Duke's Blastomycosis Vet Care

Hello! My name is Jenny and I am hoping to raise funds to help Duke Strickfaden fight Blastomycosis. Pastor Tyler, his wife Stacie, and their children, Titus, Talulah, and Caden were faced with the heartbreaking news that their beloved Golden Retriever, Duke, has contracted Blastomycosis. Duke is only 2 years old. This infection has already left him blind and lame in his front leg. The vet bills are insurmountable. It could take another several months to a year until he is completely healed from this. We do not know how many surgeries will be required to help Duke. Everyday, Duke faces new challenges.

Before this devastating illness, Duke never had a sick day in his life. He was a happy boy, loved running after his human kids, long walks with mom 5x a week and finding the biggest sticks he can find! Duke especially enjoyed playing tug of war first thing in the morning with Dad and loved running after bunnies and squirrels.

According to the family, about a month ago:

-One day started showing signs of a cough (like something caught in his throat). Eventually went away.

-A few days later woke up with what looked like an infected eye. took him to the vet who ran a few tests and he was treated with a steroid and antibiotic assuming it was a bacterial infection.

-days later both eyes became cloudy and blue. Took him back to the vet where they ran tests for dry eye and any scratches on the eye which both came back normal. A new antibiotic was given for his eyes assuming the last antibiotic wasn't working.

-A day later he was rushed back to the vet because Duke could not bear weight on his back legs. Blood and tick related disease tests were run.

-The following day Duke was lame and had to be carried and eyes were even worse. We rushed him to the E.R.

-ER ran a complete blood count, chemistry panel, urinalysis, chest x rays, abdominal and eyes were examined. chest Xray showed some opacity in the right lung that Dr. noted it could be blastomycosis fungus or cancer. She wanted to test for Blastomycosis since Blastomycosis can present itself in the eyes quickly and blind the dog very quickly. Also, blastomycosis can present itself in the bones and one of the symptoms is lameness. During exam, Dr noted decreased vision in both eyes with right eye showing worse than the left.

-Woke up and Duke now appeared completely blind, not able to walk and bump into walls, furniture. Made another trip to the E.R the following day to meet with ER Optometrist who confirmed Duke is completely blind.

Duke is now being treated for a disease called blastomycosis with 7 different medications. Blastomycosis is a costly disease and can take at least 4-6 months to treat sometimes lasting a year to completely eradicate the disease from the body. Dogs need to be monitored regularly with routine blood work and exams and sometimes require continued hospital stays due to needing oxygen or other help while the anti-fungal treatments continue to work and the fungus is dying off.

What is blastomycosis?

Blastomycosis is a fungal disease caused by Blastomyces dermatitidis. This fungus most commonly infects humans and animals through the respiratory tract. When the fungal spores are inhaled, they settle in the small airways and begin to reproduce. The organism then spreads throughout the body and may infect other organs.

What are the signs of blastomycosis?

The blastomycosis fungus seems to target the respiratory tract, although it may spread throughout the entire body. Pulmonary disease is the most common occurrence. Fever, depression, weight loss, and loss of appetite are also common clinical signs. Draining skin lesions are seen in many cases. Infection of the eyes may cause sudden blindness. Lameness, orchitis (testicular inflammation), seizures, coughing, enlarged lymph nodes, and a variety of other signs may occur with blastomycosis.

Can the disease be treated?

Yes, although not all pets will survive. Fortunately, newer anti-fungal agents such as fluconazole and itraconazole are well-tolerated by most dogs and have relatively few side effects compared to the agents being used several years ago. Itraconazole is the preferred drug of treatment for most dogs. Dogs may require several months (at least four to six months in most cases) of therapy to successfully treat this disease. Amphotericin B (Abelcet®), ketoconazole, or a combination of medications may be used in certain cases.

The Strickfaden family have helped me in so many ways. They give of their time, prayer, and love to everyone they encounter. The news has been devastating and the financial burden is more than any family could bear. I am hoping to reach as many people as possible who might feel led to help this family. Any amount will make a difference. If you are not able to help financially, please raise this family up in prayer. Thank you for taking the time to read Duke's story. He is such an amazing dog. This is just absolutely heartbreaking.