Disseminated Aspergillus in female German Shepherd - Page 2

thanks.  that was more indepth than what i found.  it appears there are many many strains of aspergillus-some beneficial & some
pathogens.  it sounds like making a deal with the devil to me........is he going to hold up his end of the bargin & do what you
asked or is he going to turn on you & destroy you?  hmmmm.
pjp

I would say that cotton fields may be a vector for this in Arizona.

in that case, the pathogens could be inhaled or ingested.

Regarding "how did this poor dog become infected with this?", the unfortunate answer is that Arizona, in particular, is a freakin' hotbed for this organism, and for some reason or other GSDs are more susceptible to the disseminated form of it...and the route of infection is nearly ALWAYS inhalation, especially given the typical behavior of dogs, sniffing and snuffling along the ground as they love to do.  There was a rise in infections specifically in the Phoenix area in the past four or five years, because apparently there was a great deal of construction taking place in the area which included lots and lots of moving of dirt.  I only know about that because I know someone, 'cyberly', who lives in the Phoenix area and whose young adult GSD bitch became infected in the past three or four years. In the course of discussing the situation, her owner noted that such dust-causing activity was rife in the area, and we tried to figure how one could protect their dogs from exposure to the fungus, which is in the soil but becomes disseminated when the ground is disturbed and can then be carried on air currents and objects to places some distance from where the ground was broken to release the spores.

It may help the OP to know that the female I refer to above was SUCCESSFULLY treated for the disseminated form of the disease--and while it did take a few years of treatment, she had little in the way of any adverse effects while in treatment [some nausea & some loss of appetite and energy, specifically, and all were managable], and was pronounced clear of the illness about a year or two ago.   The major drawback with treatment, of course, is the expense...it's too often simply too far out of reach for most owners, and the best they can manage is to keep the dog as comfortable as possible for as long as possible before letting them go. I hope things work out as well for your dog, Grumpyman, as they did for my cyber-friend's girl.

Aspergillus is fairly common in FL and Georgia too. Some cases are localized to the sinuses; I think it's easier to treat than the disseminated type although the dog looks like a Frankenstien canine while undergoing treatment. The meds are injected directly into the sinuse via ports installed in the skull.  It's not a fun disease to deal with, but I think it's not hopeless by any means. My understanding is that this is one of those fungal infections that most dogs are exposed to at one time or another; some dogs can fight it off, some can't. No one really knows why. The effected dogs don't seem to have a compromised immune system or any underlying diseases.

Grumpyman, I have sent an email to the person  who is currently treating her GSD. If you want to send me your email, you can do it in a private message here.

I recently completed treated one of my dogs for Blastomycosis, so can totally relate to what you're feeling and going through right now.  I would suggest checking with the Pet Health Pharmacy in Youngtown, AZ  http://www.pethealthpharmacy.com/ for competive pricing on Itraconazole.  Also, VERY important...make sure you are giving the beaded/pelleted form of Itraconazole...NOT the bulk powdered drug.  About 85% of dogs do not absorb the BULK Itraconazole well...do not believe your vet if s/he tells you otherwise.  Request a bioassay to check the circulating blood levels of the drug if you are in doubt...MiraVista Labs did the two that I requested.

Here's a link on aspergillus infections that should be helpful...
http://veterinarymedicine.dvm360.com/vetmed/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=681922&pageID=1&sk=&date=
Discussion of disseminated aspergillus starts on page 7, but there is good information throughout the entire article.

Good luck with your dog.

My poor girl wouldn't get up when I got home from work yesterday, she didn't get up all night and no matter how hard I tried this morning, I just couldn't get her up. She does move around using her front and crawls to move around.
I think I may be fighting a losing battle.
I have to slightly pry her mouth open to give her medications. She is very alert........what do I do? Some of the latter posts give me confidence that something can be done, I need a miracle. My family and I talked about putting her down.

Since this being our first family dog, we are not sure of what direction or path to take now. We saw improvement over the weekend.  We thought we were headed in the right direction. 

Hexe, please find your cyber friend, I need desperate answers and guidance.   

I would talk to the vet who is treating her. She may need some IV fluids. I know it's hard to watch, but if she's not in any pain I'd probably give her a little more time. These treatments are very hard on the dog. Having said that, no one will think badly of you if you decide it is time to let her go. Good luck, in the end you will make the right decision.

Hello all,

This is very scary. My eight year old female GSD has come down with very similar symptoms over the last month and a half, mysterious lethargy, fever, and now pain in her extremities. After many tests, she has now come back as partially (she was below cut off but still higher than expected) positive for Disseminated Aspergillosis. Grumpyman you have my deepest sympathies as I am afraid what might be ahead for my girl. She is being tested for Valley Fever (she lived in Arizona 3 years ago), but we do not have the results back yet (I will repost with results). Any suggestions, advice? At this point the vet has ruled just about everything else out other than some kind of fungal nastiness such as the above. At this point, I am hoping that she was partially positive due to a dormant case of Valley Fever as I understand this is easier to treat.

Good luck all who are dealing with this stuff!

Nomofish, since grumpyman wrote this post his dog has passed away. I don't think he reads  here much anymore, so may not see your post. Very sorry to hear about your dog. Good luck.