This disease has been discussed on the Newf-L list recently because a Newf recently succumbed to it. Pythiosis is a very nasty disease and since it’s fairly new and usually unreported, many people many not be aware of it.

The website pythiosis.com describes the disease as follows:

“Pythiosis is a devastating & often fatal cause of chronic GI or cutaneous disease in dogs & cats. It is caused by Pythium insidiosum, an aquatic pathogen belonging to the class Oomycetes. Oomycetes differ from true fungi, and as a result, antifungal drugs are relatively ineffective for the treatment of pythiosis. In the US, pythiosis is encountered most often in the Gulf Coast states, but has been recognized in animals living as far north as New Jersey, Virginia, Kentucky, & southern Illinois & Indiana, & as far west as Oklahoma, Missouri, & Kansas. Recently, a number of dogs with GI pythiosis have been identified in Arizona & northern California. Many dogs with pythiosis have a history of recurrent exposure to warm freshwater habitats. However, some cases are observed in suburban house dogs with no history of access to lakes or ponds. Affected animals are typically immunocompetent & otherwise healthy.

“Clinical signs associated with Gl pythiosis include weight loss, vomiting, diarrhea, and/or blood in the stool. Physical examination often reveals a thin body condition and palpable abdominal mass. Signs of systemic illness are not typically present unless intestinal obstruction, infarction, or perforation occurs.”

A blood test can determine whether the animal is infected.

This page was also shared from the CDC which gives a bit more information about the disease as well as information about a specific case in Africa.

Thankfully the CDC page says that the disease has not yet been reported in Europe so we don’t need to worry so much at this point. But with global warming and our unexpectedly high temps recently, I’m sure it’s only a matter of time.