I debated greatly if I would post something about this. I do not believe I'm an alarmist, but if you've gone thru what I have the last week or so, you'd understand my concern. And how it could effect your dog in the future.
Essentially, while trialing in Wisconsin, 1 of my Pointers, Bud, almost died from a Kennel cough disease. (Kennel cough is a generic term for symptoms resulting from about 7 different viruses, most that we have vaccines for & all of my dogs are vaccined from, & 3 bacteria strains, of which there are presently no vaccines). I'm over $11K in Vet bills, but I believe all of my Pointers are clear of this, & Bud, who was the worst, by far, hit with this, is now perky & jogging around the yard again. The future will tell if he received permanent lung damage, & of course a hit to his athleticism. We will see. The storm has past, & we're seeing the sun shine again.
At the end I will list the 2 bacteria that caused Bud's severe lung hemorraging & pneumonia.
You really should read, research the 2 bacteria, & make adjustments to your trialing.. Don't stop, just think about things on how to prevent. 1 of the bacteria, I read, indicates that it is relatively new & is creating pockets of breakouts. With high mortality rates! The next few posts will be my cut & paste from my notes to the Wisconsin clubs today.
The response from people concerning Bud's disease, a Kennel cough type of severe bacterial lung infection, that there is no vaccine for, has been overwhelming!!. I've been overwhelmed by the response & want to thank everyone for their thoughts & go fund me donations (I'm requesting no more donations). Actually, 2 bacteria, that in tandem are contagious, quick acting, have a high mortality rate. From the time Bud starting coughing some at bed time, to the next early morning, a week or so back,he was foaming, coughing out spittle, throwing up, & had rapid, shallow breathing. About an hour later he was foaming blood & spittle coughing from his lungs (hemorrhaging in lungs). Within 3 hours (long drive) he was at an emergency Vet clinic near St Paul, MN. He could stand, wobbly, but couldn't walk. He had to be carried in. His blood oxygen level was very low. Immediately placing him on Oxygen (many days), IVs, meds, antibiotics, multiple Xrays, etc, I am sure, saved him. Literature that I've researched said at onset of the bleeding stage, mortality often occurs within 24 to 48 hours! The rest of the team (5) started coughing & hacking out the same foamy, slimy junk, but not blood, a few days later. You must understand the progression of this. Until Bud's disease panel cultures came back & I received the results showing the 2 bacteria, 6 days after going into the clinic, we thought Bud's problem was due to a chest injury, seen slamming full speed into a log, the day prior. Initial Xrays had shown hemorrhaging in the lungs.
1474 |
Responses
|