You may have heard about the recent sea lion deaths along the Oregon Coast in the Oregonian and other sources.  An alert has gone out that sea lions are dying of a zoonotic disease called Leptospirosis - we call it Lepto in the biz. Our own nurse, Melissa had a scare a few weeks ago when her sweet little dog Billy went to pee on "log" on the beach that turned out to be a dying sea lion. Thankfully there were volunteers out to warn people to keep dogs and people away. Leptospirosis is a contagious disease that can affect dogs and people too. It is a bacterial disease that is spread through the urine of infected animals usually through water sources. The disease can enter through mucous membranes so splashing water in the eyes or drinking the water can lead to exposure. The disease causes severe liver and kidney disease and pets require days of hospitalization, antibiotics and supportive care for treatment.

DeeDee on the Beach

The most common place we'd see it back in vet school in Illinois is from cattle farms (I was treated multiple times for exposure to these dogs - ah the memories...I won't even go into details about the rabies suspect cow on pathology rotation!) Here in Oregon we see Lepto from wilderness areas and even in the city. A recent study found 15% of rats in Portland are infected and now we have this sad rash of deaths in sea lions at the coast. A few years ago a few people were even infected after exposure to Fanno Creek in Beaverton.

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The good news is that there is a vaccine against the disease. It's the "L" in the classic DHLPP. Back when I first started practicing 13 years ago we used to vaccinate for Lepto all of the time but the reaction rate was so high veterinarians started to think they were doing more harm than good. Lepto became a non-core vaccine and since the disease incidence was way down we stopped vaccinating against it. Now it's on the rise again and thankfully the vaccine companies have reinvented their vaccines to be much smoother and less reactive. We recommend that dogs at risk receive the vaccine. If you take your dog to the beach, hiking, swimming, camping, or fishing the vaccine should be considered. Even dogs that live in the city that have exposure to yards with rats are considered at risk. We use the Pfizer vaccine that is given separated from any other vaccine. If your dog has never had a Leptospirosis vaccine we will need to give one and then a booster 3 weeks later. The vaccine is then good for a year. 

Contact us if you aren't sure about the vaccine status of your dog and we can advise you on how to keep your dog safe. 

 

 

Many of you know that chocolate is toxic in dogs and some of you even know about the dangers of grapes and raisins, but salmon? Many of us share our cooked Salmon with our pets and even buy dog food with the main ingredient being salmon. We offer salmon oil for skin diseases and arthritis and offer salmon skin treats. So what is this about Salmon Poisoning?

Mojo slyly chewing on a salmon

Actually Salmon Poisoning is an infection (and not a toxin at all) that dogs get from eating raw Salmon or Trout. There have been a rash of cases in Oregon recently. I received an email from the Public Health Veterinarian talking about the increase in cases reported by Oregon Veterinarians. At Mt. Tabor Veterinary Care we have seen 3 cases of Salmon Poisoning and the latest was our own Indy (the sweet puppy that was looking for a home that Melissa kept). Indy was out at a lake a week ago where Melissa, her boyfriend Jake and friends were camping and fishing. She didn’t see Indy get into any fish but they had cleaned the fish near the campsite at the water. Another one of our patients, Juniper had been out fishing with her family and friends on the Deschutes a week before she was diagnosed and was given a small fish to play with. They didn’t think she ate it. And our 3rd patient took off from her family one evening at the beach and came back the next morning smelling foul – a week later she was depressed, not eating, lethargic and had a fever – the same symptoms Indy and Juniper had.

Poor Indy getting iv fluids for salmon poisoning

Salmon Poisoning has a very interesting life cycle. The dog eats raw salmon or trout which contains the parasite Nanophyetus salmonicola, a liver fluke. Encysted inside of this fluke is the rikettsia (or bacteria), Neorickettsia helminthoeca, that causes the actual symptoms of the disease. The fish get the fluke from living in the same water as the intermediate host, the snail.  Once the fluke is in the intestines of the dog, it releases the rickettsia which spreads in the bloodstream. Symptoms occur about a week after ingestion of the raw fish and include fever, lethargy, depression, not eating, vomiting, diarrhea, weight loss, nasal and ocular discharge. This disease can be fatal. I have seen prolonged cases need to be hospitalized in intensive care and receive multiple plasma transfusions. In all of our cases, the clients noticed the profound changes in their pet’s behavior and brought them in right away.

The disease is diagnosed through a fecal sample looking for the fluke eggs. Treatment is with antibiotics and supportive care, keeping the patient well hydrated and monitoring the protein levels which can be lost through the inflamed intestine. We also deworm for the liver flukes. Indy, our latest case, felt better within 24 hours of treatment.

Juniper at the Deschutes River

The great news about this condition is that once a patient is cured of Salmon Poisoning, they are likely immune to the condition. There have been cases of fisherman actually giving their dogs raw salmon or trout to eat so they can get the disease! It's almost like a vaccine. In the same way parents send their children over to play with kids with chicken pox, these fisherman control the exposure of their dogs to Salmon Poisoning.

Please keep this condition in mind as you spend time outside with your dog at the bountiful lakes and rivers (and even the coast) the Northwest has to offer. If you and your dogs spend any time near water and come down with these profound symptoms of illness, please seek veterinary attention right away and be sure to bring a fecal sample in with you!