'It doesn't take long before it's too late': 6 cases of flesh-eating disease found in Vancouver Island dogs
Six cases of a rare and often fatal flesh-eating disease have been detected in dogs on Vancouver Island in recent months.
Victoria Humane Society executive director Penny Stone says the high number of cases on the island is "very concerning."
All of the cases have been found in the Mid-Island region, with no cases detected yet on the South Island, according to Stone.
Still, the humane society director is warning all dog owners on the island to be on the lookout for the disease, known as necrotizing fasciitis.
"Once your dog has it, it doesn’t take long before it's too late to save your dog," Stone said Tuesday.
"This is the kind of thing you need to take in right away."
Humans cannot contract the disease from dogs, Stone said, urging dog owners to check their pets for blisters, sore limbs or skin lesions regularly.
Necrotizing fasciitis can affect skin, underlying fat, and fascia – the connective tissue that surrounds muscles – according to the Central Island Veterinary Emergency Hospital, which issued a warning about the disease earlier this month.
The illness can infect a pet through punctures or skin infections, and it does not always seems like an obvious wound, the CIVEH said.
Some skin discolouration may occur, and animals with the disease generally develop a fever, veterinarians say.
Treatment for the disease can require surgery to remove infected tissue or limbs.
With files from CTV News Vancouver Island's Adam Chan
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.