The Truth on Canine Coccidiomycosis

Canine coccidiomycosis is one of the systematic fungal diseases that greatly affect the mortality and morbidity rate of dogs. Also known as "Valley Fever," dog coccidiomycosis is considered as one of the common systemic fungal diseases that affect canine of all ages because several of their body systems can be damaged by "cocci"-the organism that causes it.

Basically, canine coccidiomycosis is caused by the cocci fungus and is transmitted to the dog through inhalation. Experts say that that the fungus that causes dog coccidiomycosis usually thrives in soils located in the desserts. Once these fungi are released into the air through soil digging and long periods of rainfall, they create spores and lead to full blown fungal growth.

When a dog inhales the fungus after it has been released into the air, it leads to canine coccidiomycosis and can prevalent and contagious to other dogs or humans around who breathes the same air. Aside from inhalation, other means of getting canine coccidiomycosis is through direct contact with another dog whose wound has been contaminated or ingested.

Experts and owners who had dogs infected with canine cocci coccidiomycosis say that the symptoms of the disease can be vague and hard to recognize. In fact, the symptoms are so obscure that the disease itself developed into a more complicated one before the owner even notices it.

Symptoms of canine coccidiomycosis vary from one dog to another. While other canines do not display any symptoms, others show confusing signs such as drastic or gradual loss of weight. Poor appetite, drastic weight loss, lameness or inactivity, evident pain in the bones especially in the spinal column, and non-stop or prolonged coughing are just some of the most common signs of canine coccidiomycosis.