Valley Fever - Page 2

I corrected the post and put it in the link above. So sorry.

Thanks Hexe, I couldn't remember the name and if was a virus, bacteria or mold.  I just remembered that some people died and it had to do with dust and rodents. 

Yeah, I'm with you, think I'll stay in the NE with the cold, snowy winter and steamy hot summer!

We are in California , and its not just construction that will stir up this Valley fever .. Farming does too.

We sold a puppy to a family in AZ , they sent us love letter and pictures of him growing and keep in touch - then one day they called and where rushing him to the Vet as he was glassy eyed and walking sideways down the hall leaning on the wall. It turned out to be VF and it was because the neighbor was installing an in-ground pool and the dog was exposed to the dust during the construction.

A good friend of mine has gotten Valley fever, she has cancers that keep coming back which make her more susceptible.

Another friend had a baby horse get really sick and she looked like she had wobbler's, we drove up to U.C Davis.. the horse died and was necropsy-ed and was found to have the VF .

I have had a cough myself so bad that I need inhalers ever sense a wind storm last April.. I have been tested but they don't think its VF ..  I have tried months of herbals/Antibiotics but I think my other food intake... *cough* ( coffee/sugar) is keeping me suppressed. It seems to be getting better, but if it is VF it will just stay .

One bad thing about it is that it can also settle in bone, or organs and on an X ray it can look like cancer .. it takes a biopsy to find out what it is. Some people may want to put a dog down that is showing signs of suffering and if it looks like cancer of the bones.. but it may actualy be a fungal infection and it may be causing nerological/toxcicity issues.

Okie :)

Wow, thank you everyone for the feedback - Thanks for adding the link 1dog & Hans/Prager I was waiting for your input as that is your territorry.  Scary stuff and the medication is not cheap.  I'll update what goes on with my moms dog Ted for better or for worse.

I worked in the Pulmonary/Shock Intensive Care Unit of Sunrise Hospital in Las Vegas, Nevada in the early '90s when Hantavirus was around. It was very scary & we had some very sick patients...mostly campers, hikers, & tourists....& a couple folks from the local rez.....! There was a lot of new construction in the southwest, throwing dust & spores everywhere. I was sick as well, although I never got a definitive diagnosis. Valley Fever was in everyone's differential diagnosis. I never knew that dogs were susceptible as well. When we lived there, we only had a little cat, my mom, who lived with us then, was not a dog person. Hope the little dog is OK! jackie harris

If the dog limps, coughs, or has shadows on bones or lungs in x rays, has selective appetite, and visited area between Tx and Ca, Always suspect velley fever and run test. I run many tests and 9 out of 10 are negative. But if you miss it you will pay dearly.
Prager Hans
Http://www.alpinek9.com

Hexe- I don't know where you live but there are fungal issues outside of AZ as well.

"Blastomyces dermatididis is a fungal organism that lives in sandy, acidic soil in close proximity to water. Most competing soil organisms will kill off the blastomycosis spores unless the conditions are nearly perfect for the fungus to survive. This explains why blastomycosis is often found in small pockets instead of being widespread. The proximity to water appears to be very important. A study in Wisconsin showed that 95% of the infected dogs lived within 400 yards of a body of water.

Blastomycosis has a well-defined endemic area where it is found. The area includes the Mississippi, Missouri, and Ohio River valleys, the Mid-Atlantic States and parts of Quebec, Manitoba, and Ontario. It is believed that the range of blastomycosis continues to grow."

there were many deaths of dogs in N IL at a dog park due to Blasto.

sad news

from my mom:

"Little Ted...Chicken Tedders is no longer with us...my heart hurts, my brain aches, my whole body is exhausted...I carried him up and down the stairs for days...now he is floating on a cloud of silly memories...looking for all our best friends...where ever they are...All dogs go to heaven...sounds right to me...In Memory of Teddy 4/4/02-3/03/10"

So sorry to hear this. Fungal infections can be devastating in humans and animals. Most of us are not harmed, but some cannot fight such infections and are overwhelmed. My condolences to your mother. We all know how she feels at this time.

I have an 8 year old retriever mix who was recently diagnosed with Valley Fever by the vet, but I have my doubts.

A brief history. Generally healthy, overweight dog who is not exposed to other dogs who abruptly 1 day became sick with symptoms of cough/dry heaving, decreased appetite/not eating at all, laying around all day, labored breathing.

We thought it was kennel cough and gave her 10 days of Amoxicillin w/o benefit.

Took her to the vet 1 wk ago who thought history sounded like Valley Fever, gave her fluids, drew blood work, started Fluconazole for Valley Fever and broad spectrum antibiotics to cover for bacterial infection -> Augmentin and Cipro. Labwork showed elevated white count, elevated immune globulin, nml hemoglobin/hematocrit, low TSH, low albumin. Cocci titers showed negative IgM and weakly positive (1:4) IgG.

Overall, dog is not getting any better after 3 total wks of illness, and 1 wk into Fluconazole and antibiotic treatment and continues to cough/shortness of breath, only eats literally few pieces of dog food when given by hand, sleeps all day. I got fluids from vet and have been giving subcutaneously 1 L each day x 2 days now.

I have a feeling that Valley Fever is a misdiagnosis, but vet says has seen Valley Fever even with negative titers. Also says chest xray may not show much since Valley Fever could look like other diseases like cancer, and we are already treating for pneumonia.

Any ideas on what could be going and what I should do next?

Thanks in advance!