Seasonal Canine Illness SCI

One of the things I love about where we live is the number of local places to walk the dogs. They can be off their leads and meander as they wish without the worry of traffic.

2 of the places we visit are part of the 5 study areas for SCI, being monitored by the Animal Health Trust. http://www.aht.org.uk/sci

We have visited in previous years and both dogs have stayed well, maybe because they do not wander off into the woods and we can see what they are eating and drinking at all times. Over the last couple of years an awareness campaign at all SCI study sites has led to a massive drop in the number of dogs dying from this mystery illness, getting an unwell dog to the vets quickly is the key. 

Dog walkers visiting any of the 5 monitored sites, Sandringham Estate or Thetford Forest, Norfolk, Sherwood Forest or Clumber Park, Nottinghamshire or Rendlesham Forest, Suffolk are asked to complete the online survey regardless of whether their dog has been taken ill or not. This will give more information to possibly narrow down the cause. Whether it is a fungus that grows at this time of year, or a mite or tick that causes the problem is currently unknown, so anyone visiting these sites with dogs, please go online and complete the survey to try and help researchers identify what is causing this illness.

You need to look out for the following: 

The disease comes on very quickly, usually within 24-72 hours of having walked in a woodland area. The most common clinical signs reported are:

• Vomiting
• Diarrhoea (which can vary from watery to bloody)
• Tummy (abdominal) pain
• Lethargy (or reluctance to move)
• Loss of appetite
• Shaking or trembling
• High temperature (fever)

The most common clinical signs are sickness, diarrhoea and lethargy. If you suspect your dog is showing symptoms of SCI then please contact your vet immediately.

Our two love their walks in the park and the woods and it is a great worry that taking them there could make them ill, but at least at Clumber there is plenty of pathways and parkland away from the woods that they can enjoy. 

Yucky!

It started as a normal Saturday, but within a few minutes it was anything but.

A couple of weeks ago Brandy was a little clingy when we first got up that Saturday morning and then we realised that he had a problem, he was losing blood from his bottom. It was still very red and wet so whatever had happened, it was very recent. I took him downstairs and turned him on his back to have a look. It was very messy and as I wiped him clean with a damp cloth it was obvious that what ever had happened, it was still bleeding.

My first thought was that a boil or abscess had ruptured inside him and that he would need antibiotics. He didn't seem too upset despite wanting a few extra cuddles and he didn't seem to be in pain.

As soon as the vets opened I phoned for an appointment and was told there was one available an hour later. 

I kept wiping him and it seemed as if the bleeding had stopped even though his fur was still badly stained. I didn't want to clean him up completely for two reasons. Firstly, I wanted the vet to see what had happened and secondly, I didn't want to mess Brandy about too much in case he was in pain and not showing it.

After we'd had breakfast both dogs started their usual performance by the front door and I was surprised to see Brandy seemed as keen to go for a walk as Brinkley did. As we had a little time before going to the vets I took them around the field at the back and both dogs wandered about as usual, Brandy showing no signs of any problem. If it hadn't been for all the blood I wouldn't have known there was anything wrong. 

Half an hour later and both dogs were walking through the door to the vets. We were trying a new vets surgery, closer to home. I hadn't realised the building was even a vets until I got there, I'd always thought it was some sort of nursery school.

We were the only people in the waiting room and as soon as we'd registered the vet called us through. After a quick weigh in (yes, they are still heavier than they should be) I lifted Brandy up for an examination and while Brinkley wandered around the surgery, safe in the knowledge he was fine.

The vet took a look at Brandy and confirmed what I'd thought, he had a temperature and a badly infected anal gland which had abscessed and burst. He needed a shot of antibiotics and then tablets for 2 weeks along with anti-inflammatory medicine to be put onto his food for 2 weeks. Brandy wasn't too keen on the examination but was very well behaved while the vet squeezed the gunge out of his glands to clean them up, and it was over quite quickly. I lifted brandy down from the table and then asked the vet to check Brinkley. 

Brinkley was definitely unimpressed at this change in events, but he turned out to be ok and he too was soon back on the floor.

With an appointment for the following week, just so that the vet could check Brandy was healing ok and that nothing else was wrong, we left. I now had a lot of cleaning to do. First, I needed to clean Brandy up properly. Then I needed to clean the carpet where he left patches of blood and finally, I needed to wash the bedding. 

Within a couple of days Brandy was definitely more energetic than he'd been for a while. I had put his lethargy down to the recent hot weather we'd had but now it looked as if this infection had been affecting him for a few days. Don't you wish they could tell you when something was wrong?

A week later saw us all back at the vets, this time Brinkley was not as happy as the week before and this visit he spent the whole time tucked right under a chair, his back to the wall. If I'd wanted the  vet to check him over I would've had a struggle to get him out from under the chair.

Brandy was given the all clear and we now have 2 healthy boys again.