A pathologist with New Hampshire Diagnostic Veterinary Lab at UNH recently diagnosed the fungal disease Valley fever in a rescue dog from Arizona. It is the first time the lab has diagnosed the ailment in a dog in the state. The disease, which is treatable, is endemic in the Southwest and rarely seen in native New England dogs.
“This case serves as a reminder to inform your veterinarian of your pet’s travel history and the importance of submitting biopsied tissues for histopathologic examination even if the lesion seems routine,” says Colleen F. Monahan, senior veterinary pathologist and clinical assistant professor at New Hampshire Veterinary Diagnostic Lab and UNH. “This is especially important given the increased numbers of homeless dogs and cats being transported from southern states to New England for adoption. These animals may be infected with diseases that are endemic in those states but are not normally seen in this region.”
Monahan made the diagnosis after a mass on the leg of a New Hampshire dog, removed by a veterinarian, was submitted to the lab for biopsy. The inflamed mass was found to be the fungal disease Valley fever, an infection caused by the fungus Coccidioides.
Read more at University of New Hampshire
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