# Surprising diagnosis



## Megan Berry (Jul 19, 2010)

My 7 month old Malinois female started limping slightly on her back leg about a month ago, following a training session. I called a vet friend in Florida, he said she probably pulled a muscle or something, so no biggie, just take it easy for a few days, and give her a baby asprin. 

Well she seems to think her only two methods of movement are running or leaping like an idiot, so within 3 days, she was almost completely tip-toeing that leg; I figured from over-doing it. 

I called the vet friend, and he said start loading her up on glucosamine supplements, and keep her off of it so it can heal. Should start seeing improvement in about a week.

Schedules got hectic, trainings got cancelled, moved, missed, rescheduled, etc. (crazy month for the whole club). So 3 weeks later, no improvement, time to take her in to the vet for x-rays. 

So, I'm expecting a diagnosis of a sprain that she won't let heal, an ACL tear, or even a fracture. The vet feels around and says her knee movement feels normal, so she doesn't think it's the ACL, but she wants to X-Ray to be sure. She comes back with a diagnosis of VALLEY FEVER????

Needless to say, this is NOT what I was expecting! Apparently it has settled into her right thigh bone. The vet says if it were her brain or spine it would probably be best to ha e her PTS, and if it were in her joints she might never work, but in her bone it should heal. But she will have to be medicated for a year or so.

Does anyone have any experience with VF? Any feedback? Advice?

Thanks!


----------



## Laura Bollschweiler (Apr 25, 2008)

Certainly not an expert on Valley Fever or a vet. But curious...did the vet do any bloodwork at all? X-ray her lungs?

I thought Valley Fever was breathed in, and spores end up in the lungs. I thought rarely they'd go elsewhere in the body. But wouldn't you see some change in the lungs if the vet thinks it ended up in the leg bone? Can't she look for some kind of antibodies in the blood to make sure that's what's she's seeing in the bone?

Does she want to put her on the ultra-expensive medication for VF?

I had a friend whose Mal got VF years and years ago so this is my basis of knowledge so I've probably forgotten most of it.

Good luck. 

Laura


----------



## Megan Berry (Jul 19, 2010)

Yes, she did take blood. She said she's confident the results will be positive, and she sent me home with some starter meds, we will get the results back Monday. 

Unfortunately, it looks like it will be the more expensive meds, running $1+ per pill, though I've heard they're cheaper in Mexico.


----------



## Maren Bell Jones (Jun 7, 2006)

Sorry to hear about the diagnosis, fungal diseases are pretty awful to treat. We don't get Coccidiodes immitis around here but we get lots of Blastomycosis. My first eye enucleation I assisted with last week was with a dog with the organisms in her lungs and one of her eyes. The drugs, which she has to be on at least 6-12 months, helped clear it from her lungs, but her eye was still a nidus of infection and had to go. A differential diagnosis for osteosarcoma is actually blasto in the bone causing osteomyelitis and the leg often needs amputation because of the invasiveness. Not as familiar with Coccidiodes, but best of luck with treatment and please keep us posted!


----------



## Don Turnipseed (Oct 8, 2006)

I have lived my whole life in the San Joaguin Valley....home of valley fever and have known many people with it and it always was lung oriented. GF, son in law was first diagnosed with lung cancer and told to get his affairs in order. Still had the same problem a year haver he was supposed to have died and got a second opinion. Second dog said the first diagnosis wasn't right because he had valley fever and after a long period with no change went to a third doctor which toled him both prior diagnosis were wron and whatm he actually had was an enlarged heart...forgot the name of that, but, was probably caused by a virus that settled in the heart. Did you get a second opinion?


----------



## Selena van Leeuwen (Mar 29, 2006)

excuse my ignorance, but what is valley fever?


----------



## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

Selena van Leeuwen said:


> excuse my ignorance, but what is valley fever?


http://www.dhpe.org/infect/valley.html


----------



## Ashley Campbell (Jun 21, 2009)

Selena van Leeuwen said:


> excuse my ignorance, but what is valley fever?


Coccidioidomycosis is a fungal infection most commonly seen in the desert regions of the southwestern United States, and in Central and South America. You get it by breathing in fungal particles from soil. The infection starts in the lungs.

IT was really common back home in AZ (probably here too) basically when we'd have dust storms they'd tell us to stay inside because of the risk of breathing that kind of crap in with the dust in the air.


----------



## Megan Berry (Jul 19, 2010)

I haven't gone to see another vet for a second opinion, but the vets office is supposed to email me a copy of the xrays on monday, when they get the blood results with the titer count. I'm going to fwd all of the info to my vet friend in FLA to get his two cents worth.

My main concern is her soundness in that leg. The vet seems to think she'll heal up fine, but most people I've spoken with that have dealt with this before have not had such good luck. They've seen early arthritis, non-workable dogs, and worse.


----------



## Maren Bell Jones (Jun 7, 2006)

Megan, if you have a way to post the radiographs, I'd be interested in seeing them. Here's another good link, btw...

http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=2652


----------



## Megan Berry (Jul 19, 2010)

Maren Bell Jones said:


> Megan, if you have a way to post the radiographs, I'd be interested in seeing them. Here's another good link, btw...
> 
> http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=2652


Thanks for the link! I've been doing a bit of research on it, but there was some different stuff mentioned in that article than I've seen in the others!

Can you PM me your email address, and I'll fwd you the radiographs when I get them? I'm using primarily my cell phone to access the internet these days, so posting pics is hard without copy-and-paste capabilities!


----------



## Sheena Tarrant (Sep 21, 2008)

Megan Berry said:


> She comes back with a diagnosis of VALLEY FEVER????
> 
> Needless to say, this is NOT what I was expecting! Apparently it has settled into her right thigh bone. The vet says if it were her brain or spine it would probably be best to ha e her PTS, and if it were in her joints she might never work, but in her bone it should heal. But she will have to be medicated for a year or so.


It's not really that unusual for a dog with Valley Fever to be brought to the vet for a limping problem. Typically, (IME) most dogs do well with treatment and recover, but the treatment is quite long. You'll know a bit more on Monday when you get the bloodwork back and see if she has a positive test and, if so, what the titer says. If it IS Valley Fever, you don't want to screw around with it, because the more you mess around the harder it is to treat in the long run, and the more expensive the drugs become.


----------



## susan tuck (Mar 28, 2006)

One of my good friends holds the teaching chair position at Moorpark Wild Animal teaching college. Oliver, a Siamang Gibbon came down with Valley Fever. It was initially diagnosed upon xray, then confirmed with blood tests. In Oliver's case it was in his joints, and caused severe degeneration, because he did not respond well to conventional treatment. 

http://www.vfce.arizona.edu/ValleyFeverInPets/VFID-symp.aspx

When the infection spreads outside the lungs, it causes disseminated disease. The most common symptom of disseminated disease in dogs is lameness; the fungus has a predilection for infecting bones of the legs in dogs. However, Valley Fever can occur in almost any organ of dogs. Signs of disseminated Valley Fever can include: 


Lameness or swelling of limbs
Back or neck pain
Seizures and other manifestations of brain swelling
Soft abscess-like swelling under the skin
Swollen lymph nodes under the chin, in front of the shoulder blades, or behind the stifles
Non-healing skin ulcerations or draining tracts that ooze fluid
Eye inflammation with pain or cloudiness
Unexpected heart failure in a young dog
Swollen testicles
*Sometimes a dog will skip any signs of having a primary infection in the lungs * and only develop symptoms of disseminated disease, such as a swollen, lame leg but no coughing or fever, or fever, weight loss, and a draining tract, but eating and not coughing.


----------



## Sheena Tarrant (Sep 21, 2008)

I'm curious - did you ever find out what was going on?


----------



## Megan Berry (Jul 19, 2010)

Just wanted to post an update on Bolide's valley fever.

She went for her 3 mo re-check, and got bloodwork done. Her dilution is down from 1/32 to 1/8, and her limp is gone! It looks like the fluconazole is working great! We have to keep up the meds, and go back for another bloodwork set in September.


----------



## Keith Kaplan (Sep 6, 2009)

I think you should take a look at the University of Arizona's website on Valley Fever in dogs: http://www.vfce.arizona.edu/ValleyFeverInPets/VFID-symp.aspx They are doing a lot of work regarding this area and I have seen them discussing it on the news quite frequently (they have a Center dedicated to VF). I know multiple people with VF and at least 3 of my coworkers dogs currently have it or have had it in the past. One coworker's dog was having seizures and they found it had spread to the brain. Most vets in AZ are well scripted in VF and diagnosing the symptoms, however, I have found that if you are not in a region that gets VF, then vets and doctors are generally not very familiar with it. It is always important to let your vet or doctor know where you have traveled so they are aware of different maladies from different locations that you may have come in contact with. 

Here is an interesting section from UA's website to note that sounds like it could be what your dog is experiencing:
When the infection spreads outside the lungs, it causes *disseminated* disease. The most common symptom of disseminated disease in dogs is lameness; the fungus has a predilection for infecting bones of the legs in dogs. However, Valley Fever can occur in almost any organ of dogs. Signs of *disseminated Valley Fever* can include:








_Valley Fever in bone
below knee of dog_


lameness or swelling of limbs
back or neck pain, with or without weakness/paralysis
seizures and other manifestations of brain swelling
soft abscess-like swelling under the skin
swollen lymph nodes under the chin, in front of the shoulder blades, or behind the stifles
non-healing skin ulcerations or draining tracts that ooze fluid
eye inflammation with pain or cloudiness
unexpected heart failure in a young dog
swollen testicles

Lots of dogs get it because it the fungus rests in the soil and when they walk, dig, sniff, etc. it kicks up the fungus and they inhale it.

It is a nasty creature, make sure to keep up with the meds if it is in fact VF and have liver checked throughout the treatment as the meds may damage the liver. I am not a vet nor a doctor, but this is all from experience in knowing both dogs and people with VF.

Good luck to you and your dog.


----------



## Keith Kaplan (Sep 6, 2009)

Just read through these and saw your post was awhile back (posted my response to your original post), glad to see your dog is improving!


----------

