When The Valley Fever Test Is Wrong
How to get to the bottom of titers, and what to do when the numbers don't add up
You did everything right. Your dog wasn't acting like themselves, so you took them in, ran the blood work, and waited for the titer. Negative. You should feel relieved. Instead, you're still watching your dog limp, skip meals, or just seem "off," and some part of you knows this isn't over.
You are totally right to question the lab test result. A negative Valley Fever titer does not always mean your dog is in the clear. This is one of the most misunderstood parts of this disease, and it's the reason so many dogs get missed, dismissed, and misdiagnosed.
In the full article, I walk through exactly why a titer can come back negative even when Valley Fever is very much present, including the history, symptoms and lab work clues I look for instead. You'll also get specific examples of what to ask your vet if your gut is telling you something is still wrong.
Read the full post on Substack
If your dog's story sounds like this, keep asking the questions. Trust your intuition. You are their best advocate, and "negative" is not always the end of the story.