By Dr Lana Watler
Cayman Animal Hospital
My dog loves to swim. A friend of mine told me, that I shouldn’t let her swim in the canals because she could catch swamp cancer. Is this true? What is swamp cancer and do I need to keep her out of the water?
Swamp cancer is the lay term for a disease called pythiosis. Pythium is a fungal-like organism found only in tropical and subtropical climates like the Cayman Islands. The parasite is a member of a class of organisms that are most similar to algae. They are microscopic organisms that are impossible to see with the naked eye. The infective stage of pythium is called a spore and is released in stagnant or swampy water. An unassuming dog victim can catch the spore by either standing or drinking contaminated water.
The spore can enter the skin through cuts or it can be ingested into the digestive tract. The infection can be presented in one of two different forms. If the spores enter through the skin, it causes a skin pythiosis. If the spores enter in the stomach and/or intestines it forms a gastrointestinal pythiosis.
Dogs with the skin or cutaneous form of pythiosis develop non-healing wounds, draining tracts and ulcerative nodules most commonly on the face, tail, feet and rump. The wounds are generally very itchy and usually develop secondary bacterial infections.
Dogs with the gastrointestinal form of pythiosis, usually present with non-specific signs such as anorexia, vomiting, diarrhea and fever. This form is more common and can be very deadly since the pythium forms tumours called granulomas in the stomach and intestines. This can cause a complete blockage of the intestines and therefore the dog will not be able to keep any food down. The dog will subsequently lose a lot of weight, and usually dies without radical and immediate treatment.
Diagnosis of both forms can be achieved by a specialized blood test or through microscopic examination of the organism on skin sections or intestinal biopsies. Medical treatment has been very frustrating with only approximately 25% of the cases responding. Radical surgery is usually required for dogs with either the skin or gastrointestinal form of the disease.
Pythiosis or swamp cancer is not a very good disease to contract as the cure rate is very low. In order to keep your dog healthy and safe, prohibit your dog from swimming or playing in stagnant or swampy water. Swimming is great exercise, but is best done in free flowing water like at the beach.
To contact Dr Lana Watler, call the Cayman Animal Hospital on 946-8387
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7 comments:
My german shepherd dog recently contracted this disease. Jackson has the type that infects the skin, not the gastrointestinal type. Two years ago, Our other German Shepherd Wolfgang was diagnosed with cancer of the intestines, stomach and liver. While I have been researching this to see if I can do anything about Jackson's condition, I thought that maybe Wolfgang had this too, and we weren't aware that it was pythiosis.
I'm very sorry to hear about Jackson. My Presa, Brutus, has also been recently diagnosed with Pytheosis of the skin. It's now in it's seventh week and I'm afraid that the only treatment is to have his front leg amputated. We have a vaccine due to arrive any day, but my Vet feels that our window of time is too limited to try 4 weeks of treatment. The mass have grown so large that is may be impossible to remove. The success rate of the anti-fungal therapy is < 10%, from what I have read, and is very expensive.
I had never heard of this disease until today. Our 9 month old lab, Zeke, was diagnosed with Pytheosis of the intestines which was also affecting the pancreas. He had a complete blockage and was unable to keep food down. After blood test and xrays, our vet. determined that Zeke had a complete blockage and assumed it was something he had eaten such as a piece of plastic. During surgery he discovered that Zeke had pytheosis of the intestines, and it was also affecting his pancreas. Since we live in South Georgia, USA, which is not a tropical climate, I would like some info concerning where Zeke might have contacted the disease. I assume he drank water from some place which was contaminated with the infective stage of pythium. How can I be sure another dog does not drink the same water? What are the most likely places the water would be contaminated in this area of the USA? Are there tests for the water? I would appreciate any info on this. The vet. said it was very rare, and recommended we get Zeke out of his pain and let him go on to "doggy heaven".
It's sad to hear about so many dogs suffering from pythiosis. Check out http://fungusfree.net/ they have products that treat many things including pythiosis. Their products are mainly used on dogs and horses, but they can be used on humans as well! Feel free to message them with any questions, they are very helpful.
I live in Louisiana and I've lost a dachshund who swim in our pond and ditches and we've lost many ducks and now I have been infected with some type of fungal infection Dr aren't sure it's been 2 years I lost my hair and have many sores it started I thought with gas it seems to be my internal midsection and now I'm thinking it could be the swamp cancer my dog sleep with me
My beloved dachshund patches head the tumors on her after great expense had them removed they spread like wildfire I had to put her down within a few months after she went through two hurricanes with me was attacked by Coyotes only to come back home and have this disease take her
So sad to have so many lose their beloved pets from this horrendous disease. I just had to put my 9 1/2 year old Great Dane down when she contracted this infection on her hind leg. I live in Central Florida and even though it is moist down here I have no standing water on my property in the country so I don't know how she could of gotten this . My heart is broken
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