• coughing
• fever
• weight loss
• lack of appetite
• lack of energy

Some or all of these symptoms may be present as a result of infection in the lungs.  As the infection progresses, dogs can develop a severe pneumonia that is visible on x-rays.  Sometimes the coughing is caused by pressure of swollen lymph nodes near the heart pressing on the dog’s windpipe and irritating it.  These dogs sound like they have bronchitis.

Additional symptoms develop when the infection spreads outside the lungs and causes systemic or disseminated disease.  This form of Valley Fever is almost always more serious than when it is only in the lungs.  Signs of disseminated Valley Fever can include:

• lameness or swelling of limbs
• back or neck pain
• seizures and other manifestations of central nervous system swelling
• soft swellings under the skin that resemble abscesses
• 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

Some of these symptoms are very rare and most need to be differentiated from other diseases of dogs.  Still other signs can develop that are referable to affected internal organs and may only be detected by your veterinarian.  While the lungs are the most common site of Valley Fever in dogs, it can infect almost any tissue of the body.  

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.

Symptoms of Valley Fever in cats

Cats can manifest the same signs as dogs, but fewer cases occur in cats (estimate 1 cat case for every 50 dog cases) and there is not as much information on them.  Cats are often more ill than dogs at the time of diagnosis.  Unexplained weight loss, sometimes without any other overt illness, can be a sign of Valley Fever in a cat.  Skin ulcerations that don’t heal may be more common in cats than in dogs and may be sufficient reason to run a Valley Fever test on a cat.  Diagnosis may also be obtained by performing a biopsy on the skin lesions.

FAQ - Is Valley Fever contagious from animal to animal or animal to human?

Valley Fever is considered a noncontagious disease.  Even if multiple animals or humans are affected in a household, each infection was acquired by inhaling spores from the soil.  

Coughing cannot spread it between animals or people.  In the case of draining lesions, the form of the organism in the fluid is not considered to be infectious to people or animals.  Nevertheless, such lesions are best handled by bandaging.  Bandages should be changed daily or every other day and discarded in outside waste containers to minimize risk of contaminating the environment.

For immunocompromised persons living in a household with a pet that has a draining lesion, it is best to consult your physician regarding this issue.