Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with large skin mass on back diagnosed and treated for pythiosis
By Thieman, Kelley M et al.·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·2011·Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Diagnosis and treatment of truncal cutaneous pythiosis in a dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 4-year-old spayed female Boxer was brought in for a growing mass on her back that had been there for about six weeks. After examining a tissue sample, the vet diagnosed her with cutaneous pythiosis, a type of skin infection caused by a water mold. The dog underwent surgery to remove the mass, ensuring to take out healthy tissue around it, and was given antifungal medications for three months afterward. At a follow-up appointment 20 months later, there were no signs of the infection returning, indicating a successful treatment.
People also search for: Boxer skin mass treatment · dog pythiosis symptoms · cutaneous pythiosis surgery recovery
Abstract
CASE DESCRIPTION: A 4-year-old spayed female Boxer was evaluated for a cutaneous mass located on the dorsum. The mass had been present for 6 weeks and was increasing in size. CLINICAL FINDINGS: A mass of approximately 10 cm in diameter was detected on the dorsum cranial to the right ilial wing. Histologic examination of a tissue sample from the mass led to the diagnosis of cutaneous pythiosis. Computed tomography of the abdomen and the mass were performed and revealed a contrast-enhancing soft tissue mass of the dorsum and enlarged intra-abdominal lymph nodes. TREATMENT AND OUTCOME: The dog underwent surgical excision of the cutaneous mass, including 5-cm skin margins and deep margins of 2 fascial planes. The mass was completely excised on the basis of results of histologic examination of surgical margins. The dog received itraconazole and terbinafine by mouth for 3 months following surgery. Recheck examination at 20 months postoperatively showed no signs of recurrence of pythiosis at the surgical site. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Aggressive surgical excision in combination with medical treatment resulted in a favorable long-term (> 1 year) outcome in this dog. Thorough workup including diagnostic imaging and lymph node evaluation is recommended. If surgery is to be performed, skin margins of 5 cm and deep margins of 2 fascial planes are recommended.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21999797/