Yellow Labrador Retrievers

[lapadat]

Here are my 2 scouting partners. 6 month old male on the left and a 2 year old female on the right

[The 'Hummer']

Nice pictures and great looking dogs Marc. A couple of years ago I got my first Yellow Lab from a breeder in the Duncan. By the time I got to look at the batch of pups, she was the only one left, so it made choice a lot easier. Back about September I put in a post concerning her bout with Cryptococcus, and that story isn't finished yet. Even though she now appears to be the picture of health, a recent blood test the indicates her body is still fighting the initial fungal infection. So, after the holiday season, we'll start her back on the meds and hopefully she'll tolerate their effects better than the first time.

Well,update and a long story short, a number of further medicine attempts to try and 'cure' my dogs bout with Cryptococcus have not been very successful. Within a matter of days of starting on the various meds, the appetite drops off almost to the point of requiring force feeding. In addition, what she does get down, in a lot of cases doesn't stay down. Any follow up attempts at administering the meds, the result has been the same. In a discussion with the vet, one of my questions was, how many dogs that have been diagnosed with Cryptococcus, and have tolerated the meds, are now deemed curred. It doesn't sound as though any have. As a result, and taking into consideration how hard the treatment has been on her, I've had to come to a very difficult decision. I've taken her off the meds and hopefully I don't come to regret it down the line. There's not much I wouldn't do for that little blond dog, but subjecting her to the meds is painful. I just can't keep doing that to her. Within a couple of days of being off medication, she perks right back up to the eating and activity level of a typical two year old + Lab. So, bottem line, I'll feed her well, give her lots of exercise and attention, and then keep my fingers crossed. I guess in a nut shell I've opted for quality of life.