my parson jack russell (7yr) has become very lethargic and has trouble with motorskills.?

my dog was lost for six days in saguaro national park, tucson AZ. my sister was watching him while i was out of the country and by chance upon my return i went into the desert and found him. he was fine for about three weeks and then he came down with a cough (the vet said it was kennel cough; yet he has all current shots), i had a dog before with kennel cough and this cough was diiferent. over the next couple of weeks he became lethargic and then lost control while walking or standing with his motor skills – as if very drunk. i went back to the vet and had him checked for heartworm (negative). he then started to have an eye discharge and yet – he still had no fever. i asked about valley fever; but the vet looked at the x-ray they took for kennel cough and there were no signs (no blood test though). it is now two months and he still has the cough and is getting worse with his breathing and walking: any ideas?

Hi there. Sorry to hear about your dog, but thats great you got him back. I lived in Scottsdale, Arizona for 19 years, up until last year, and to me this sounds exactly like Valley Fever. You need to get the opinion of another vet. This dog was likely exposed to it while he was in the desert. Here is a website explaining all the effects of Valley Fever:
http://www.vfce.arizona.edu/Content/Documents/Valley%20Fever%20in%20Dogs%20for%20PDF.pdf
Like I said, definately get the opinion of another vet. I’ve worked with many rescues and have seen Valley Fever manifest itself in many different ways, and your dog is displaying many of the symptoms. Good luck