[hottentot]

Hello again!
Does anyone have any experience with their GSD having a fever for an extended period of time? My pup has been on antibiotics for a week now (doxycycline 400mg twice daily) and temps are ranging between 102.9-104.8. We're giving Rimadyl now at 50mg twice daily. The original lump on his neck, which appeared to be an abscess, has gone away completely, and there are no outward symptoms of swelling, infection or pain. ANY hunches, guesses, gut feelings or experiences would be appreciated! I have >$1600.00 in expenses so far, and we don't even know what we would test for next, ultrasound? More labs? 3 vets and 1 specialist are all baffled, and I am scared of losing my pup because we can't pinpoint the problem. Thanks, Lucy and Ruger

 

[Mary Beth]

I would check with the breeder. Also I would research the veterinary schools websites. For keeping track of his temp - if it like for people it will be higher in the afternoon and lower in the morning - also lower if he just drank water.

 

[Mary Beth]

I am also thinking it could be a severe reaction to some type of insect bite.

 

[hottentot]

Thanks Mary Beth, I hadn't thought of other insects besides fleas and ticks! I had found an article about temperature variations, diurnal patterns and stuff, it applied to humans, but an article I saw on a vet website mentioned fluctuation patterns in dogs. The breeder has no experience of this kind with any of her dogs, but did say she only checks temps routinely in her breeding females, sooooo... No help there.
I have an appointment with an animal communicator later today and am praying for a clue there. It's frustrating and frightening, because nothing makes sense! Like if he had a problem with temp regulation in hypothalamus, there should be other symptoms as well. If cardiac, like endocarditis, you'd expect a murmur or beat irregularity... It's a basket of nothing, with no road to follow and not a good destination. Prayers and love and support are the best thing right now. I'll try to keep you updated.
Lucy

 

[JeanKBBMMMAAN]

http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/health-issues/258554-salivary-abscess-fever-wont-go-down.html I would hit notify and see about combining these threads because it is very helpful to keep the information all in one thread - wasn't sure if you had a good reason not to so I didn't just combine on my own.

It is possible another antibiotic is needed. In addition to the doxy.

I am not sure why the Rimadyl but would likely refuse that unless they had a really good reason for it - pain management would not be that reason. I have seen my vet use a 1 time deal of a very different NSAID to quickly drop a fever but that's a different drug, typically used in horses and cattle.

I would second that idea of a vet teaching hospital. Any other signs of Lepto? Leptospirosis in Dogs

Were tick diseases tested for? More bloodwork done?

Is there a pattern in the variation when it is a bit above high normal and then into fever? High Fever in Dogs: Symptoms and Treatments

I hope your dog stops this ASAP!!!!! ETA - I had a dog with enlarged salivary glands - they were drained - then her whole head got swollen - and started to leak. It was terrifying - I took her in on a Friday night and they drained her head. For her, it was all about the swelling and super high white count, but no fever. Because she was a found in a parking lot stray, we do not know what happened, but she was on abx over a month before she had normal labs.

 

[arycrest]

You've already had some excellent suggestions ... here's a rare one that can have an intermittent fever ... Brucellosis ... "fever (the most common finding, and it may be intermittent and relapsing)"
Brucellosis Causes, Symptoms, Signs, Diagnosis, Treatment, History and Prevention by MedicineNet.com
I know dogs are tested for it before being bred, I've personally never known of anyone who has had a dog with it, but figured I'd toss it out since it sounds like you've gone thru a pretty good list of the more common problems already.

 

[hottentot]

Jean, no reason not to combine except we've ruled out mucocele and the abscess is no longer inflamed. The Rimadyl is for the fever, but I'm not wild about remaining on it. I can ask about a one time shot, but so far nothing like that has been mentioned. Aspirin has come up, but not selected. Steroids also brought up, but am reluctant b/c I don't want to mask anything. I'm reading up on the lepto now, and the brucellosis, and the rapid screen for tickborne was negative. He had Ceph by mouth and IV w/very minimal response to it besides decrease in size of knot on his neck. We thought temp was responding better to doxy, but without IV fluids he seems to be heading back into a bad place.

 

[hottentot]

Re: lepto, we've had no vomiting whatsoever, not even in the car, which is unusual. It's been 10 days since we noticed the knot, so something may show up on new round of blood work. Also, during all of this the boy has not shown any tenderness to palpation/manipulation. I began to wonder if maybe he had a sensory problem, and wasn't showing pain indicators. Don't know the likelihood of that. Heaven knows he's an unusual dog in many respects.

 

[NancyJ]

The doxy would pretty much clear any lepto and most tick diseases anyway....May want to look at doing a longer run of it or test - lepto can be asymptomatic.

 

[hottentot]

Ruger update:
Well, it's not the worst news I've ever had, but it's so very far from the best that it's close. Ruger had an abdominal ultrasound 4/24 which revealed several very enlarged lymph nodes with less severe enlargements in nearby glands as well. Aspirations were obtained for further evaluation, and urine was also sent off for culture. The two most likely causes are (best case) a fungal infection of aspergillis or blastomyces, both common in our region, and the former more common in GSDs, OR (worst case) lymphoma. He will remain on doxycycline, with Rimadyl for fever, and is now started on fluconazole 150mg daily. There is a possibility that samples sent today will not be definitive, so we can only hope that anti-fungal meds bring his fever down and he begins to feel better. Further diagnostics would be surgical to obtain tissue biopsies, again for further cytological studies, and if lymphoma is diagnosed, a chemo regimen would be indicated. That might add 6-9 months to his life. These options are not feasible, and also not kind for our buddy. We may know something by Friday, but we are all facing a difficult immediate future as the estimated cost of ongoing AF meds is $200/month. I'm not opposed to making the adjustment so long as Ruger feels good and has a good quality of life, particularly since Ruger has informed us that he has a job to do (via Animal Communicator and all-around Angel, Cindy) and that he thinks he could "help the older ones" as a Pet Therapy Dog! I think he's a remarkable pup, and a beautiful Old Soul, so I invite you all to hold the image of a healed Ruger in your hearts and minds. We appreciate all of the love and support we have already been given without even asking, and wish to extend a formal request to the Universe for additional healing energy. Blessings to you all,
Rich, Lucy and Ruger

 

[barnyard]

I'm sorry. If it is aspergillosis, itraconazole might be a better drug over the fluconazole. Fluconazole didn't help Frieda's aspergillosis at all, but the itra worked well. It is much more expensive, but you can get it less expensively from pet compounding pharmacies, such as Dr. Foster & Smith, or Pet Health Pharmacy. Later, we added terbinafine as a booster to the itraconazole.
Hoping for the best for your pup.

 

[JeanKBBMMMAAN]

Hoping or all good things for Ruger.

Fight Canine Cancer is a nice site, I think. She administers the Magic Bullet Fund that helps pet owners pay for treatments - you can even look there to see how long/well dogs do.

My understanding on lymphoma is that it is the most responsive cancer, in most cases, to chemo. But it has to be staged and the type of cell it is makes a difference too. Also the type of lymphoma. But I would just wait and see what the tests have to say before doing too much research.

I hope that whatever it is, it is treatable and that he will be able to be a therapy dog one day soon!

 

[GatorBytes]

When to consider aspergillosis in dogs - Veterinary Medicine

 

[BowWowMeow]

I hope the diagnosis is fungal. I will hold Ruger and your family in your heart and hope for the best possible outcome.

 

[GatorBytes]

Lymph Node Inflammation (Lymphadenopathy) in Dogs | petMD

 

[hottentot]

Barnyard, what sort of symptoms did you see with Frieda before she was diagnosed?
I did look at some online options for the Fluc, so will now look for the Itra. I read that improvement might not be seen for 2-3 weeks in some cases, but I'm sure hoping the fever drops back down. It was 104.6 this morning.

I'm sorry. If it is aspergillosis, itraconazole might be a better drug over the fluconazole. Fluconazole didn't help Frieda's aspergillosis at all, but the itra worked well. It is much more expensive, but you can get it less expensively from pet compounding pharmacies, such as Dr. Foster & Smith, or Pet Health Pharmacy. Later, we added terbinafine as a booster to the itraconazole.
Hoping for the best for your pup.

 

[barnyard]

Barnyard, what sort of symptoms did you see with Frieda before she was diagnosed?
I did look at some online options for the Fluc, so will now look for the Itra. I read that improvement might not be seen for 2-3 weeks in some cases, but I'm sure hoping the fever drops back down. It was 104.6 this morning.

Frieda's started as nasal aspergillosis, so the symptoms are different. Fever, loss of pigmentation in nostril (which occured later, not right away), bloody nose, and painful muzzle. They were actually symptoms for nasal cancer as well and the vet thought that was the problem. However, a scope did not reveal cancer and more exploration revealed the aspergillosis. Some dogs present with an abscess when they have aspergillosis, but Frieda did not. In this area, vets say only 5-6 dogs a year get this, but I wonder if it is just under diagnosed.

When we tried fluconazole it didn't work, which was too bad, at Costco it was a very reasonable price. Locally itra ran between $500/$1000 a month, but through a compounding pharmacy it was around $200/month.

Hoping for the best for your pup.

 

[hottentot]

Ok, here's the latest update: Starting Cipro and Azithromycin. All cytology/cultures don't indicate fungal, or lymphoma, yay! So we are treating for bacteria:Other, since Ceph and Doxy have not improved his condition any. Will also start a prednisone taper; 20 bid7, 20 qd7, and 20 qod7. also omeprazole 40 qd, carafate q12. We shall all keep our paws crossed that this "cocktail" does recon and captures the target!!!
I'm very appreciative of all of your comments, suggestions, sharing and support! Lucy

 

[llombardo]

I feel your frustration at not getting a diagnosis. My dog had the fever, blood shot eyes(there was no white to be seen), lethargic, no poop for a couple days, and a very high white blood cell count. After going to two different vets I spent over $1500 and every test came up negative. She was on the doxy and after about a week she was back to normal. We never did find out what was wrong with her. I thought I was going to lose her. Hopefully your dog will heal and you can find out what is wrong.

 

[Smithie86]

I'm sorry. If it is aspergillosis, itraconazole might be a better drug over the fluconazole. Fluconazole didn't help Frieda's aspergillosis at all, but the itra worked well. It is much more expensive, but you can get it less expensively from pet compounding pharmacies, such as Dr. Foster & Smith, or Pet Health Pharmacy. Later, we added terbinafine as a booster to the itraconazole.
Hoping for the best for your pup.

Double check on whether or not the compounded version of itraconazole would work. Have read that one does not want to go the compounding route.

Also, the length of time on the anti-fungal is important and how they determined it. Blood work can produce false negatives.