THE FOX TAPEWORM

 AN EMERGING HEALTH THREAT FOR CANADIANS

 

Fox Tapeworm Echinococcus multilocularis, next to a paperclip (photo by Brent Wagner).

Magnified view on the right

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Keeping ourselves and our pets safe by changing our lifestyle

What is the Fox Tapeworm?

Echinococcus multilocularis is a tiny creature (3-6mm long) inhabiting the intestines of infected canines like coyotes and foxes, and existing as a relatively harmless lodger. If however, a dog owner becomes infected via activity with an infected dog or the handling of infected scat, the parasite sets up shop in the human intestine but soon moves on to other internal organs. While still considered rare, people with low immunity are at greater risk and the number of people infected is rising. Four people in Alberta have been diagnosed with Echinococcus multilocularis in the last four years. Before that, the only previous case in Canada happened in Manitoba in 1928 along with a case in Minnesota U.S., in 1976.

How did it come to Canada?

Research has confirmed that the latest wave of this tapeworm comes from Europe. How it got here is not certain. Along with Alberta this version of the parasite has been found in Ontario wildlife and has likely been present in the region for decades.

In European wildlife it’s only found in the intestines of foxes. In the less virulent North American strain it occurs in the intestines of both foxes and coyotes.

How did it enter Ontario?

Current theory is that the parasite may have come in from Michigan, and may also have come in with those dogs imported from central parts of Europe, especially Switzerland. There are currently no rules for screening or deworming protocols in place for imported dogs.

How is it transmitted?

Humans can be exposed in two ways: By eating foods grown at ground level such as carrots that have been exposed to infected canine feces, or when exposed to microscopic traces of infected dog feces in pet fur; if the dog hunts rodents – if that dog is petted and then the person touches their mouth or food, the parasite’s eggs are ingested. Fox tapeworm eggs can survive months to years in the environment. Dogs pick up the lethal form of this disease by eating coyote, fox or wolf scat (eventually colonies will migrate to the liver and other organs). Dog get the intestinal version when they eat infected rodents (harmless to a dog but dangerous for us).         

How to protect yourself and your dog

• Break the habit of allowing your dog to lick the plates

• Never allow your dog to lick your face or mouth. Enforce the same rule with the kids        

• Always wear gloves when gardening

• Always wash fresh produce from either the garden or the store, thoroughly. Experts list E. multilocularis as one of the top three food-transmitted parasites, worldwide

• Wash your hands after handling dogs, especially dogs you don’t know. Wash the good old fashioned way, hot soap  and running water. Hand sanitizers are ineffective against most parasites

• Think about alternate sleeping arrangements for your dog instead of in your bed

• Wash your hands after scooping up poop

• Wash your hands before you eat

• Avoid dog parks where dog, fox, coyote and rodent feces abound. E. multilocularis has recently been detected in Calgary dog parks

• Have your dog wormed on a regular basis (this is a conversation we should all be having with our vet) and be sure the worming medication is specifically formulated for the prevention of this kind of tapeworm. This is crucial for dogs that are free roaming on property with access to rodents, coyotes, foxes and their feces.

Is there a cure?

Dogs: The intestinal strain can be eradicated by a proper worming with the right kind of medication. The liver version is deadly. Even with surgery and treatment the survival rate is low and probably unaffordable for most of us since the dog would have to remain on anti-parasitic medication for the rest of its life.

Humans: The parasite soon shows up as lumps on the liver – Humans exposed to the parasite should get treatment immediately. The problem is that the parasite grows slowly, and usually does not cause symptoms right away. Left untreated, it spreads to other parts of the body. If treated when it’s localized a surgeon can remove the whole infected area while prescribing several months of post-operative anti-parasitic drugs.

If Echinococcus multilocularis has spread too far in the liver or moved to other internal organs the infected person would need to remain on anti-parasitic drugs for the rest of their life. Only about a third of patients are alerted to the problem by pain and in two thirds of cases, by the time it’s found, surgery is no longer an option. A mass in the liver is identified through an ultrasound or CT scan. If left untreated, the parasite will kill its human host in 10 to 15 years.

Check THE DOG BLOG once a month for more great stories and training tips.

"WATCH ME" 

Teaching your dog the “Watch Me” command, is a foundation behaviour that should be taught right from the start.

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It’s simple, gain your dog’s attention by placing a small treat between two fingers and literally lure his gaze up to your eye. When he looks at you, reward him with the treat and praise. Repeat a few times a day, in the early days until you have quick and solid consistency. Over time you can fade out the treat while keeping the hand and verbal cue, and increasing duration of eye contact.

Dogs have been shaped by their relationship with humans over the past 33,000 years to be able to tune in and actually use human communication skills, the way that so many other animals cannot. Dogs are more adept at understanding our pointing gestures and gaze directional signals, than our closest primate relative the chimpanzee; and their own canis relative, the wolf. Dogs will usually attempt to make eye contact with humans to solve a problem if they can’t solve it on their own. Captive wolves will not.

Over the past 33,000 years domestication has also reshaped the facial muscles of dogs to better facilitate communication between our two species. Research indicates that the levator anguli oculi medialis muscles (responsible for intensely raising the inner eyebrow), is consistently present in dogs but not in wolves. Using them creates an expression we humans produce when sad. You know what I’m talking about “those puppy dog eyes,” so successful at triggering a nurturing response in humans. It extends a dog’s range of expression in a way that wolves physically cannot duplicate.

So teaching your dog to look at your face and watch you, is a skill they are predisposed to learn and use. This communication training can and should be started as early as 6 to 8 weeks, or at least very soon after you adopt your puppy. Its use should be instilled even before your dog learns to sit, stay or lie down. What’s the point of teaching anything else to your dog if she hasn’t yet developed the communication tools to watch and listen to you? It’s best taught to dogs as puppies but dogs of any age can learn this skill. Success with "watch me" will improve their recall, responsiveness to commands and decrease their susceptibility to distraction.

Encouraging and developing eye contact also helps your dog to know when communication is directed at him, separating it from the background noise of casual human chatter. A dog's motivation to establish eye contact is also a good indicator of just how well he's bonded with you.

Check The Dog Blog once a month for more great dog stories and training tips.

SKY'S STORY

TRAINING IS YOUR BACKUP LEASH

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Meet SKY, my smart, funny, irrepressible Jack Russell Terrier. Her favorite toys are her long stuffed wiener dogs, dirty socks, and tennis balls which I have to hide in the freezer. She seems to have the will and the wiring of a heat-seeking missile when it comes to finding things.

Sky's going on 12 now and I’ve had the immense joy and privilege of spending these past years with her. If you’ve got a dog then I’m sure he or she counts, along with your family, as one of the great loves of your life. In one way though, I can’t help but feel my little friend and I have lived those years on stolen time. This story, Sky's story, had a lot to do with my decision to become a dog trainer.

I never thought very much about training when Sky first came to live with me. To be honest, as with so many of us, I never really thought too much about the real hard questions of dog ownership at all, like what kind of dog is right for a family of four with two older children, in a townhome. Back in 2006, my daughter was begging for a dog (she’d been begging for months) and I finally relented by responding to a “Puppies for Sale” ad, pegged to the bulletin board of the nearest supermarket. I called—yes they still had some puppies, and yes we could come and see them that afternoon.

The breeder recommended training which seemed rather generic advice, as generic as her contract and exchange of money for goods. Still, a few months went by and I thought it might be fun so I signed us up. I was working full-time so I confess, sticking to Sky’s homework was, at best, sporadic but we did learn some basic cues. Eventually attending classes fell by the wayside as things do when you’ve got work and kids and a house to attend to, not to mention other bills to pay.

My whole perspective on the importance of training shifted though, one warm spring morning as my daughter and I were out walking Sky. We thought some window shopping would serve so we took her downtown. We were just passing some stores when a large group of people and their dogs, turned a corner from one of the side streets. As they approached us Sky panicked. She dove beneath a table by an outdoor cafe, her leash tangled in the chair legs and she slipped backward, right out of her harness. Her next move was to launch herself headfirst into traffic.

At that moment, I could only do what she and I had been trained to do. “DOWN!” I shouted, an instinctual response, more like muscle memory than anything else.

And miraculously, she did. Sky responded in the only way she knew, what she’d been trained to do, dropping into a down, right there on the edge of the sidewalk. Right on the very edge of oblivion—just long enough for my daughter to get her harness back on. Ironically several other dogs had dropped into a down as well, which I can laugh about now but maybe couldn’t fully appreciate at the time.

It was then that I realized just how important her training had been and how every penny spent on training was an investment in our years together. Not long after that fateful day, I signed her up for two more training packages and I was a lot more diligent about our homework.

Do you think you will always be in full control just because your dog is on a leash? Dogs can slip their harness, dogs can pull a leash from your hand. Invest in some training with your new pup because one day, it could save a life.

Sky’s story is the introductory post for The Dog Blog. Check my website once a month for more great dog stories and training tips.