# Flat-coated retriever killed by toxin



## Dobermutt (Jan 22, 2014)

Another dog death prompts search for cure to mystery toxin (From Daily Echo)

Not sure if anybody has heard about this yet. 

This is mainly for the people in the New Forest District area - this includes the entire stretch of the New Forest, as it hasn't been discovered exactly where the toxin is - seems to be popping up all over the place. 

Most recent victim was the 5 year old flat-coated Retriever, 'Erin', in the report above.

So far, this particular 'mystery' toxin has killed 14 dogs (these are only the reported ones, so there could be more) - and as far as I'm aware, only two have survived it. This happened at the same time last year with most of the deaths occurring in Fritham and Fordingbridge area. 

The toxin causes acute kidney failure which could be a version of 'Alabama Rot' - I have no idea what this is. 

''Dog owners are advised to look out for wounds or lesions on the limbs or face of their dog.''

"Affected dogs may go on to develop signs of severe depression, loss of appetite and vomiting.''

I live in the New Forest & am now very weary of walking my dog in the woods to avoid this. 

Anybody living in/near the New Forest areas & other reported/affected areas - keep an eye out for any of the symptoms if you regularly walk your dog/s in forested areas. 

It does state in most articles that owners shouldn't be ''unnecessarily worried'' but should be made aware of the risk & possibility. 

Sorry if I've scared anyone - if I'm honest, this scares me more than it should... I love taking my dog to the forest, but I'm just not willing to risk it even if there's the tiniest chance


----------



## smokeybear (Oct 19, 2011)

Presumably you do not take your dog out at all because of the "tiniest chance" it may run off, be injured in an RTA, get attacked by another dog etc?


----------



## Dobermutt (Jan 22, 2014)

smokeybear said:


> Presumably you do not take your dog out at all because of the "tiniest chance" it may run off, be injured in an RTA, get attacked by another dog etc?


Of course I take him out - I get that you were being sarcastic, though...

Of course there are always chances of a dog getting into some sort of accident - this is why we have insurance and most times, RTAs & attacks are fixable to a certain extent. When your dog has acute kidney failure from an unidentified & unknown source, with no reliable treatment, there's a much higher risk that they're not going to pull through. Do you understand what I'm trying to say? 

It's just unusual & there's no treatment because they don't know enough about it - many dogs have died as a result, few have survived, and I was just sharing this news with the community as a warning, just in case. It's not something you think will happen when you take your dog to the forest - and I can't imagine your dog getting run over by a car in the middle of the forest, where there are no cars. 

I didn't expect a response directed at me personally & not really a reason for it. There was absolutely no need for sarcasm when I was simply sharing news for others to read & have their own opinion on


----------



## rona (Aug 18, 2011)

Dobermutt said:


> I didn't expect a response directed at me personally & not really a reason for it. There was absolutely no need for sarcasm when I was simply sharing news for others to read & have their own opinion on


Don't worry about it. smokeybear is obviously in a particularly contrary mood today. 
Though it's par for the course really   
Several perfectly pleasant people have been upset by them. You aren't unique 

There's plenty of people here that can post without having to insult or try to make themselves feel superior  Stick around and you will see


----------



## Dobermutt (Jan 22, 2014)

rona said:


> Don't worry about it. smokeybear is obviously in a particularly contrary mood today.
> Though it's par for the course really
> Several perfectly pleasant people have been upset by them. You aren't unique
> 
> There's plenty of people here that can post without having to insult or try to make themselves feel superior  Stick around and you will see


Thanks  I can see so far that the community on here are generally friendly & welcoming! 

I fully understand that people are going to have different opinions on the story that I posted & I suppose that's what forums like this are for. Not everybody is going to agree with certain things and that's all part of it 

Just to add; I have nothing against anyone or thoughts/opinions - I was just a little bit taken aback by the comment, but no harm done


----------



## Kchip (Jan 2, 2014)

smokeybear said:


> Presumably you do not take your dog out at all because of the "tiniest chance" it may run off, be injured in an RTA, get attacked by another dog etc?


Did you get out of bed the wrong side today?!


----------



## smokeybear (Oct 19, 2011)

I was merely pointing out that nothing in life is risk free.

Everything you do has a cost and a benefit. to state that you are not going to take the "tiniest" risk is not only untrue (just living is risky) but senseless.


----------



## rona (Aug 18, 2011)

smokeybear said:


> I was merely pointing out that nothing in life is risk free.
> 
> Everything you do has a cost and a benefit. to state that you are not going to take the "tiniest" risk is not only untrue (just living is risky) but senseless.


It's ok. I suffer from the same affliction but not quite as severe as you


----------



## Lurcherlad (Jan 5, 2013)

Been looking at places to go for our holiday this year and I have discounted the New Forest because of the news about this problem in that area.

There are plenty of other fantastic places in the UK that we can go, so I don't see any point in taking the risk at the moment.

Forewarned is forearmed - as they say


----------



## jaycee05 (Sep 24, 2012)

I don't have a dog at the moment,but if I did I wouldn't take it anywhere either where there is even the tiniest risk
Dogs here became ill I think last year also in a wooded area but very close to a small lake, don't think it was discovered what caused it


----------



## Dobermutt (Jan 22, 2014)

smokeybear said:


> I was merely pointing out that nothing in life is risk free.
> 
> Everything you do has a cost and a benefit. to state that you are not going to take the "tiniest" risk is not only untrue (just living is risky) but senseless.


Ah, I see  I understand where you're coming from. 

I mean, it's much less risky taking him elsewhere (local enclosed parks/fields & unaffected areas), where he's much less likely to get hurt in any way, than to take him to the forest where I'm fully aware there's a danger that's completely out of my control. I wouldn't take him somewhere, knowing full well that there's a chance that he'll die, because of my decision to go ahead instead of avoid it completely 

In this case, the very ground you're walking on is a risk in itself. The reason I worry is because it's not a visible danger & not one you can avoid. The only way to avoid the danger is to just not go there at all :frown:

I'm always aware of our surroundings on our walks, staying as far away from roads as possible & I know the dogs in our area very well, but always go on walks equipped, should an irresponsible owner decide to let an aggressive dog off leash. It's about thinking responsibly, carefully, quickly and making the right decisions. 

So, yes, there is always a risk - but I think one like this stands higher that the others, mainly because there isn't a treatment & death, if affected, is pretty much inevitable.


----------



## Dobermutt (Jan 22, 2014)

There's the daily risks we all have to face - dogs getting run over by cars, dogs getting attacked and so on. These are just the risks that come with owning a dog in general & they're also things that can be easily avoided & should they happen, they're relatively easy to deal with depending. 

If there are worries about a dog getting run over - take it somewhere away from the roads, an enclosed/fenced park or field, or if that's not an option, put it on a long-line or flexi. If there are concerns about a dog getting attacked - come prepared. Bring an extra slip-leash, treats, phone, attack alarm, umbrella, break-stick, educate yourself on how to deal with these situations. You hope these things won't happen, but if they do, you know you've still got everything you need. 

What I'm trying to say, is that there are a number of ways to deal with every day situations that we're all fully aware of when it comes to owning dogs & there is no way to deal with a situation such as this one - apart from rushing to the vets and hoping that luck might be on your side. 

The difference with this situation is that - as I've said continuously now, it's completely a mystery to everybody. There's no known treatment, there's no way to fix it & the only possible way to avoid it is just not going there at all.


----------



## Dobermutt (Jan 22, 2014)

Lurcherlad said:


> Been looking at places to go for our holiday this year and I have discounted the New Forest because of the news about this problem in that area.
> 
> There are plenty of other fantastic places in the UK that we can go, so I don't see any point in taking the risk at the moment.
> 
> Forewarned is forearmed - as they say


It's a lovely area - definitely consider it when (if) this passes! 

Yes, exactly!


----------



## Dobermutt (Jan 22, 2014)

jaycee05 said:


> I don't have a dog at the moment,but if I did I wouldn't take it anywhere either where there is even the tiniest risk
> Dogs here became ill I think last year also in a wooded area but very close to a small lake, don't think it was discovered what caused it


Yeah, I've heard it's happened it other areas, too - very strange :confused1: I just hope they find out what it is soon, and are able to deal with it appropriately to avoid anymore dogs losing their lives


----------



## Lurcherlad (Jan 5, 2013)

Dobermutt said:


> It's a lovely area - definitely consider it when (if) this passes!
> 
> Yes, exactly!


We have been in the past, several times and really love the area. Beautiful countryside and also close enough to the sea 

Once this problem has been identified and hopefully no longer a threat, it will go back onto our "places to go" list :thumbsup:


----------



## jaycee05 (Sep 24, 2012)

I can understand why people still take their dogs to these places when these awful things are happening to other dogs


----------



## Dobermutt (Jan 22, 2014)

jaycee05 said:


> I can understand why people still take their dogs to these places when these awful things are happening to other dogs


Did you mean _can't_?  If so, me too... It doesn't make much sense - I think either they thought it wouldn't be likely to happen to them, or they just didn't know about it at the time


----------



## jaycee05 (Sep 24, 2012)

Sorry, yes I meant "cant"


----------



## loukodi (Oct 27, 2010)

Whats the point of taking a risk that's avoidable? 
I wouldn't be able to live with myself if one of my dogs died because I thought "ah well, I'll risk it".

Thanks for letting us know :thumbup1:


----------



## Dobermutt (Jan 22, 2014)

loukodi said:


> Whats the point of taking a risk that's avoidable?
> I wouldn't be able to live with myself if one of my dogs died because I thought "ah well, I'll risk it".
> 
> Thanks for letting us know :thumbup1:


Exactly my point  That's why I'm not taking the risk, I'd be absolutely heartbroken to lose my boy to something that is so easily avoided, by simply choosing to go somewhere else - easy, and a tiny sacrifice to make to avoid anything like that happening 

No problem! :wink:


----------



## sskmick (Feb 4, 2008)

Once a potential risk has been identified, I would choose a different route to walk my dog.

How awful that this is happening, are the toxins natural or is it suspected someone is doing this on purpose. I haven't read the link - sorry.


----------



## GillRuss (Mar 2, 2014)

apparently there have been a couple of deaths in Worcestershire. We now only walk our dog on lead, and take her to the doggy day centre for a play with other dogs twice a week. She really enjoys that, and comes home shattered. Cant see any sense in taking unecessary risk.


----------

