ABSTRACT
A 5 yr old, castrated male, border collie mixed-breed dog was evaluated for cough and subsequently diagnosed with pulmonary coccidioidomycosis. Baseline serum anti-Coccidioides spp. immunoglobulin M and immunoglobulin G antibody titers were negative and 1:8, respectively. Thoracic computed tomography identified marked gravity-dependent pulmonary consolidation of the right middle lung lobe and marked tracheobronchial lymphadenomegaly. First-line antifungals were prescribed without adequate clinical or radiographic improvement, and a right middle lung lobectomy was subsequently performed 5.5 mo after diagnosis. Clinical signs associated with the respiratory tract resolved postoperatively. Fluconazole was discontinued 204 days after surgery because the dog remained subclinical, the thoracic computed tomography revealed near normal imaging with the exception of changes typical following a lung lobectomy, and the serum anti-Coccidioides spp. immunoglobulin G titer was 1:2. The dog remained subclinical >90 days after cessation of fluconazole. This case report describes the successful treatment outcome in a dog with severe Coccidioides spp. pneumonia following lung lobectomy and oral antifungal therapy. Future studies are warranted to determine the utility of adjunctive lung lobectomy in dogs with coccidioidomycosis who have large fungal burdens localized to a single lung lobe and are refractory to standard first-line oral antifungal therapies.