I agree with Sarah - my thought is that Roo has an infection now....the WBC count on the CBC should help indicate this, but is there any chance of starting on antibiotics now? Is that a terrible idea before the CBC comes back? I'm just thinking if all other signs point to an infection, which it sounds to me like they do (though I am of course not a vet).

I'm sending hugs to you and Roo!

 Quote: Lindsay Janes

I'm not sure why he didn't drain the abscess. The abscess has opened its own hole...

...I'm not exactly sure what the vet's plans are, but I am guessing he wants to wait until Roo gets his blood results in.

I worked for a vet for some time about 10 years ago. Her preference was to let the abscess drain on it's own when possible. She only inserted a drain and flushed it about half the time, I would guess. She personally felt that the resulting wound was smaller when left alone and ran less of a risk of a staph infection. Most of the abscesses she allowed to drain on their own did heal beautifully, but I couldn't tell you how she decided which ones got which treatment.

Personally, I would call the vet's office in the morning. Also, if you don't understand or are not happy with the care, you can always choose to go to another vet.

At a recent appointment, I was not pleased with the care and wanted more done. I went home, called another office, and had a second appointment that very same day. It cost me a bit more, but I got what I felt was appropriate care and more importantly an explanation of what was going on.

Vets can vary greatly on how they choose to treat things. The vet's personal preferences play a much larger role in treatment than I ever realized until I watched the way different vets would treat the same problem. It's not a one size fits all solution, so never be afraid to ask more questions of your vet or get a 2nd or 3rd opinion if you're not comfortable with the treatment.

I got more update on Roo's health. Roo has a fever of consistence at around 103.5 The fever hasn't gone down since Last Sunday. We went to see vet today at 11 am. The animal clinic where I went to has five different vets there. Two out of five vets saw Roo. Both were very sure that Roo has a rare form of valley fever where it is contagious through fluid/abscess.

I asked why they didn't clean the abscess out, they said to prevent the spreading of VF. They said that anyone who is in contact through his fluid must wash their hands. Also, they told me to keep Teddy away from Roo, not to let Teddy clean Roo's abscess. If we need to clean it, use peroxide hydrogen to clean the abscess a bit. The blood test result came in and it was normal. The result for Tick fever and Valley Fever were negative as well.

Today, they did a biopsy on a new bump close to his lymph node. The color of the fluid was pink/red. They are pretty sure it is Valley Fever, but they are just guessing. They are sending it to the lab where pathologists will tell us exactly what's wrong with Roo. We will find out by next Monday. They are giving me two new pills. It seems like every time we go back, we get new different pills and told not to give the old ones.

Next Monday, as in three days from now, I hope?

Is it a test for Coccidioides spherules in the fluid?




P.S. http://www.vfce.arizona.edu/VFCE%20OLD/ValleyFever/canine/canine.htm#diagnosis



Edited by Connie Sutherland (04/24/2009 04:33 PM)
Edit reason: ps

Yes in three days, that's right. I really hope they finally come up with the right diagnose. I'm getting a bit annoyed that they haven't figure out yet and kept giving me different medications. Last Monday, they gave me Ketoconazole, and today they are giving me two different medications ,Fluconazole and Orbax.

I'm not sure if they are testing for specific Coccidioides spherules in the fluid, but I am guessing maybe yes. On Roo's medical record, it said that they are sending his sample to University of Arizona diagnostic lab to find out exactly what's wrong.

I hope they do find out for sure, and in the meantime the meds help. Glad to hear the update....I'm sending Roo 'Get well soon!'s!

Thanks Jennifer, I hope Roo feels better soon..


My dad talked to the vet today. Roo doesn't have a valley fever, but they still don't know what's wrong with him. I'm getting very worried because Roo hasn't improved in almost two weeks now. They are still waiting for the lab report to find out what's wrong. I have considered getting a third opinion either today or tomorrow. I'm not sure what should I do at the moment. Roo has gotten worse and I don't think he can move his neck very well and kept yawning all the time.

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=2&aid=337

only because you seem to be from the southwest...

Thanks for giving several suggest what Roo could have. I have been researching on almost all dog diseases as I can find. I don't felt that plague is the right diagnose. Roo doesn't have fleas and he has a short hair. The symptom seems not to match what Roo has.

For some reasons I felt Roo's symptoms are very similar to Pyoderma. http://www.medi-vet.com/Canine-Pyoderma.html I really don't know if it is what he has, but I felt very helpless. I can't stand to watch him get worse as day goes by. He started with one abscess and now he has three new ones. Two huge abscess are on each side of his neck. It probably explains why he kept yawning every 30 seconds, and I think it bothers him. He has purple/black hairless spots on under his chin and wrist. He has a fever of 103 almost everyday so far.

I'm so sorry he is still sick. I hope you can figure it out and get him back on his feet.