It appears the valley fever outbreak now affecting Tucson humans may be attacking our canine friends as well, say area veterinarians.
"I've been swamped since the beginning of November," said Dr. Lisa Shubitz, a University of Arizona research veterinarian and a top expert in valley fever in dogs, a species especially susceptible to this disease.
"What I'm seeing are much more severe cases — dogs with insidious complications that are not responding to medications. I just can't seem to make them well.
"It's quite different from last year, when we had mostly the simpler, run-of-the-mill cases."
It's impossible to know for certain how badly dogs are affected, Shubitz stressed, because their cases are not officially reported.
"But I talk to a lot of veterinarians, and most say they are not seeing the fall-off in cases that usually happens during the winter, because it's been so dry and warm."
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However, the increase may not be as dramatic in dogs as it is in humans, said Dr. Kipp Metzger, veterinarian at Animal Health Hospital on the city's East Side.
"My numbers are up slightly, but it's not a boom," he said. "I think that's because dogs all along have serious experience with this disease. They've always got their noses in the dirt — they sniff in tons of dust, so they're getting it anyway, regardless of the conditions. That makes them always vulnerable to it."
What Metzger does see are spikes among dogs who live and roam near areas under construction — where soil, and the valley fever spores in it, is churned up constantly.
"When a dog comes in with valley fever, it's very common for the owner to say, 'Oh, my back yard is being landscaped,' or, 'A new subdivision is going in next door,' " he said.
"It's very hard to protect dogs from this disease. But I always warn people not to walk their dogs in construction areas, in disturbed area. That's the single best thing we can do."
● Early symptoms include a dry, harsh cough, fever, depression, lack of appetite.
● If the infection spreads, limping is the most common symptom, also loss of appetite, lethargy, persistent fever, weight loss, and sometimes seizures.
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