Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Vomiting and belly mass from gastric pythiosis in a dog
By Fernandes, Ciciane P M et al.·Published in Revista iberoamericana de micologia·2012·Mestranda, Brazil·View original on PubMed →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: Gastric pythiosis in a dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 3-year-old female German Shepherd was brought to the vet after experiencing vomiting and diarrhea for a month. During the exam, the vet found a mass in her abdomen and performed imaging tests, which suggested a serious condition called gastric pythiosis, caused by a waterborne organism. Unfortunately, when the dog was taken in for surgery to remove the mass, it was too extensive to excise, and the decision was made to euthanize her. Tests confirmed the diagnosis of pythiosis, which is often diagnosed too late in dogs and can lead to death.
People also search for: dog vomiting and diarrhea · German Shepherd abdominal mass · gastric pythiosis treatment
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Pythiosis is caused by the agent Pythium insidiosum, an aquatic oomycete of the kingdom Stramenopila. AIMS: To describe the symptoms, pathological changes and diagnosis methods of gastric pythiosis in dogs. METHODS: A three-year-old female German shepherd, with access to wetlands, was attended due to vomiting and recurrent diarrhea of 30 days of duration. A palpable mass in the abdomen filling the left epigastric region was identified in the clinical examination. Simple and contrasted radiological examination and ultrasound of abdominal cavity were performed. The animal was referred for exploratory laparotomy for the removal of the mass. The extent of the mass prevented from the excision and the animal was euthanized. Samples of the tumor mass were collected and sent for morphological study and immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: The changes observed in imaging studies were consistent with gastric pythiosis. In cytology and histopathology, non-septate hyphae were identified, and in immunohistochemistry a strong positivity of anti-Pythium antibodies was observed, confirming the diagnosis of pythiosis. CONCLUSIONS: Pythiosis in dogs is diagnosed late and tends to evolve in the animal's death. The definitive diagnosis is by cytology, histology and immunohistochemistry.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22306044/