Zeke is in ICU at the University of Guelph Veterinary Clinic with Blastomycosis. Guelph is the premier veterinary college in the country, so he is getting the best care possible. Somewhere along the way he picked up this fungus that has literally invaded his lungs, and then moves on to all parts of his body. He had all the classic symptoms and we had him to two vets in the last six weeks but it is so rare nobody picked up on it. Itchy skin, panting - also a side effect of the medication he was on for the itchy skin, eye infection and a limp. We noticed on Tuesday that he was lethargic but thought it was because of the heartworm pill he had on Monday. On Wednesday he came down with us to say goodbye and he did not want to play with Sadie and George - his favorite cousins. On Thursday Garth and I were gone all day and when we returned home he refused his favorite treat! We got an appointment at the local clinic for that evening and she was stumped - from there he went to the emergency clinic for blood work, urine analysis and they put him on antibiotics and IV. Friday morning we picked him up and drove to Orangeville where he had chest x-rays. The vet wasn't sure what it was -she speculated at the Blastomycosis but had never seen a case. She contacted the university and off we went. It took several hours to confirm what he had and give us all the pros and cons of the treatment. If he can get past the next 48 hours he has an 85 percent chance of survival and being able to return to a normal life.
Please keep your fingers crossed for him.
Will keep you updated
