From:
tlawford@verizon.net
Date: 2005-07-30 01:29:08 UTC
Subject: coccidiomycoses neoformans in neck
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <7555856.1122686948555.JavaMail.root@thallium.smartgroups.com>
Coco Puff is a 5 yo female who has been in reasonably good health. She had=
5 episodes of gastric ulcer, and putting her on Gerbers Turkey #2 twice a =
day has brought a halt to recurrences and made her a little chubby since sh=
e just loves it and cant get enough. One month ago she developed a swelling=
about the size of 4 stacked quarters under her left jaw angle. Didnt seem =
painful and she showed no signs of illness. Our local vet Drained 3 cc of g=
oopy material from it and culture showed coccidio neoformans. X-rays dont s=
how focii anywhere else in the body. In aids patients, it loves to infiltra=
te the brain but she has no neuro symptoms. He said "This is a first for a =
ferret." And we started her on an antifungal itraconazol (sporonox) orally =
for the next 4 months. On a scale of 100, 100 being the most awful thing yo=
u ever tasted, metronidazole is a 400, and this stuff is a 90. She hates it=
and shakes and spits and squirms, but I guess I will be doing this to her =
twice a day for the next 120 days. I preload her tongue with .1c of viscous=
xylocaine before dosing to completely numb the tongue and sense of taste, =
but that doesnt really lessen the disgust and angst. It can cause congestiv=
e heart failure so I will be watching her to see breathlessness. (I'm an MD=
, but I'm sure not a vet, so I defer to the vets here.)
The literature about coccidio is based mainly on aids patients, where when =
coccidio gets in, the barn burns down figuratively. Healthy humans almost n=
ever have it. I dont have any idea how vicious it can be in a non-aids anim=
al. ITs certainly not good news of course. I think Cokey got it because ea=
ch evening she just loves to wander out on the deck and grind first her lef=
t and then her right jaw line into a 6 yo rotting hemp doormat. (And then l=
ie out on her back paws up for an hour, sighing occasionally listening to t=
he cicadas and taking in the evening summer smells. She occasionally jumps =
at lightning bugs if one flashes close to her)
Anyone have any thoughts (aided with a crystal ball or even a vets educatio=
n) as to where we might be going with this??
Thanks Tom Lawford Reston VA =
=
=