[ALERT] Dog Owners Worried As More Cases Of Blastomycosis In Fox Valley Emerge

If you’re in fox Valley, what you need to know is that Blastomycosis has a high mortality rate and dogs can die from it. Here’s more.

Two confirmed cases of blastomycosis have emerged at the Outagamie County. Blastomycosis is a type of fungus that can be extremely dangerous for dogs. Dog owner Nancy Kurr was quoted saying, “We have young dogs and just for their health the vet recommends that they get exercise daily. We have a beagle and she tracks all over the place.” The problem is that dogs often, if not always, have their nose to the ground, which increases their chances of getting the fungal infection called blastomycosis. Dogs who play near swamps or water have a higher chance of getting the fungus.

According Dr. Brian Broekman with Packerland Veterinary Center, “I do not think we should panic, it is not something we see a lot, but it is something to be aware of. The easiest thing to do, is if it is in that area, is just do not let your dog go out there. The reason why dogs get it so often is because they constantly have their nose in the ground, are drinking water. If it is in the lungs usually we see coughing, respiratory, breathing difficulty, fever. It has a high mortality rate, so dogs can die from it. If it is something that we catch early with treatment 75% – 80% of dogs do well.“

Dogs are ten times more likely to develop the infection than people because they get it by accidentally inhaling spores from the soil. Unfortunately, blastomycosis is hard to diagnose and worse, there is no treatment to prevent it. The symptoms of blastomycosis in dogs include lack of appetite, fever, depression, weight loss, coughing, eye problems, lameness, or skin problems.

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