We've had a rough month, here

[D'Elle]

Jester and I have had a bit of a rough month. I am sorry this is such a long post….please forgive me. I have been trying for several days to get on the Boards, and just got on today thanks to Eileen’s efforts is fixing the glitch that was preventing my log in. Thank you, Eileen!!!

 

Jester contracted tick fever ( a blood parasite) as a result of my taking in a foster dog for Border Collie Rescue, who brought infected ticks into the house and yard. It created a horrible infestation of ticks here. I have him and Sunny the foster dog both on medication for this.

 

Now it turns out that Jes also has contracted Valley Fever (Coccidioidiomychosis…..not sure if this is spelled right). This is a fungal infection that is picked up from spores in the dirt and is common in Southern AZ where we live. Jester's vet told me that because he contracted tick fever his immune system was weakened, and so he got a bad case of valley fever.

 

He became ill while we were out of state over Labor Day Weekend, and I took him in to his vet as soon as possible after we got back, which was Sept. 6th. He was in there for a whole day on Sept. 6th, running a very high fever, and at that time she told me that he had lost 13 pounds, which shocked me terribly, because that would be more than 25% of his body weight. But the next time I was there, a few days later, I looked at the chart and he weighed on Sept. 6th: 34 pounds. Today he weighs 39.5 pounds. Now, Jester has weighed between 35 and 40 pounds the whole four years that I have had him. When I asked her why she said he lost 13 pounds when in fact it was more like 5, she refused to look at the chart, said that she was basing that on what he had weighed previously, and did not admit that that was really only a weight loss of 5 pounds at most. He is small for a male, but has always been strong and had great endurance. She then went on to berate me, and tell me that he was in terrible shape, emaciated, even though he has always been this weight; he has never been sick before, and she has been his vet for vaccinations for 3 years and never said before that he was too thin. She really gave me a bad time about it. I was very confused by this. She indicated to me that it was my fault and the fault of BC Rescue because I took in a sick foster dog, and as she put it: "you almost killed your dog". I was terribly upset and confused.

 

I took Jes to another vet, the one I take my cat to, and she refuted what the other vet said about his weight and condition, saying he looked fine to her at his current weight. My conclusion is that the first vet put me through hell only to cover up her mistake in telling me how much he had lost. This is so unprofessional that I will never go back to that vet.

 

Jester’s new vet did say that he has a bad case of tick fever, though, and an “average” case of valley fever. She said that he would be on medication for both for a long time, possibly the rest of his life.

I have put Advantix on both dogs and am going to spray my yard for the ticks, hoping that I can kill them all, because if not the fear is that they will simply keep re-infecting Jes and then he will never get well.

Jester is acting normal, and wants to play as usual but his energy and endurance are lower than normal. I am giving him a cooked chicken thigh along with his usual amount of kibble every day, and addind a piece of yam or sweet potato, or come cooked broccoli as well, and he is eating it all. He doesn’t act sick, but the titer results paint a different picture.

 

The thing is that I feel just awful about this. I can’t shake the feeling that I have done my very fine dog a terrible disservice by letting him get so ill as a result of the foster dog’s passing tick fever to him. I don’t blame BC Rescue for this at all, as they did not know Sunny was ill when they sent her to me. But I feel as though I have possibly ruined my dog’s life, and am utterly sad about it.

 

Does anyone have any experience with valley fever or tick fever and can give me any words of advice? Is there anything that I can do, or should not do, in order to give Jes the best chance of recovery from these? I wish ever so much that he could recover from these and not have to be on medication for the rest of his life. I am so afraid it will shorten his life as well. I just feel so badly about this.

D'Elle and Jester

[ShoresDog]

Gosh, I hate ticks. Our experience of human tick-borne disease (Lyme, my husband) was that it took a long time for the energy to come back, but it did. I've got no dog advice to offer, but I just wanted to pipe in to send you my best wishes and sympathy. There are others here who've had experience of tick-borne diseases in their dogs and will have more to offer, but I'll just send good vibes your way. I feel for ya!

[2 Devils]

Rebecca's Ben (I believe) has had a couple tick borne disease. Hopefully Becca will see this post and can give you some info. You did nothing wrong but help a dog. This could have happended whether you brought a rescue in or not.

 

I don't know the site but there is a Tick-L list that I am sure you could find the link on these boards. You should really get on it.

[Allie Oop]

So sorry to hear about your troubles. I hope Jester is able to make a speedy recovery.

[nancy in AZ]

D'Elle, I lived in Tucson for several years and if memory serves, ticks are plentiful and it certainly doesn't take the presence of another dog for your dog pick up a tick infestation. Contracting tick fever is the luck of the draw, as is valley fever. It sounds as if Jester has gotten past the most critical phase of his illness with your care.

 

Now that you know he is immune compromised, you may want to check with your vet about the best way to deal with vaccines and heartworm meds in the future. Also find out what you can do for him to help his immune system to recover, what to avoid, what supplements or foods to offer. I don't know much about tick fever, (is that erlichia?) but I've known several dogs that had gotten bad bouts of valley fever and recovered to live normal lives. I think some of the outcome depends on how much actual damage to the lung tissue has occured.

 

You did a noble and compassionate thing by taking in a foster. You have nothing to feel guilty about and it was at best inappropriate and at worst mean-spirited for the vet to accuse you.

[AKB]

I agree. You had a stroke of bad luck, it could have happened to anyone and how dare that vet accuse you of neglecting your dog. I hope all is well soon- it's such a shame that you did a kind act and were reprimanded for it. But that vet already demonstrated a lack of professionalism with the weight mistake- you should not let the opinion of such a petty self serving individual change you opinion of how well you care for your dog.

[D'Elle]

Thanks for saying such supportive things. Much appreciated. I feel pretty bad about it, but everyone I know is telling me that I am a good dog "mom" and I shouldn't beat myself up over it.....so I will try not to.

 

If anyone has any suggestions for me as to what might help to boost his immune system during this time, I would love to hear from you. Supplements? Vitamins? Foods other than what he is getting now? Any suggestions?

Thanks again for your replies and support...

D'Elle and Jester

[stockdogranch]

Yup. Google Tick-L and subscribe. Best information in the world about the TBDs. There are also vets on the list who are extremely helpful. All the folks on the list have been through this,

A

[Tassie]

D'Elle

 

Sorry to hear about the rough time you and Jester have been having. Agree with what the others have said - seems like it could have happened anyway - and you shouldn't beat yourself up for doing a kind act which you couldn't have known could lead to problems.

 

Just a question about the Advantix. If it's the same one as we have here, it has warnings on it about keeping it away from cats, so you might just want to check with your cat vet. Luckily, I only have to use tick protection when we go to the mainland, and my cats don't come along then, so I do use Advantix. Worth checking, anyway, for peace of mind.

 

Can you ask your nice cat vet about immune system boosters - maybe ask about Vitamin C, and/or Co-enzyme Q 10? And maybe people on Tick-L would be able to help - Julie P always recommends that list, too.