An Almost Healthy Bailey

My good friend John in England dropped me a line asking how Bailey was doing as the last post here on Redbirddog was way back in early April.

It has been a busy spring with family and grandkids and MANY local hikes.  So here is an long overdue up date.  

BAILEY IS BETTER!  He is almost 90% of his old self and the 10% just could be he is almost 8 years old. 



 It is foxtail season here in the West until mid-August, so Bailey and Chloe join the "hoodie gang" on hikes in the hills.  We haven't left Central Contra Costa in a few months but we still have hiked over a few hundred miles in that time.  

Nothing new but Chloe is happy to have a healthy Bailey again.  The anti-fungal medications will still be part of his life for the next year twice a day.  Valley fever is a tough fungus.  One day soon there will be a vaccine.  We'll be more careful where the dogs dig.

Happy trails once again.
Rod aka Redbirddog

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Nursing a Vizsla Back from Near Death

The daily board to monitor's Bailey's condition and medications

From the low six weeks ago, when I really thought we were losing Bailey to Valley Fever, to his returning to 50% health has been a long trail.

A good friend of mine who nursed six dogs back from this said Bailey will never be 100%.  She thinks a goal of 80% would be realistic.   I told this to the internal specialist, who has been working with me. Bailey is only her second case of Valley Fever.  She looked puzzled.  She expects a full recovery.  I explained that Bailey is an athletic dog.  When we hike 20 miles, he would mostly run 50 miles.  100% recovery to most dogs would be expected to those dog's level of energy.

I am completely fine with 80%.  He is happy and getting healthy.

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The Recovery Stage for Bailey

 Glad to report that Bailey is better.  It will be months if not years of recovery from the Valley Fever, but now we are past the worse of it and he is on the right path.  He has added 4 pounds this week and his temperature in normal. 

 I'm very happy that science has produced the anti-fungals and the anti-inflammatory drugs that helped make this recovery go well.  He still has a cough and for now Chloe is faster than her "big brother."  According to a friend who nursed 6 dogs through Valley Fever it will always affect him a bit.

But life is good up in the hills where all three of us love to explore, run and play.

 Spring has sprung after a week of rain that ended early this week.  The poppies are starting to pop up along the trails in Briones Regional Park.

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Valley Fever - Physical and Emotional Roller Coaster

The whole of this week has revolved around the health of our 7-year-old male Vizsla, Bailey.

I have placed a whiteboard in the kitchen and track his daily weight, his medication schedule and his temperature morning and night.

 This has been a week of highs and lows for both Bailey, my wife, and me.  Chloe even feels the strain.

With the reduction of Bailey's fever on Wednesday we took a nice three-mile hike.  His temperature had been down and he seemed good.  By that night his temperature was above 103.5 and he could not put weight on his left leg.  He looked bad.

I called the veterinarian hospital first thing Thursday and asked what anti-inflammatory we could give him to reduce the pain in the leg.  By noon they called back and had a prescription of Carprofen for the boy.  We got home, gave him some and by evening his temperature had dropped from 103.8 to 101.2 and he was no longer limping.

To get the weight back on, I made up a 15 pound loaf of Satin Balls and rolled out 116 meat balls about 2 ounces each.  He is eating now about 8 (or one pound worth) a day on top of anything else he'll eat. How to make them on the below link:

http://redbirddog.blogspot.com/2010/12/satin-balls.html

Today was good.  Tomorrow we don't know where this Valley Fever adventure will lead.  He is short of breath and coughing a lot today.  One day at a time.

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First Hike with Bailey in 13 days

With Bailey's temperature down to 102.5 today and looking better, I felt it was time to see how he would do on a longer walk.  Since he was released from the veterinarian hospital a week ago we have done nothing more than walks around a few blocks or to the park.

Very skinny Bailey

So this morning the dogs and I headed out to the Carquinez Straits Scenic Pathway and let Bailey stretch his legs.  He did not do much running, but did walk the first half of the trail with no apparent discomfort.

Even though Bailey felt only like walking Chloe was enjoying running free!

But it wasn't until we got to the little pond that Bailey lit up and at the sight of the ducks swimming did he forget his troubles and went into hunting dog Nirvana.

Both Bailey and Chloe got a good swim in and Bailey ran for the first time in weeks.  The Valley Fever has affected his left rear leg also besides his lungs.

Bailey looked happy and for a short while healthy.  On the walk back though that left rear leg was giving him trouble, he was shivering from the swim.

Once home he had a hearty breakfast of kibble, chicken, steak, and cheese.  He is now sound asleep in his sleeping bag dreaming of ducks on the pond.

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Valley Fever - Bailey is improving

Now that we know for certain Bailey has Valley Fever we are on a program to wellness with the boy.

It is now been 10 days since we first went to our family vet about what we thought was a bowel restriction and 7 since we suspected Valley Fever and just 3 since we've known for certain.

Last night the boy's fever broke and is about 101, which is normal.  My guess it will spike again, but remain lower than the original 104.

  He added a little weight also.  I modified a floor scale we had to be able to get daily weights of the boy.  Today he is 53 pounds which is 2 pounds more than just yesterday but before his first bowel movement so will drop a bit.

He has been enjoying the roasts that we have been making in the crock pot.  We use the juices and fats to put on the bison kibble also.  He is eating, taking his medications and doing a ton of sleeping.

I am glad I have been home during this "adventure" and not having to go to a job.  Over the last 8 years this dog has given me 100% of himself to whatever adventure the 2 of us have done together.  When I had shingles a few years back he lay on the bed not leaving unless to eat or go out to the bathroom.  For 3 days he stayed with me.

 It is only right that I return the commitment to his health.

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Prevention - Not getting Valley Fever

If your dog does come down with symptoms of Valley Fever, your vet may not know this is a possible diagnosis. 

Bailey is still getting thinner but his fever is dropping.

A dog's lungs full of the Valley Fever spores

Prevention

Unfortunately, there is not a vaccine to prevent this disease. Reassuringly it is important to recognize that many dogs will never become ill from the fungus. The best pet owners can do is to be aware of symptoms and respond quickly to signs of the disease in their dog. 
As the fungus is found in outdoor areas, obviously dogs that spend a lot of time outdoors are more likely to inhale the spores than dogs that spend a lot of time indoors. Things you can do to reduce the likelihood of your dog's exposure to the fungus are:

• avoid activities that generate dust
• reduce digging behavior by dogs
• prevent sniffing in rodent holes
• keep dogs indoors more than outdoors
• be aware of areas that have outbreaks 

image: http://s3.amazonaws.com/heirnet/photos/9137/valley-fever-spore_medium.jpg


Environments and weather conditions that tend disseminate the fungus are:

• Hiking/ hunting areas such as in the native desert environment
• Dust storms
• New construction developments
• Recent pool digs or landscaping
• Wet weather followed by hot weather

Treating the soil will not work as the fungus lives in spotty areas and can live up to 12 inches deep in the ground. However, yard ground cover such as grass or deep gravel that reduces dust is helpful. 
Unfortunately, with weather patters in the southwestern United States changing to include hotter temperatures and more intense dust storms, Valley Fever will continue to grow in presence.

For those who want to REALLY learn more, here is a excelllent 40 page report from the University of Arizona. https://www.vfce.arizona.edu/resources/pdf/Tutorial_for_Primary_Care_Professionals.pdf

"It’s important to note that infection resulting from respiratory exposure to an infected patient has never been reported, and patients with Valley Fever need not be isolated from others. "

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