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Prevention

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black and white husky in desert with cactus and mountains in background

You can avoid taking your dog to regions where the fungus is common altogether. If you do travel to one of these areas, mitigate the time spent outside in the dust and monitor your dog while they are outside. Your dog can come in contact with spores by sniffing, digging, hiking, and playing in the dirt and dust. The more time dogs spend outside in these areas, the higher the chances are of contracting the disease. 

The fungus is spreading across northwestern parts of the United States due to global climate change. This puts even more people and dogs at risk and makes the need for a preventative treatment even greater. You should always be open with your veterinarian about where your dog has traveled to help with early diagnosis and <a data-sys-entry-uid="blt0456321c3dec620d" data-sys-entry-locale="en-us" data-sys-content-type-uid="blog_entry" sys-style-type="link" class="embedded-entry" type="entry" href="/learn/article/my-dog-has-valley-fever-now-what">treatment</a> if necessary.

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brown french bulldog on plaid bed on wooden deck

If you live in an area where Valley Fever is common, you may want to invest in ground cover for your yard. Natural grass, pea gravel, artificial grass, paving stones, concrete, and wooden decks are some options to cover the dust in your backyard and prevent it from getting stirred up. If you have a very large property, even limiting loose dust in the areas closest to your house can help. This is actually the most critical location to mitigate. Keeping dust surrounding your home down with these methods will help prevent it from getting dragged indoors as well. A deck, concrete pad, or stones right around your home can provide surface area for paws and feet to get wiped off before coming inside.

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You can prevent dust getting into your home by limiting entryways. The spores are microscopic, so they can enter through screens and nets that may protect you from bugs. If dust can get into your home, so can the fungus. If the dust is prevalent outside your home or there are other environmental factors like construction or dust storms, you should keep your windows closed as much as possible.

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gray puppies running on grass trees background

Vaccines are in development to prevent Valley Fever in dogs, but there are none on the market yet. While we wait for that breakthrough, your dog will benefit from immune strengthening when it comes to any illness. A stronger immune system may help them battle infections and kill microscopic organisms that enter their body. You should encourage your dog to play and maintain a healthy diet to improve their immune system. Excess fat in the body can promote inflammation, and exercising can help burn fat while strengthening their lungs and limbs.

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The microbiome in your dog’s body that maintains healthy bacteria and regulates their immune system is heavily impacted by diet. You will want to make sure your dog gets plenty of fresh vegetables and meat to promote a healthy microbiome. Talk with your veterinarian to determine the best diet plan for your specific pet. Nutritional supplements may also be an option, but your veterinarian will know what is best for your dog.

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Some veterinarians have even recommended massaging to promote blood circulation in your dog’s body. Massages help humans feel better and become more mobile, and the same may be true for your pet. You can try to massage around joints and muscles—your pet will feel relaxed from your touch and eager to run the next day. Research shows that massage may also help strengthen cells that kill foreign cells and bodies.

golden doodle next to black lab on carpet

Valley Fever is not contagious through dogs or humans. No human or dog will give your dog Valley Fever, and vice versa. You can take your dog to the dog park without worrying about your dog catching it from another dog. The only way your dog can develop Valley Fever is by inhaling spores of the fungus, so it is best to minimize access to those areas where it is common.

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Can Valley Fever Be Prevented?

Try to be consistent with your routine. Even though you’re working from home, try to keep your pet’s daily schedule as consistent as possible. Ensure that there are dedicated times for exercise and play. Similarly, stick to a consistent daily feeding schedule.

During these times when you are spending more time at home, ensure that you schedule quiet times for your pet and times when the pet is left alone during the day. It is important for your pets to be comfortable being left alone.

Give them interactive toys and rotate their toys. If they have a favorite toy, always leave that one for your pet, but other toys should be rotated. Place some toys aside and then alternate them with others occasionally. Reintroducing these old toys as new can revive your dog’s interest and may help distract or comfort them while you’re gone. Interactive toys and puzzle toys designed for dogs are also a good way to keep them occupied and mentally stimulated.

Soothing music keeps them company when you’re not home. If you have a playlist or radio station you play while you are at home, play it while you are gone too. This music will be familiar to your dog and put them more at ease when they are alone.

If you come home and there’s urine or stool on the floor, it is important to determine if this is due to a medical condition, lack of housetraining, or a response to anxiety. Dogs with separation anxiety may urinate or defecate in the home or become destructive in response to the anxiety they feel being left alone. These behaviors generally happen within 10-15 minutes after the owner departs. Anxiety can result from cues to your departure that your pet learns. For example, some dogs will begin to feel anxious at the sound of car keys or the sight of their owner wearing clothing associated with a workday.&nbsp;

Nowadays it’s easy to set up a video camera to capture how your pet behaves when you leave them alone. This video footage can be very helpful to share with your veterinarian to determine whether your pet is suffering from separation anxiety.

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Tips for Preventing Your Dog’s Separation Anxiety in a Post Pandemic World

Hot spots are red, irritated patches of skin that can be inflamed or raised. They can grow and spread quickly. Some dogs may experience hair loss or pus on the area. The affected area may become crusted due to the discharge of pus. The head, legs, or hips are the most common areas of hot spots.

The underlying conditions for hot spots include allergies, ear infections, poor grooming, dermatitis, excessive moisture from swimming or bathing, excessive licking from stress or boredom, or anal gland inflammation. Some of these causes of hot spots lead to licking, scratching, or chewing on the affected area, which worsens the hot spot. Golden retrievers, English bulldogs, and German shepherds are breeds more likely to develop hot spots.

If the hot spot is increasing in size, consistently bleeding, or has discolored discharge see your veterinarian as soon as possible. The veterinarian may treat the hot spot with oral antibiotics or anti-itch medication. 
If you are unable to see your veterinarian immediately, here are some intermediate solutions: <ul><li>Try to keep the wound clean </li><li>Trim around the area with dog hair clippers </li><li>Use an e-collar (the cone of shame) to prevent your dog from further irritating the hot spot </li></ul>

To prevent hot spots from recurring, it is necessary to identify the underlying cause by consulting with your veterinarian. Good hygiene and proper grooming can help prevent the hot spots from coming back. If your dog was itching or licking due to boredom, interactive toys and routine exercise can help change their behavior. Proper treatment of allergies and parasites can help too. If the hot spots keep recurring, consult with your veterinarian to develop a treatment plan for the underlying cause.

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Causes, Treatments, and Prevention of Hot Spots in Dogs

Humans and dogs share more than 80% of their DNA. Humans and cats share almost 90%. These high percentages of similarities make genetic sequencing in all three species mutually beneficial. Advancements in both human DNA testing and <a data-sys-entry-uid="blt370e0783930fdaeb" data-sys-entry-locale="en-us" data-sys-content-type-uid="blog_entry" sys-style-type="link" class="embedded-entry" type="entry" href="/learn/article/5-things-you-can-learn-from-your-dogs-dna-test">pet DNA testing</a> can potentially be applied across species.

Humans, cats, and dogs can develop similar diseases. These include obesity, heart disease, epilepsy, and many forms of cancer. Further research into how these diseases function between humans and pets has the potential to improve health care for all. For example, understanding the commonalities between the behaviors of cancer can lead to better diagnosis and treatment. Research has found that many groups of genes, such as those linked to digestion, neurological processes, and cancer development, are extremely similar between humans and dogs. When DNA testing in humans finds evidence linking particular genes to diseases, this knowledge may be transferable to the same genes and diseases in pets.

Because of their genetic similarities, there are currently several human medications that are used for treating dogs with the same conditions. Studies have found that some genetic variants specifically associated with canine cancer cells match those found in human cancer cells. The drugs developed for treating human cancer had similar effects on the canine cancer cells as they did on human cancer cells. As technology and research rapidly advances, more evidence is found through the study of <a data-sys-entry-uid="blt35fb51094b69afbe" data-sys-entry-locale="en-us" data-sys-content-type-uid="blog_entry" sys-style-type="link" class="embedded-entry" type="entry" href="/learn/article/what-is-gene-sequencing">gene sequencing</a>. By combining knowledge and comparing findings between human and pet DNA tests, we can further <a data-sys-entry-uid="blt26387f66cf7860e7" data-sys-entry-locale="en-us" data-sys-content-type-uid="blog_entry" sys-style-type="link" class="embedded-entry" type="entry" href="/learn/article/how-dna-data-will-improve-the-future-of-pet-care">improve health care</a> and development of treatments.

Prevention

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Causes, Treatments, and Prevention of Hot Spots in Dogs

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