Wildlife and our pets, risk factors
As a companion animal veterinarian, I have a lot of clients tell me they are concerned about the local wildlife and the effect that the wildlife might have on their pets. Clients fears can develop into a downright hatred of certain wildlife that they see in their own yards. This always concerns me since most of the wildlife species, that we share our lives with, pose minimal threat to our pets. Certainly some infectious diseases can be harbored by wildlife, but the diseases can also be harbored by our pets, and the wildlife is not to blame.
The interaction of dogs and wildlife is inevitable. Dogs like to chase squirrels, opossum, raccoons, chipmunks, rabbits etc. Our wildlife species are natural to our environment and belong here. We have built our houses on land that these animals have lived on for generations. Wildlife does not want to be involved with humans and our pets, generally the interactions are forced by curiosity, and the need for our pets to defend their territory.
Wildlife creatures are on a constant search for food to provide for their young. At times this means they are looking through our yards and unfortunately in our garbage cans. Dogs generally patrol their yards and the interactions can be devastating to the wildlife creature. Most of the time the wildlife is killed in these interactions, with the dogs suffering from scratches and bites, Spring is the most common time for dog and wildlife interactions since it is breeding season and baby wildlife is abundant. Wildlife species prefer not to get into an altercation with a larger species. Most of the time the wildlife will attempt to run and or hide to get away from a dog.
- The exception would be with very small dogs which have the unfortunate risk of being struck by a hawk from above. Hawks generally hunt for small moving creatures and cannot differentiate between a small dog and a rabbit or squirrel. Therefore very small dogs and puppies (under 5 pounds), in wooded environments, should be supervised at all times when outdoors.
Here are some diseases created by viruses, bacteria or organisms that we do have to worry about when dogs and wildlife come in contact with one another.
- Canine distemper - a virus that can infect raccoons and therefore this is a disease that is still in our environment. This is an airborne virus so a dog does not necessarily need to come in direct contact with the raccoon. If there is a raccoon infected with canine distemper living in your garage and your dog spends time in the garage, it in theory can contract that disease. We prevent this infection in our dogs by staying current on vaccines. This disease is in all core vaccine schedules for our dogs.
- Rabies - a virus that is transmitted through contact with the blood or saliva of the infected animal. Bite wounds are the most common means of transmission. Here on Long Island, our raccoon population is suffering from this disease. It is very important that we vaccinate all dogs and all pets that spend time outdoors against Rabies. If your dog has an altercation with a raccoon, it should see a veterinarian and minimally have a rabies vaccine booster injection. At this time other wildlife species that can be infected by rabies are bats, opossum, fox and rabbits but have not been officially identified as carriers on here on Long Island. It is still essential to keep your pets up to date on their rabies vaccines. As owners, we should never come in direct contact with a raccoon. If your dog kills or injures a raccoon, wear gloves or handle the raccoon with a towel so that you do not come in contact with the animal's blood or saliva.
- INTERNAL Parasites - unfortunately dogs are attracted to feces of many different species. All of these parasitic diseases are treatable but can be serious disease processes in our dogs and cats.
- Coccidia - carried in rabbit feces. This parasite usually passes straight
through the dog without causing any problems but some dogs may develop
diarrhea.
- Roundworms and Hookworms -carried in raccoon feces which may be
passed along to dogs who encounter it.
- Giardia and Coccidia- carried in geese feces can cause diarrhea in our
dogs.
-
Toxoplasmosis and Trichinosis - Some dogs not only chase wildlife but
also kill or eat it, which invites these organisms to enter the dog's body.
- Toxoplasmosis is more common in cats, simply because cats tend to eat
their prey more frequently than dogs do.
- EXTERNAL Parasites - are an indirect means of transmitting diseases to our pets and wildlife. Fleas and ticks infest wildlife as easy as they infest our dogs. The movement of wildlife species allows for the widespread movement of these parasites. Fleas and ticks are environmental insects. They feed on animals but lay eggs on the land. There is a long list of diseases that these insects can carry, including Lyme Disease, Anaplasma sp., Bartonella sp., Babesia sp., and Rocky Spotted fever. Some topical or oral medications can aid in halting the transmission of disease or the insects that carry them.
This discussion has mainly focused on the risks of having wildlife in our dog's environment. Obviously there are also benefits to having wildlife in the environment. Understand that each serves a necessary role in our eco system in order for us all to live together in harmony with one another. While Opossum eat slugs, hawks, owls and fox hunt mice and rats. The frogs eat mosquito larva, bats eat insects, and turtles eat worms and weeds. The rabbits eat weeds (they love dandelions), turkeys eat insects and ticks and our squirrels spread the seeds that bring us our trees, which not only provide necessary shade but beautify our world. We should not resent these creatures but rather we should be vigilant in prevention of diseases that are possible when we and our wildlife share a common space. This includes keeping our dogs up to date on vaccines and using topical or oral products to control fleas and ticks. Be smart about having outdoor food sources that may attract wildlife species. Secure garages and sheds so that wildlife species do not take up home in them. Teach our dogs, through training, to leave wildlife alone. Then sit back and enjoy the creatures that share our environment.
NOTE:
More detailed information on Lyme Disease - read our LYME DISEASE discussion
and
watch the documentary called UNDER OUR SKIN which is now on Cablevision.
trailer : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxWgS0XLVqw
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Dr. Ellen Leonhardt
Animal General
East Norwich
(516) 624-7500
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