Vets warn dead South Florida iguanas may be fatal treat for dogs

Vets warn dead South Florida iguanas may be fatal treat for dogs

By Elinor J. Brecher, The Miami Herald

10:13 a.m. EST, February 5, 2010

MIAMI - To some dogs, discovering a dead lizard in the yard is like finding a slice of bacon on the kitchen floor: a Category 5 tasty treat.

It also can be deadly.

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 two such South Florida cases, dogs that couldn't breathe were euthanized.

Serious problems like pneumonia also arise when paralysis affects the esophagus.

Broward County veterinary neurologist Dr. Brian Roberts first raised the alarm about the possible botulism link in a mass e-mail to South Florida colleagues in late January.

He said that several dogs had come to Veterinary Specialists of South Florida in Cooper City with paralyzed hindquarters. The common denominator: dead iguanas.

``We didn't have a clue what it was for days or weeks,'' said Roberts, who has sent tissue samples to the state's animal diagnostic laboratory in Kissimmee.

He diagnosed botulism after ruling out other possible conditions. There's not much a vet can do beyond ``supportive care and range-of-motion'' exercises, he added.

Botulism toxin renders the nerves and muscles unable to communicate, Robert said. Typically, paralysis sets in a day or so after the iguana encounter and the worst symptoms last at least a week.

The dogs can eat but can't stand or walk. However, they're not in pain, vets say.

That's the case with Baby Miller, a 68-pound, 8-year-old Pompano Beach pit bull whose human family rushed her to Dr. Kevin McAllister's clinic on Jan. 26.

``She picked up a dead iguana in the yard and by the next day was showing signs of weakness in the back leg that progressed to the front, and she could no longer stand,'' McAllister said. ``She was in a little distress: high heart rate, anxious and totally down.''

The family ``had no idea what it was and I didn't either,'' said McAllister, in practice for 10 years. ``We were thinking maybe a stroke or [human] drugs. In hindsight, she had the classic signs of botulism. I'd never seen it.''

Baby's ``mom,'' 22-year-old Melynda Miller, said that Baby had ``gotten hold of an iguana'' two days before she showed symptoms.

``My brother found her on the floor and she couldn't move,'' said Miller, a Century 21 customer service agent.

Blood tests ruled out painkillers and roofing sealer, two possible culprits.

``It was so scary,'' Miller said.

The normally playful Baby is slowly recovering.

``She is more irritated than anything,'' Miller said. ``She's very aware of what's going on. She can lift her head and wag her tail and is trying to sit up.''

She has, said Miller ``refused to go to the bathroom in the house,'' and must be carried outside.

The tab so far: $300 at the vet; $6 a day for Pedialyte, to keep Baby hydrated.

``She's been stable and didn't get any worse, and that's what we look for,'' McAllister said.

Dr. Jonathan Kreissler of Miami Veterinary Specialists, said his hospital has seen ``five similar cases in three weeks. Three are not walking, one was euthanized,'' and one didn't return for follow-up care. Its owners can't be reached, and Kreissler suspects the dog has died.

Two remain at his clinic getting ``recumbent care to make sure they don't get bed sores'' or secondary infections.

One is a Cane Corso, a huge dog in the mastiff family. Kreissler said the dog weighed 110 pounds in September and weighs 70 now due to muscle wasting.

The dog had complications and spent a day on a ventilator. Care so far is in five figures, he said.

Still, Kreissler isn't sure he's dealing with botulism, or that reptiles are the culprit.

``It would be really convenient to blame the iguanas, but it might be premature,'' he said. With botulism, he'd expect to see problems with the autonomic nervous system that controls involuntary functions like pupil dilation and heart rate, ``and I'm not seeing any of that. These dogs are alert and can wag their tails.''

Still, in analyzing the cases, vets have to take into consideration recent, abnormal environmental changes -- such as a prolonged freeze that kills cold-blooded reptiles, he said.

Iguana remains ``are still out there,'' Kreissler warned. ``If you have a lot of property, check your yard for dead animals, and check the water. [Iguanas] float and pets think it's a toy.''

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/pal...,4755434.story

Well this is just great...... Now everyone is going to start believing that iguanas carry botulism.... Just the kind of news that the pet industry needs to hear right now...

Yeah, that is just great. People already think reptiles carry salmonella. One more way to scare people.

*sigh* I'm sorry but if a human puts a dead iggy in their mouth than the particular gene needed cleansed from the pool.

And what is up with Floridians and lacking common sense?

Do Not let your dog munch on carcasses of any sort.

"Drop it" is one of the most valuable commands you can teach a dog and should be one of the first.

If you know you have things dropping dead in your area do a regular corpse search. I still do it for bird bodies up here, don't remember what it was but they were dropping like flies for a while.

Originally Posted by Twizted Paths

*sigh* I'm sorry but if a human puts a dead iggy in their mouth than the particular gene needed cleansed from the pool.

And what is up with Floridians and lacking common sense?

Do Not let your dog munch on carcasses of any sort.

"Drop it" is one of the most valuable commands you can teach a dog and should be one of the first.

If you know you have things dropping dead in your area do a regular corpse search. I still do it for bird bodies up here, don't remember what it was but they were dropping like flies for a while.

Unexplained bird carcasses were (perhaps ARE) an indication of West Nile Virus, I believe.

That sounds right. They never showed up to take the carcasses when I called them in (as requested) so I just started tossing them in the trash, turned into a habit. I wouldn't even have thought about the fact I still do it if it wasn't for this.

And, umm... sorry to the Fauna members I may have inadvertently insulted with the blanket Floridians/common sense comment, I know there are exceptions.

Botulin bacteria can grow in canned foods or meats that are in anaerobic conditions (no oxygen). That's why we're taught to avoid any cans with bulges--the bulging indicates gas pressure from bacteria growing in sealed conditions.

Botulin bacteria can grow inside any animal corpse--usually within herbivores that are more likely to ingest the spores.

So, iguanas...goats, cattle, horses, deer, etc--all likely sources of botulin if you find them lying around dead and rotting. Not alive.

BE A HUMAN! BE RESPONSIBLE !

Looking around...responsibility isn't a trait one normally associates with humans....

Wow there are a lot of morons out there. Who the heck lets there dog use a carcas as a chew toy. Hell anything i find dead in my yard gets bagged and tossed to the can Asap. That is just Nasty. I know they are dogs but have some common since those dead animals could have easlie been poisoned as well. Last statement goes for any dead thing not the Dead Iggies.

Originally Posted by ehirsh85

Wow there are a lot of morons out there. Who the heck lets there dog use a carcas as a chew toy. Hell anything i find dead in my yard gets bagged and tossed to the can Asap. That is just Nasty. I know they are dogs but have some common sense those dead animals could be poisoned as well. Last statement goes for any dead thing not the Dead Iggies. Rats that eat rat poison and die cause alot of issues with the animals that consume them too. So don't let your dogs eat just any dead thing they find.

Carpe Diem!