snapshotmiki Posted December 31, 2010 Share Posted December 31, 2010 My Buddy was just diagnosed with Valley Fever and is on Fluconazole as an antifungal med. He has a draining lesion on his front leg which we have just put neosporin on and cleaned with peroxide and water. Also wrapped with bandages. Vet never called back yesterday and is closed today. For future reference or after TSHF, I am wondering about coconut oil or Pau d'arco for a natural med. Have been told he needs to be on meds for 6 mths to a year and that it never really goes away. Any thoughts or ideas are welcome! Thanks! Link to comment
MommaDogs Posted January 1, 2011 Share Posted January 1, 2011 Hey there Miki, I'm not really well versed with VF, it's not exactly an issue out here in the cold, wet environment I live in. I'll check with some vet friends and get back to you if no one else does in the meantime. This website has a good explanation about the disease. http://www.suite101.com/content/symptoms-and-treatment-of-valley-fever-in-dogs-a101615 Link to comment
MommaDogs Posted January 1, 2011 Share Posted January 1, 2011 Here's another interesting website. http://www.azmira.com/PublicationValleyFever.htm Link to comment
Leanna1017 Posted January 1, 2011 Share Posted January 1, 2011 I've lived in the Valley of the Sun for 30 years and I have never heard of any person or animal recovering from Valley Fever without long term antifungals/antibiotics. My brother's dog had Valley Fever last year and was on antibiotics for several months. He had no side effects from the drugs and he is fine now. One person I do know who went the "holistic" route kept getting worse. She didn't want to follow doctors orders because he also told her to quit smoking. By the time she went back to the doctor she was such a mess that when they saw her x-ray they told her they thought she had lung cancer too. They biopsied and found it was all the fungus. She spent more than a year on medication. Once you've had Valley Fever - human or animal - you will always test positive for the antibodies. Most people who live in the Valley of the Sun for more than 2 years will test positive for it even if they don't develop a full blown case. The spores are in the dirt here and there is no escaping them since the dirt is always moving due to construction and dust storms. Link to comment
snapshotmiki Posted January 1, 2011 Author Share Posted January 1, 2011 Thanks Leanna and Yikes!!!!!!!! We intend not to return here after this season. Probably a good thing. Hate for one of us to get it too as we are here for 6 or 7 months a year. mommadogs, Thanks!!!!!! Will check out those sites when it is not 3 AM New Years day! I appreciate your searches! Link to comment
Leanna1017 Posted January 1, 2011 Share Posted January 1, 2011 A note to those who don't live in the South West - you're not immune from nasty fungi. Histoplasmosis is much more common than Valley Fever. You can breathe it in and have nasty lung problems that may be fatal if untreated. According to my doctors I must have inhaled it as a child. I had no symptoms until 2008 (I was 43) when I suddenly went blind in my left eye. The strange thing is that I have never been near the so calls "Histo belt" in the US or any other country. More on histoplasmosis including a map of areas where it is found = http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Histoplasmosis Thanks Leanna and Yikes!!!!!!!! We intend not to return here after this season. Probably a good thing. Hate for one of us to get it too as we are here for 6 or 7 months a year. mommadogs, Thanks!!!!!! Will check out those sites when it is not 3 AM New Years day! I appreciate your searches! Link to comment
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