Blastomycosis infection is contracted by inhaling airborne fungal spores after the contaminated soil has been disturbed from activities such as digging in the dirt, or sniffing the ground while following a scent trail, but the spores can also enter through the skin causing a systemic infection. The organism then turns to yeast at normal canine body temperatures. This yeast infects the lungs and then travels through the lymphatic system to other body tissues. Once infected with the Blastomyces Dermatitidis, the dog will often start to display symptoms such as fever, anorexia, weight loss, eye inflammation and discharge, dyspnea with coughing and wheezing sounds, and draining pus filled skin lesions. If a dog has been in an environment where
