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Raw salmon is NOT your dog’s best friend
By HEATHER DOUGLAS
FOR COAST WEEKEND
F
For veterinarians schooled on
the East Coast, salmon poisoning
disease is simply a strange illness
studied in textbooks, but for prac-
ticing veterinarians in the North-
west, it’s an illness all too common
in pet dogs.
Salmon poisoning is a poten-
tially fatal bacterial disease that
occurs when dogs have ingested
certain types of raw or under-
cooked fi sh that are infected with
a fl uke worm, which carries the
rickettsial bacterium Neorickett-
sia helmonthoeca. Interestingly,
a freshwater aquatic snail plays
a vital role in transmission of the
bacteria, acting as an intermediate
host.
When it comes to the raw fi sh
potentially harboring this patho-
gen, salmon is the most common
culprit, followed by trout and a
few other freshwater fi sh. Salmon
poisoning is geographically re-
stricted to Oregon, Washington and
southern British Columbia, and
thousands of cases pop up every
year. The illness is not transmitta-
ble to humans.
Dr. Rob Hlavin, a veterinarian,
practiced eight years in Portland
before taking a position at Colum-
bia Veterinary Hospital in Astoria.
He has been at CVH for 2.5 years
and is currently treating three sus-
pected cases of salmon poisoning
in dogs. He noted that he had seen
some cases in Portland, and even
though the most frequent times for
infection are during the spring and
fall salmon runs, these days, cases
trickle in all year long.
“For vets moving in from other
areas, it’s the nurses in our area
who often teach the doctors about
this disease, which is unknown in
other parts of the country,” he said.
“Many people swear that there is
no way their dog came into contact
with raw salmon, but it can happen
easily. Ironically, salmon fi shermen
are sometimes the ones who swear
DANNY MILLER/THE DAILY ASTORIAN
Dr. Rob Hlavin on at Columbia Veter-
inary Hospital in Astoria.
‘I WAS REALLY GLAD LATER THAT I TOOK THE
DAY OFF OF WORK TO SEE THE VET — SHE
COULD HAVE DIED HAD I IGNORED IT.’
DANNY MILLER/COAST WEEKEND
A dog treated by Dr. Rob Hlavin for
salmon poisoning and was released
March 15 at Columbia Veterinary
Hospital in Astoria.
SUBMITTED PHOTO
After surviving salmon poisoning in 2015 thanks to an early visit to the vet,
Stella, a small terrier-retriever mix owned by Audrey Pettersen, took a trip to
Crater Lake with her human family.
their dog did not get into salmon,
but the dogs somehow came into
contact with it.”
Salmon poisoning is a familiar
disease to longtime locals in the
Northwest, who know the signs
and symptoms. But for those who
have recently moved to the area,
salmon poisoning may look like
many other canine illnesses. This
can be problematic, as infected
dogs can die without swift and
properly diagnosed treatment.
Dogs that consume uncooked or
undercooked infected fi sh will de-
velop a high fever and gastrointes-
tinal problems, which can include
vomiting and diarrhea. In the later
stages of the illness, the symptoms
are more pronounced, but often the
early stages and symptoms can be
less dramatic — such as general
lethargy and loss of appetite — and
can resemble other maladies. All
ages and breeds of dog are sus-
ceptible, with Labrador retrievers
being highly represented due to
their participation in fi shing-relat-
ed activities. Any part of the fi sh
(especially gutted fi sh, entrails
or skin) can be risky for dogs to
ingest. Fishermen gutting fi sh on
the docks is a common method of
contraction of salmon poisoning,
since dogs are attracted to eating
the fi shy-smelling entrails.
Local dog owner Audrey Pet-
tersen had a puzzling experience
with her family dog, Stella, a small
terrier-retriever mix in 2015. The
Emlen-Pettersen family was fully
aware of salmon poisoning when
they adopted Stella and took great
measures to keep her away from
the creek their property paralleled
during the fall salmon runs. In the
fall of that year, Stella seemed list-
less, which was puzzling because
the dog had never been off leash or
near the creek, and the family was
very careful.
“Stella wasn’t eating, which
made the alarm bells go off for
me,” Pettersen said. “Normally
she is a total chow-hound, so I just
knew something was wrong. I was
really glad later that I took the day
off of work to see the vet — she
could have died had I ignored it.”
It was surmised that a bird or a
wild animal had possibly dropped
a piece of fi sh in the family’s fi eld
as it was fl ying by. Hlavin noted
that dogs have even picked up the
illness from swimming, even when
no direct contact with fi sh had
been observed.
Fortunately for Stella, she was
treated in the early stages and
made a full recovery; shortly after,
she accompanied her human family
to Crater Lake.
There is a long-held belief
around the area that once a dog
gets salmon poisoning, they are
immune for life. Hlavin doesn’t
buy it.
“I suppose it’s possible — but
if you got E. Coli from eating
raw hamburger, would you eat it
twice?” he asked. “Perhaps they
learn, unlike us.”
Thankfully, salmon poisoning in
dogs is fully treatable if you know
the symptoms to look for. Avoid
letting your dog eat uncooked, un-
dercooked or kippered salmon or
trout. During spring and fall salm-
on runs, be extra cautious about
letting your dog run free around
spawning areas. And, if you enjoy
fi shing, dogs may become infected
in areas where fi sh is gutted and
cleaned. Dogs are sneaky about
eating things they like, so most
importantly, if your dog exhibits
unexplained lethargy, sluggishness
or loss of appetite, it’s important to
consult your local vet.