Posted on June 03, 2009 by: WayCoolDogs

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Blastomycosis in dogs is the parasite fungal organism “Blastomyces dermatitidis” that many times can be misdiagnosed in dogs, with approximately 65% of diagnosed dogs surviving. Considered a fungal disease in mammals, humans, horses, cats, ferrets, and dogs, it has been misdiagnosed in dogs as cancer, Lyme Disease, viral infections, and Valley

Fever which causes many dogs to die because of delay of treatments. Found as a mold in soil, certain room temperatures, certain body temperatures, and as yeast in body tissue, blastomycosis is also dominant in the Great Lakes region, the St. Lawrence River valleys, the eastern seaboard, along sandy or acid soils near river valleys, and waterways in the late summer or fall.

SYMPTOMS OF BLASTO

The following symptoms vary upon the area affected:

• Lethargy
• Lumps and swellings
• Non healing sores or lesions which drain bloody or purulent material
• A fever of 103 degrees or higher that does not respond to antibiotics
• A cough that is persistent and non-productive
• Lack of tolerance to exercise
• Sudden lack of vision or ocular infection
• Serious depression
• Central nervous system problems-lack of coordination, twitching, and stumbling gait
• Anorexia and weight loss
• Hematuria
• Fungal arthritis
• Lameness
• Loss of Hair

CLINICAL TREATMENTS TO CURE BLASTOMYCOSIS IN DOGS

• Dogs who are diagnosed in time with proper and early treatment have a survival rate of 85%.
• Over the years, the standard traditional medicine to give to dogs diagnosed with blastomycosis or any other fungal organisms was Amphotericin-B.
• Veterinarians who are faced with this life-threatening illness traditionally will use Amphotericin-B to show improvement in 3 to 5 days.
• Amphotericin-B is given intravenously as a slow IV drip over a several hour period or as a rapid IV bolus injections from one to three times a week.
• Serious monitoring of  Amphotericin-B medicine  is required as the medicine is considered toxic to the function of the kidney.

• Recent developments have begun to offer oral azoles medication in capsules and oral suspensions to treat this deadly disease–Fluconazole, Itraconazole or Ketoconazole.
• These new oral azoles medicines must be given for periods of 3 to 6 months, depending on how serious the diagnosis is.
• The advantage of the oral azoles are they are affordable and in custom dosages for different sized animals even though at the beginning they were high-priced.
• The oral drug Ketoconazole is given twice a day as a treatment against blastomycosis, taking up to 10 to 14 days to show signs of improvement in animals.
• Ketoconazole is used in animals with poor kidney function and with less serious form of the disease as it has a lower cure rate than Amphotericin.
• Many vets use both Ketoconazole and Amphotericin together to lower the dosage rate of Amphotericin to decrease the risk of kidney failure.
• Side effects of Ketoconazole include liver toxicity, anorexia, vomiting and nausea. It also cannot be used in pregnant dogs and has been know to male dogs’ fertility rates.
• The drug Itraconazole is considered a new drug  given twice a day at the beginning then once a day for 60 to 90 days. It takes effect quickly like Amphotericin and has a quality cure rate similar to the Ketoconazole-Amphotericin combined dosages.
• Side effects of Itradonazole are also related to liver toxicity, in addition to ulceration skin lesions and swelling of the legs in higher dosages. Unfortunately, it is a high cost drug with it being about twice the cost of Ketoconazolem. The dosages are based on body weight plus the treatment will have blood tests and other services added.

DOGS WHO ARE SUSCEPTIBLE TO BLASTOMYCOSIS

Certain groups of dogs get blastomycosis (blasto) easier than other groups. These are predominantly hunting and sporting breeds (such as the Coon hounds or Pointer groups) as they hunt in the type of soil considered as “wet areas”. Of these groups, the 2 to 4 year-old young adult dogs are more likely to have it, as they are used in field or hunting trials in higher rates than any other age group. But the dog’s breed, age and size are not indicators as all dogs are basically at risk. Another thing found is that 50 to 75 pound males are more easily diagnosed with blastomycosis than females are, with females having higher survival rates than males if they do get it.  Unfortunately, female dogs are more apt to suffer relapses of blastomycosis than male dogs do.

The blastomycosis spores are inhaled into the lungs from the moist soil, bird droppings, landscape projects  or decaying vegetation, causing the dog to develop a self-limiting pulmonary infection.  Once the spores have entered the lungs, they will transform into a rapidly spreading yeast which is large in size and very thick-walled.  They will begin to multiply and spread to other areas of the body such as the organs, joints, skin, eyes, lymph nodes and the central nervous system. Because of the seriousness of the disease, the diagnosis must be prompt to begin the proper procedure of treatment.

CLINICAL TESTING OF DOGS FOR BLASTOMYCOSIS

Overall, the diagnostic testing of blastomycosis of dogs is traditionally based on clinical signs, an accurate and thorough history of the animal, and laboratory work-ups. The yeast organism taken from samples of draining lesions of the skin or a lymph node is how the diagnosis of blastomycosis is accurately made. Other tests include CBC blood counts or chest X-rays, but are not considered as accurate of diagnostic testings.

Fungal titers simply confirm the diagnosis, assisting in differentiating blastomycosis from histoplasmosis—a similar and related fungal condition which mimics geographic areas and clinical signs. Dogs who have the disease located in the eye or brain areas have a poor survival rate with the eye[s] possibly needing to be removed. Also, dogs with liver or kidney problems have been known not to tolerate the needed medications that are metabolized by these two organs.

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