Valley Fever in dogs - Prognosis/Outcome

The good news is that most dogs, with adequate antifungal therapy, do recover from this disease, especially with early diagnosis and intervention.  Dogs with infection only in the lungs have the best prognosis for recovery and usually respond the quickest to treatment.

Dogs with disseminated infection almost always have a more guarded prognosis.  As with lung infections, it seems that the majority respond well to medication and lead normal lives.  A small proportion of animals must take medication for life, and another small number, unfortunately, die of Valley Fever in spite of drug treatment.  

For dogs that are seriously ill, requiring hospitalization and supportive therapy, the prognosis can be grave.  With aggressive treatment, possibly including intravenous antifungal medication, some dogs will get well.  

Dogs with central nervous system disease (seizures, etc) also carry a guarded prognosis.  Among those that respond to medication, about 80%, most will remain well with fluconazole (Diflucan), but treatment may be required for life.

In animals with severe bone infections and the pain that goes with them, pain relief will often provide the support needed to allow the Valley Fever medication time to take effect.  Treatment of high fevers with anti-inflammatories is helpful, also, as fever reduction can improve the appetite and energy level of the dog.  Pain medicine and anti-inflammatories can be prescribed by your veterinarian.

Some dogs do not recover in spite of everyone’s best efforts, either due to the severity of illness at the time of diagnosis or because of long-standing, poorly responsive disease.  Fortunately, these animals represent a minority of dogs with Valley Fever.

Statistics regarding how many dogs recover compared to those which do not are not available.

Stopping Treatment

Treatment of the Valley Fever in your dog is monitored by rechecks with your veterinarian.  Your veterinarian will examine your dog to look for improvement as well as performing blood tests and possibly x-rays to monitor progress and make sure the medication is not harming your dog.  If your dog is very ill, rechecks may be frequent at first.  As the disease stabilizes and recovery becomes apparent, your veterinarian will probably only need to evaluate your dog every 2-4 months. 

It is very important to continue medicating your dog as directed until the veterinarian confirms that the blood tests are negative and tells you to stop medication.  If you stop treating too soon, symptoms may recur.  If symptoms recur after your dog is taken off medication, your veterinarian will probably recommend resuming treatment and may suggest the dog remain on medication for life.

FAQ - Can Valley Fever relapse and can dogs be reinfected?

Valley Fever is well known to relapse in both humans and dogs.  In particular, cases of disseminated infection have a 30-50% rate of relapse in humans, no matter how well the initial infection was treated.  It is not known how many canine cases of Valley Fever relapse, but relapses are not uncommon.

In the case of a relapse, a return to medication is usually enough to make symptoms subside, but the dog may require several additional months of treatment.  Dogs that experience more than one relapse or get very sick with the relapse should probably have lifetime treatment with medication considered.

Reinfections in humans are documented only rarely.  It is not known at this time whether dogs are susceptible to reinfection.