The Brief
- A Bartow dog spent the last year recovering from pythiosis after drinking from a neighborhood lake.
- The disease – often dubbed “swamp cancer” – is caused by a fungus-like organism that lives in stagnant, swampy water and can create gastrointestinal masses in dogs.
- Boyette Animal Hospital in Riverview said they’ve seen one fatal case of pythiosis this year.
BARTOW, Fla. – A Bartow woman is warning pet owners after her dog spent the last year battling a near-fatal disease called “swamp cancer.”
Polk County dog’s battle
The backstory:
In July 2025, Summer was on a walk with her family when the then one-year-old Australian Shepherd mix drank water from a lake near her Bartow home.
Shortly after, her family noticed symptoms, including bloody diarrhea, vomiting, and her inability to keep water down.…