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Valley Fever and Your Pets

June 26, 2008 | By Kelley Koehler | Filed Under About Tucson 

I’ve written about this before, but my friend’s dog died a few days ago from Valley Fever, and I thought it might be time for another mention.

Valley Fever is a fungus that is in the dirt in this area, and the fungal infection is contracted by inhaling the spores.  As dogs are wont to snuffle and dig, they are at risk for Valley Fever.

People get it too.  For most, it might feel like a mild cold, and you’ll never know the difference.  I don’t have any fact to back this up, but locals say that if you’ve been living here for a couple years, you’ve probably had it and not known.

In your pet, it can cause anything from a mild respiratory inflammation to seizures, lameness, and occasionally death.  The most common early symptoms are coughing, fever, weight loss, and loss of energy and appetite.  If the infection has spread outside the lungs, symptoms can also include lameness, back or neck pain, and seizures. 

The good news is that a large portion of dogs that have Valley Fever can control the infection and will never develop symptoms.

Testing for Valley Fever is usually done with a blood test – there’s an excellent description of the disease, the testing and titers, and treatment at the Valley Fever Center for Excellence at the U of A.

Treatment is usually made with anti-fungal medicine, which I can tell you is quite expensive, and the courses can last months, if not a year or more.  My brown pup was on Ketoconazole for about 14 months, and his titer – which started at a level higher than the lab was able to determine – never dropped under 1:16.

 

Rest in peace, Nico.  You will be missed.

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