ASPEN (Valley Fever Case Study Group I)

5 year old, Female, Golden Retriever
Titer starte 1:8 end 1:2 weak positive

Aspen was the first dog enrolled in the study. She was a rescue golden that was surrendered with a host of problems from her stressful early years, abandonment and some deep seated immune issues. She had a chronically flaky coat, droopy eyes, diarrhea, acidosis, keratinosis
and a spotty appetite.

The new owner went to great lengths to rehabilitate this now 5 yr old golden retriever who is greatly susceptible to any type of stress. December of 2007, Aspen started suffering the typical lung congestion of Valley Fever and was diagnosed with a titer of 1:32 and started fluconazole.

When Aspen started the study in February 2008, her titer was 1:8 but her CK, anion gap and neutrophils were elevated and her appetite spotty. Conversely her lipase, thyroid and lymphocytes were low. She suffered from diarrhea so the load was done slowly.

Three months into the study, her titer dropped to 1:2 with a weak positive IgG antibody and stayed there for the next three months off the fluconazole. Dr. Ferguson allowed Aspen to stop the fluconazole but checked the titer at the fourth month to ensure everything was moving in the right direction.

Aspen’s coat has completely cleared of flakes, her eyes do not droop, her chapped lips have cleared, her energy is excellent, appetite great and her stools virtually perfect. In the last 2 months, Aspen had been under a lot of stress with a major move and as always the stress impacted her. However, at study end, Aspen still had just slightly elevated chloride from the fluconazole and hemoglobin and hematocrit indicated a slight degree of dehydration, not abnormal after an Arizona summer.

We are extremely proud of the care that Aspen has received, the results, the owner’s diligence and Dr. Ferguson’s careful oversight. The owner transitioned Aspen from a kibble based commercial diet to an all natural diet prior to starting the study. Aspen was the only dog in the study on an all natural diet for the duration. We will continue to work closely with Aspen as part of the Group 2 study.