To say I am devastated is the understatement of the millennium. We were at
the UVHosp last July and we saw the specialist dermatologist who diagnosed
immune mediated vasculitis - treatment plan was a long course of antibiotics
and prednisolone. The pred has been on and off since.When we saw the
dermatologist it was 4 months after a cruciate repair on both legs. They
were not healing properly. The op had to be repeated, again on both legs.
This was also unsuccessful,apparently due to the high dose of pred he was
taking daily.

I am LIVID that the derm, knowing my dogs history and all the clinical
signs, did not consider the possibility of Leishmaniasis and did not test
for it. I understand that his symptoms are many, but after doing my own
research, quite frankly there is nothing else it could possibly have been.

Fast forward to two months ago -poor dogs knees creak very loudly, he is in
pain, can hardly walk still on pred so I can't give him metacam, one leg is
constantly held up, just a bloody nightmare. I had to wait for an
appointment for the Uni and went last Monday where I saw the ortho vet -he
took x-rays and the knees are totally shot -bone on bone. Massive swelling
around the joints. He aspirated some of the fluid and said he was testing
for infection with a view to *flushing * the joints, said it would ease his
pain a little. I was given Atopica and Tramadol for pain.

The following night he called me and gave me the diagnosis. Back up there
the next day for more x-rays, skin biopsies, fluid from the rest of his
joints need to be tested. He said that he had never come across a case of it
before.It is the cause of each and every one of his problems. Poly
arthritis, skin lesions, muscle wasting at the temples, nosebleeds,
everything.

I am honestly in total shock -I can hardly BELIEVE that this poor dog has
been suffering for nearly TWO YEARS and it was all due to a bite from a sand
fly. Even worse, that it was not picked up on by anyone until now. I spoke
to the vet again today and I now have to wait as it is the first documented
case of it here in Ireland(only one other, but post mortem -it was
therefore untreated) and they have to obtain a special license in order to
import the drugs he needs. I am so anxious it is unbearable.

The treatment plan is daily injections of a drug called Glucantime for 40
days(which more than likely I will have to administer) with combined
Allopurinol tablets, probably for life . This will improve his clinical
symptoms but the poly arthritis is obviously irreversible and his knees are
screwed

I know it is HIGHLY unlikely, but does anyone have any experience of this??
I only know that it is endemic in only certain parts of the U.S and I cannot
find anyone else to talk to about it