The Germs And Threats That Lurk In The Bushes
Did you ever feel like you were being watched by something? Were you afraid of the dark when you were a little kid?
Why is she asking these creepy questions, you ask? Because you and your pet are being watched or stalked – we’re the prey for a great variety of disease carriers and disease-causing organisms. (Cue “Jaws’ theme.)
So what threatens us in our Denver neighborhoods?
Number one is rabies. Rabies is an incurable viral disease of mammals and can be simply prevented with proper vaccination of your cats and dogs. In Colorado, we have terrestrial rabies with big vectors being skunks and raccoons as well as foxes and coyotes. And, we also have several species of insect-eating bats that are reservoirs for rabies virus.
Number two is heartworm disease. Thanks to several wet months, we have a huge number of mosquitos – all of the species in Colorado can carry heartworm that can be transmitted to your dog. Cats can also contract heartworm disease, but their rate of disease and diagnosis is much less than in dogs.
How do you prevent heartworm disease? Make sure your dog has a heartworm test every year. The test also screens for common tick-borne diseases and stays on heartworm preventative for at least our mosquito season, or better yet, year-round to provide protection against intestinal parasites. Discuss with your veterinarian about your cat’s lifestyle and risk level to determine if there is a need for testing and preventative for your feline friend.
Also on our radar is Leptospirosis. This bacterial disease is on the rise along the Front Range and can also be a cause of disease in humans. Once thought of as a rural disease of large dogs, we now see it most commonly in urban areas and it can affect any size dog. My last Lepto patient was an apartment-dwelling, four-pound Yorkshire Terrier.
The Leptospirosis bacteria is shed in the urine of a variety of small mammals, and our dogs pick it up from either contaminated water or a locally contaminated soil. There is zoonotic risk from this disease from pet to owner, but the most common route of infection for people is swimming in contaminated water – tri-athletes watch out.
Tularemia or “rabbit fever” is a concern this year as the weather again has created an opportunity for rabbits to reproduce rapidly. Human and canine symptoms are similar and include sudden fever, diarrhea, muscle aches, joint pain, dry cough, swollen lymph nodes and progressive weakness. Disease transmission is via a bite from an infected tick, deerfly or other insect; handling infected animal carcasses; drinking or eating contaminated food or water; or breaking in the causing bacteria, Francisella tularensis.
Tick-borne diseases will also be on the rise in future years. Ticks have been around since the dinosaur age and are vectors for numerous diseases that can affect dogs and humans. The Ixodes species of ticks, which can carry Lyme disease, are spreading into Colorado from all sides while the Lone Star tick is moving up from Texas.
Dr. Margot can be reached at parkhillvet.com