Veterinary medical mycology often differs from the human counterpart by
the clinical aspects, the variety of fungi involved, and the antimycotic drugs
available. Since the 1980s, there has been a significant increase in the number
of humans affected by mycoses, and the spectrum of fungal species defined
as pathogenic has broadened due to the increasing immunosuppression in the
population. In veterinary mycology, this phenomenon has not been observed
or is still insufficiently investigated. Only in the last few years the interest
and awareness of the importance of animal mycoses and their treatment
have increased. Convincing data present identification of previously human
pathogens e.g. Cryptococcus gattii or Sporothrix brasiliensis, in animals. There
are also revisions in taxonomy of some groups of fungi. The development
of new antifungal drugs with better pharmacological properties, a broader
spectrum of activity and fewer adverse effects was largely stimulated by
the aforementioned increase of cases of fungal infections and the variety of
causative agents. Some of these newly developed antifungal drugs are very
expensive and, as is well known, economic considerations have a much greater
influence on the decision to treat animals than it is in humans. Unfortunately,
it is still often believed that the value of an animal is calculated in relation
to the cost of therapy. This article reviews the literature on the treatment
of fungal and yeast infections from the veterinary perspective of antifungal
therapy. Particular attention was paid to the characteristics of disseminated
mould mycoses in dogs, as there are numerous reports in the scientific
literature in this field