A veterinarian has confirmed four dogs have died after contracting two diseases not present on Grand Cayman before Hurricane Ivan.
One dog died from prototheca and three succumbed to pythium. Both diseases can be traced to the flooding that occurred due to Ivan, explained Dr. Brenda Bush, of Island Veterinary Services.
She has been practicing veterinary medicine on Grand Cayman for the last 10 years. ‘This is something we hadn’t seen on the island before the storm,’ she said.
Dr. Bush became familiar with pythium, which is found in swampy water, when she was a veterinary student at Louisiana State University.
‘I saw a lot of pythium there. I sent a sample from here to LSU, where it is known as swamp cancer,’ she said.
The disease is caused by a fungus-like organism, but treatments for fungus can’t kill it, Dr. Bush explained.
She believes that the disease moved from the swamp into the ground due to flooding from the hurricane, and speculates that the dogs caught it through drinking, or swimming in, the contaminated water.
Pythium manifests itself either internally, in the gastrointestinal tract, or externally, where lesions form.
Dr. Bush explained that the disease grows in the small intestines and lymph nodes. ‘It shuts the whole gastrointestinal pathway down,’ she said.
The disease is slow-growing, which is one reason it is so lethal, she explained. In the cases she has seen recently, the dogs may have actually contracted the disease right after Hurricane Ivan.
‘Only when the dog starts to vomit or suffer from diarrhoea can the owner tell the dog is sick.
‘By that time, however, the disease will have advanced to a level where it can’t physically be removed,’ Dr. Bush said.
Even when the disease is diagnosed earlier, it is hard to treat.
‘Pythium is a new and scary development in Cayman. Current research indicates that only 5 per cent of dogs respond to treatment, which is very harsh and expensive.
‘It is almost like chemotherapy. There are lots of side effects,’ Dr. Bush explained.
The disease is compared to cancer because it is hard to remove all the affected tissue. If, after surgery, some infected cells remain, the disease will return, she explained.
Prototheca is an algae-based organism that is usually found in sewage water.
‘Once it invades the body, it goes throughout the system,’ Dr. Bush said.
Like pythium, prototheca is very resistant to treatment, she explained. But, unlike pythium, this disease can be hazardous to humans, who will develop sores on the skin and elbows.
‘For dogs, though, prototheca is a devastating disease,’ Dr. Bush said.
The doctor is hoping to see a natural disappearance of both diseases, but worries that the onset of the rainy season may cause a re-emergence.
The good news is that prototheca has probably run its course for now. ‘We have probably seen all of the cases we are going to see. It would show clinical signs sooner,’ she explained.
Dr. Bush remains concerned, however, that pythium is still present in swampy water here.
Brian Crichlow, marketing coordinator of the Cayman Islands Department of Agriculture, stresses that since the incidence of these diseases among dogs is very low, there is no real concern at this point.
He agreed there was an increased risk of both diseases after the flooding and subsequent release of sewage. To date, however, no livestock has been affected, he added.
Mr. Crichlow personally believes that pet owners need to take more responsibility for their animals.
‘The dogs need to be kept on a leash; they can’t be left to roam unsupervised.
‘Responsible pet ownership is an issue we have been dealing with for a long time,’ he said.
Mr. Crichlow worries about the general safety of animals off the leash.
‘The dogs could get into something that could be dangerous, especially since the hurricane,’ he said, explaining that debris may have washed out into the environment due to the flooding after Ivan.
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