July 6, 2009
Parasite concern for both dogs and humans
By Meaghan St. Pierre
An update to an Eyewitness News investigation that uncovered a potentially deadly disease affecting pets and humans.
The parasite is called giardia, which can wreak havoc on a dog's intestines and can be passed on to humans. It's a story we looked into after a viewer e-mailed our tip hot-line, saying his dog got sick after visiting a city park. Robert Ho takes his dog Diesel to Kroll park in Southwest Bakersfield regularly. Diesel loves to play in the mud in the dog park, but one day Ho noticed something wasn't right. "Diesel was having a lot of diarrhea. We were always changing his food around, but it didn't work so finally we brought him to the vet." Turns out Diesel had giardia, a microscopic parasite that lives in standing water. There's no way to tell where Diesel picked up the bug, but Ho says the dog park is the only possible place. So Eyewitness News we went to the city to find out about the possibility of contamination. Florn Core who runs the city water department tells us that area is a sump, designed to collect water from storm drains. Core added, "I think most people realize it is street drainage. It isn't potable and shouldn't be used for any playing in or drinking." There are some things you can do to protect your pet. First, get your dog vaccinated. A new giardia shot was recently approved. Second, don't let your pet drink standing water or from a lake or stream. Finally, keep your dog's area clean. Giardia can even be found in your backyard. |
Current Temp
74.0 °
Fair
YouNews
This content requires the latest Adobe Flash Player and a browser with JavaScript enabled.
Click here for a free download of the latest Adobe Flash Player.
Resources and info you need to prepare for the switch to DTV. |
Most Popular
|
