Valley Fever in Dogs
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Dear Dr. Florez,
We have a 10-month-old beagle named Lily, you may remember her, and she has been to your office a number of times for shots and check ups. I just wanted your opinion; she has been licking her front paws quite a bit, more than normal. I know that dogs will do that when they have allergies but I was talking with someone about it and they had mentioned that it could be a sign of Valley Fever. Is this true, and are there other symptoms to look for before we come in to have her checked? Knowing beagles and their noses to the ground I suppose it could be a possibility considering valley fever is found in the dirt. Please let me know what you think at your earliest convenience.
Thank you for your help!
Amber Pentecost
Dear Amber,
Thank you for writing with your questions. Of course I remember Lily! She was here not too long ago.
I doubt that her paw-licking could be a symptom of Valley Fever. However, Lily should be evaluated for other things such as allergies, foreign bodies or lesions in the paws. (By the way, I did not see anything during our last evaluation, but this is always something that we should re-evaluate as it can change day-to-day.)
There are also alternative foods that we can try for awhile to see if her symptoms may be a result of allergies. We can also run a blood test to determine the root cause, and discuss ways that we can make Lily’s life more comfortable. Lily’s age group makes me think that we might be dealing with either food allergies or a lesion of some type.
The best thing to do is have Lily evaluated. Please give us a call and make an appointment. At that time, we can discuss testing her for allergies and check her paws for any type of lesions.
Best of luck,
Diego Fernando Florez, DVM
