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[lisakuhlmann]

Who started this site? Whatever the outcome of MY story, I would be here to help others.v

[Lolasmom]

Wow...Im so sorry.  I missed your post.  I didnt start this site but I have found a lot of support and info on it throughout the past year.  Always willing to help in any way possible.

[Lolasmom]

oh....i see.   people commonly bump the newsletter to the top.  I think thats why your post was missed.  How is Jake?  Please give us some background?  Blasto is a hotrible disease and blanket prayer are said for any animal or human suffering from it daily.  What form of Blasto does your pup have.  How long has he been on meds?  PLEASE know that thr one  certain thing is that it gets worse before it gets better.  So sorry to leave you hanging alone like that.   

[Lolasmom]

To post just Login and push reply at the nottom of the page.  If you need more help you can either Email me at Lisalmy@aol.com or contact me on Facebook (Lisa Young).

[Lolasmom]

Replied via PM.  if you dont get it let me know.

[lisakuhlmann]

I find no messages

[lisakuhlmann]

2 weeks ago today I took him to the vet with a weeze. He listened to the lungs and bet it was blasto. Following day x-ray and urine test sent to lab. Started on Baytril, Itra, and Pred immediately. After 5 days cut Pred in half for 5 days. Last night gave him a whole Pred again because he was doing so poorly. My vet has been in practice 33 yrs and only seen 10 cases. 4 of those since August, 2 in the last week.  He says I know as much as he does, which is not very comforting. His appetite has been fair and he drinks alot, but when the Pred wears off he really dives. Now the appetite is gone, but still drinking. I've resorted to Ensure in a large syringe. He stretches his neck out to breathe or maybe just for comfort, but I feel a large lump in his neck, but no other lymph glands. He was doing so good today, but the dive has begun again. I gave him another full Pred, 30 minutes later the Itra. I'd like to know proper dosage on the Pred and Itra. I'm afraid he's not getting enough Itra. He's probably down to 55-60 lbs now. We've had him on 105mg once a day. I've talked to probably 9 different vets, and no two treat with the same regimen. Is the Pred really so detrimental? I apologize if I'm rambling, I am absolutely exhausted emotionally and physically.

[Cathy, Bailey and Duke]

Both my dogs have had blasto. Duke has had it twice. We are in a real hot spot near Kenora Ontario. The vets in this area are very knowledgeable. Maybe your vet can call one of the vets here. The vets here in this area will have the dosage amount your
 guy would need for his weight. My email is
Cathyhuitikka@ hotmail.com
  I'm not sure on the pred. I know it makes them hungry which might be good, but I have not heard of any of the other blasto dogs being on pred. Mine were only on Sporonox.
  Hang in there! E mail me if you want. Cathy

[Algonquin]

Hanging in there is the key!

We found this study  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8947868 , our vet at that time said the difference between 200 mg a day and 150 mg a day was minimal. However, Zeke was on 200 mg a day for almost 8 weeks and then we reduced it to 150mg. He is doing so much better on that dose.
In terms of getting them to eat - we found that Zeke would eat liver ...he preferred cooked but would eat raw. We literally left treats in open containers on the floor.  We made up a slurry/paste (high calorie puppy food or Hills A/D canned food) and used a syringe to feed him four times a day. He drank a bottle of vanilla boost almost every morning on his own. At this point he has gained back 8 pounds so we stopped the boost. Following up the sporonox with buttermilk is something we continue to do.
We have Mirtazapine but have not had to use it so I can not say if it works or not but it is an anti-depressant used for humans that has shown to stimulate a dogs appetite. 

I actually forgot to give Zeke his pills for the first time in three months - clinically he does not appear to be a sick dog.  We will get radiographs and blood work in January, then another Mira Vista.

This disease is terrible and we found that although the vets are trying to do the best they can you have to advocate for your dog and learn as much as you can. This is the best site for that.  We are all here to help in any way possible.

One day at a time!

[lilboogz79]

Wishing you the very best of luck with treatment. My Logan was probably one of the few that was also on Pred. He was showing signs of eye involvement and his eye specialist put him on the Pred to bring the swelling down in hopes of saving the eye...which it did!!! Alot of vets that arent familiar with this disease are automatically going to think you shouldnt do a steroid with a disease thats fungal due to it shutting down the immune system, but unfortunately blasto is one of those diseases that needs to be treated symptom by symptom. Although, I am a little concerned with the random dosage in which you're giving it. Being a steroid, you dont want to fluctuate with the dosage on a day to day basis, its a very specific course of a higher dose to start, for whatever time frame given,  and then slowly decreasing in order to give the body the chance to re-build immunity. This is the greatest place to find information and support, everyone here truly cares about the success in treatment of everyone's pets, not just there own...and are here for you in the hardest of times. All of our stories are a little different and if you have the time I would suggest reading back on this site as far and as much as you can. Again best wishes and good luck!! My Logan may have left this world too early, but I know he's watching over all who cared about him and helped us through our journey. Lots of Love!!!

[lisakuhlmann]

I just figured out how to see replies!!! Anyone else have problems navigating this site or am I a moron? Thank you to all who responded. My vet says I know more about Blasto than he does now, which is not comforting. I have this site to thank for that. In 33 years my vet has only seen 10 confirmed cases, 5 of those just in the past few months. He believes there have been more, but people opted to euthanize. Central Illinois is considered indemic for Blasto, but due to the drought like conditions we've had, the cases are on the rise. My big mouth has been alerting every media source that will listen. A local paper even did a story on Jake.
     Jake's Blasto is in the lungs, his level was off the charts. He was started on Itraconazole, Baytril, and Prednisone. Weaning him off the Pred occasionally has been futile, he dives everytime. Many times I've wondered how much more I could put him thru, with no promise of recovery. Went thru the force feeding, and eventually back to Doc's for IVs. He has been thru the worst and is now  doing better every day. A wag of the tail has never been so important. He's now humping the others  again, and although they're not exactly impressed with this development, Mommy here has mascara running down her neck!!!!
     I read a very convincing article on feeding raw meat and the positive effects on the canine immune system.  We saw a radical improvement in 24 hours. Coincidence?  Maybe, but he continues to improve. I believe the Pred has kept him alive and the raw meat has helped reinforce the immune system. Jake has lost 15 lbs. We constantly try new foods to fatten him up. He's going to be a real pain in the ass someday, as he's spoiled now with hand feeding and constant attention.
     

[Lolasmom]

I believe your probably right about the raw meat.  I gave Lola a lot of raw meat when she was sick.  Ive read some seriously disgusting stuff about what is actually in dog food and if I could afford to I would feed my dogs a strictly raw diet.  After all, that how they would eat in the wild.

SPOIL THAT BABY AS MUCH AS YOU CAN.

[paintubturner]

I am so sorry for your loss