LABRADOR RETRIEVER UpdateA NESTLÉ PURINA PUBLICATION DEDICATED TO LABRADOR RETRIEVER ENTHUSIASTS VOLUME 15 | SPRING 2017

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Spring 2017

PHOTO: DANIELLE R. PELLICI/BLACKFOOT LABRADORS

FC-AFC B Bumble, a 6-year-old male black Labrador Retriever owned by Fred Kampo,was at the pinnacle ofsuccess last summer when he was diagnosedwith blastomycosis, afungal infection thatcan be deadly.

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“This is a special dog,” says Fred Kampoof Oshkosh, Wisconsin, referring to theblack Labrador Retriever he calls “Stinger.”

While everyone likes to think his orher Lab is special, Kampo’s perspectiveis broader than most. A member of theRetriever Field Trial Hall of Fame, inductedin 2012, Kampo is president of The LabradorRetriever Club, the American Kennel Clubparent club of the Labrador Retriever.

Last summer, FC-AFC B Bumble wason a serious roll. In June, the 6-year-oldmale, who had earned more points overthe course of his career than any retrieverhis age or younger actively competingin field trials, churned through 10 gruel-ing series to become one of 13 finalistsfrom a starting field of 110 at the NationalAmateur Retriever Championship inStowe, Vermont. A few weeks later inmid-July, Stinger topped a field of 82 ina hotly contested open all-age stake atthe Mississippi Headwaters RetrieverClub in Bemidji, Minnesota.

Two days after that impressive win –two days — this elite canine athlete couldbarely walk. Stinger was diagnosed withblastomycosis, a fungal infection thatcan occur systemically or locally, layingeven the most robustly healthy dog lowand sometimes with devastating, evendeadly, consequences.

“The lameness was his first symptom,”says Kampo, who’s handled Stinger to themajority of his field trial wins. “There’dbeen no coughing or respiratory difficultyof any kind, which I’m told is typicallythe first sign a dog may have ‘blasto.’”

In Stinger’s case, the disease had attacked several of his vertebrae, andbecause his spinal cord was at risk, alloff-lead activities were immediately cur-tailed. Crate confinement and walkingon leash became the order of the day forthe next five months.

Following an initial 10-day period inwhich he received the fungicidal drugitraconazole (ITZ) intravenously, Stingerwas put on a daily oral dosage of ITZ. Ithad been a frighteningly swift fall fromthe top of the field trial world, but it couldhave been much worse.

Triggered by a Wet EnvironmentBlastomycosis is caused by a fungal

mold, Blastomyces dermatitidis, associ-ated with moist, slightly acidic soil anddecomposing organic matter, such aswood and leaves. The mold releases micro-scopic spores into the air, and when thesespores are inhaled, infection can result.

“When the spores get way down intothe lungs is when it creates a problem,”says Alfred M. Legendre, DVM, DACVIM,an infectious disease specialist at theUniversity of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine.

The warm, moist environment of a dog’slungs triggers a transformation of thespores into a yeast that can spread viathe bloodstream or the lymphatic systemto other parts of the body. Although rare,blastomycosis also can occur when sporesare introduced to an open wound.

“Blastomyces is a pretty big organismin yeast form,” explains Dr. Legendre.

LABRADOR RETRIEVER Update

Prompt Treatment forBlastomycosis In Dogs

IS KEY TO RECOVERY

Recognizing Signs of BlastomycosisClinical signs of the fungal infectionblastomycosis may occur as early asa few weeks after exposure or may takeseveral months to become evident.Being aware of the signs, particularlyif your dog has been in an endemicarea, is important in order to starttreatment as soon as possible. • Coughing, labored breathing or

respiratory disease • Fever• Depression or change in perform-

ance and drive• Limping or lameness• Skin lesions on the nose, mouth or

paw pads, with or without draining• Inflamed eyes• Enlarged nymph nodes• Swollen and painful joints• Multiple skin lesions with or without

draining tracts

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Spring 2017

“The yeast is too big to get down deepinto the lungs to cause disease.”

The condition is not contagious. “Itdoesn’t spread dog to dog, or dog to per-son,” Dr. Legendre says. “When dogsand their owners have simultaneouslydeveloped blasto, it is because they wereexposed to the spores at the same time.”

Dogs and humans are the most com-monly infected species, with dogs 10 timesmore likely to develop the disease thanhumans. Geographically, blastomycosisis most prevalent in the valleys of theMississippi, Ohio and St. Lawrence rivers,the Great Lakes states and certain partsof Canada. According to the Centers for

Disease Control and Prevention, Wisconsinhas the highest reportedincidence of blastomycosisfor humans, with rates insome northern counties10 to 20 times above thenational average.

In the case of a dog likeStinger, who’s traveled allover the country to com-pete in field trials, it’s hardto know precisely whereor when he contracted theinfection, especially sincesigns of the disease maynot occur for weeks or

months. Coincidentally, Kampo has acottage in northern Wisconsin to whichhe often takes Stinger.

Exposure to areas that have been recentlyexcavated has been shown to increase therisk of blasto in humans, presumablybecause it liberates large quantities ofspores into the air, but the real risk ofblastomycosis is proximity to water ormoisture. Multiple studies have shownthat dogs living within 400 meters ofwater are vastly more likely to developblastomycosis than other dogs. Indeed,there’s some evidence to suggest that theshores of beaver ponds tend to be blasto“hotspots,” or what epidemiologists call“enzootic areas.”

Regardless, the Blastomyces organismflourishes only under certain environmentalconditions. This helps explain why dogs

such as Labradors and other huntingdogs that spend a lot of time outdoorsare more susceptible to blastomycosisthan those that are largely indoor dogs.

Statistically, males are slightly morelikely to develop blasto than females,with peak susceptibility to the diseaseoccurring at 2 years of age. Althoughthere’s some indication that dogs may beable to recover spontaneously withouttreatment from mild cases of the affliction,this has not been established as a fact,says Dr. Legendre.

Early Diagnosis & Treatment Are KeyA dog exhibiting clinical signs of

blastomycosis requires immediate vet-erinary attention. A confirmed diagnosisshould be treated promptly and aggres-sively to increase the likelihood of a fullrecovery. There’s no “wait and see” withblasto because no matter how mild thesigns may be, the disease has life-threat-ening potential and thus should betaken seriously.

The first thing most owners notice indogs infected with blasto is that theybegin breathing “hard,” as if they’rehaving difficulty getting air into theirlungs. This labored respiration is typi-cally accompanied by dry, raspy chestsounds and sometimes by intermittentcoughing. Many owners also notice adecline in their dog’s energy and stam-ina levels.

Other clinical signs of blastomycosisinclude limping or lameness; “oozy”skin lesions on the nose, mouth or pawpads, though other areas can be affectedas well; inflamed eyes; and enlargedlymph nodes. The challenge for veteri-narians to diagnose the disease is thatother conditions can produce similarsigns. In areas where there is not a lotof blasto, the disease may not be on aveterinarian’s radar.

“People who travel to hunt or competewith their Labrador and recognize any ofthese signs should tell their veterinarianwhere they’ve been,” Dr. Legendre advises.“If you live in Kansas but you’ve huntedin Wisconsin, your veterinarian needsto know.”

Areas endemic to blastomycosis (shown inyellow) are the valleys of the Mississippi,Ohio and St. Lawrence rivers, the GreatLakes states and certain parts of Canada.

Source: Alfred M. Legendre, DVM, DACVIM, University of Tennessee

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LABRADOR RETRIEVER Update

Diagnosis of blastomycosis is madefrom blood testing combined with abiopsy to identify the organism. A morerecently developed urine antigen test hasbeen successful in detecting extremelylow levels of an infection. Once a definitivediagnosis of blastomycosis has beenmade, treatment with anti-fungal drugsshould start immediately.

The standard fungicide used to treatblasto is itraconazole, though fluconazolecan be used as well. The disadvantageof ITZ is that it ranges from $8 to $12 per tablet, with a Labrador-sized dogtypically requiring two or three doses aday for at least 90 days. Fluconazole isless expensive but not as effective, requir-ing a longer period of administration toachieve the same result.

If treated promptly after an infectionoccurs, about 70 to 75 percent of dogsrecover. About 20 to 25 percent of dogsexperience a relapse, typically within sixmonths of the completion of antifungaltherapy. Thus, periodic evaluations arerecommended after an infection to be surethe condition has resolved.

“The actual percentage of relapsecould be lower,” says Dr. Legendre. “Thisis because the urine antigen test is capableof detecting much lower levels of infectionthan was previously possible. Instead ofstopping treatment when a dog is symp-tom-free, veterinarians now are able tocontinue treatment until the patient istruly infection-free. Most dogs do quitewell with treatment. They can be expectedto make a full recovery and return todoing all the things they did prior to theonset of symptoms.”

The exceptions, he notes, are dogs inwhich blastomycosis has spread to the brain— they usually succumb to the disease,unfortunately — and dogs with severe lunginvolvement. In these cases, the fungicidecan trigger an inflammatory response whenthe blasto yeast die off, making the initialdays of treatment a critical period.

“Most dogs with a severe lung infectionfrom blasto die within the first seven daysof treatment,” Dr. Legendre says. “If they’reable to survive long enough to get past thepneumonia, their prognosis improves

significantly. Some dogs may have decreased lung capacity as the result of scarring, however.”

Because blastomycosis is caused byan organism that occurs naturally in theenvironment, it is virtually impossibleto eliminate the risk of infection. Earlydiagnosis and treatment are key to success.

“You should keep an eye on your dogand be aware of the signs of blastomy-cosis,” Dr. Legendre says. “If you noticeanything that strikes you as suspicious,be sure to take your dog to the veterinarian.”

Back in Stinger’s camp, the mood isupbeat. Last December, he was clearedfor limited off-lead activities. “Stinger islooking awfully perky these days,”Kampo says.

The retreiver’s prominent field trialrecord makes him a valuable stud dog,and after a temporary hiatus due to con-cerns about his spinal health, he’s backto having his semen collected and bankedon a regular basis. He’s scheduled for aCT scan to evaluate his spinal condition.

“Stinger’s veterinarians believe hecan compete again, and I hope they arecorrect,” Kampo says. �

Purina appreciates the support of theLabrador Retriever Club Inc. and particularlyFran Smith, DVM, PhD, DACT, the LRChealth chair, in helping to identify topicsfor the Purina Pro Plan Labrador RetrieverUpdate newsletter.

“Most dogs do quite well withtreatment. They can be expectedto make a full recovery and return to doing all the thingsthey did prior to the onset of symptoms.Alfred M. Legendre, DVM, DACVIM, infectious disease specialist, University ofTennessee College of Veterinary Medicine

Want to Reach the Editor?Have comments about the Labrador Retriever Update? Send them to: Barbara Fawver, Editor, Nestlé Purina PetCare, 2T Checker-board Square, St. Louis, MO 63164 or via email at editor@purina.nestle.com.

Looking to Reprint?Purina Pro Plan Update articles may be reprinted provided the article is used in its entirety and in a positive manner. To requestpermission to reprint an article, please contact the editor at: editor@purina.nestle.com. Reprints should include the followingattribution: Used with permission from the Purina Pro Plan Update newsletter, Nestlé Purina PetCare Company.

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