Fungal infections

[aligator79]

I feel SOOO horrible and like a bad mommy.

A couple of weeks ago- close to a month- I noticed the pupil in one of Taz's eyes was not reacting like the other and the colored part had a little red in it.  I didn't have time to get him in right then- my mom has end stage cancer, has been in and out of the hospital and needs 24/7 care which falls to me when I am not at work. Anyway, last week I called his vet to set up an appointment.  She didn't want to see him and referred me directly to the vet school here in town.  So I got an appt the next day.  Turns out he has glaucoma and has to have eye drops 3 and 4 times a day.  The problem with glaucoma in cats is that it is secondary to another problem, they don't just get it.  The list of causes for glaucoma is a mile long so they started simple.  Fungal infections can cause it and since he had one- histoplasmosis- when he was 3 months old.  We treated it for 9 months and he was cleared of it.  

Guess what!!  He has a different one- Blastomycosis- and tested positive for histo again but that's likely a false positive.  The treatment will be fluconazole twice a day for several months.

Does anyone have any experience with it or suggestions?  We will probably be losing mom within the next few weeks and I'm worried about not getting him treated correctly while I am distracted.

[aligator79]

Just a quick update.  Tazzy went back to the vet Friday morning- his blood, urine and fungal tests didn't make sense so I took him in. I cried the whole time feeling guilty about taking him in when mom was so bad.  They kept him to do more tests and sent me home.  :)   After Chest x-rays and tummy ultrasound- Poor guy has no fur on his tummy and it's 32 degrees here today and snowed a bit Friday afternoon. Since his original histo was in his spleen they also did some aspirations to see if there was anything interesting there.  

Ultimately he was diagnosed with Histoplasmosis again with the false positive of Blasto.  It's still two pills a day for the foreseeable future.  The vet student I had taught me a trick with pilling him.  Cut off the end of a syringe suck up just a little of wet kitty food and put the pill in the middle of the food.  It's the concept of ewww pill but hey food!

Mom passed yesterday so I won't have to worry about making sure he gets it.  They get canned food 2x a day so I can catch him then.  :)

[zodiacqueen]

I am so very sorry to hear about what you are going through with your mom and you are totally understandably distracted.

You are a wonderful, responsible fur mom.  I have known you on this site for years and know that this is true!  So, don't you doubt that for one minute.  You're treating Taz now, and that's what counts.

My prayers are with you during this stressful time.

Sending you hugs!

[opus88]

ali I am so very sorry to hear about your mom and all that you find yourself going thru right now...your not a bad mommy, just a very overwhelmed one right now..we've all been there hon.
I don't anything about this fungal diseases I'm afraid, I will send you one article I was able to find and perhaps that will help somewhat, I will try and do some more research tonight or tomorrow and post if I find anything....
just wishing you and mom and Taz all the very best..sending you all love and hugs♥

http://veterinarymedicine.dvm360.com/vetmed/Medicine/Canine-and-feline-histoplasmosis-A-review-of-a-wid/ArticleStandard/Article/detail/516502

shannon...thanks for your input...ali had mentioned this kitty has seen a Vet and is under treatment....

[shannon781]

Also, your cat should ideally have chest xrays performed to make sure the disease has not already spread. Regardless, needs treatment ASAP!

[shannon781]

Blasto is not something that you can put off treating. It has the potential to spread to the lungs and cause severe respiratory distress and at that point is life-threatening. Other common places for an infection are bone, skin, and lymph nodes. It is a fungal spore that is picked up or breathed in from the environment. It is much more common in dogs, but cats can obviously be infected as well. Good luck!