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Diagnose Cairo? I am stumped…

Basenji Health Issues & Questions
  • Well, after aquiring $7k worth of bills from Beta's illness and passing I have learned a few things about vets.

    I went to Banfield where Cairo is on the Wellness Plan for his puppy stuff for a year. That means any visits are free.

    I showed the vet the new spot, the old spots and she said that without a puss filled head on one she couldnt be sure of anything. Keep in mind that Cairo has only one spot showing. Everything else is tiny and eraser head bald spots arent really impressive on a brindle coat.

    So, she wanted to scrape for mites under the skin to test for mange which is common. Also wanted to do a test for ringworm as well.

    I have learned the hard way that this means, "I dont know" and "lets try this". So I got a price on the testing and prices on the meds if the tests are positive.

    Needless to say, I skipped the tests and took both meds. So I have a spray for fungus (ringworm) and antibiotics for mange. I am using both and we will see if it goes away or not. If not, then we will move a head with the testing.

    Spent $46 and $6 on a new stuffed toy for the little man.

    We shall see how that does for now.

  • Ringworm is treated with topical Lamisil or generic. In humans, a nurse-practioner friend told me is a fungal yeast type of infection and not a worm at all. Sorry if that is a repeat of any prior post…

  • Hope Cairo Feels better soon!

  • At least he got himself a NEW TOY out of the ordeal. :D

  • Mites can be looked at immediately under a scope as soon as the scraping is done, how much could that cost? I think I would have had the scraping done? Why would you want to put stuff on them that they don't need? While I can understand your problem after Beta… but Vets don't know everything.. and I would rather have a "I don't know" then to lead you down a path.... also for skin, IMO a specialist would have been better

  • @Mantis:

    I have learned the hard way that this means, "I dont know" and "lets try this". So I got a price on the testing and prices on the meds if the tests are positive.

    Needless to say, I skipped the tests and took both meds. So I have a spray for fungus (ringworm) and antibiotics for mange. I am using both and we will see if it goes away or not. If not, then we will move a head with the testing.

    Spent $46 and $6 on a new stuffed toy for the little man.

    We shall see how that does for now.

    Yes–they really can't get a definitive diagnosis without doing a scraping. If they did the scraping and found mites, they would treat for that. If they don't find mites, then they need to culture for ringworm. That is pretty standard. Skin problems can be difficult to diagnose. Then there's always the possibility that allergies could be involved if it's not mites/ringworm. Per someone's previous post, I would get some antifungal cream at the drugstore, too. What is the spray she gave you? Hope little Cairo's skin clears up soon.

  • Well, Cairo has finished his fungus spray and has 1 more week of antibiotics to go. His coat looks great so far, and I havent seen any new bumps. Wish him luck!

  • fingers crossed

  • Good luck, Cairo! Keep us posted. What was the name of the fungus spray you used?

  • Well it has been 4 weeks since the meds and look what popped up yesterday

    Cairo has a vet appt today at 6pm so we will begin testing.

  • @Mantis:

    Well it has been 4 weeks since the meds and look what popped up yesterday

    Cairo has a vet appt today at 6pm so we will begin testing.

    This is kind of what I went through with Tyler and Zoey–they were on antibiotics and sprays and when they kept getting more sores and bald patches, they did more tests, and came back with ringworm.....They have only improved since being on the antifungal pills and have almost normal skin now. The dose has been reduced; but because their case covered such large areas on their bodies, they had to be on the pills quite a while. Keep us posted.

  • what was the name of the antifungal pills?

  • There are different drugs for ringworm, but Tyler and Zoey have been on ketaconazole. Their dermatoloigst says it's relatively safe, but there can be problems. Tyler and Zoey have been doing fine; and in a few days, they will only be taking it once every other day instead of once a day.

  • The vet said last night that it is the smallest amount of dermatitis she has seen.

  • She put him on the same antibiotic for 4 weeks to see if that will be enough to get rid of it.

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