PORTLAND, Ore. — A local family is warning other dog owners about a risk that only exists in the Pacific Northwest.
You may have heard of "salmon poisoning" but you may not realize just how easy it is for dogs to contract it. We talked to the owners, who found that out the hard way.
"It’s heart breaking to see a dog you love so much going through that pain,” said Dan Minter.
Minter’s dog, Samantha Pooches, got very sick from salmon poisoning.
She went on a fishing trip with Minter along the Trask and Wilson rivers. A week later, she started going downhill fast.
“She started having diarrhea and threw up, that just didn't stop," Minter said. "She wasn't eating or drinking.”
Once the vet heard she'd been on the fishing trip she had a pretty good idea what was wrong.
“Well salmon poisoning is from a complex bacteria that lives inside parasite that lives in salmon, steelhead and trout,” said veterinarian Kristen Gerard.
Gerard didn't treat Samantha herself but she works at the Tanasbourne Veterinary ER that did.
She says when vets hear a dog has spent time around water, salmon poisoning is one of the first things they look for.
But the real surprising part of this, a dog doesn't have to get a fish or even a piece of fish in their mouth to get infected.
Dan didn't even catch any fish that day. Just the remnants of a fish that contains the bacteria can be enough. And it can be left behind by other animals.
The poisoning is deadly in 95 percent of dogs but only if they don't get the right treatment.
Minter says Samantha is getting better now.