The fungus is not passed from an infected pet to an uninfected pet as occurs with viral illnesses and some bacterial illnesses. It is acquired from the environment. If more than one animal on your client's street have been infected with this organism it would be a good idea to see if there is some obvious source of infection involving disturbance of the soil, such as a construction site or a yard the dogs are digging in a lot. Most infections occur in dogs that live very close to a body of water and this disease is most common in the Southeast and the states around the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. It takes one to three months for signs of infection to occur after the organism has invaded a dog or cat's body.
Blastomycosis can cause respiratory signs such as difficulty breathing, tiring easily or coughing.
It causes weight loss and depression pretty frequently. There may be lymph node enlargement and skin disease such as lumps in the skin or draining tracts in the skin. Lung X-rays are a good screening test for this condition because most dogs have radiographic evidence of fungal infection. Examination of any drainage from the lesions on the body may be helpful, too. Serum testing for antibodies to blastomycosis is also available.