February 21, 2004
Dear Small Paws Family,
Please forgive me if I'm not myself today.
I've been crying since last night, and did
not sleep any at all last night. I need to
tell you all about something that has happened
as it is very serious and extremely upsetting
to all of us who love dogs, to all of us
who love our Bichons. Please prepare yourselves.
This is not good.
We just last night received devastating news
regarding the 19 Kennel Bichons we purchased
from a commercial kennel going out of business
in Iowa.
The kennel owner brought them down to Tulsa,
Oklahoma on Thursday and everything proceeded
without a hitch. We checked our 19 Bichons
into our vet's office here, and then Bonnie
Ferguson, our Executive Assistant and I,
drove the 8 toy poodles over to their rescue, and then I drove the 8 Maltese
down to their rescue in Dallas, Texas.
You that have been with us for years, know
that I feel like you all are family. I don't
keep secrets from you. I have always told
you the 100% truth about everything that
happens, even when it is painful to do so.
That's what I am going to do now. I am just
going to tell you what has happened.
Upon my return from Dallas last night, I
got a horrible phone call that I will never
forget. I felt my legs go out from under
me, the way they do if you get news that
someone close to you has died.
There is no other way to say this, but to
say it.
Twelve of our nineteen newest rescued Bichons
have tested positive for Canine Brucellosis. Yes, we are sure. Yes we did both a blood
test and a serum test. There is no doubt
of this. 12 of the 19 have Canine Brucellosis.
Even the youngest four babies are testing
a hard positive.
One of the reasons this is such a terrible
disease is that it is also zoonotic, contagious to people. If a pregnant woman
contracts this disease, it can cause her
to abort her baby. It is also more contagious to people with auto-immune diseases,
or to people on chemo, and anyone with a
lowered immune resistance
Here are more articles about this devastating
disease. It is a like a venereal disease
for dogs, and it is transmitted through body
fluids like urine, saliva, semen, and feces.
The experts tell us that it is not airborne.
Canine Brucellosis
The Threat of Canine Brucellosis: Myth or
Menace?
Canine Brucellosis Technical Bulletin
Before I go any further and tell you what
else we have learned from the experts, the
canine epidemiologists at the major Universities
about this subject, I want to tell you about
my conversation with the kennel owner, last
evening.
He was absolutely in shock when I called
him last night, in tears. He kept saying,"Noooo...noooo"...then
he told me that he thinks he knows exactly
where this disease came from..., which kennel,
and which dog brought it into his kennel.
He took one of these 19 Bichons in a few
years ago from what he thought was a reputable
kennel.
Later on he heard rumblings that this kennel
where he had bought this particular dog,
had Brucellosis in their breeding stock.
He thought it was just a nasty rumor trying
to cause problems for this particular kennel.
Now he knows these rumors were true and that
he should have tested this dog when it first
came in.
I told him I would never make this up and
that he could have the dogs tested again,
if he liked. He answered, "Oh Robin...no
no...I believe you. I know you would not
make this up. I believe you and I am sick
about this." He kept saying, "Oh
God no. Oh God no."
He said we both needed the weekend to let
this sink in, and that he need to notify
some other folks, (presumably other kennels
he has sold his dogs to last week) and that
on Monday morning, I will fax the results
to him and he would make things right with
us. I do believe he will be giving our entire
$10,000.00 back to us without a problem.
Of course I immediately notified both the
poodle and maltese rescue folks of this horrid
news. I am praying it is only the Bichons
who are infected.
This was not someone who was trying to cheat
us. If he was trying to do that he would
have just said, "Sorry lady, they're
your dogs now."...He didn't even maybe
say that. He knew how serious this is.
Of all of the approximately 2500 commercial
kennel rescued Bichons we have taken in,
we have only seen three cases of Brucellosis
in the past. We had to put those three dogs
to sleep.
We have contacted the experts in the field,
the epidemiologists at the major universities,
and the CDC. (Center for Disease Control)
This is what the experts have told us. Though
some people on the Internet will tell you
that you can successfully treat this disease,
(it is VERY expensive to treat), you can
never be sure you are rid of it, as it almost
always returns. The disease is shed through
urine, and feces, when it returns.
The problem is that, because it is contagious
to other dogs, and to people, and that there
are many times no physical symptoms, it could
be back, and other pets and pregnant women
would be exposed without anyone knowing the
disease had come back.
Dear God have mercy. We are being faced with
the horrid task of euthanizing these 12 Bichons,
including the four babies under two years
old.
As you can imagine, I'm not taking this to
well. I do ok for a few minutes, then I seem
to be not doing so ok.
If you have emailed me about other subjects,
please give me a few days to get back with
you. Bonnie has been checking for emergencies,
and I couldn't have gotten through this to
this point without her.
Both she and I will both need to go in to
be tested for this disease, as we both handled
these dogs, and were exposed to urine and
feces when we unloaded them.
In people, it is 100% treatable with antibiotics.
Neither of us are pregnant, so that is not
a worry here.
These 19 dogs are in 100% quarantine from
the other dogs up at our vet's office. Our
other Bichons there have not been exposed.
I'm concerned that this is going to be financially
devastating to us, as well. If we have to
put these 12 down, there will be those charges
as well as a bio-hazardous waste fee for
their bodies, not to mention the other testing
we have already done on these dogs. (vaccinations,
heartworm tests, fecals, ect.)
Plus, we will have to keep the other 7 that
are not testing positive in quarantine for
60-90 days to make sure they don't test positive
before sending those out.
There is one slight chance of a possibility
to save some of these 12 dogs. I will pursue
this on Monday morning. I do not know if
this is even a possibility, but you KNOW
I will give it everything I have to try to
save at least some of these dogs.
There is a vet in Texas who is doing something
like a clinical trial on Canine Brucellosis.
He treats the dogs, and then places them
with local people who are participating in
this study. They all know ahead of time that
these dogs are a part of this study, and
that they tested positive at one time for
Brucellosis.
Every thirty days they are brought back in
and retested. So far, he has had no positives
after this new treatment, for about three
years. He follows these dogs very closely
and even takes some of them home to live
with him.
The fee is $1700.00 per dog.
IF he will accept some of these dogs, we
would have to choose six, probably the youngest,
and use the money we would get back from
the kennel owner to treat the ones we could.
If we treat six, the bill would be $10, 200.00.
You guys, I would give anything if I didn't
have to come and tell you this devastating
news.
If we are forced to put these 12 Bichons
down, I will tell you that also.
I am going to try to get some sleep I think.
If I don't answer your emails for a few days,
this is why. Love, Robin
Robin Pressnall
Executive Director
Small Paws® Rescue
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