Splat
Illinois (Northern)
MH
Posts:3134
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| 09/25/2009 12:18 PM |
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I can't stop the tears from reading about Odin!
I hope Freya gets a new forever home soon! |
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TessaGA
Georgia
MH
Posts:2387
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singltrak
Las Cruces, NM
MH
Posts:1149
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| 09/26/2009 8:58 PM |
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Valley Fever is terrible on our dogs. It is also known as Coccidiodomycosis-(not coccidia, okay ?). Its one of those wonderful soil-borne fungal diseases like Blastomycosis...This is endemic to the desert Southwest, Arizona-New Mexico-southern California. Its also something people get. Many times dogs will limp with no apparent reason, and if under severe stress will wind up with a full-blown case of VF. That may be what happened to Odin, without anyone really realizing it. Many areas in NM are undergoing a lot of growth, building, digging...or even people putting in new pools, etc. Because it is fungal it is in the soil, and dogs will pick up those spores just being out running in the desert or at training. Many times you don't realize that the dog has VF until treatment is very difficult or impossible.
I had one girl who limped for 4 months with no apparent cause..she had been in Arizona six months prior to the first limping observance-at a dog show in Tucson and no one could find anything. I finally took her to a local holiisitic vet who had been doing acupuncture on one of my older dogs who had gone on to the Rainbow Bridge. Snowie immediately went into a deep depression over his death (her dad) and really was not eating and walking like a camel. He went over her with a fine toothed comb and took tons of radiographs...I expected her to glow in the dark.
At the end of the session, he said it was either bone cancer or valley fever and wanted to do a bone biopsy. I put him off for the weekend and went surfing the net, walked in to my regular vet on Monday and said I wanted a cocci titre and tick panel...which we did immediately and started her on ketocozole.(pricey on the local market, cheap from Mexico) . Three days later the titer came back as 16:4...way, way high. She was definitely in pain, lay on the sofa and didn"t move much, and for a couple of days I even hand fed her. But, she lived to tell a very long story to her kids and grandkids....another 7 years and VF free...
I guess the point of all this rambling is that the odds are that the family didn't even realize that Odin had VF, may have even thought he'd hurt a foot or something. Its too bad about the end result, hopefully Freya is doing okay. I hope so.
Phyllis and the furtribe |
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Look to the Past, Breed for the Future |
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DesertRoseKennel
MH
Posts:1033
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| 09/26/2009 9:19 PM |
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One small thing to add to what Phyllis had to say. I can't tell you how many vets are still ignorant about newer treatments for valley fever (Phyllis, I'm guessing the case you described was a few years ago?) and are still using only ketoconazole, aka Nizoral. Now we have fluconazole (aka Diflucan) and it is SO much more effective with fewer side effects. Not to mention cheaper. Where ketoconazole was several hundred dollars a month (unless you went to Mexico), fluconazole can be purchased at various compounding pharmacies for ~$50-75 a month to treat a GSP-sized dog. The cure rate is MUCH higher. From what this pharmacist has seen, it has changed valley fever from a disease that very often carries a death sentence for dogs to one where you have a good shot at beating it.
so:
IF YOUR DOG IS DIAGNOSED WITH VALLEY FEVER, DO NOT ACCEPT ANYTHING OTHER THAN FLUCONAZOLE AS THE PRESCRIBED TREATMENT.
My two cents - Jean |
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"Our dogs are bred to be champion hunters who sleep on the bed"
www.desertrosekennel.com |
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singltrak
Las Cruces, NM
MH
Posts:1149
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| 09/27/2009 11:37 AM |
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Yep, it was several years ago...Snowie's been gone 3 years this past June, and kept on running the household for a good six and a half years after the VF incident...(sometimes I swear she also has come back as Hailey and inhabits her body).
Not only are vets not up to speed (even the local ones) on VF, they definitely are not on treatment either...luckily, we haven't had to deal with it since that one time. U of A runs an excellent program called the Valley Fever Center for Excellence (google it for the URL) which gives many ideas for symptoms, treatment, reasearch, etc.
Thanks, Jean...keep your doggies movin"  |
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Look to the Past, Breed for the Future |
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Navilla
Lawrenceburg, IN
MH
Posts:980
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| 09/27/2009 6:06 PM |
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Ohh, poor Odin. That little post about him made me cry. He did seem very stoic on the transport, but very calm. I am shocked by that first picture of him that had on there. He looks so much thinner than when I transported him. It is very heartbreaking, but I am so thankful for people like the ones at Marshfield that helped him pass on with compassion and dignity. At least he is running in the field, pain free! 
I hope the best for Freya. She would make a great dog to have. I would have kept them both if they were not already placed.
Here are a few shots of Odin and I during the transport.
Odin and I on the left, Freya and the next driver on the right...
RIP, sweet Odin... |
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Caryl, Dave, Baby Logan, and Osiris
Lawrenceburg, Indiana
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unowhoandwhy
Middleofnowhere, NH
MH
Posts:1805
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| 09/28/2009 9:37 AM |
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I had volunteered for this transport but they ended up having plenty of help in my area, but their story was so sad & when I heard about poor Odin it tore at my heart. Even though I have no plans to add another dog (and Daniel would probably NEVER forgive me for bringing another one into HIS house) I am so tempted to give Freya a home.  |
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Daniel Yankee Flyer - 8/2002
Lady Layla - 1/2006 |
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Texas Belle
Austin, TX
MH
Posts:7839
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| 09/28/2009 10:50 AM |
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| Uno - Daniel might surprise you. I wasn't worried when I added Halo as Belle really needed a playmate, but when I added Ringo I worried the girls would not be happy. I couldn't have been more wrong. They adore their little brother (most of the time). Ringo also worships Belle and loves playing with Halo. What I have noticed about GSPs is they are happiest in a larger GSP family, almost seems like the more the merrier. Something to think about. |
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Bev Quarles, the Pointer Sisters (Belle and Halo), the Outlaw GSP (Johnny Ringo) and the little Princess (Fauna)
Yellow Rose GSPs
   
"A dog has the soul of a philosopher." - Plato |
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TessaGA
Georgia
MH
Posts:2387
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| 09/28/2009 12:40 PM |
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One thing I noticed during this weekend's training day, GSPs look and seem to feel so much better in a group of GSPs. We stuck Greta in the crate with Tessa for a brief transport, two females that barely know eachother, no problem for either one. I am sure there are exceptions but they strike me as really pack oriented.
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To live without dogs would mean accepting a form of blindness. [Thomas McGuane]
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everbell
Kanata, ON
MH
Posts:3164
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| 09/28/2009 6:34 PM |
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| Bo is definitely more relaxed having Razzie around. We are going to have a major revolt on our hands when she goes back to the breeders to be bred and have her last litter!!! |
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Joce and Rich
Bogart and Shiraz (GSPs)
Roxane (RIP: 1995-2009) and Tiger Lily (Cats)
The Everbell Adventures |
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unowhoandwhy
Middleofnowhere, NH
MH
Posts:1805
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| 10/02/2009 6:53 AM |
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| Just to pass on some good news, Freya has found a new forever family! Rescue is working on getting her transported there next week, so keep your fingers & paws crossed! |
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Daniel Yankee Flyer - 8/2002
Lady Layla - 1/2006 |
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Texas Belle
Austin, TX
MH
Posts:7839
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| 10/02/2009 9:57 AM |
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| Woohoo!! Hope everything works out for her this time. |
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Bev Quarles, the Pointer Sisters (Belle and Halo), the Outlaw GSP (Johnny Ringo) and the little Princess (Fauna)
Yellow Rose GSPs
"A dog has the soul of a philosopher." - Plato |
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