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So, we got the PRELIMINARY lab report back

Posted : 10/24/2006 7:40:33 PM

on Ella's ears.
A few weeks ago I had noticed Ella had a bald spot on her cute ears. I thought I had noticed it when we first got her, but it's kind of where the tip bends so I thought it was just a skin spot from her ear bending. Well, then the spot kept getting a little bigger so I brought her into the vet. They did a skin scrape for mange and didn't find anything but the vet she saw then (which isn't her usual vet) swore it looked like mange to her. She didn't think it was ringworm because we hadn't gotten it AND because we bathe her once a week and the rest of her coat looks so perfect, she was simply to o"well-kept" for the spot to be ringworm. That's what she told us. Anyway, she sent us on our way with some benzoyl peroxide gel and told us to come back in two weeks. We went back in two weeks and the spots were still there (and still are) and saw her regular vet. We did another scraping and still no mange mites were found, but this time I had them do a ringworm culture. We decided to keep treating her as though it were mange because it WAS drying up and looking a little better. Just until we got the fungal culture results.

Well, the vet called today because she got preliminary results back. She said that she won't have the actual, specific results back for another week or so, but the results were that there is an abundant amount of fungus. I don't remember how exactly she said the lab report was worded, but I remember her saying the words "abundant and fungal". She also said that she has NEVER seen a lab report like that that actually said "abundant" before. She said she can't be sure right now what kind of fungus or if it's environmental or not, but she told us to stop using the gel and to get some cream that's either for yeast infections or athelete's foot and start using that until she gets the official, specific results. I had my boyfriend go out and get BOTH types of cream. They're for the same thing (jock itch/athelete's foot) with just a different active ingredient.

But now I'm kind of worried because A.) I have NO idea where my dog would've gotten ringworm from because she is NOT exposed to other dogs nor have any humans had it that she has come in contact with B.) if it's not ringworm, what could it be? It's obviously a fungus of sorts but where would she have gotten it?? She mainly an inside dog as we don't have a fenced in yard and she really only goes out when I take her out on a leash.

UGH.

jessies_mom

Posted : 10/24/2006 8:59:58 PM

Good for you for asking for a culture. Here's a link about ringworm and dogs; [linkhttp://www.sniksnak.com/doghealth/ringworm.html]http://www.sniksnak.com/doghealth/ringworm.html[/link]

According to the link, it has an incubation period of 10 to 12 days and since she's had this for awhile it's unlikely you'd remember if she had contact with another dog or cat before you noticed the places on her ears. She could also have gotten it from the soil.

cakana

Posted : 10/24/2006 9:25:55 PM

I wouldn't worry too much about where it was picked up. I've only had it once, on my ankle, and had to rack my brain to figure out where I might've picked it up. It turned out that we'd had to have our lab, Jake, put to sleep due to nasal cancer. When we did, I was on the ground on the floor of the exam room in clinic with him and I had shorts and sandals on. I have no doubt I picked it up then. The Dr. who saw me said he was exposed to it all the time but had never been infected. It just takes the right circumstances with the right environment.

sandra_slayton

Posted : 10/24/2006 11:01:18 PM

I hope her ears heal up real fast and that none of you get it. I rmember a girl a few grades below me had to have her head shaved as she had several ringworms on her head. Wore on of those knit caps for weeks til her hair grew out some.

calliecritturs

Posted : 10/24/2006 11:45:17 PM

Becca you'll never know. Fungal is EVERYWHERE. That's one of the many skin things I fight constantly -- it matters not what "kind" -- just know it's everywhere and on everything. Every tree, every fence, every sidewalk -- most any surface -- anywhere there is moisture.

I tell ya -- you NEVER see demodex on the tips of the ears. You just plain dont'. They can scrape til the cows come home -- won't find it!! BUT you see nekkid tips of ears, or tip of tail or tips of back toes and you got FUNGUS amongus!! Maybe not classic ringworm but fungal of some sort.

please please please -- try the essential oils. Tea tree is probably the best (and she's not gonna lick the tips of her ears). Oil or oregano is darned good --and you can dilute it with olive oil if it's too intense.

You might even try giving her grapefruit seed extract orally (1 twice a day for 2-3 weeks) and see if it helps break the cycle. OR start with oil of oregano capsules WITH FOOD once a day (just one cap once a day is enough -- and *with* food) and she may have pizza breath. But it's a powerful anti-fungal. Rotate back and forth two weeks of one and then two weeks of the other -- back and forth a couple of times and see if it doesn't help.

You can even use Monistat 7 topically twice a day -- it's a good antifungal and soothing.

But all anti-fungals are NOT the same -- because different fungi respond to different things. So try many things and there are a LOT of essential oils that are good anti-fungals (lavendar too) used topically. And I think I mentioned to use thuja oil (rub it on) once a day -- it's not an anti-fungal but it will help the skin to return to normal.

chewbecca

Posted : 10/25/2006 5:33:48 AM

thanks, guys!

Should I go ahead and keep her bedding washed, then?
I don't know that I think it's ringworm, and I hope what ever fungus it is will NOT be contagious like ringworm.
I just hope that the vet actually gets results back stating what specific type of fungus it is.

Callie,
Where again can I get all of these oils and stuff?
And you SWEAR that they're safe to use with the anti-fungus cream the vet has me using?
And you SWEAR tea tree oil is not toxic enough to my dog that even if she scrapes her ears with her paws and then licks her paws, it won't make her sick?
Is there anyway you could email me the exact oils with maybe a link to where I can order them or a store where I can buy them, and not just a dosage amount but a unit/mg amount of the oil/pills?
Thanks, Callie!
You're the BEST.[

]

jennie_c_d

Posted : 10/25/2006 12:08:09 PM

And.... switch her oil from fish oil to coconut oil. Make sure it's RAW, cold pressed coconut oil. Herbs of Light is my favorite brand. It's expensive, but worth it. You can get it at a health food store, when you're out getting your essential oils

Coconut oil contains a compound called caprylic acid, and that stuff kills fungus. It's great stuff. I had something funky on the top of my foot (dogs sit on my feet ALL THE TIME!), so I mixed coconut oil and tea tree oil. One week later, it was gone.

chewbecca

Posted : 10/25/2006 1:14:18 PM

ORIGINAL: jennie_c_d

And.... switch her oil from fish oil to coconut oil. Make sure it's RAW, cold pressed coconut oil. Herbs of Light is my favorite brand. It's expensive, but worth it. You can get it at a health food store, when you're out getting your essential oils

Coconut oil contains a compound called caprylic acid, and that stuff kills fungus. It's great stuff. I had something funky on the top of my foot (dogs sit on my feet ALL THE TIME!), so I mixed coconut oil and tea tree oil. One week later, it was gone.

Why do I have to take her off fish oil? Could I give her both or would that be too much oil? And she would actually consume the coconut oil? I wouldn't just be putting the coconut oil on her ears?

thanks, jennie!

jennie_c_d

Posted : 10/25/2006 1:22:49 PM

You could use fish and coconut, but just watch how much fat you give her. It could make her tummy sick.

You can use the coconut oil internally, and externally. It's fantastic stuff.

chewbecca

Posted : 10/25/2006 1:25:46 PM

ORIGINAL: jennie_c_d

You could use fish and coconut, but just watch how much fat you give her. It could make her tummy sick.

You can use the coconut oil internally, and externally. It's fantastic stuff.

How do you know how much to dose, though?
Does it having doggy dosing instructions on the bottle?

jennie_c_d

Posted : 10/25/2006 1:32:27 PM

No, it won't have dosing instructions. I just give about as much as I give of fish oil. I rotate oils. Emma gets a tablespoon of oil a day, which is probably close to what Ella gets. Teenie gets a teaspoon.

jjsmom06

Posted : 10/25/2006 6:25:36 PM

Rebecca...I just saw this thread....poor Ella Fitzgerald.[&o]

I feel bad she is going through this but happy that you are at least FINALLY getting a few answers.
Let us know when the full results are in![

]

chewbecca

Posted : 10/25/2006 7:03:53 PM

ORIGINAL: jjsmom06

Rebecca...I just saw this thread....poor Ella Fitzgerald.[&o]

I feel bad she is going through this but happy that you are at least FINALLY getting a few answers.
Let us know when the full results are in![]

Aw! Thank you!
I've noticed that since we started the anit-jock itch cream last night she's been shaking her ears more. She wasn't shaking them before.
GRRRRR.
See, I had no problem with this until it started bothering her. When it starts bothering her, it ups on my bother scale to an intolerable point. I probably won't be making it to the store to get her the oils until Friday.
I washed her bedding today so it's all fresh and clean.
I use baby laundry detergent for her stuff and no smell good fabric softner.

I will DEFINITELY be keeping you all informed on what's going on.