Dogs dying near Swift Current Creekhttp://www.prairiepost.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3869&Itemid=28Dog and cat owners in Swift Current are being warned to keep their pets away from the banks of the creek.
Several animals have become sick after inhaling the fungus blastomycosis, which is found in the soil near bodies of water. Though there is no reliable way to test for the fungus‘s presence in soil, it is assumed to be near the Swift Current creek.
One dog has died and several dogs and cats have become sick this spring because of blastomycosis.
“What happens is a dog will inhale it because they’re being a dog,” said veterinarian Alison Eltom from the Associate Pet Hospital. “They’re digging in the dirt, and then it gets into their lungs and can set up shop in their lungs and cause a lung infection, which can also spread throughout the body and cause sores, eye infections, you name it. It’s pretty nasty.”
Symptoms of blastomycosis can include breathing difficulties, fever, poor appetite, weight loss, lesions on the skin, or eye disease, and symptoms may not present themselves for a number of months after exposure.
The condition is treatable if caught early enough, Eltom said, but the treatment is expensive. The pet has to take potent anti-fungal medication for several months, and must be x-rayed and have blood taken monthly to monitor their progress. The medication can also be damaging to the liver, and there is a 20 per cent chance that the pet will relapse after treatment has stopped.
Though animal to human infection is highly unlikely, people can receive a localized infection if bitten by an infected dog or cat. The fungus is more likely to infect dogs, and is usually seen in young, male, large breed sporting dogs, because they are most often exposed to contaminated areas.
“All the cases have been Swift Current cases, there haven’t been any cases out of Swift Current as far as I’m aware, but one of our cases was an indoor pet, so that’s unusual,” said Eltom.
Arlene Unvoas, Executive Director Swift Current Creek Watershed Stewards, said there is no way to eradicate the fungus from the soil, and no way to pinpoint where the fungus is. There is also no vaccine available to prevent the illness.
“What we’ve been saying is keep your dog on a leash, which is a City bylaw anyway. Just be aware of what’s going on.”
The fungus is usually found in the Mississippi, Missouri, and Ohio River Valleys, Unvoas said, and has also been found in Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba and southern Saskatchewan.
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