Laurie Anne Walden, DVM Hookworms are common in dogs and cats, especially young animals in warm climates. These parasites are also zoonotic: hookworms that infect dogs and cats can also infect people. What are hookworms? Hookworms are small parasitic worms that live in the intestines of host animals. Different hookworm species have different preferred hosts. Hookworm larvae can also infect other animals—accidental hosts—that they happen to come in contact with. The symptoms of infection depend on whether the infected animal is a preferred host or an accidental host. Adult hookworms in the intestines lay eggs that are passed out of the body through feces. Once in the environment, the eggs hatch into larvae. Larvae enter a new host’s body by penetrating the skin. Preferred hosts can also be infected by swallowing hookworm larvae, such as by eating contaminated dirt. Puppies can be infected through their mother’s milk. In preferred hosts, hookworm larvae migrate to the intestines, where they grow into adult worms that reproduce and lay eggs. In accidental hosts, hookworm larvae cause a local reaction where they have penetrated the skin, but they do not mature and reproduce. Hookworm infection in dogs and cats The hookworm species that most often infect dogs and cats are Ancylostoma caninum, Uncinaria stenocephala, Ancylostoma tubaeforme, and Ancylostoma braziliense. These worms attach to the lining of the intestines and feed on blood. Infection can cause anemia from blood loss, which can be fatal in young puppies and kittens carrying large numbers of worms. Symptoms of hookworm infection in dogs and cats depend on the number of worms and the age, size, and overall health of the infected animal.
A number of effective, safe medications are available to treat hookworm infections in dogs and cats. Young animals with severe anemia may need blood transfusions. Hookworm infection in people Humans can be infected by dog and cat hookworms if they come in contact with larvae in the environment—for example, by walking barefoot on sand or soil contaminated with hookworm larvae. The larvae burrow into the skin, causing an itchy skin reaction called cutaneous larva migrans. The larvae live only a few weeks in humans, so the symptoms may resolve on their own (contact your health care provider if you have more questions). Humans are the preferred hosts for 2 hookworm species: Ancylostoma duodenale and Necator americanus. These hookworms are a major source of human disease worldwide and were once common in the southeastern United States. Preventing hookworms Because dog and cat hookworms cause serious disease in animals and are also a health risk for people, preventing hookworm infections in our pets is important for both animal and human health. The Companion Animal Parasite Council recommends the following for dogs and cats:
The CDC recommends these steps to prevent zoonotic hookworm infections in people:
For more information Hookworms (PDF from Worms & Germs Blog) Hookworms – Dog Owners and Cat Owners (Companion Animal Parasite Council) Zoonotic hookworm FAQs (CDC) Photo by Andrew Pons Laurie Anne Walden, DVMPart 1 of this 2-part series covered the reasons we have rabies laws. This article briefly summarizes North Carolina rabies regulations and describes what to do if you find a bat in the house, your pet is bitten, or your pet has had contact with a wild animal. This article includes changes to NC rabies regulations that go into effect on October 1, 2017, and recommendations from Jose Pena, epidemiology specialist with Mecklenburg County Public Health (via telephone interview). North Carolina rabies regulations 1. Dogs, cats, and ferrets over 4 months of age must be vaccinated against rabies. The earliest the vaccine can be given is 3 months (12 weeks) of age. 2. Dogs and cats receive a rabies booster vaccine 1 year after the first vaccine and every 3 years thereafter, if the vaccine is licensed for 3-year use. (Mallard Creek Animal Hospital uses a nonadjuvanted vaccine with a 1-year license for most cats.) 3. Dogs and cats are considered immunized 28 days after the first rabies vaccine. 4. If a pet bites a person, the bite must be reported to Animal Control and the pet must be quarantined for 10 days. Animal Control decides the quarantine location. Animals with a current rabies vaccination and no bite history may be quarantined at the owner's home. Animals with an expired or no rabies vaccination or (in some cases) a history of biting or scratching are quarantined at a shelter or veterinary facility. 5. All potential exposures should be reported to Animal Control. The local health director determines whether rabies exposure is likely. Exposure to rabies doesn’t necessarily mean a bite wound. Any type of contact with a wild animal, especially rabies vector species like bats, raccoons, skunks, foxes, and coyotes, can constitute exposure. Unvaccinated cats and dogs can also carry rabies. The presence of a bat in the house is usually considered exposure because bat bites are hard to see and it’s often impossible to know how long the bat has been indoors. 6. If a dog, cat, or ferret is exposed to rabies:
What you should do 1. Keep your pets’ vaccinations current. This includes indoor-only cats! 2. If your pet bites someone, don’t avoid the consequences; just accept the 10-day quarantine. 3. If a bat is in your house:
4. If your pet is bitten by an unknown animal, a wild animal, or a dog or cat with unknown vaccination status:
5. If you you notice a wild animal acting strangely or you have found a dead wild animal:
6. To avoid attracting wild animals, feed your pets indoors and don’t leave food outside. For more information Rabies control and prevention in North Carolina: NC Health and Human Services website Protect yourself from rabies: Mecklenburg Government website September 28, 2017 Photo by Inge Wallumrød Laurie Anne Walden, DVMYou may have read a recent news report of a Mecklenburg County puppy quarantined for 6 months after possible exposure to a bat. Did you wonder why the quarantine was so long? This is the first of 2 posts about rabies laws in North Carolina. This article covers background information about rabies: the reasons for the laws. The second article will discuss NC rabies regulations and what they mean for your pets (preview: vaccinate your indoor cats). Why rabies vaccination is mandated by law Rabies is caused by a virus transmitted between animals and people. It is almost always fatal once symptoms begin, but it can be prevented with vaccination. Rabies kills an estimated 59,000 people worldwide every year. Nearly all of these deaths are caused by exposure to rabid domestic dogs. Most deaths occur in areas of Asia and Africa where access to vaccination is limited. Compare that statistic with the current situation in the United States. In this country rabies kills only 1 or 2 people annually, the dog variant of the rabies virus has been eliminated, and the rabies reservoir species are wild animals. Before rabies control programs were introduced, more than 100 people in the United States died from rabies each year. The conclusion is simple: rabies control programs save lives. Rabies in North Carolina Rabies is still a real risk in the United States. Thousands of wild animals (most often bats, raccoons, and skunks) test positive for rabies each year. The most commonly infected domestic animals are cats, followed by cows and dogs. In 2016, 251 animals tested positive for rabies in North Carolina. In Mecklenburg County, 19 animals tested positive, the highest number of any NC county. Nine animals tested positive in Cabarrus County. Nearly half of the rabies-positive animals in North Carolina in 2016 were raccoons. The others, in descending order, were foxes, skunks, bats, cats, cows, dogs, beavers (Mecklenburg had 1 of the 2 rabid beavers in the state), and a deer. Other fascinating (to me) rabies statistics are available on the NC Department of Health and Human Services website. The path of rabies infection Rabies is transmitted through saliva and nervous tissue, such as brain. It usually enters the body through a bite wound but can also enter through broken skin or mucous membranes (nose, mouth, or eyes). After rabies virus enters the body, it travels through the nerves to the brain. This process can take several months. During this incubation period, the exposed animal has no symptoms of infection. Once the virus reaches the brain, it multiplies and moves to the salivary glands. At this point the animal can transmit rabies to another animal. Virus multiplication in the brain causes brain inflammation, leading to signs of rabies. Death occurs within about 7 days. Rabies virus tests in animals are performed on brain tissue. For this reason, rabies testing in animals requires euthanasia. To sum up: An animal exposed to rabies might not show signs of infection for many months and cannot be tested for rabies while it is alive. An animal that is capable of transmitting rabies will show signs of infection within a few days and will be dead within about a week. September 15, 2017 Photo by Inge Wallumrød Laurie Anne Walden, DVMYou probably know that ticks carry Lyme disease. But did you know that ticks also transmit other diseases that can make your pet seriously ill? People and pets get the same tick-transmitted diseases. These diseases are not directly contagious between humans and animals (you won't catch Lyme disease from an infected dog), but we are all exposed to the same ticks outdoors. And one recent study showed that people with pets were more likely than those without pets to find ticks on themselves. Rocky Mountain spotted fever According to the CDC, North Carolina has one of the highest rates of Rocky Mountain spotted fever (in humans) in the country. The disease is caused by a type of bacteria called rickettsia. It is usually transmitted from a tick to its host within a few hours of tick attachment. Symptoms of Rocky Mountain spotted fever in dogs generally begin a few days to two weeks after transmission. Some of the signs in dogs are fever, loss of appetite, joint pain (lameness or stiff gait), vomiting, and bruising of the skin or gums. It is potentially fatal but can be treated with antibiotics. Ehrlichiosis Like Rocky Mountain spotted fever, ehrlichiosis is a rickettsial infection. The Companion Animal Parasite Council reports that in 2016, over 16,000 dogs in North Carolina had positive antibody tests for ehrlichiosis--that is, they had been exposed to the bacteria at some point in their lives. The symptoms of ehrlichiosis in dogs and cats depend partly on the rickettsia species and are similar to those of Rocky Mountain spotted fever. Dogs can also be infected without showing any symptoms. This disease is also treated with antibiotics. Lyme disease Lyme disease, also called borreliosis, is caused by Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria. It is not as common in North Carolina as Rocky Mountain spotted fever and ehrlichiosis, although dogs do test positive here. (These tests do not show where the exposure occurred; some dogs may been exposed elsewhere and then traveled here.) The Companion Animal Parasite Council warns that the disease is spreading and that North Carolina and other states bordering typical Lyme disease areas may start to see more cases. Borrelia are transferred from tick to host a day or more after tick attachment. Symptoms of Lyme disease vary, although fever and lameness that shifts from one leg to another are typical. The symptoms can be similar to those of other tick-borne diseases. Some dogs have no signs of infection. This disease can affect the kidneys, heart, and nervous system and may be fatal. Like the other bacterial tick-borne diseases, Lyme disease is treated with antibiotics. A vaccine is also available. Tick paralysis Some ticks produce a toxin that causes paralysis. The symptoms range from weakness (usually beginning in the rear legs) to a complete inability to move. In severe cases the patient can die from paralysis of the muscles that control breathing. Removing all ticks may be enough to cure the disease. However, some dogs require intensive treatment in the hospital. And others Ticks carry many other known diseases, such as anaplasmosis, babesiosis, and tularemia, and probably some that have yet to be identified. Because tick-borne diseases infect animals as well as people, dogs can act as sentinels for these types of diseases in humans. For instance, a CDC report published in 2011 showed that the incidence of Lyme disease in dogs could predict the risk of Lyme disease for humans in the same geographic area. To learn more Parasite prevalence maps (Pets & Parasites) Tick removal (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Ticks (Companion Animal Parasite Council) -- guidelines for controlling ticks on pets August 3, 2017 Image credit: CDC/James Gathany Laurie Anne Walden, DVM Key points
You may have read about canine influenza in the news recently. Cases of canine flu have been confirmed in North Carolina, and 2 dogs have died. Here's what you need to know. How canine flu spreads Canine flu is caused by an influenza A virus that is highly contagious among dogs. It spreads through respiratory tract secretions. Sources of infection typically include the following:
Two strains of canine influenza virus have been identified in the United States. H3N8 virus was first seen in this country in 2004. H3N2 virus caused an outbreak in the Chicago area in 2015 and the recent cases in Florida and Georgia. About 80% of dogs exposed to the virus develop clinical signs of infection. About 20% have no symptoms but can still spread the virus to other dogs. Infected dogs are most contagious during the first 2 to 3 days after infection, before they show signs of illness. Dogs infected with H3N2 virus can continue shedding virus, potentially infecting other dogs, for more than 3 weeks. Cats can also contract canine flu and spread it to dogs. To date there has been no evidence of the virus infecting humans. Signs of canine flu Clinical signs typically appear 2 to 3 days after exposure to the virus. Most signs are similar to those caused by canine infectious tracheobronchitis (kennel cough) and other respiratory infections. The mortality rate is less than 10%. Most dogs develop mild symptoms:
Some dogs develop more severe illness:
Diagnosis and treatment Canine flu is diagnosed by sending swabs or blood samples to a diagnostic laboratory. There is no rapid in-house test for canine influenza virus. However, treatment does not depend on having a definite diagnosis. As with human influenza, treatment is supportive and depends on the patient's symptoms. Antibiotics do not affect the virus that causes flu. Most dogs have mild illness that resolves after 2 to 3 weeks. Some dogs need treatment for secondary bacterial infections, dehydration, and other problems caused by the virus. Vaccination As of June 2017, Mallard Creek Animal Hospital uses a new canine influenza vaccine that covers both strains of the virus.
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The contents of this blog are for information only and should not substitute for advice from a veterinarian who has examined the animal. All blog content is copyrighted by Mallard Creek Animal Hospital and may not be copied, reproduced, transmitted, or distributed without permission.
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