WHAT IS VALLEY FEVER? and OUR VALLEY FEVER STORY

WHAT IS VALLEY FEVER?

WHAT IS VALLEY FEVER? deserts, endemic in AZ, but covering the area from Southern CA to TX.  It startsin the lungs, where you may or may not see any symptoms. If it disseminates (spreads), it usually goes to the long bones, and is crippling.  If it gets thatfar, it is very difficult to heal.  Once in the bones it can (and does) spread to the internal organs. The prognosis at that point is not good. The allopathic (traditional) medications that are given for VF only suppress the fungus. In the process they also suppress the liver, which ends up being the cause of death for many dogs. So they say that you never really get rid of it. If you have no relapse in a 3 year period, then they assume your immune system can handle it. It is very much like the dormant action of the Herpes virus, although not related at all. Sometimes "natural" people choose to give a small dose of the medication along with the herbs.  I believe this has its place and would have considered it myself had they not responded as well as they did. Some of the herbs I am using are fungitoxic. I am hoping to kill the fungus. Relapses are supposedly quite serious, most often fatal. Working naturally can only be accomplished if the rest of the diet is natural, be it kibble, wet, raw, home-cooked, whatever the dog will eat when they are in the picky stages. You knew that.                                   OUR VALLEY FEVER STORY I have 2 beagles diagnosed in June 2004 with Valley Fever. As an herbalist with a fairly non-doctor non-drug lifestyle, I looked everywhere for help with vf from an alternative approach. The best I found was using some herbs/vitamins as an adjunct to traditional drug treatment, and not much of that either. As this is such a devastating condition, I certainly can understand the fear of not using the medicine. But I am a stubborn herbalist and decided that since my dogs symptoms were solely the cough, I would try it my way first. If I saw the slightest regression, I would reconsider the drugs. Before I post the results, I want to say that I am not recommending this as an alternative without the use of drugs or without the use of a vet. I'm just giving information on my experience. Here is my report on my alternative protocol: Jennie, 2 1/2 year old beagle, diagnosed with VF beginning of June '04. Her xrays showed a completely compressed left lung, all 3 lobes. Her temperature is a degree or so over normal. Her bloodwork showed low protein and a coccidiomycosis titer of 1:16. This titer panicked my then doctor (I left her) and she prescribed Sporanox, which I did not use. To keep this short, we had other confirmation tests done, and in July I brought her and her brother Motley in for more tests. Her bloodwork now had 8 tests in the out-of-normal range and her titers were up to 1:32, increasing the VF and potential for dissemination (spreading to the bones and body). Her fever was up to 104. Motley, same age beagle, is now also diagnosed with VF, with cloudiness in the center of both lungs and the lung area, and a titer test of 1:32 also. He has a high white blood cell count, 27,000. His fever was 103.5 Both had the traditional spit-up cough. My new vet is an old friend, fairly far away, but a good man who puts up with my alternative ways. He is very nervous now because I won't do the drugs. OK. Here are the current resuls, end of September '04: Jennie's totally compressed lung is now compressed in the center lobe only. She has resolved the lung and filled with air in both the upper and lower lobes. Her bloodwork is completely normal. Her titer is still 1:32 and her temperature is normal. Motley's cloudy area is so small it can barely be seen, although there is a teeny area in the upper lobe that appears cloudy. Could have been there before or not. His bloodwork is good and his wbc count is down to 24,000. Still high, but going down. His titer WENT DOWN to 1:16 and his temperature also was normal. Neither one are coughing. Both are playing normally, although Jennie still is a little slower because of her lung. But they are little beagle piggies and have big beagle smiles. They know the difference. My vet is totally astounded at the progress I am making without the use of drugs. He said that while he was waiting for me to finally come in and do more tests he thought he would burst! He and his partner are documenting this as a case study. It's not over, and yes, it could turn on me. I don't think so, as the drugs are fungi-suppressive, which means it's a lifetime thing for some depending on their immune systems, and my herbs are out to destroy the little fungi beasts! We shall see. So far, the natural way is working. The doctors are taking note. The drugs would not have seen better or more results in this amount of time. Valley Fever (coccidiomycosis) is a potentially life-threatening fungus that is aquired through air-borne transmission of dust originating in the alkaline SW Valley Fever can be contracted just from breathing dust. Dogs usually are exposed when they dig in the alkaline soils, but people breathe in this fungus in areas that are endemic from exposure near construction sites. An important thing to remember is this fungus is NOT CONTAGIOUS from one host to another. That means if your pet has Valley Fever, you will not get it from him, and neither will your other pets. This condition is known as "self-limiting." No-one else can be infected from a sick person or animal.