Local Blasto Alert!

ATTENTION ALL MINNESOTA DOG OWNERS:

There is a high incidence of Blasto in the following areas:

Hiawatha Ave / Highland Park Area Dog Park, Minnehaha Falls Dog Park and Hiking Trails, Fort Snelling Area Hiking Park.

The fungus has been found in the soil and water in the park. It can be inhaled by your pet or by yourself.

For the safety of you and your beloved pet, we ask that you not enter the dog park or let your pet swim or drink from the Mississippi River. If you or your pet has symptoms please get medical attention immediately. The sooner you get medical attention for yourself or your pet, the higher the chance will be for your pet surviving. The disease has not been known to cause many human deaths but it causes 85% of all animals who get it to die.

If you know of many animals being infected or of an outbreak, please submit the form at the bottom the blog and we will respond A.S.A.P.

Thank You,

Harris (Blog Admin)

Links

Blastomycosis is infecting hundreds of dogs in Minnesota. Blasto is commonly known in the medical world as a large cause of pneumonia and can be misdiagnosed if an x-ray is the only form of testing. Blood tests are needed to correctly diagnose Blasto.

Please view some of the links below to inform yourself about Blasto.

~ Center for Disease Control Blastomycosis Information

~ Dog Owners Guide - Blastomycosis

~ Wikipedia - Blastomycosis

~ The Pet Center - Blastomycosis

~ College of Veterinary Medicine - Blastomycosis in Pets

~ Blastomycosis.Ca - Information and Forums

- Harris (Blog Admin)

Murry

Murry was Mike's best friend. (See picture at top) He was a two year old Golden Retriever mixed with Springer Spaniel. They went on hikes and had loads of fun. Murry recently died of Blastomycosis. We are all devastated. We created this blog to make Minnesotans and people around the country aware of this horrible disease. This is a place to learn, to question, and to grieve. We love hearing your stories and encourage you to share.

Murry's memorial tribute site can be seen here.

- Harris (Blog Admin)