Dogs who live in the desert regions of the Southwest United States primarily contract canine valley fever. These states include Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and the central deserts of California. It is usually not a life-threatening disease, but does require extensive treatment.
Cause
Canine valley fever is caused by fungus that lives in desert soil. When the soil is disturbed, your dog may inhale the spores. Usually the dog’s immune system will be able to kill the infection. However, if the immune system fails to act quickly enough, the infection will spread to the lungs and throughout the body and result in canine valley fever.
Symptoms
The infection that causes canine valley fever can infect any tissue of the body, but the lungs are the most commit site. When the infection occurs in the lungs, your dog will show symptoms such as coughing, fever, weight loss, and lack of energy. He can also develop a severe pneumonia as the infection progresses.
If canine valley fever spreads to other parts of the body, the disease will worsen. This will lead to symptoms like swelling of the limbs, neck or back pain, seizures, and swollen lymph nodes. Your dog may also have skin ulcerations and inflammation of the eyes.
Treatment
Treatment of canine valley fever requires anti-fungal medication taken over a period of six to 12 months. If the disease has spread to the bones, skin, or internal organs, treatment may take much longer. Some dogs may require lifetime treatment with anti-fungal medication to keep the symptoms from returning. In addition to anti-fungal medication, the veterinarian may also prescribe cough suppressants and pain relievers to help your dog deal with the symptoms of canine valley fever.
Prognosis
Most dogs will successfully recover from canine valley fever when given the proper medication. Many will resume normal behavior after the first week of treatment, but will still need to continue taking the medications. Antibody tests will be given periodically to determine when medication can be discontinued. Although most dogs recover, a few dogs will die of canine valley fever despite being given the anti-fungal medications. Young puppies, older dogs, and dogs with a weakened immune system are at higher risk for developing a serious case of the disease.