Flesh-eating disease among pets prompts warning on Vancouver Island
Flesh-eating disease among pets prompts warning on Vancouver Island
Flesh-eating disease among pets prompts warning on Vancouver Island
Veterinarians on Vancouver Island are encouraging residents to monitor their pets after several dogs were found to have necrotizing fasciitis, a rare flesh-eating disease.
The Central Island Veterinary Emergency Hospital (CIVEH) says dog owners shouldn't panic but should be aware of the signs of the disease.
Necrotizing fasciitis (NF) can affect skin, underlying fat, and fascia – the connective tissue that surrounds muscles, according to the CIVEH.
The illness can infect a pet through punctures or skin infections, and it does not always seems like an obvious wound.
SYMPTOMS
Pet owners should monitor their animals for pain, particularly in limbs, since it's not always noticeable that a wound or swelling has occurred, according to CIVEH.
Some skin discolouration may occur, and animals with NF generally develop a fever, veterinarians say.
If it seems like your pet is in pain, CIVEH recommends that you take your dog to a vet.
"Necrotizing fasciitis is an uncommon disease in dogs but given the amount of cases we have seen recently, it is important that we, as pet owners (myself included) are vigilant," said Dr. Nikolas Bell, medical director at CIVEH, in a statement Wednesday.
"Any patient with localized pain, swelling and a fever should have NF placed on their list of possible diagnoses however this does not mean that every patient with these symptoms has NF," he said.
If your pet does develop NF, vets say they'll need urgent and intensive therapy, as the disease can be fatal.
Treatment of NF is twofold, according to CIVEH. Vets will try to manage the disease – which sometimes requires surgeries to remove infected tissue – ranging from small extractions to amputations. Meanwhile, vets will also start supportive care to stabilize the animal.
Bell says there's been no definitive link between any cases seen on Vancouver Island.
The campaign for Patrick Brown said it was consulting its legal team after the leadership election organizing committee of the federal Conservatives voted to disqualify him from the race late Tuesday.
The father of the Edmonton girl who was missing for nine days said he was getting ready to post another update on Facebook last Saturday when police knocked on his door.
An emergency resolution before the Assembly of First Nations annual meeting to reaffirm the suspension of National Chief RoseAnne Archibald has failed in Vancouver.
Two young emergency room doctors, raised and trained in Montreal, are leaving their jobs after only two years to move back to Toronto – and they say the Quebec health-care model and Bill 96 are to blame.
The Crown is seeking to revoke bail for Tamara Lich, a leader of the 'Freedom Convoy,' after she appeared alongside a fellow organizer in an alleged breach of her conditions.
A man charged Tuesday with seven counts of murder after firing off more than 70 rounds at an Independence Day parade in suburban Chicago legally bought five weapons, including the high-powered rifle used in the shooting, despite authorities being called to his home twice in 2019 for threats of violence and suicide, police said.
The Bank of Canada's strategy of rapidly increasing its key interest rate in an effort to tackle skyrocketing inflation will likely trigger a recession, says a new study released Tuesday from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.
A high school friend of B.C. teen Amanda Todd has testified he took action when he saw what he described as a “pornographic” picture of her on Facebook in November 2011.
The long-awaited Vancouver Plan is set to go before council on Wednesday after almost four years of work – and Mayor Kennedy Stewart is adding a last-minute amendment.
Chiefs representing Indigenous communities from coast to coast have descended on Vancouver for the Assembly of First Nations General Assembly — with several resolutions on the agenda that could determine the political fate of their elected leader.
The father of the Edmonton girl who was missing for nine days said he was getting ready to post another update on Facebook last Saturday when police knocked on his door.
A U.S. basketball commentator has found himself in the hot seat over comments he made about Toronto and its relationship with Black athletes amid rumours one of the best in the game could be headed north of the border.
As flight delays and lost luggage bring chaos to summer travel plans, Air Canada is advising travellers on how much time they should leave between connecting flights.
Two young emergency room doctors, raised and trained in Montreal, are leaving their jobs after only two years to move back to Toronto – and they say the Quebec health-care model and Bill 96 are to blame.
At least three sleepaway camps in Quebec have temporarily shut down because of COVID-19 outbreaks, according to the province's camps association (ACQ).
Two Montreal politicians and an activist group are calling on the Trudeau government to take responsibility for preserving a vast natural area leased and managed for many years by Aéroports de Montréal (ADM) amid controversy over a recently mowed field.
It has been a year and a half since a 33-year-old man disappeared in Winnipeg. Police now believe he was a victim of foul play and say someone out there knows something.
New sub-variants of COVID-19 are in Manitoba, with scientists watching trends warning the mutated version of the Omicron variant called BA.5 is highly transmissible.
As police try to track down the man believed to have paved a Puslinch woman’s driveway without her permission, another person has come forward claiming to be the victim of a similar alleged fraud.
A string of serious collisions over the last few days has Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) sending a heightened warning to drivers to not let their guards down during the summer months.
There were no ambulances available to respond to emergencies in Guelph for a short period on Monday, as paramedics waited outside the hospital to offload patients.
Benjamin Dufour, the seven-year-old boy who was gravely injured after being hit by a truck in Regina last month, has shown positive signs of recovery, according to a news release from his family.
Environment Canada has issued a tornado warning for the R.M. of Kindersley including Kindersley Brock and Flaxcombe, and the R.M. of Oakdale including Coleville.
Since 1996, Carla Alexiuk has been increasing the quilting population in northern Ontario by providing workshops, knowledge and her passion for the hobby.
