All 4 Milo

05/01/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1BNs8sYJEs/?mibextid=wwXIfr

03/09/2026

Max
Montgomery, IL

Max was a goofy, loving, velcro baby.
On January 30 Max exhibited strange behavior that seemed to be neurological. He was disoriented, head hanging, mouth breathing, stumbling. We took him to his primary vet on 2/2/26. His vet completely disregarded his mouth breathing, 104.6 temp (i didnt know he had a fever until weeks later when I requested his records), elevated WBC and kept pushing us to see her in-office chiropractor. She assured us this was NOT a red flag situation, suggested that the mating season for coyotes could be impacting him. 2 weeks later we had an appointment with another vet. There they did not hesitate to fully examine and xray him. They found complete lung involvement. We sent out for blastomycosis testing. On 2/19 it came back positive. We started itraconazole that day. On 2/22 at 4am Max passed away in the ICU. A short life ended too soon by a vet who was not informed of blastomycosis.

After his passing, and talking with neighbors, we found out that 1 neighbor (directly next to us) has lost 3 dogs to blasto.

01/30/2026

Bolan
Thunder Bay Ontario
10 month old

My girl Bolan survived her fight with this horrible disease contracted in Oct 2022 in northwestern Ontario (Thunder Bay) She was 10 months old. Unfortunately or fortunately it wasn’t my first time dealing with this as Bolan’s mom Daisy (my other dog) had it 3 years prior and it was on my radar to check for it. But her symptoms were not similar as Bolan was limping and had a swollen leg. I thought she had sprained it jumping off my deck… but after X-rays and bloodwork for Lyme disease ruled out I questioned my vet if it might be blasto. Than the swollen leg opened draining what confirmed under microscope what I was terrified of. Started anti fungal meds while we waited for urine test back from miravista. Her levels came back at 7.8. Within days her eyes started showing inflammation and steroids were started. She was very sick and I was terrified she wouldn’t make it. My awesome vet consulted with internal specialists and it was suggested to try IV infusion of amphotericin. She had 4 treatments and in between had one of her eyes removed. But to me it seemed from that day on she turned a corner to recovery. After her liver enzymes became elevated we switched to fluconizole and it was easier for her and her levels went back to normal. All in all it took 14 months for her to get to zero and she is now recovered. I hope my story will give some hope for anyone going through this process. I remember words my vet said to me “keep your chin up and keep positive but it will be a long journey" 🌹❤️

01/29/2026

Temporal and spatial distribution of blastomycosis cases among humans and dogs in Illinois (2001–2007)

https://avmajournals.avma.org/view/journals/javma/239/3/javma.239.3.335.xml

01/28/2026

Pet Stories

Riley
Naperville, IL
10 year old

Noticed a minor limp in early 2/23, Riley was finally diagnosed late 2/23. We had another dog die from lung cancer the prior year and his first symptom was limping. So when I saw Riley limp my heart broke and I was on my Vet immediately. I pushed for all testing that could be done. When he saw the X-ray he immediately said I am testing for Blasto and he was correct. Immediately got her to the eye specialist and took her weekly to make sure no lessions were detected. I credit my Vet for knowing about Blasto and his immediate response.
Riley's treatment was successful and she received her third 0 in July 2023.

01/26/2026

Blastomycosis
Cause.Symptoms.Treatment

01/26/2026

https://www.instagram.com/p/DT9cAsqDVgA/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

01/24/2026

Know the symptoms
Early detection is crucial

01/24/2026

Pet Stories

Tucker
Grayslake, IL
9 year old

Tucker was 9 years old at the time of diagnosis. We live in Grayslake, Illinois. He initially presented with a limp that was diagnosed as bone cancer. We got the actual diagnosis 1 month later after other symptoms such as unable to urinate, and discharge from his eyes presented. He was diagnosed by miravista via urine culture. We treated him for 4 months till the blasto made its way to his brain and central nervous system so at that point we made the decision to put him to sleep.

01/24/2026

It’s been just under two years since we lost our pup to blastomycosis, and since then, we've been committed to learning more, raising awareness, and tracking the spread of this devastating disease.

We are speaking with with Illinois state representatives to advocate for a bill that would make blastomycosis a reportable disease in Illinois. Right now, it’s only reportable in a few states — including Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Louisiana, Colorado, Connecticut and Vermont.

We believe better tracking can lead to better prevention and faster diagnoses. You can view and share our Blastomycosis Tracking Map here:

334 blasto cases map created april 2024 updated December 19, 2025