Can you catch valley fever from a dog

The titer is helpful in diagnosing Valley Fever in sick dogs, but other tests are usually needed to confirm the diagnosis.

Some dogs will remain Valley Fever positive with a low titer for life. In most cases, a dog ill enough from Valley Fever to be seen by a veterinarian will require treatment with antifungal medication. Oral antifungal medication in the form of twice daily pills or capsules is the usual treatment for Valley Fever. An individual dog may have a bad liver reaction to any of these drugs, but most tolerate them well.

Currently, this is the most widely prescribed oral Valley Fever medication in use by veterinarians in southern Arizona. In laboratory studies, itraconazole is a more potent drug against Valley Fever than fluconazole but has some drawbacks compared to fluconazole in the clinical setting.

The capsular form of this drug is specially formulated on dextran beads to aid in solubility, and hence absorption. Make sure your itraconazole capsules have little beads inside them and not a powder. Itraconazole capsules should be administered with food. Sporanox also comes in a liquid formulation. This is not available in a generic form at the time of this writing.

Liquid Sporanox may be a good choice for cats or for small dogs. Unlike the capsules, liquid Sporanox is better absorbed on an empty stomach. The first oral Valley Fever drug available and is still in use, almost exclusively as a generic drug.

This drug must be administered intravenously in the hospital and has the serious drawback of toxicity to the kidneys. Newer lipid-based formulations of amphotericin B brand names: Abelcet, Ambisome have a much lower likelihood of damaging the kidneys and are mainly used in dogs that are either very ill with Valley Fever or are not recovering on oral medication.

Voriconazole has absorption and treatment characteristics similar to fluconazole, but is more potent in laboratory studies. Posaconazole is a liquid drug that is more potent than itraconazole with similar chemical characteristics.

It is easy to administer to smaller dogs and cats. Both drugs are more expensive than itraconazole and fluconazole, though voriconazole is now available as a generic drug at a cost savings over the brand name product. These drugs would mainly be used for cases that have failed fluconazole and itraconazole due to their increased potency.

Added to one of the common Valley Fever medications, may improve the response to treatment for dogs that are not getting well on their medication. There are no actual studies of this drug in dogs, but in the laboratory it can kill Valley Fever fungus growing in culture, and dogs are able to absorb the drug with good blood levels. Observations suggest about half of dogs that are responding inadequately to a single drug will improve with the addition of terbinafine.

Side effects are low but could include increases in liver enzymes and intestinal upset. Other treatments for Valley Fever are mainly directed at supportive care: making your dog feel better while the antifungal medication starts to heal the infection.

These patients need extra nutritional care, such as hand-feeding highly palatable food e. Treatment choices vary by the individual veterinarian and patient. If one medication is unsuccessful, another will often be tried. For disease of the brain and spinal cord, fluconazole Diflucan is the drug of choice.

Fluconazole also penetrates tissues of the eye and should be employed in ocular cases. Should you feel that your dog is not responding or may have side effects to the medicine, you should first discuss your concerns with your veterinarian. The only prevention available is never visiting or stopping or breathing the air of Southern Arizona.

If you live, visit or breathe in Southern Arizona, you have most likely been exposed to Valley Fever! There is no vaccine and no way to prevent your pet from getting Valley Fever. Valley Fever is a fungus that lives in our soil and gets picked up by the wind or construction and is disseminated like pollen. Due to this there is simply no way of escaping the spore.

Work on a vaccine has been going on for some time; but, due to the limited pool of pets and people exposed to Valley Fever and the prohibitive costs of vaccine production, it is unlikely that we will see one anytime soon. Valley Fever is NOT contagious! It is spread through the air to enter our bodies, but once we have it we cannot pass it on in any way. Valley Fever can be treated, and in most cases treatment is effective.

Treatment can be prolonged due to the fact that Valley Fever is a fungal disease which is harder to beat than bacterial diseases. The most common way to test for Valley Fever is with a titer—a test that measures the level of antibodies against Coccidiodes within a blood sample. In other words, a titer test determines whether or not a dog has been exposed to Coccidiodes. Additional types of tests are available and can be used to help diagnose complicated cases.

Commonly used medications include fluconazole , itraconazole , and ketoconazole. Valley Fever requires long-term treatment. Dogs are typically given anti-fungal medications for at least six months to a year, but some may need extended or even life-long treatment to prevent relapses.

More than 90 percent of dogs that are treated for Valley Fever will survive, according to The University of Arizona. Dogs with symptoms involving several parts of the body particularly the brain or that do not respond well to anti-fungal medication have a worse prognosis. Unfortunately, relapses are common even with appropriate treatment, so it is very important to monitor dogs closely. In general, dogs that relapse respond well again to treatment but may need to stay on an antifungal medication for the rest of their lives.

Do what you can to reduce his exposure to soils and airborne dust. For example, keep your dog indoors as much as is practical and leash walk him on paved sidewalks. The earlier you catch this disease, the shorter treatment will typically have to last. Always be aware that your dog needs constant care alongside constant love and attention. To ensure your dog is living a happy and healthy life, always be on guard for signs of a pet emergency like Valley Fever.

To help prepare you for situations like canine Valley Fever, keep an open dialogue with your veterinarian about risks and important symptoms to watch for. Dogs have a special connection with humans, and it is our duty to love and safeguard our furry best friends.