Dog tests positive for plague in Teller County, experts urge caution

A canine tested affirmative for plague aft a apt vulnerability adjacent the Divide Trail Loop successful Teller County’s Hayden Divide Park, according to a Monday quality merchandise from El Paso and Teller County nationalist wellness officials.

Experts are informing the nationalist to instrumentality precautions to assistance forestall plague exposure.

“While plague is communal successful the summertime months, taking elemental precautions tin little the hazard of transmission to pets and humans,” said Michelle Hewitt, El Paso County nationalist wellness accusation officer, successful the quality release.

Plague is dispersed by a bacteria that tin beryllium transmitted to radical and pets from infected flea bites oregon by nonstop interaction with infected animals, Hewitt said.

Anyone who suspects they whitethorn person been exposed should interaction a wellness attraction supplier immediately, Hewitt said.

Symptoms tin see abrupt fever, headache, chills, weakness and tender, achy lymph nodes.

Plague is treatable successful radical and pets if caught aboriginal with the usage of antibiotics, Hewitt said. Experts powerfully advised usage of veterinary-approved flea power products for pets.

Plague is commonly recovered successful prairie dogs, squirrels, rabbits, chipmunks and different rodents.

In July, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment urged residents to beryllium cautious astir animals aft plague was recovered successful mammals and fleas from six counties and the authorities recorded its first decease from the illness since 2015.

Colorado reported 22 quality cases of plague from 2015 to 2020, according to the authorities wellness department. Almost fractional of the cases were successful La Plata County, though astatine slightest 1 lawsuit has been reported successful the past six years successful Adams, Archuleta, Boulder, Denver, Grand, Larimer, Mesa and Pueblo counties

To assistance support yourself, your pets oregon banal animals from plague, experts irecommend the following:

• Avoid fleas with insect and flea repellant for humans and vet-approved flea attraction for animals;
• Don’t grip wildlife directly;
• Leash pets;
• Keep pets distant from wildlife, particularly dormant rodents and rabbits;
• Don’t let dogs oregon cats to hunt prairie dogs, rodents oregon rabbits;
• Don’t provender wildlife;
• See a doc if you travel down with a precocious fever and/or swollen lymph nodes;
• Contact a veterinarian instantly if your favored oregon livestock go sick with a precocious fever and/or abscess oregon swollen lymph nodes.

To study abrupt die-offs of rabbits oregon rodents oregon aggregate dormant animals, telephone El Paso County Public Health astatine 719-578-3220 oregon Teller County Public Health and Environment astatine 719-687-6416.