Valley fever and cats
My cat has a large open wound on his fore leg that has been cultured and diagnosed as being infected with Valley Fever. Our vet has advised us to keep the wound clean and always covered and to avoid contact as the infection is contageous. We are giving Sam C-Fluconazole 25mg twice a day and have been advised that we may need to keep up this treatment for up to 6 months. So far after 2 months we have seen no improvement and the cat has lost much of his body weight. My concern is about the potential danger to our other pets and to ourselves from exposure to Sam. I am a diabetic and seem to catch things easily. I have been hospitalized on IV antibiotics for infections on two occasions. Sam has free rein of the house and yard area. He is often on the kitchen counters where food is prepared. Are we(ourselves or our dog) in danger of catching this infection from Sam directly or through his fecal matter or other contact? What precautions should we take to protect ourselves. |
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Dog with problems walking
When I came home from work yesterday, Sparrow(6yo female neutered mix breed), who stays in my basement with access to the crawl space under the house, was having trouble going up the stairs. She seemed sick - hot nose & depressed. She has a knot midway up her tail about the size of a quarter. Her hindquarters are slightly swollen and tender. Her behind was dirty with dust, some fecal matter, and little black dots that looked like flea eggs (she doesn't have fleas - she's on med from the vet.) It seemed she had been dragging her bottom on the ground. My gut feeling is that she may have been bitten by a spider or god forbid a snake (in my basement?!!) but I'm also worried that she's hurt her back. She can still walk - even jump on the bed - but she is not moving correctly. She is still eating and drinking. She's not any worse this morning, but no better. She's not limping, but she acts stiff - is not moving her hind legs with ease, but I don't see where they look out of whack. For example, when she goes up steps, she just goes one step at a time, very slowly and carefully when she usually bounds & skips steps. It doesn't look like she's knuckling over, and her feet and legs look normal. Another thought after babying her this morning - she has had trouble in the past with her anal glands being blocked. Usually I try to massage & expel them when I bathe her. I haven't noticed her dragging her butt, which usually happens when her glands are filled and need expelling, but is it possible this could be the problem? Or constipation?
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