Sporotrichosis in cats and dogs: symptoms, causes and treatment

Author: Laura McKinney
Date Of Creation: 9 August 2021
Update Date: 20 April 2024
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Sporotrichosis ¦ Treatment and Symptoms
Video: Sporotrichosis ¦ Treatment and Symptoms

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Sporotrichosis is a zoonosis, a disease that can be transmitted from animals to people. The agent of this disease is a fungus, which usually uses a skin wound as a perfect means of entry into the organism.

This terrible disease can affect many animals, including dogs and cats! Since it can be transmitted to human beings, it is essential to be careful. For this reason, PeritoAnimal has written this article with everything you need to know about sporotrichosis in dogs and cats: symptoms, causes and treatment.

What is sporotrichosis

Sporotrichosis is a type of ringworm caused by the fungus Sporotrix Schenkii capable of creating lesions on the skin or even on internal organs. Being more common in cats than in dogs, in felines we can usually observe deep skin wounds, most often with pus, which does not heal. The disease progresses rapidly and causes many sneezes in cats.


Sporotrichosis in cats

The fungus that causes sporotrichosis, also known as rose disease, is everywhere in nature, so it's not difficult for your pet to have contact with it. Mainly cats that have access to the outside can contact with this fungus on the ground and in the gardens they frequent.

This fungus especially likes warm, moist places to breed and that's why it's more common in tropical climates. The best way to prevent the appearance of this fungus is to always keep the places properly clean, especially your cat's litter box!

It is important to note that, according to some studies, transmission from cats to humans is more common than from dogs. Sometimes the animal may not have the disease but carry the fungus. For example, if your kitten was in direct contact with this fungus in the street and while playing a scratch on it, it may be enough to contaminate you. Quickly disinfect the wound! That's why it's so important to find out and monitor the sporotrichosis in cats.


Dog sporotrichosis

THE dog sporotrichosis it is considered rare. Being more common there are dermatophytosis caused by other agents, such as Microsporum kennels, Microsporum gypseum it's the Trichophyton mentagrophytes. Anyway, there are some cases reported and, therefore, care is not enough. As with cats, hygiene is the most important of all, both to keep your dog safe from these opportunistic fungi, as well as yourself.

In the image below we have a very advanced case of a dog with sporotrichosis.

Causes of sporotrichosis in cats and dogs

As we have already mentioned, what causes sporotrichosis in cats or sporotrichosis in dogs is the fungus Sporotrix Schenckii which normally takes advantage of small injuries or wounds to enter the animal's body.


We can consider that there are three types of sporotrichosis:

  • Cutaneous: individual nodules on the animal's skin.
  • Cutaneous-lymphatic: when the infection progresses and in addition to affecting the skin, it reaches the animal's lymphatic system.
  • disseminated: when the disease reaches such a serious state that the whole organism is affected.

Sporotrichosis symptoms

Unlike other skin conditions, lesions caused by sporotrichosis are not usually itchy. Check out the main symptoms of sporotrichosis below.

Sporotrichosis symptoms in dogs and cats

  • firm nodules
  • Alopecia areas (hairless body regions)
  • Ulcers on the trunk, head and ears
  • loss of appetite
  • Weight loss

Furthermore, when the disease is disseminated, a series of other clinical signs may appear, depending on the affected systems. From respiratory, locomotor and even gastrointestinal problems.

Diagnosis of sporotrichosis in cats and dogs

Diagnostic tests by the veterinarian are needed to confirm that the animal has sporotrichosis. This disease can be easily confused with others that present similar clinical signs, such as leishmaniasis, herpes, etc.

these are the diagnostic tools more common:

  • Direct smear cytology
  • Print
  • shaved skin

It may often be necessary to make a fungal culture and biopsy to identify sporotrichosis in dogs and cats. Also, don't be surprised if the veterinarian needs to perform several tests on your pet. Complementary tests are extremely important to rule out possible differential diagnoses and, remember that, without a correct diagnosis, the chances of treatment being effective are much lower.

Sporotrichosis in cats and dogs - treatment

The treatment of choice for sporotrichosis in cats and dogs is sodium and potassium iodide.

In the case of sporotrichosis in cats, the veterinarian will take special care because there is a greater risk of iodism as a side effect of this treatment, and the cat may present:

  • Fever
  • Anorexia
  • Dry skin
  • vomiting
  • Diarrhea

Other drugs can be used to help with wound healing, such as imidazoles and triazoles. It is important to note that the use of these drugs can also have side effects such as:

  • Anorexia
  • Nausea
  • Weight loss

If your pet has any side effects from the medication, you should immediately contact the veterinarian who is monitoring the case.

Is sporotrichosis curable?

Yes, sporotrichosis is curable. For this, you should take your pet to the veterinary clinic as soon as you check some of the symptoms mentioned above. The sooner treatment is started, the better the prognosis.

Prognosis of sporotrichosis

The prognosis of this disease is good if it is identified in time and if it is treated correctly. There may be relapses, but they are usually associated with a incorrect use of medications. For this reason, once again, we emphasize that you should never medicate your pet without the supervision of the veterinarian, as this act may seem to solve the problem at the time but worsen your pet's health in the future.

Now that you know all about sporotrichosis in cats and sporotrichosis in dogs, you might be interested in this video with the 10 most common diseases in cats:

This article is for information purposes only, at PeritoAnimal.com.br we are not able to prescribe veterinary treatments or perform any type of diagnosis. We suggest that you take your pet to the veterinarian in case it has any type of condition or discomfort.

If you want to read more articles similar to Sporotrichosis in cats and dogs: symptoms, causes and treatment, we recommend that you enter our Skin Problems section.