Could someone be poisoning these dogs??

[mommyofotis]

Hi,

A few weeks ago, my mother's 13 year old dog (small mixed breed) became very ill and was unable to keep food or water down. My mother took her in to see the vet and after some blood work, they determined that she had severe diabetes and recommended, due to her age and the severity of the illness (they weren't sure she would make it through the night), that she be euthanized. It was AWFUL and a very difficult thing to do but we all agreed that we did not want her to suffer further. At the time, the vet expressed surprise that "Cuddles" had not exhibited any prior symptoms of diabetes but thought that they may have simply been overlooked.

Well, over the course of the last week and a half, several dogs (approx. 6 as of this morning) who live on the same rural road have died - many with very similar symptoms (severe vomiting, thirst, etc.) and some which showed no symptoms at all. Is it possible that this is a virus of some kind or could someone be poisoning these family pets?!? These dogs would have had no direct contact with one another - some are small indoor dogs that only go outside to potty and most of the family's involved have multiple dogs where only one was affected (so far). Anyhow, the last dog to pass on has been sent in for autopsy but I was wondering if you had any thoughts on what could be happening?? My mother has another pooch, a chocolate lab, that is not showing symptoms of anything at this time but they were over for a visit last weekend and if it could be a virus, I want to make sure my golden retriever is not in any danger of catching it!

Thanks!

[lovemyshiba]

I don't really know, but it is possible. When I was younger, someone on our street poisened our beagle, Spike, and another dog down the street. Spike made it, but the other dog didn't. However, I cannot remember the symptoms, because I was pretty young.
If I were you, I would probably go and have your dog checked out anyway, just to be sure.

[AngelZoo]

I can't say for sure, you would have to do an autotopsy for these types of things. As for the remaining dogs. When they are let out to go poo, keep them on a leash, keep the lights on and make sure the dog does not wander off to eat something/anything off the ground.

[binka_nugget]

yea I'd get your dog checked out. Better be safe than sorry.

[mruffruff]

It's a shame that the older dog was euthanized because of diabetes. My dog is 12 and has been treated successfully for over two years. It isn't costly and he's worth it.

The situation does sound suspicious.

Mary

[Karen]

Do get one of the dogs autopsied.

A friend of mine, Bonnie, who lives in very rural South-Western New Hampshire, had one of her dogs sicken and die, quite suddenly. She was bereft, but worried about her other two (all rescues, great dogs), and because until that moment Tucker had been a healthy big galoot, she really needed to know. She had driven down to the Grafton, MA Tufts Veterinary Hospital to try to get a diagnosis when he was suddenly so sick, and they agreed to do an autopsy, both so she would know, and so they would know, themselves.

Tucker had been poisoned. Some farmer had probably put out poison for coyotes, is all they could figure, we all just hoped it wasn't intentional. Only Tucker was affected because the other two were very picky about what they ate, so he got it all for himself, poor guy.

[mommyofotis]

Hi All,

Thanks for your concern...autopsy results came back today from one of the dogs that died this week and it turned out to be Parvovirus - why people do not vaccinate their pets I will never know... I guess they think that since they live out in the country and do not have direct contact with one another that they do not need it. Not the case! Parvo can travel home on your shoes, car tires and can live in fecal matter for as long as 6 months! I'm sure that everyone on this site does vaccinate but if you don't, please DO!!

On another note, I do realize that most pets can live a long, healthy and happy life with diabetes (and other managable diseases) but by the time Cuddles was properly diagnosed, they were not sure she would even make it through the night. Her symptoms had progressed very rapidly (they think due to hormonal changes). She had never been spayed and based on the veterinary advice my parents were given if she lived through the night, she would need to be spayed (at 13!), spend several weeks housed in their facility and then she could come home and they could start to monitor the disease themselves with insulin injections. Even with all of this, the veterinarian gave her only about an additional 6 months to live. I really don't want anyone to think that this was a decision that was made lightly. She was a part of the family for 13 years and we certainly would not have let her go if we thought she would have enjoyed those 6 months - if she had been younger, things would have been much different. Sorry for the rant!! I'm just still upset about the whole thing...this was only about a month ago.

[lovemyshiba]

How very sad.
I'm sorry for your loss, I know it was a very tough decision for you and your family to make.
On the other hand, I am glad that they did find out what was making all of the dogs sick, unfortunatley some people just don't think they need to vaccinate their dogs.

[mruffruff]

I'm sorry I upset you about Cuddles. I know she wasn't euthanized without good reason; I just don't want others to think that diabetes is a death sentence.

Parvo is very hard to cure. It takes a lot of stamina and fight on the dog's part as well as a lot of work by the vet and owner. In this case, the kindest thing was not to let her go on. I'm so sorry for your loss.

Mary

[mommyofotis]

No worries mruffruff!! I just know there are people out there who do not think of their pets as part of the family and are only too happy to euthanize them if they become too expensive or inconvenient. Wanted to make sure no one thought we were part of that group!!

You deserve kudos for your dedication to your pup - I have a friend who has a diabetic cat and it really does take a great deal of commitment and love to keep those little ones healthy!! I hope you have many, many more years together!!