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Living near the river has its advantages: scanning views, magnificent hiking trails and endless opportunities for summer pleasure. But for our four -legged companions, splashes in fresh water can lead to Hollen health effects . A new paper Published in the journal Pathogens Do the owners of a warning dogs of a flat worm killing dogs who quickly kill the Colorado river and who left a dead dog.

Commonly called the dynamism of the liver, Heterobilharzia Americaa is a flat worm derived from snails and locks on mammals, the University of California, river scientists and study authors, study, Explain in a new version .

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The parasite is known to cause a canine schistosomia, a disease that attacks the liver and the intestines of dogs. Disease generally presents itself Thanks to serious gastrointestinal symptoms such as diarrhea, hematochezie or vomiting, by veterinary medical services and the biomedical sciences of the Texas A&M University. A veterinarian can prescribe high doses of parasitic drugs, such as praziquantel or fenbendazole, for treatment.

Until recently, H. Americana It was thought that in fresh water surrounding the states of the Gulf coast such as Texas and Louisiana. However, UCR scientists can now confirm that the deadly dog parasite also exists in the Californian part of the Colorado river.

Co-author and professor of UCR Nématology Adler Dillman And his team of researchers went to Blythe, California, a city along the banks of the Colorado river, where several H. Americana Canine infections have been reported.

"We have actually found two species of snails that can support H. Americana In the river in Blythe, and we found the two snails that actively lost this worm. Not only was it a surprise to find H. Americana , we did not know that the snails were present here, "said Dillman, noting that his team had sampled more than 2,000 snails.

However, for a dog to be infected, the parasite must enter the body of a canine within 24 hours of the exit of a snail, otherwise it dies. Drinking river water or swimming is sufficient for a dog to contract H. Americana .

In the press release, Dillman explained that H. Americana Fray its way in "the veins of the intestinal lining", where it adults and the partners. However, the real risk of a potentially fatal disease comes from the eggs of the parasite.

"The presence of adults in the veins is not the problem. It is the eggs that enter the lungs, the spleen, the liver and the heart," he said. "The immune system is trying to face it, and hard clusters of immune cells called granulomas are formed. Finally, organic tissues stop working."

Unfortunately, it could be done several months before a dog begins to have symptoms.

"Symptoms gradually start with loss of appetite and possibly include vomiting, diarrhea, deep weight loss and signs of liver disease", " Emily Beeler , a veterinarian of the Public Health Department of the County of Los Angeles, told the UCR. "If your dog presents these symptoms after swaming in the Colorado river, it is a good precaution to ask your veterinarian a simple fecal test."

Dangerous disease occurs in the heels of another very contagious respiratory disease in dogs, which some call " Zoo Streptococcus “If not treated, canine disease can turn into a disease of several weeks and perhaps even pneumonia. In November 2023, the Oregon agriculture department had documented 200 cases of the disease.

As for H. Americana , 11 dogs in California have contracted the disease since 2019. A canine has died. Animal experts and health officials want to promote potentially deadly deadly diseases. AE0FCC31AE342FD3A1346EBB1F342FCB

"Dogs can die of this infection, so we hope to raise awareness of what it is there," said Dillman. "If you swim in the Colorado river with them, your pets are in danger."