Canine Histoplasmosis...HELP!?

I haven't heard of this in dogs, but my grandmother had it and we had a friend who's son had it. Grandma's was in her lungs and never spread, but if I remember right she would test positive for TB. My friends son lost his sight, not totally, but he only had peripheral vision, he couldn't see straight ahead, only to the side. Good Luck, I'm afraid his age might be a factor, give the med's time to work, some don't work completely until a few days after they are finished. He just might need a few days to recuperate.

H.,

I am so sorry to hear about your puppy. With anti-fungals it takes 7 to 14 days to see a positive response to treatment as they are metabolized extremely slowly due to the nature of the fungus.

Is hospitalizing him at an er clinic an option? They can keep him on IV fluids and pain control to get him through the initial period.

Big hugs.
V.

I too have had experience with histo in humans - my Dad had it in the 1940's and it took 2/3 of one lung and 1/2 of the other. I had it in the late 1980's and it has affected my lungs and eyes. I would keep up the meds and realize it takes a lot of time to get over this. (Took me about a year). I remember having temperature surges in late afternoon to mid evening, and lots of night sweats. If it does the same thing to dogs, then try feeing him at different times of the day to see if his appetite fluctuates.
Also, be aware that if the dog got it, the rest of your family could get it too from the same bird droppings. The trick is not to breathe in the dust. So when you clean, wear masks, wet it down and bleach it before handling it. There are great spray products with bleach for this, or can mix your own. In our case, the pigeons in our town were the source of the histo. It looks like TB on a lung XRay, and the symptoms are similar.

there's a site called allexperts.com that might be able to help you. good luck!