Abbie has had this spot on her back, between her shoulder blades,for several months now, which I thought was a possible reaction to Frontline, then I thought it might be a botfly (does anyone remember that thread here??) and after the botfly was ruled out, went back to thinking it was a reaction to Frontline. **I did not apply Frontline at the beginning of August and was searching for an alternative flea preventative. The spot is about the size of a quarter, black and white in color and crusty with a thickening of the skin beneath and surrounding the lesion and hair loss. Well.......about a week and a half ago I noticed that it has spread and there is another spot, the same size and hair loss, with a spackling of tiny black dots. I took her to the vet and he said she has a fungus. (He did not do a skin scrape, just looked at the area under a special light with the room light off). I asked where she could have gotten it and he said "the dirt." It made sense to me as she is always digging and rolling around. I didn't question it. He gave her an injection and some Animax topical ointment to be applied daily. *Layla does not have it and he said it's not contagious.
Here's the thing......... and I feel like such a bad mom right now, firstly because I didn't seek care sooner and I failed to mention to the vet that she has not really been herself for a while now. She hides under the bed a lot, which is not like her at all, she stopped eating breakfast and she's been lethargic (when she's not under the bed). I have also discovered a small hard lump, about the size of a pea under her skin along her spine, down near her hind leg. It is not discolored and does not appear to bother her to the touch, etc.
Tonight I noticed that she was slightly limping with her right hind leg.
I've been at my wits end trying to figure out what all of this could be.....maybe Lyme disease???? Then tonight I was talking with a friend of mine and she started talking about something that the vet thought her dog had when she was a puppy and mentioned Valley Fever and that it's a fungus that comes from the dirt!!! Well, let me tell you........I literally saw the lightbulb go off....... I grabbed my laptop and over the phone she and I started researching it and Abbie has most of the symptoms. She just is not herself and I've been really worried about her. Everything I read says that this condition is primarily found in places like Arizona (where my friend lives), California....dry, arrid places.
I am printing some info and taking it with us to the vet tomorrow. If this is what she has she needs treatment beyond an injection and ointment. Could Abbie have this?? Any thoughts or experience with this????