Guest 4greys Posted May 11, 2009 Share Posted May 11, 2009 I have a 9 year old male Greyhound (sire was EJ's Douglas, Greyhound Hall of Fame) who is suffering from an mystery fungal disease found in spleen. Has been tested for all the Tick's, they all came out negative! Our Vet would like to remove his spleen, very very costly could result in opening up an Pandora's box. Any input would be very much appreciated at this time. We live in the Pacific NW, currently own 4 Greys and volunteered with rescues starting in 1991 through Portland Oregon. This breed has brought and continues to bring such joy to our lifes. Can anyone advise on this or where to go for information. I have the edition of "Care of the Racing & Retired Grehound", copied several pages for our Vet. to refer to but the mystery is with the lab finding "fungal" what kind/where did it come from is where all the ??????? are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burpdog Posted May 11, 2009 Share Posted May 11, 2009 Did you test for Valley Fever? Which fungal disease is your vet talking about? Quote Diane & The Senior Gang Burpdog Biscuits Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahicks51 Posted May 11, 2009 Share Posted May 11, 2009 Did he race or stay in the southwest for any amount of time? That would be important from a Valley Fever standpoint. Have you considered a course of antibiotics for the possibility that there is a tickborne disease (TBD) that- for whatever reason- isn't showing up via ELISA? Quote Coco (Maze Cocodrillo) Minerva (Kid's Snipper) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 4greys Posted May 11, 2009 Share Posted May 11, 2009 Did you test for Valley Fever? Which fungal disease is your vet talking about? No I don't think so.........how do they test for that? That is the mystery, they do not know what fungal disease they are looking at. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest trevdog Posted May 11, 2009 Share Posted May 11, 2009 Well, other than I'd want much more information and yes surgery is always scary, greys like people do fine without a spleen. But I agree, what kind of fungus are we talking about and has he been checked for TBD's? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 4greys Posted May 11, 2009 Share Posted May 11, 2009 Did you test for Valley Fever? Which fungal disease is your vet talking about? No I don't think so.........how do they test for that? That is the mystery, they do not know what fungal disease they are looking at. Ok I found how they test, fecal examination. No they didn't......good question I will call to inquire on that. Thank you! Well, other than I'd want much more information and yes surgery is always scary, greys like people do fine without a spleen. But I agree, what kind of fungus are we talking about and has he been checked for TBD's? help here, what does TBD stand for? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greyhead Posted May 11, 2009 Share Posted May 11, 2009 TBD stands for tick-borne disease. (Did I spell "borne" right? ) Good luck. I know it's scary. Just keep pressing for information until you feel you understand it. We're here to help! Quote Mary with Jumper Jack (2/17/11) and angels Shane (PA's Busta Rime, 12/10/02 - 10/14/16) and Spencer (Dutch Laser, 11/25/00 - 3/29/13). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest trevdog Posted May 11, 2009 Share Posted May 11, 2009 (edited) Tick born disease......diseases carried by ticks, valley fever and lyme disease are 2 of them. Valley fever is pretty common depending on where he came from. It can show up years after they have retired and manifest in some strange ways. Definitely get more info, and yes sometimes antibiotics can clear things up. My Dallas has had 2 bacterial infections this year, both times her spleen was enlarged. She's currently undergoing a stringent round of antibiotics right now as it affected her liver too. Vet mentioned her spleen may need to be removed, but it's back to normal size for now. Hers is due to an infection in her instestines though. It would be really helpful if they could determine what kind of fungus or where it seems to be originating from in your case. Edited May 11, 2009 by trevdog Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fritofeet Posted May 11, 2009 Share Posted May 11, 2009 (edited) A good link to read and take the info to your vet. TBD info Is your vet greyhound saavy? Edited May 11, 2009 by fritofeet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 4greys Posted May 11, 2009 Share Posted May 11, 2009 Tick born disease......diseases carried by ticks, valley fever and lyme disease are 2 of them. Valley fever is pretty common depending on where he came from. It can show up years after they have retired and manifest in some strange ways. Definitely get more info, and yes sometimes antibiotics can clear things up. My Dallas has had 2 bacterial infections this year, both times her spleen was enlarged. She's currently undergoing a stringent round of antibiotics right now as it affected her liver too. Vet mentioned her spleen may need to be removed, but it's back to normal size for now. Hers is due to an infection in her instestines though. It would be really helpful if they could determine what kind of fungus or where it seems to be originating from in your case. yeah Ethan was treated for Babesia Canis with Doxecycline over a year ago. Tested again for ticks and came out negative on all! How did they find the infection in Dallas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahicks51 Posted May 11, 2009 Share Posted May 11, 2009 yeah Ethan was treated for Babesia Canis with Doxecycline over a year ago. Tested again for ticks and came out negative on all! How did they find the infection in Dallas? That's good to hear he was cleared of babesia. TBDs are pernicious and there is some suspicion that not all TBDs are known, and therefore some may not register on a test. As a result, sometimes a course of antibiotics may help. What part of the country are you in? Quote Coco (Maze Cocodrillo) Minerva (Kid's Snipper) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 4greys Posted May 11, 2009 Share Posted May 11, 2009 Did he race or stay in the southwest for any amount of time? That would be important from a Valley Fever standpoint. Have you considered a course of antibiotics for the possibility that there is a tickborne disease (TBD) that- for whatever reason- isn't showing up via ELISA? Ethan did treatment for Tickborne last year and we had him on the same meds. earlier this month just in case. Tested him again for tickborne and came back negative. Ethan raced in Florida and Oregon. Explain "via ELISA" please. yeah Ethan was treated for Babesia Canis with Doxecycline over a year ago. Tested again for ticks and came out negative on all! How did they find the infection in Dallas? That's good to hear he was cleared of babesia. TBDs are pernicious and there is some suspicion that not all TBDs are known, and therefore some may not register on a test. As a result, sometimes a course of antibiotics may help. What part of the country are you in? Washington State. Ethan raced in Florida and Oregon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burpdog Posted May 11, 2009 Share Posted May 11, 2009 yeah Ethan was treated for Babesia Canis with Doxecycline over a year ago. Tested again for ticks and came out negative on all! doxy does not treat Babesia Canis. Are you sure it was not erlichia? If erlichia, how long and at what dose was he treated? Ok I found how they test, fecal examination Fungal from fecal? Quote Diane & The Senior Gang Burpdog Biscuits Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 4greys Posted May 11, 2009 Share Posted May 11, 2009 A good link to read and take the info to your vet. TBD info Is your vet greyhound saavy? yes she is, they treat numerous Greys in our area. The problem is that the fungal that was found in the Spleen cannot be id'd by the Lab...........they've never seen this before could spread to other organs, seems she feels the best way to continue the hide and seek is to remove the spleen. Very expensive surgury for my 9 year old Grey I feel. Thanx for the link, I appreciate it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iluvgreys Posted May 11, 2009 Share Posted May 11, 2009 Ok I found how they test, fecal examination. No they didn't......good question I will call to inquire on that. Thank you! When my vet screened for fungal diseases, it was via a blood test (a couple of years ago). Maybe your boy had exposure to VF when he was sent for training? Holding your precious boy in my prayers. Quote Jeanne with Remington & Scooter the cat....and Beloved Bridge Angels Sandee, Shari, Wells, Derby, Phoenix, Jerry Lee and Finnian.....If tears could build a stairway, and memories a lane, I'd walk right up to heavenand bring you home again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 4greys Posted May 11, 2009 Share Posted May 11, 2009 Ok I found how they test, fecal examination. No they didn't......good question I will call to inquire on that. Thank you! When my vet screened for fungal diseases, it was via a blood test (a couple of years ago). Maybe your boy had exposure to VF when he was sent for training? Holding your precious boy in my prayers. Thank you so much for your input. I appreciate every bit of info I gain through out this mystery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahicks51 Posted May 11, 2009 Share Posted May 11, 2009 And to answer your query- ELISA (ezyme-linked immunosorbent assay) is one method commonly employed in screening blood serum for the presence of tickborne diseases- but now that I think of it, they may use immunofluorescence assays instead. But don't let me confuse you with acronyms here- the type of test isn't the important bit for the discussion here. Quote Coco (Maze Cocodrillo) Minerva (Kid's Snipper) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greysmom Posted May 11, 2009 Share Posted May 11, 2009 How long have you had Ethan?? We recently had an Oregon-bred foster come into our adoption system (raced in Arizona) who tested positive for Valley Fever. It's such a rare occurence here that the vet (a very greyhound-savvy doctor) had to educate herself about what it is and how to treat it. You may want to have your vet contact Dr Couto at OSU (not the Oregon one!) or maybe the vets at Michigan State???? There are a lot of diseases and parasites and ticks in other parts of the country that we don't have here. Good luck! greysmom Quote Chris - Mom to: Felicity (DeLand), and Andi (Braska Pandora) siggy by Chris Harper, on Flickr Angels: Libby (Everlast), Dorie (Dog Gone Holly), Dude (TNJ VooDoo), Copper (Kid's Copper), Cash (GSI Payncash), Toni (LPH Cry Baby), Whiskey (KT's Phys Ed), Atom, Lilly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 4greys Posted May 11, 2009 Share Posted May 11, 2009 yeah Ethan was treated for Babesia Canis with Doxecycline over a year ago. Tested again for ticks and came out negative on all! doxy does not treat Babesia Canis. Are you sure it was not erlichia? If erlichia, how long and at what dose was he treated? Ok I found how they test, fecal examination Fungal from fecal? Interesting as after being on Doxycycline it cleared up and on repeat test last month came back all negative........... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest greytexplorer Posted May 11, 2009 Share Posted May 11, 2009 I was also going to encourage a telephone or email consult with Dr Couto at Ohio State Univ. Hope you get this solved SOON. hugs, ~Pat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbhounds Posted May 11, 2009 Share Posted May 11, 2009 Second opinion needed. Are you located near a University or referral center? Find it weird that they are relying on a fecal culture only w/o doing further diagnostics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest IrskasMom Posted May 11, 2009 Share Posted May 11, 2009 ditto for OSU Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Energy11 Posted May 11, 2009 Share Posted May 11, 2009 I have a 9 year old male Greyhound (sire was EJ's Douglas, Greyhound Hall of Fame) who is suffering from an mystery fungal disease found in spleen. Has been tested for all the Tick's, they all came out negative! Our Vet would like to remove his spleen, very very costly could result in opening up an Pandora's box. Any input would be very much appreciated at this time. We live in the Pacific NW, currently own 4 Greys and volunteered with rescues starting in 1991 through Portland Oregon. This breed has brought and continues to bring such joy to our lifes. Can anyone advise on this or where to go for information. I have the edition of "Care of the Racing & Retired Grehound", copied several pages for our Vet. to refer to but the mystery is with the lab finding "fungal" what kind/where did it come from is where all the ??????? are. I would get in touch with Ohio State University, and Dr. Couto IMMEDIATELY! Be sure to email him and his team anything pertinant to the case. They will be able to advise you, and you CAN trust them! couto.1@osu.edu (Dr. Couto's email); Greyhound@cvm.osu.edu (Dr. Marin). GOOD LUCK! I am sorry your baby is sooo sick! Dee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest SoulsMom Posted May 11, 2009 Share Posted May 11, 2009 I agree with a 2nd opinion. Always get a 2nd opinion before doing any surgery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 4greys Posted May 11, 2009 Share Posted May 11, 2009 yeah Ethan was treated for Babesia Canis with Doxecycline over a year ago. Tested again for ticks and came out negative on all! doxy does not treat Babesia Canis. Are you sure it was not erlichia? If erlichia, how long and at what dose was he treated? Ok I found how they test, fecal examination Fungal from fecal? Interesting as after being on Doxycycline it cleared up and on repeat test last month came back all negative........... In March of 2008, Ethan tested positive 1:80 for Babesia canis, treated with Doxy (incorrectly). In April of 2009, Ethan tested negative 1:40 for Babesia canis.......... So with all this being said, what would you suggest? Run the tets again? Start treatment with the correct meds even though the test is negative at this time? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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