Coonhound Paralysis

[Moonshiner]

Was reading in a magazine today that if dogs, especially coonhounds get bitten or scratched by a coon that they can get paralized in 4-5 days. Is this true? and how can I stop it from happening.

[houndsnmules]

Its possible but I only heard of a few cases

[blackpaws]

very possible. a buddy of mine had a dog get this and if you don't get him to the vet he will die. he was out for the majority of our bear season last year. still is weak sometimes and if he touiches another coon he could get it back he will probably die. it's bad stuff. that dog laid on the kitchen floor for 2 weeks and had to be carried outside to go to the bathroom. the dog would piss and poop laying on his side because he couldn't move. eventually he came out of it and can run now but not near rhe stamina as before. be careful with this stuff.

[Hunter]

The best bear dog I have ever owned caught this and died.

I was working some pups on a coon one evening and turned Ranger in once it hit the ground. He took a bite across the nose but nothing serious at all. Matter of fact my 8 month old male needed more attention. 2 days later my daughter took her little bucket up to feed Ranger. She came back and told me that he wouldn't get up. I didn't think nothing of it cause he was getting up in years. The next day when I went to feed him he couldn't get up. I layed him in the basement and fed and watered him by hand for 3 days. I took him to a vet and he said that he had it. We done all we could to save him but he died. It was the first case that he had ever seen. As far as I know there is nothing you can do to prevent it. On another note. My young dog never showed any signs of it.

[BMC97756]

I know my terrier friends have a real problem w/ this.. I did see a way to treat your dog after fighting a coon that can help them from getting it.. I will see if I can find it.. The guy's terriers had been on over 500 coon and had never gotten it..

C.J.

[Moonshiner]

well then, makes me think twice bout having my pups chase coon now. Do all coons carry this Germ? or only in a certain area?

[driftwood blue]

hunt the dog and enjoy it... over the years since 1959---yes that is almost 50 years.. I have seen a few cases of it but like was mentioned not all dogs get it.. and not all dogs die..some do if it is not recognized for what it is and treatment is delayed.
I do know of several cases that were successfully treated with antibiotics
some years back Cornell University had a professor doing an extensive study .. about the only conclusion was that they could not really determine what the cause was and that they also could not induce the condition with any regularity... so a percentage "might" be likely to contract the afflection.
in all the time I have had hounds and that has been quite a few hounds I have only had 1 case..

Good luck and happy hunting

[Moonshiner]

so are some dogs more genetically disposed to this disorder? Is it more of a darwin thing? Some will die and the genetically superior will survive? lol, kinda a bleak way to look at it but thats what ive been hearing.

[Spanky]

hunt the dog and enjoy it... over the years since 1959---yes that is almost 50 years.. I have seen a few cases of it but like was mentioned not all dogs get it.. and not all dogs die..some do if it is not recognized for what it is and treatment is delayed.
I do know of several cases that were successfully treated with antibiotics
some years back Cornell University had a professor doing an extensive study .. about the only conclusion was that they could not really determine what the cause was and that they also could not induce the condition with any regularity... so a percentage "might" be likely to contract the afflection.
in all the time I have had hounds and that has been quite a few hounds I have only had 1 case..

Good luck and happy hunting

could not agree more with Driftwood. None of us want to loose a hound to any injury but if your gonna be worried to cut it loose then your getting into the wrong sport. Hounds get hurt, thats the bottom line, its an uncontrollable situation. Your hound stands more chance of getting hit by a car and getting lost in the woods then he does anything else in this country.

[Moonshiner]

I think watching my dog slowly dying of paralysis is different than if my dog got ripped open by a cat, cause if I saw my dog after a cougar attacked it(providing the cat did a number to the hound), id shoot it, it isnt worth my time/money or the dogs pain to be put through a possible chance of living, however well the dog lived afterward, still would have to be determined.
I understand my hounds will get themselves hurt, but like I said earlier, theres a difference from a slash from a claw and paralysis, something you can see, and something that might or might not happen, in 5 or so days.

Can coonhounds still contract the coon germ from a already dead coon, say if the dogs found one and played with it.

[larry]

if i was you moonshiner I would probably run out and get myself one of those atmosphere bubbles to live in just in case. You never know when something bad could happen and you might contract something. Better yet i wouldn't leave the house or cross the street, might get hit by a bus Also, don't drive anywhere, you could get killed in a car wreck. Flying is no good either, plane might crash.... get the point??? Chill out and go have fun! don't sweat the small stuff.

[pete richardson]

Can coonhounds still contract the coon germ from a already dead coon, say if the dogs found one and played with it.


Some cases have a history of contact with raccoons, or perhaps raccoon saliva, but some do not have a clear history of exposure. The source of this condition is still somewhat of a mystery,


to answer your ?


i found the above on the internet - i dont have any personal experience with this




my memory is crap but i remember one guy telling me ol blue got it and was down for months -- and recovered fully --
-- i used to competition hunt a little and i know a LOT of coonhunters- and have barely heard of this disease -maybe its more common in other places -
try asking same question on ukc coonhounds or coondawgs and i bet you will find somebody thats had experience with it--

[twist]

My first old hound I owned had this and was down for a week or so. The vet told me as long as their kidneys stay working they will ussualy recover. I can not remember what medicine I used but he made a full recovery. Odd thing is that this dogs dad had it twice and made it both times but really slowed him down the second time. Andy

[Moonshiner]

Alright thanks ya'll

[michigan Todd]

Well let me tell you as I sit looking at the best young dog I have ever owned laying on the laundry room floor, this problem sucks! This dog was already making 5 hour runs right with the old dogs and just doing it up. He got a hold of a coon 11 days prior and now cant get himself even stood up, it is an awful thing to have to see. What I have learned in the last few days from 4 different vets is that it is beleived to be an auto immune problem when certain predisposed dogs get coon saliva in their blood. His litter mate is fine and helped kill the same coon and both were bloodied up in the process. I run bear and coyotes with my dogs and no one can really tell me if this will wipe out his endurance, but I'm going to try to nurse him back to health and give him a try. But I won't hunt this particular dog on coons ever again just in case. All the vets told me to do was keep him eating and drinking and there was no real way to treat it. If any one knows anything more I would sure appreciate some more insight. Each vet I spoke with was quite interested but had never seen a case with their own eyes.