Hoods Creek Area A "Hotspot" For Fungal Infection

The Hoods Creek area, including the Johnson Park Dog Run, is a known "hotspot" for blastomycosis, a fungal infection that can cause flu-like symptoms in dogs, says Dr. Sylvia Minnis, of the Caledonia Veterinary Clinic.

The fungus lives in moist soil that has come into contact with decomposing organic matter like wood and leaves, mostly along riverbanks and waterways. Dogs can get the disease when they root in the soil or inhale spores. Symptoms can include eye lesions, a cut that just hasn't healed well or flu-like symptoms.

But Minnis said there are a variety of places dogs and humans can pick up the disease since the southeastern Wisconsin since blastomycosis is found along most waterways, not just in the Hoods Creek area.

"There isn't really one area you can avoid," Minnis said. "It could be on one rotting log in an area and no place else along the water would have it. It's kind of hard to say 'avoid it.'"

Still, dog owners need to be aware of the risks and symptoms of the disease. Also, the cost to treat the disease is pretty pricey and can be fatal to the dog if not properly treated right away, she said.