Pythiosis

When cats become infected with the Pythium insidious spore, they are more prone to develop cutaneous pythiosis.

Cats who swim in warm water contaminated with the aquatic pathogen are at risk for this water-borne infection.

Pythium insidious, a parasitic spore capable of spontaneous movement that enters the body by the nose, esophagus, or skin, belongs to Oomycote.

The infection is frequently found in the cat's lungs, brain, sinuses, gastrointestinal tract, or skin.

Crusty or subcutaneous lumps grow behind the eyeball, behind the eye, around the nasopharynx, at the base of the tail, or on the footpads in affected cats.

Stuffiness, headache, fever, coughing, and sinus enlargement are symptoms of pythiosis of cats' lungs, brain, or sinuses.

Infection of the digestive tract in cats creates a chronic condition in which the tissue of the stomach and/or intestines thickens dramatically.

Swollen, non-healing sores and invasive masses of ulcerated pus-filled nodules and draining tracts are symptoms of pythiosis of the skin.

The damaged skin gradually turns black and wilts due to tissue loss.

Direct contact with water containing Pythium insidious, a water-borne fungal parasite, causes infection.

It is typically eaten or inhaled by the cat and then passes through the intestinal tract.

The sooner you seek treatment for your cat when the initial signs arise, the better.

All cats will need to have as much damaged tissue as possible surgically removed.

After surgery, any leftover tissue will be treated with a laser to eliminate any fungal filaments in the area.