FROM THE NEW FOREST DOG OWNERS GROUP..
A dog has received injuries, possibly caused by a chemical contaminant in water on the forest. The message we received is as follows….
“My dog Mac was walked recently in the forest opposite the Hare&Hounds pub near Sway on Tuesday late afternoon. He was kept on lead for most of the walk. He was carrying his tennis ball in his mouth which had fallen into some stagnant water. Within an hour of returning home he began to lick his lips, was unable to swallow, the inside of his mouth was bright red, his jowls began to swell and he was drooling excessively. I rushed him to vet…he was given an antibiotic/ steroid injection and pain relief. It was thought he had come into contact with something corrosive or bacterial that had burned the inside of his mouth. He continued to worsen through the night and I returned to the vet the next morning. Upon examination the vet found lesions on his tongue and ulcers inside his mouth. He was given more pain relief/anti-inflammatories and an anti acid to line his esphogaus and stomach in case he had swallowed any of the toxin…within 3 hours Mac deteriorated further and I returned to the vet…he was immediately admitted so they could put a camera down his throat to check for further damage and investigations. To date Mac is stable but has had a feeding tube fitted, is receiving fluids and pain relief intravenously and is under observation. His bloods have been normal throughout and the damage seems to be localised in his mouth. I have contacted the forestry commission and the local verderers to inform them about Mac’s condition and ask them to test the waters in that area for toxins/poisons/bacteria…Alabama Rot has been mentioned as a possible cause but my vet has not had a case present so quickly in the mouth. My reason for writing this is to warn other dog owners/walkers about the possible contamination of the waters in that area and to be vigilante with your dogs for any of the above symptoms. If anyone else has had their dogs present with similar symptoms could you please contact the above authorities or Priory Vets in Purewell. I was fortunate to get Mac to the vet so quickly and am hoping he makes a complete recovery but other livestock/wildlife may not be so I hope the above authorities act quickly.