Oh my goodness...very sorry to hear this...those poor dogs...
Very concerning and scary to say the least.
Nancy, I don't know anything except for inappetence/lethargy/kidney failure/death. I don't know any of the owners but for one dog and I didn't ask questions when I ran into the husband yesterday morning.
I have no idea of how long things ran except "fast".
That's it other than the visit to this one particular park...either regularly (the dog I knew) or regular/sporadically (the others). And that could, obviously, be a coincidence. I do know they spray stuff in that park and the yellow signs aren't always where people would see them, depending on the direction they're coming from...and they're not put in all the areas. (Like: OK, we sprayed in the park today...just avoid everywhere.) And we have a lot of wildlife in the area and I've been told that we have Lepto.
I don't know what vets were visited (except one to what I presume is the local emergency vet and not the one about 10 miles away) and I have no idea what the vets tested for.
That's why I'm eager to hear from my vet or perhaps learn something more from anyone who posts more info on our local forum. I'm hoping I don't see more dogs added to the list of those who've succumbed.
Oh my goodness...very sorry to hear this...those poor dogs...
Very concerning and scary to say the least.
SunDance (09-02-2017)
Oh that's just awful and almost too coincidental. Hope they can figure out what it is and do something about it. I would keep a close eye on my dogs too, and stay close to home.
SunDance (09-03-2017)
Scary - hopefully just a coincidence
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SunDance (09-03-2017)
This was my first thought too. We have had such a drought around here and the heat the water al most inland lakes is going stagnant. They have closed several beaches do to algae bloom so bad humans can't even swim in them. This can cause sudden death within a few hours of consuming it.
SunDance (09-05-2017)
Thanks, Jeff. I'd initially thought water, too, (not algae...the lake is full...no drought...and just stirred up from a lot of rain) until I discovered that most of the dogs hadn't been near the water, much less in it. I hope my vet will get back to me today (he's been out). I'm also hoping to speak with my friends (owners of Monty) who've been gone for the weekend. One other person contributed to the thread on our local forum about this happening a year ago and another likened it to past experience with Cushing's. Interestingly enough, a Google gave me input on just how many deaths are from undetermined reasons. Not something I'd really thought about before.
Canine Dysautonomia? A couple summers ago my family lost two young dogs to this. It has a higher incidence in the midwest, and is something that a lot of vets are not familiar with and the ones that are don't really know a whole lot about what causes it. Something that is not common enough to have been allocated much funding for research. We have country property, and each of my sisters in the same summer all of a sudden experienced their dog become sick/lethargic/vomiting/diarrhea. Both dogs were a year old or younger. We are close to the University of Missouri, and the vet hospital there made the diagnosis. We also sent the second dog's body to the University of Wyoming vet school who is trying to do some research on the side to learn more about it. We also sent them soil samples. No one really knows what causes it, but one theory is that soil that has recently been tilled/disturbed may contain something that causes CD. Not sure what the chances are that this is what is going on in your area, but whenever I hear of dogs suddenly becoming sick and dying and no one knows why, I think of CD.
Key-Gaskell Syndrome in Dogs | petMD
SunDance (09-05-2017)
Yikes...I'd never heard of that before. It felt weird to put the link onto my "favorites" list but I want to keep it handy, especially if more symptoms get mentioned.
The dog I knew was walked on a park path that passes by a new development that used to be a farm. The park property is at least about 30 yards from the development property at its closest point. That's the only disturbed soil around here and, as far as I know, the only walk the dog went on. I don't know what part of the lake path other dogs travelled, but they'd be no closer than this if they stayed on the park path. Stuff could easily be airborne, though, I'm sure. I'm glad I hadn't planned on walking my two into the park there anytime soon, just in case.
The rapid downhill course, and the common link of kidney failure makes me think of propylene glycol (a prominent ingredient in antifreeze.) It is in other products as well. It is sweet to dogs. In fact it's used as a coyote poison. It doesn't take a lot of it to kill a dog. If it's poured out on some grass and the dogs lick it up, that would be all it would take.
Interesting.
I know we have at least one horrible person who frequents this park...I've found a coyote skin hanging on a tree, suspicious meatballs around a boy scout fire pit area that I figured were put there by someone luring/poisoning the coyotes or foxes, a skinned squirrel left on the path, an opossum shot and left on the path, a squirrel with corresponding holes on either side of its body, still struggling to walk, and a deer with an arrow lodged in it (not in deer season, either). I'm wondering if someone could have poured out something like antifreeze in random spots....that would fit right in for a demented person. Considering that the park couldn't get the police interested in sending one of those meatballs to a lab, I'm guessing they wouldn't be interested in trying to do anything with this...it's a big park.
Two more people chimed in on the local forum: one whose dog died "some months back" and one whose friend's 18-month old died a few weeks ago (vet suspected "something congenital" since the pup was so young).
My vet got back to me just a few minutes ago....there's no vet "buzz" about this and that clinic hasn't had suspicious deaths....but his manager did ask him if he'd heard of anything involving that local park. I'm guessing another forum member called that vet just as I emailed mine...trying to find out if vets have noticed anything alarming. He said he thought Lepto was probably not likely unless people just aren't mentioning other symptoms...and poisoning from what's sprayed in the parks would need far more consumption than the average dog would take in before being that much of a problem. So....
He did wonder if perhaps there's a food that will end up being recalled if owners start complaining or asking questions. There's another possibility. It could have more impact on dogs with weakened systems in one way or another (explaining why one dog in a family would succumb and another one wouldn't). Aaarrrrgggghhhhhh. Our vets always ask what food etc. our pets are on, but I wonder if they ever do anything with that information. Bet not.
So...the vet is going to keep his eyes/ears open and let me know if he comes up with anything...and asked that I do the same. I'm glad he didn't say, "oh yes...it's a horrible recent problem....lock up your dogs", but I feel unsatisfied. I was hoping....what was I hoping? I don't know....
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