Jump to content
BC Boards

Ben ate some raw salmon!!


pineapple
 Share

Recommended Posts

I had some fish in a dish waiting to be steamed on the stove. It was up on a small table but I forgot about Ben's reach. Turned my back for one second and next thing there was a piece of salmon disappearing down Ben's throat. :o It was about 60 gram of uncooked farmed salmon. I phoned the vets who said it should be OK but I'm not confident they know about salmon poisoning - they are probably just thinking in terms of an upset stomach. I'm just hoping that being farmed salmon as opposed to wild, it is less likely to have the organism that causes poisoning.. From what I have read on the net, symptoms might not kick in immediately. Will be watching him closely the next week or so. Still undecided whether I should ask for pre-emptive antibiotics/worming or whether that would be panicking unnecessarily. :( .

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I just looked up some info and apparently it is only found in salmon raised on the northwest coast, because that is where the snail is found that is the host parasite. Does the wrapper say where the salmon farm was located? Or if you look online at the company website with the processing information, does it say that? I did not find information about farmed salmon versus wild, but I do feel a bit reassured that it needs the snail as the intermediate host. My thought is that farmed salmon habitats would not have this snail present. But I will keep looking. Meanwhile, see if you can find out where the salmon was raised.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ben might be safe. "In contrast to wild-caught salmon, farmed salmon, particularly Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar), are not considered to be hosts of Anisakis spp. when fed normal pelleted feed. When 2,832 Norwegian-farmed Atlantic salmon and 876 Scottish-farmed Atlantic smoked salmon fillets were analyzed for anisakid larvae infestation, none were detected (Angot and Brasseur 1993). This result is in agreement with results from previous studies that indicated that farmed salmon (Atlantic, coho, and chinook species) are virtually free from anisakid larvae (Bristow and Berland 1991; Deardoff and Kent 1989). Nevertheless, it should be emphasized that aquacultured fish can become hosts of anisakids if fed moist feeds (that is, raw fish)." It's from this FDA site: https://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodScienceResearch/SafePracticesforFoodProcesses/ucm094578.htm

 

The issue is whether or not this is the same pathogen. It looks to me (I am reading quickly and this is not my area of expertise) like two bacteria are involved, Neorickettsia helminthoeca and Nanophyetus salmincola. I cannot tell if these are the two bacteria found in the nematodes referrenced above. (It mentions species of Anisakis, found in the same nematodes.)

 

The problem is some resources talk about the nematode (fluke worm) larvae, which are the intermediate host, and some talk about the bacteria that these carry which is what actually causes the infection. (The snail is another intermediate host.) Bacteriology and parasitology are really outside my knowledge base, so I am having trouble matching things up.

 

But I think it would be a good idea to call the nearest vet school and ask what they think. Let us know what happens.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks. It was Scottish farmed salmon - not previously frozen. Maybe I should wait it out to see if there are any ill effects. From what understand it is treatable with antibiotics if you catch the symptoms in time. Or maybe I should ask to speak to another vet at the practice tomorrow. Sigh..... :(

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Scottish! I think that's good. I found this, though at Wikipedia. But what I have seen supports the statement: "

Nanophyetus salmincola is limited to the geographic range of its intermediate hosts, primarily the US Pacific Northwest. Stream snails are found west of the Cascade Mountains in Oregon, north to the Olympic Peninsula in Washington, and in part of northern California.It is “the most common systemic trematode in the United States.”"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't think the vet I spoke to had ever encountered salmon poisoning or knew anything about it since the response was more about the amount eaten in relation to Ben's size and she actually found the whole episode quite amusing. So I either wait it out but demand that the slightest sign of malaise is treated as salmon poisoning or I present as paranoid and request that he be given a course of potentially unnecessary antibiotics as a precaution.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It sounds to me like Ben should be safe. I think Gentle Lake is quite correct that this is only a problem with salmon from the Pacific Northwest. That's the only place that particular nematode worm lives. I don't want to be responsible for telling you to shrug off your concerns because that's not fair to you. But I suspect if this disease was a problem where you live that a vet would know all about it and not find it amusing. I really think if you want to be 100% certain you could call a vet school and talk to someone in the area of parasite-born diseases. When I was a university prof people often called the department about such things. Maybe the faculty there have a different feeling about it and don't respond but it's certainly worth a try. It could set your mind completely at ease or let you know if really do need to get an antibiotic. Either way, you would know Ben was going to be ok.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks everyone. Rather than try and push my vet to prescribe antibiotics as a precaution, I am going to wait it out. Maybe I can get a second opinion somewhere in the meantime. No immediate effects anyway. I have never had a dog before that would show interest in raw fish. A lesson learnt for me!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Years ago we were preparing to barbecue three halibut steaks and had them sitting on the outdoor porch railing. When my husband went out to throw them on the grill, one was missing, with the plate still balanced on the railing. Of our three Border Collies, the oldest, shortest, and least athletic girl, Tootsie, was the one with fish breath! :lol: To this day I don't know how she managed to snatch the steak without disturbing the plate or the other two pieces!

 

Amazing dogs, these border collies!

 

Amy

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't think the vet I spoke to had ever encountered salmon poisoning or knew anything about it since the response was more about the amount eaten in relation to Ben's size and she actually found the whole episode quite amusing. So I either wait it out but demand that the slightest sign of malaise is treated as salmon poisoning or I present as paranoid and request that he be given a course of potentially unnecessary antibiotics as a precaution.

I really don't follow the logic in this at all.

Why on earth would you "demand" a course of antibiotics for an illness that only occurs on the other side of the globe?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I really don't follow the logic in this at all.

Why on earth would you "demand" a course of antibiotics for an illness that only occurs on the other side of the globe?

She didn't know. And when I was looking it up for her, I didn't realize she lives in the UK. It took a while to figure out the salmon were from Scotland. Even then, it's normal for someone to feel very much on edge after they've had a scare, and she did have a scare at first. To you, seeing it all laid out, it doesn't make sense. But you are seeing it after it was all figured it out, not how it was at the time.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Why on earth would you "demand" a course of antibiotics for an illness that only occurs on the other side of the globe?

 

If the salmon he'd eaten had been imported from the Pacific Northwest he could have been in danger. Now that we know it wasn't there's not as much concern.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

First the advice I have seen is not to give your dog raw salmon (from wherever) period. Specifically raw salmon that hasn't been frozen first. Second while most sources say this is an in issue with wild salmon from a certain region, I did find a couple of claims that it could be found in farmed fish. This is an illness that sneaks up on you and it can be a killer if not treated. . Everything seems fine then a week later... So while I am now somewhat reassured, I probably won't have total peace of mind till we have passed the deadline for symptoms showing up.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Cheers. Just call me paranoid! I'm in a village a couple of miles from Kirkby Stephen. Aim is to get back to Yorkshire though. Ben came from a kennels near Milnthorpe down the M6. Where are you?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We can maybe meet up some time. Only thing is I am currently fighting a battle to acclimatise Ben to car travel.

I went to Milnthorpe to look at a couple of RSPCA dogs. I didn't realise at the time they also have their own rescues. Ben was one of theirs.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...