Death of two dogs caused by deadly bacteria in Sackville

Two dogs have died after coming into contact with a bacteria called leptospirosis in the Sackville area.

Leptospirosis is a naturally occurring bacteria often found in the urine of rodents and raccoons that can be washed into waterways and contaminate them.

The Town of Sackville warned dog owners last week about exposure to the bacteria at two popular nature spots: the Sackville Waterfowl Park and Mount Allison University's swan pond.

Signs were posted at those two areas last week as a precautionary measure.

Both dogs tested positive for the disease and had to be destroyed.

Sarah Misken, a veterinary technician at Westmorland Animal Hospital, said leptospirosis is difficult to diagnose because its symptoms are similar to other diseases.

"It's always at the back of your mind when you work … that it could be something like this," she said.

Leptospirosis can have an incubation period of anywhere from a couple of days to several months before an infected animal develops symptoms, Misken said. Immuno-compromised animals are at a higher risk, including senior dogs and young puppies. 

A vaccine with a yearly booster is available and may be included in your dog's core vaccines. The town is encouraging people to check with their veterinarian about vaccinating their pets. 

The disease can also be contracted by humans.

"One thing that we really want people to know, this isn't just your dogs that you need to worry about," Misken said.

Immuno-compromised people, including pregnant women, should be especially cautious.

Not common in province

If you or your dog get sick, it is important to make a good record of where you or your dog have been, so you can alert your doctor or veterinarian, Misken said.

Misken said leptospirosis is generally not very common in New Brunswick, and these cases are the first she's seen in five years as a veterinary technician.

To contract leptospirosis, a person or animal has to have had direct contact with contaminated water, soil or urine. 

Jamie Burke, senior manager for the Town of Sackville, said the town is working with local academics and researchers to pinpoint where the bacteria are and where they may be coming from.

The town doesn't plan to post additional warning signs until another potentially contaminated location is identified.

Mount Allison biology professor Vett Lloyd said tracing the source and spread of leptospirosis bacteria is difficult to do with water testing.

"If it gets washed into a lake there's a lot of water there," Lloyd said. "So you don't need much to make a dog sick but you need quite a bit to pick it up in the water tests." 

Lloyd and her colleagues are testing for the disease in wild animals in the Sackville area. They are gathering dead rodents collected by cat owners and testing their kidneys for the bacteria. 

Since cats generally have a limited range surrounding their home, if they know where a rodent was caught they can determine the spread of the disease.

The bacteria die in cold weather or, if the contaminated waterway is a running body of water, will eventually be flushed into the ocean and be killed by salt water. 

"Until those two things happen there's not much that can be done to remediate the water supply," Lloyd said.

Lloyd expects more potential contamination sites will be identified as more dogs are diagnosed.