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Hey all. Been awhile but how ya doin'?
Several years ago I remember a thread about a fella's dog and it having gobbled up some dead salmon carcass on the banks of a river. Don't recall if the poor pooch passed away or became very ill but it stuck in my head and I have been careful of this ever since.
Over the 4th of July week end we took a trip to the hills above the Carmel Valley, adjacent to the Vantana Wilderness. My relatives have a cabin on 2600 acres they share with others that has been used as a deer hunting area since the 40's. It has a 5 acre lake on it that is stocked annually with trout. One day some of the relative visiting went fishing. They brought several back to the cabin for cleaning. The guts and heads were tossed down a step swale near the cabin. It was sort of out of the normal traffic pattern but, of course, Jake sniffed them out and had a few seconds access before I spotted him and was able to put an end to his scavenging. I didn't think anything of this as I had only heard that dead decaying salmon carcasses was an issue.
Around the 10th Jake became lethargic so we started watching him more carefully. On the 12th he stopped eating and drinking. Took him to the vet immediately. Full battery of tests revealed nothing. Was sent to a specialist. San Leandro Vet Hospital. They told us two possibilities. Cancer or parasites from fish. Again, I mentioned that I thought it was only decaying salmon that had this but was told they can be in trout as well and they don't have to have been long dead decaying ones, at that. He was put on I V for nourishment and fluids. Sonogram revealed some inflammation of the spleen and intestines. Biopsies were performed in those two areas. Test results showed no cancer but there were indications consistent with the link to parasites from fish. Treatment had already begun and after 5 days at the vet hospital he finally began to come around. Tuesday he was actually eating again so we were able to take him home. He is all skin and bone right now but eating like a wild animal. Which he is.
So, the point to this post is for those that may have had the same misguided belief that dead decaying salmon were the only danger to your four legged friends think again.
Hope you're all having a good summer. Last week I had a couple excellent days at Bidwell Ranch and Fall River.
Fish on!
Don
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