hear about your dog.

 

Sorry to hear dude, and props to you and your girlfriend.