Blastomycosis in Cats

Optimal treatment for your pet requires a combination of home and professional veterinary care. Follow-up with your veterinarian is essential. Administer all medications as directed and call your veterinarian if you have questions or problems administering medications to your pet.

Follow-up with your veterinarian for physical examinations and blood tests.

The prognosis is guarded for animals with severe lung involvement and for those with eye or nervous system involvement. Approximately half of cats with severe lung involvement experience a worsening of the respiratory function during the first week of treatment. This complication is thought to be caused by rapid killing of the fungal organisms and can lead to death. It is very difficult to treat animals with nervous system involvement. Those with advanced eye involvement have a poor prognosis for return of vision.

The agar gel immunodiffusion test tends to remain positive after treatment and cannot be used to gauge response to treatment. Therapy should be continued for at least a month past resolution of all clinical signs. Most cats with mild to moderate disease will require 60 days of therapy. If severe disease is present 90 days may be required. Recurrence within one year occurs in 20 percent of cases.

No vaccine is available. Even if areas are identified as infected, sterilization of the soil is not possible.