Dog Salmon poisoning on the Nestucca

N
Noahk
I wasn't aware of the dangers of dogs contracting "Salmon Poisoning" until my puppy got into some dead Salmon the weekend before last on the Nestucca and got really sick this weekend. Two days at the vet hooked up to IVs and antibiotics and a $1200 vet bill she's doing much better now. Here is some info about it for anyone else that isn't familiar with it.

I'm also going to start carrying hydrogen peroxide and a turkey baster with me to induce vomiting if I see her get into a raw fish again. They say to use a teaspoon (.166 ounces) per 5 lbs of weight. I asked my vet and she said it was ok to induce in the situation of ingesting raw fish, anti-freeze or other foreign objects(which my stupid dog has also done). However, i think in some situations inducing vomiting can be detrimental to the dog's health. There is mention of dogs building up an immunity to the rickettsial organism after they get it but my vet wasn't completely convinced.

One thing to note is that the symptoms generally take 5-7 days to show up. I knew that she had got into the Salmon but she acted completely fine for an entire week. When she did get sick she threw up, developed a fever, wouldn’t eat and was complete lethargic. The total opposite of her normal puppy self!

Salmon (Raw) Poisoning Disease

This is primarily a problem in the Pacific Northwest and California. But if you feed a raw meat diet it can be a problem anywhere.

It is caused from the infection by a rickettsial organism, Neorickettsia helminthoeca. SPD has been known since the early 19th century in North America. It had been observed that dogs that ate raw salmon frequently died however the connection between the fluke and the rickettsia was not established at this time.(1) It is unusual in that the rickettsial organism does not directly infect the dog but is instead carried by a parasite, a trematode (flatworm or fluke) called Nanophyteus salmincola through two intermediate hosts first: freshwater snails and salmonid fish (salmon, trout and steelhead). Nanophyteus salmincola are found to infect freshwater snails particularly Oxytrema plicifer. The infected snail forms part of the salmonid species food web and is ingested. Neither the fluke nor the rickettsial organism act as pathogens in the fish. The dog is exposed only when it ingests the secondary host - an infected fish. After the dog ingests the fish, the encysted fluke larvae burst and embed in the dog’s intestinal tract and the rickettsia are introduced. The cycle continues when ova are excreted in dog feces to infect snails. It is necessary for your dog to eat raw salmon to get salmon poisoning disease.

A sudden onset of symptoms occur 5-7 days after ingestion of fish. Initial symptoms include lethargy and anorexia. Peaking of temperature between 104-107 in the first two days and then slowly returns to normal. Persistent vomiting by the fourth day. There is bloody diarrhea within a few days of vomiting onset. The diarrhea is often bright yellow color. There are enlarged lymph nodes. In the acute stages, gastrointestinal symptoms are quite similar to canine parvovirus. Nasal and ocular symptoms can resemble canine distemper. If left untreated, SPD has a mortality rate of up to 90%. Treatment is supportive to maintain hydration as well as antibiotic therapy to kill the disease producing organism. Dogs that survive are immune. It is preventable by cooking all fish before feeding your dog. If you are outdoors hiking or camping or live near streams and rivers were salmon spawn, keep a close eye on your dog on don't let your pet run free to insure that no fish carcasses are ingested. Please see your vet immediately if you suspect your dog has ingested raw salmon.

Source,
Toxins that Affect Dogs - Veterinary Information
 
A
Anyfishisfine
Glad your pup is OK.

It's amazing that something with such a specific and convoluted life-cycle could be viable.
 
C
capblack
your dog shouldnt be able to get it again, once theyve had it and been cured. i believe its called salmonella poisoning or something like that. very common
 
T
TTFishon
I'm glad she's ok too. I will say this though, your dog is not stupid! That's all I have to say.
 
J
JeannaJigs
Andy's dog got this, this fall (Thuggin4life) and posted a similar informational thread.

One thing I'd like to mention that has been debated for some time is that, if your dog gets it once, they are NOT immune. They CAN get it again.

Just be aware of your surroundings and watch your dog closely, if there's salmon carcasses (i.e anytime your steelhead fishing) it's a good idea to keep your dog leashed.
 
N
Noahk
JeannaJigs said:
Andy's dog got this, this fall (Thuggin4life) and posted a similar informational thread.

One thing I'd like to mention that has been debated for some time is that, if your dog gets it once, they are NOT immune. They CAN get it again.

Just be aware of your surroundings and watch your dog closely, if there's salmon carcasses (i.e anytime your steelhead fishing) it's a good idea to keep your dog leashed.
Yeah our vet said she wasn't sure but she said she heard of people in Alaska giving this to their puppies on purpose so the dogs are protected later. Either way I will be playing it safe with the puppy going forward.

Thanks everyone for the well wishes!
 
C
capblack
JeannaJigs said:
Andy's dog got this, this fall (Thuggin4life) and posted a similar informational thread.

One thing I'd like to mention that has been debated for some time is that, if your dog gets it once, they are NOT immune. They CAN get it again.

Just be aware of your surroundings and watch your dog closely, if there's salmon carcasses (i.e anytime your steelhead fishing) it's a good idea to keep your dog leashed.

when i was a kid, our dogs all got salmonella, and they never had a repeat occurence, so if they can get it again, its news to me, but i would err on the side of safety, dont let them around the dead fish. Brian
 
T
Thuggin4Life
Also don't quote me but pretty sure its only found west of the cascades and isn't found in alaska or any of our eastern states and possible any where else in the world. Sled dogs are fed raw salmon specifically chum salmon aka "dog salmon" and dont get sick. So i was kinda thinking my dog may have had a natural immunities from all the times she had been exposed to raw fish.
 
F
fish4life
The vet told me that if the dog has the infection and is running a temp and you cure him. The dog wont get it again but if you see your dog eat the salmon and take him to the vet and start giving him antibiotics before he has came down with the fever the dog could get it again. I have heard of people purposly feeding them the salmon and then wait till the dog gets a fever then give the dog antibiotics. That way they dont have to worry about it when they are fishing.
 
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T
Thuggin4Life
Im too cheap to just go to the vet. have to wait until real symptoms occur. my other half would have had our dog in there 3 days earlier but i thought she was just being lazy and depressed because i wasn't taking her fishing with me and we still got her in there way ahead of most cases. I feed her fish all the time its the fish you don't see them eat or the fish you didn't intentionally feed them that gets them.
 
N
Noahk
When she actually got sick we thought it was pancreatitis again. She has a bad habit of eating EVERYTHING and got pancreatitis a few months ago. When she thew up, she threw up about a good pound of kleenex that she had gotten into earlier in the week. I didn't realize that she had eaten that much. It had been in her stomach for 3 days and she hadn't passed it. Her poop also changed color from brown to a bright yellow and she stopped eating, developed the fever, and her gums had gotten really pale. Which is exactly what happened with the pancreatitis before. So when we went to the vet they thought it was pancreatitis and they were concerned there was a blockage. So they did a series of xrays. I didn't even remember the salmon until they had done already done all the xrays. I'm sure I could have saved a good 500 by having told them that up front but it didn't dawn on me it was related because it had been a whole week since she ate the salmon. Obviously I know better now. Also part of that was having to be hooked up to the IV overnight because her temperature wouldn't break and she could barley walk and wasn't keep down fluids. That's some great info in the other post though, if it happens again I might try that if we figure it out early enough. I'm sure we could have saved some money but it was worth the piece of mind knowing we did everything we could.

She's back at home tonight and doing great. I'm sure she'll be back to her old self in no time.
 
T
Thuggin4Life
Good thing your pups alright.
 
N
Noahk
Thuggin4Life said:
Good thing your pups alright.
Yeah totally. The girlfriend would have killed me otherwise!
 
T
Thuggin4Life
MIne too. After all shes suposably her dog.
 

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