Desert Dangers: Valley Fever

by Linnea on 11/10/12

There's a hidden danger lurking the dirt/sand of southern Arizona.. the nickname for it is Valley Fever, but it's real name is Coccidioidomycosis - which doesn't exactly roll off the tongue.   Valley Fever (VF) is a fungal infection caused by the spores of Coccidioides immitis.  It is specific to the southwest, with the highest number of occurences in southern Arizona - lucky us!  It is not species specific, but luckily it is also not contagious - you cannot get it from anyone and cannot be passed between pets.

So this fungus hangs out in the ground and dogs can theoretically become infected quite easily since their noses are always to the ground smelling, and digging little holes here and there.  With our windy days and dust storms, the spores are carried up into the air making it even easier to inhale the spores.

So what does VF do?  Well, in most cases pets are asymptomatic and their immune systems are able to fight it off.  Most often, spores are inhaled so the most frequent symptom is coughing as the fungus starts to live in the lungs.  If the fungus has a chance to spread, it goes into the bones (below pic) causing limping.  In rare causes, the spores enter through a wound and will cause a skin infection.  Once infected and symptomatic, the infection will only get worse and worse, so it is imperative that it gets treated right away.

What does treatment entail?  Fluconazole ... months and months of fluconazole.  Vets will perform a titer test, which tells you just how severe the infection is.  Titer's should be repeated at least every 3 months to monitor the progression.  A good vet will highly recommend monitoring bloodwork to keep an eye on liver enzymes, as long-term use of fluconazole can damage the liver.  Now ... there are supplements that can help boost the immune system and speed up recovery.  My former vet hospital really recommended supplements and I've seen how much of an improvement they can make in recovery time.  If your pet has VF, talk to your vet about what sorts of supplements can help.  In case you're wondering, the supplements we used were: Immune Assist , Pet Antioxidant Formula , Cell Support, 

How can you prevent VF?  You can't really.  When I moved to AZ three years ago, a tech told me it's almost guaranteed my dogs would get VF.  All you can do is to keep them inside as much as possible during really windy days, discourage digging in the ground, and to do your very best to maintain healthy immune systems.  I remember a dog who went into liver failure just because of being on the medication and unfortunately, fluconazole is the only anti-fungal that really has a chance of getting rid of VF.  I met a lady, a nurse actually, who had gotten VF herself and it knocked her down so much she was unable to work for 9 months. 

If you want to read up and familiarize yourself with VF, the UofA actually has a Valley Fever Center for Excellence.  Here is their webpage for VF in dogs.  There is even an annual walk in Tucson to raise money and awareness for the disease.  Please learn about the symptoms and contact your vet if you think your pet has symptoms.