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Sick Dog


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This is C&P from a forum i have asked on already. any help would be greatly appreciated by myself and the dog owner.

my mates dog is dying and they aren't happy about it. they have taken it several vets all who have no idea what is causing the prblems.

the syptoms are: Renal/kidney failure

-lumpy skin with microbacterial infections in these.

-baggy eyes, apparently nearing gluacoma

the drugs the dog is on are

- Doxycyclin

-Zithromax

-Ciprosloacin

- eye drops are Prediefrin Forte and Atropine.

the vet has allowed another 2 weeks for the dog to show signs of improvement or it will have to be put down.

please help if you have any idea what is wrong with this dog.

the breed is rotty cross pitt bull. (its a nice dog). 3 yrs old

not sure what the bacteria is. they aren't sores yet, just lumps and the vet says that its micro bacteria (not sure if thats different).

first to happen was the eyes went milky and the eye lids started to sag and come loose. then the kidneys started then the lumps.

the owners have spent their house deposit on the dog and are desperate to save it.

i am awaiting contact from a friend in QLD who is a vet and may be able to help, but i figure that i should try as many resources as possible.

the vets have already done extensive blood test, kidney scans, biopsy's on the sores etc. the dog (bruce) is on a protien free diet and is drinking distilled water.

Bruce appears to not be any pain, he is always playful and happy whenever i see him, but it is clear that he is sick, as he i weaker and slower than i have ever seen him.

thanx

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Have they tested it for diabetes??

yeah the dog has been tested for most things.

have just been informed that its myco bacterium, not micro.

apparently this is caused by water insect transmittting the bacteria thru bites etc.

thanx

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sometimes they take it places to swim, mostly the beach, but it swims in the same places as other dogs that don't get sick.

have just made contact with my freinds and they say that due to its breeding the dog is susceptible to this myco bacterium.

not a good sign

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Get the owners to contact Robert McDowell in Bathurst.

www.herbal-treatments.com.au

He will give a consultation over the phone if it is not possible for them to see him and I'm sure he will have something that could help the dog.

It sounds as though they have othing to lose by trying an alternative.

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Thanx curly king, i will contact Robert on monday.

thanx persephone, i followed that link and actually found some stuff by the vet thats currently treating bruce, tho i'm not sure that this is good thing. but then any information that helps us make a better decision is good.

have also been slowly obtaining bits of the history as the owners find paper work.

apparently bruce has a fungal?? infection in his blood.

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apparently bruce has a fungal?? infection in his blood.

Mycobacteria are sometimes considered "fungal like" bacteria, but they are definitely bacteria. I am assuming that it IS mycobacteria rather than a mycotic (fungal) infection as far as the owners know. If that's the case then systemic infections that involve more than one part of the body usually have a guarded prognosis. The clinical signs that result are due to the bacterial invasion of different tissue - because the bacteria are circulated in the blood then any part of the body with a blood suppy is at risk. Since mycobacteria live within cells treatment is difficult and requires considerable time (the antibiotics the dog is on are appropriate for intracellular bacteria incidentally, among other things). It is possible to culture the bacteria from skin lesions, but they are finnicky organisms and often even if they ARE present, they wont grow in the lab.

Basically the bacteria can be found in the environment and can gain access to the body through any kind of break in the integrity of the skin - be it a bite, puncture wound, surgical wound, scratch etc. Contact with infection animals or people is rare but it can be transmitted through water.

The typical clinical signs in dogs are respiratory problems (if M. tuberculosis is the culprit) and mouth problems, though as I said before - any where blood goes can be affected also. When infection spreads it can any of the organs leading to heart and lung problems, weight loss, fever, abdominal and organ masses, skin masses and oozing infected tracts in the skin, non healing ulcers, uveitis (inflammation of the eyes), lameness and neurological signs (and sudden death....).

In short, it could be possible for a mycobacterial infection to cause the clinical signs the dog is displaying - however in itself mycobacterial infection is uncommon and usually requires some other condition to cause the immunosuppression that allows the bacteria to take hold. There are other equally strange conditions that could be the cause, perhap multiple causes but I suspect there is at least something underlying also (I haven't gone into any of the other possibilities as you mentioned that the working diagnosis was mycobacteria - PM if you have other information).

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Hi pandabear.

bruce is in good spirits. i have been recommended a vet in cottolsloe for the owners to take bruce to. unfortuently, they are struggiling to get enough oney to buy his meds ($300 p/w) and live. so no new vets for a while.

they are waiting a week to return to murdoch uni vet and get some test done. hopefully there will be some signs of improvement.

thanx

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  • 2 months later...

As some of you may remember, my mate has a very sick dog...

This is an update, and has some very (possibly) scary/exciting info. Unfortuently, I wasn't able to catch all the info in the short time I spent with my mate yesterday (first time I have seen him in a month or so).

Well they have re-assesed the symptons that Bruce has, and have decided that he does NOT have myco-bacterium.

Instead he has a human disease and this is the first time that a dog, any where in the world, has contracted it. The disease is called Wagners (I think) something. I'm remembering Wagners motor neurone disease, but this could just be a figment of my imagination.

I just tried to call either owner and they were both not answering their mobiles, but when I do get more info, I will keep you posted!

Thanks to every one who tried to help last time!

BTW, since last I posted on the oringinal thread, Bruce has had one eye surgically removed.

Hopefully with this new diagnoses, he will recover soon. Apparently treatment is cheaper and much more affective.

Thanx

Ben

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  • 2 weeks later...

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