Rare parasite from raw beef? - Page 2

I honestly would only sell a dog to a vegetarian who would respect the dog's natural diet. I think it's abuse to make a dog eat a vegetarian diet. I'm not saying that's what this person is doing, but I stumbled upon a thread once about vegetarians feeding their dogs, and OMG...it was horrifying. 

I think asking the lady owner what the parasite was or is, is useless.

GET IN  touch with her and ask her for her vets name as you need to discuss treatment with her vet..DO not tell her anything else except it is important that you speak to that vet.

IF she will not give you the records or name, then have your vet call her . HE can demand she let him have the vets name and one vet to the other can discuss what parasite the pup was diagnosied with

I venture to say it was not any parasite from beef/raw.  THe vet probably , like most vets who know nothing about large prey bred dogs like the GSD, will put down raw diets fiercely.

SO contact her for the vets name not the parasite..SHe obviously doesn't know it ..Ask her for the vet bill and the read out of the day pup was treated..have her fax it to you or mail you a copy


There is always more than one way to skin  a cat...in this case,,,find the vet who said this..

YR

Agree with EchoEcho.  I also have a med tech degree and used to be a lab supervisor in a pathology lab.  Currently teach Biology and also taught Microbiology.  Never heard of a parasite in beef that meets that description.

Sarcocystis sporocysts
This is it. I guess it is a type of coccidia but a rare strain. I deworm all of my puppies with Fenbendazole at 5 weeks for 5 days and then again with praziquantel at 7 weeks. I guess she could have gotten it from some raw after I dewormed her.
What is the possibility that this is the only puppy out of 6 to get this? And it did not show up until a couple of months after she went to her new home. That is if this is all true. I do find it odd that this is the only preson ever to hear this from and she was a vegetarian strongly against raw meat.
I would never stop feeding raw but I want to protect future dogs from this. From what I read, she could have gotten this from eating poop from another animal and so could have gotten it after she left here? Not sure.
Stephanie

Okay, had to check this out: http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/index.jsp?cfile=htm/bc/91600.htm

For those of you who don't want to wade through the entire article, I'll cut to the chase:

Livestock become infected by sporocysts from the feces of carnivores. Because most adult cattle, sheep, and many pigs harbor cysts in their muscles, dogs and other carnivores should not be allowed to eat raw meat, offal, or dead animals. 
 

The dog is the terminal host for these cysts. It seems that the cysts normally do NOT cause symptoms in dogs, so your dog can be infected without you knowing it. The disease is not rare: it is very common in cattle and other meat animals, but rarely does it progress to the point the animal shows clinical symptoms. There are a number of different species of sarcocystis, and most are host specific.
 

Saunders Veterinary Dictionary:

A rare clinical disease, but a common infection, in all food animal species caused by the intermediate stage of the protozoan parasite Sarcocystis spp. The terminal stages are passed in the dog or cat or other species. Clinically the disease is manifested by emaciation, lameness, hypersalivation, loss of tail switch, anemia and abortion. The subclinical infection with the intermediate stage of cysts in muscles is very common in all species. The common sites are the esophageal, cardiac and lingual muscles. Abnormally there are localizations in brain, uterus and lungs. Called also rat-tail syndrome, Dalmeny disease. See also sarcosporidiosis.

Read more: http://www.answers.com/topic/sarcocystosis#ixzz1jS5W4eGE
 

Although the parasite is common, it does not normally affect the brain. Maybe this dog got a rare form that did affect the brain.
 

 

 

Stephanie-

Is this what the vet told you the parasite was?

Stefanie:
I once had a pup sold and they left the county to Dallas...SHe called me 5 weeks later telling me the pup had whip worms..?

I had to go look them up and called my vet. HE ask first question....do you  have cattle on your acreage>? NO
Any deer, rabbits,  or other crossing your property?  YES

YES,, deer poop on back of my acreage all winter long...I had seen several of my gsd eating it..yuk!!

DOGS eat anything...including bark in flower beds where the Clamdydia spore can be found or spoiked fruit on ground for many months...so

I had to remember to always  give one worming for whip worms in case  as they prepared to go home..

YR

Thanks to all
This still doesn't make since that she was the only one to get it out of the 6. Why didn't any of the other pups get it or maybe they did and are not showing symptoms? Why did my dewormings not clear it up? I guess I will deworm even more now. Poor pups.
I will still feed raw though. Nothing will ever sway me on this.
This was a good learning topic for me. Hope it helped others as well

Stephanie

Echo
I never talked to her vet. She told me what he said.
Stephanie

Ahhhh the telephone game...Chances are that is not even close to what her vet said.  People hear what they want to hear.  Speak to the vet directly yourself.  It will clarify the situation for you.