Canine Botulism - Dead Iguanas in Florida - Page 1

 You might want to read this if you live in Florida and have wild iguanas in your area. The link to the entire article is below. I only pasted a part of the article.

Source: The Miami Herald [edited]
<http://www.miamiherald.com/news/breaking-news/story/1464427.html>


A month after frigid temperatures killed reptiles all over South
Florida, veterinarians are still treating dogs that may have
contracted botulism by gnawing iguana carcasses. The result:
paralysis so severe that a few had to be euthanized.

Like other cold-blooded creatures, thousands of iguanas froze to
death during the freeze. Some dogs mistaking them for chew toys have
shown classic symptoms of a disease so rare that most vets don't see
a case for a decade. "I think it's botulism, although it's nearly
impossible to prove definitively,'' said Dr. James Dugan, a Pinecrest
vet. His clinic has treated several dogs suffering varying degrees of
paralysis since the cold snap. All had munched on iguanas. "Why they
want to eat a rotten reptile that smells horrible and could kill you,
I don't know," Dugan said.

Paralysis begins in the back end, then progresses to the front legs,
and in some cases disables the diaphragm. At that point, dogs must be
intubated so they can breathe, an expensive step that many owners
can't afford. In at least 2 such South Florida cases, dogs that
couldn't breathe were euthanized. Serious problems like pneumonia
also arise when paralysis affects the esophagus.

Holy mackerel !! Botulism has a bacterial name which is a little more common Clostridium Botulinium  , My Horse some how ate something on our property that gave her this in her stomach, and it closed off the hole to the small intestine causing acid backup.. horrible colic. Thankfully quick thinking and diagnosis from the Vet found the problem, she was put on rectal and IV antibiotics, including metrondizol (sp?) , and was luckily cured.

I was just reading on here about DM and the same basic symptoms, starting with rear end issues and wobbles like symptoms to full out paralysis.

Whisper

That's horrible!!

Yep! My dog ate one and I caught him in the act- SOOOO gross. There he was, laying in the grass, crunching away on this thing. When I saw him eating (about 30 feet away) it I yelled at him to stop and he gulped it down, all but the tail, which was still sticking out of his mouth. He stunk like you wouldn't believe. I kept a close eye on him, but I wasn't aware of the fact he could get Botulism at the time.  It was all over the news about 4 days later and I was shocked....and very thankful. Had I known about the possibility of a serious problem I would've been totally freaking out.

If your dog does something like this, you can make it vomit by giving it a tablespoon or two of hydrogen peroxide. I did this when Star ate some steak bits that had been in the fridge far too long, and was able to save myself a lot of grief.

I asked the vet what the safest thing to use was. Salt water also works, or a mixture of water and mustard.  If you have one of those syringes they use for giving meds to small children, that's a great way to administer it.  I am a nurse, so I keep a 10 ml. syringe handy for giving liquid medicine. Give it slowly into the pocket between the teeth and the cheek, so the dog doesnt choke, then just hold the dog's mouth closed afterwards until you see it swallow. If it doesn't vomit within 20 minutes, give another tablespoon. (about 12 to 15 ml.)

I thought a table spoon was 5 ml ? So 15 ml would be be 3 TBS , and 20 ML would be 4 TBS .

Oops, I think you're right. My vet recommended 12 ml for my bitch, who weighs about 70 lbs.

Although salt water mix would work as an emetic, I would not recommend it. People get too overzealous, especially in emergencies when they are freaked out.  All of a sudden, besides the original problem, one might end up with a dog with a huge sodium overload. Hydrogen peroxide, a half cup, is plenty to make a grown GSD vomit. It won't likely take more.