DURHAM, N.H. (AP) - A University of New Hampshire pathologist recently diagnosed a fungal disease called Valley Fever in a rescue dog from Arizona, the school said in a news release Tuesday.

It was the first time the school’s veterinary lab had diagnosed the disease in a dog in New Hampshire. The disease, which is treatable, is common in the Southwest and rarely seen in native New England dogs, the university said.

“In this case, we learned from the veterinarian that this dog was rescued from Arizona two years prior and had a small mass on its leg at that time,”said Colleen Monahan, senior veterinary pathologist at the the lab. “The mass recently had increased in size, leading to concern from the owner and removal by the veterinarian.”

Common early symptoms of Valley Fever in dogs are coughing, fever, weight loss, lack of appetite, and lack of energy. Most dogs recover. People and animals can develop it after inhaling spores growing in loose, sandy soils most commonly found in the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. The disease can’t be passed from animals to people or between animals.

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