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CLEAR Temp: 48 °F Wind: CLM at 0 mph Tuesday, September 30, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine Joy Magazine Tempo A & E RogueValleyAutoFinder RogueValleyHomeFinder Real Estate Showcase Wellness Connection Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Employment Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend October 2, 2002 Since You Asked Dogs could become ill from eating raw salmon My dog came home the other day proudly carrying a salmon carcass. I’ve heard dogs can die from eating salmon. What should I do? — Bill B., Rogue River Better watch your pooch carefully for the next 10 days, Billy. Your pal could come down with a case of potentially fatal disease known as salmon poisoning. "We see a lot of that this time of year," says Sheila Jarvis, a veterinary technician at Siskiyou Veterinary Hospital in Medford. Salmon, steelhead and trout carry a parasite that can be fatal for dogs, coyotes, foxes and other canines. The parasite is a rickettsia , a microorganism that’s somewhere between a virus and a bacterium. Dogs are at the tail end of a parasitic cycle that includes fish and snails. The organism develops in snails, then moves to fish. Dogs are infected when they eat the raw flesh — whether it’s from a spawned-out salmon they find along rivers, or the remains of an uncooked fish that somebody carelessly left where a dog could get at it. Cooking destroys the parasite, though, and not all fish are infected. Jarvis says symptoms of salmon poisoning usually include lethargy, complete loss of appetite and diarrhea (which may be bloody or orange). Symptoms typically develop within five to seven days after ingesting the fish, but may not appear for as long as a month. The disease is often fatal unless treated, as the dog succumbs to dehydration. It can be treated effectively with drugs such as tetracycline, and if your friend has been infected once it will be immune to future infections (even though it took antibiotics to beat the bug). So pay attention to your pup, pal, and be prepared to see a vet. Send questions to "Since You Asked," Mail Tribune Newsroom, P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501; by fax to 541-776-4376; or by e-mail to [email protected] Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Rogue Valley Auto Finder Rogue Valley Job Finder --> Rogue Valley Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Real Estate Showcase Food for Thought Hike of the Week Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Openings Prime Times