Cranston woman works with state veterinarian, RIVMA to educate ... - Cranston Herald

By EMMA BARTLETT

Brucella isn't a common household term, but Cranston resident Jen Cowart has been trying to raise awareness about the illness ever since her family's Shih Tzu, Yeti, was diagnosed with the disease this past fall. Cowart has been working with the state veterinarian and the Rhode Island Veterinary Medical Association (RIVMA) to spread word while also shining the light on the importance of pet insurance.

Yeti came to Cowart's family of five from a Texas rescue after their former Shih Tzu, Bella, passed away from cancer in April of 2021. At the time, Yeti was roughly two years old and had been used for breeding. As a dog that had spent his whole life in a cage, he wasn't house-trained and didn't know how to act like a dog. While he'd always been skittish since the family adopted him, he started showing signs of pain in September of 2021 and would shake and cry.

The family brought Yeti to the vet, however, when they arrived, he exhibited no pain. The vet gave him anti-inflammatory medication and he seemed okay. A month later, the same pain occurred and he returned to the vet and was given more medicine; this pattern continued for 14 months.

After a serious episode in September, the family obtained an MRI in October which showed that Yeti had spondylitis (an infection of vertebrae) which is caused by several things: an untreated UTI or brucella – a breeder dog disease that is common in the south. Further testing confirmed it was brucella.

Cases of brucella's return to the U.S. started in 2019 and the disease is becoming more prominent due relocation of southern dogs during hurricanes and shelter capacity. According to a 2021 article from the American Kennel Club, 1 percent to 9 percent of dogs in the United States are infected with brucella – with most cases in the south. The article states that "Surveys of stray dogs in Central and South America report as much as 20 to 30 percent incidence, raising concern for widespread exposure as more dogs are imported from these areas to U.S. shelters." Dogs may cross into the states as strays and pass the disease along to others. Some states will euthanize dogs that have brucella, however, Rhode Island is not one of those states.

The disease results in reproductive failure in dogs and is transmittable to humans – especially young children, the elderly and those who are immunocompromised. Signs of brucella for female and male dogs include a decrease in activity, appearing depressed, back pain and enlarged lymph nodes. Brucella can be diagnosed by a vet through blood screening tests and any other tests needed for confirmation.

Dogs should be quarantined

Since brucella is a reportable disease in Rhode Island, the family contacted the state veterinarian and the Rhode Island Department of Health. Cowart said the family is required to keep Yeti and their other dog, Gertie (who is at low risk of being infected), home on permanent quarantine. The dogs can only leave the house to go to the vet or the groomer (where they have to be groomed by themselves). The family can't travel with their dogs, take them to another house or have them around other dogs.

The resulting treatment is also expensive and a lot of work. Yeti receives injections and IV fluids every day for a week with three weeks off – this process is ongoing for the foreseeable future. Since the care is so involved, the vets taught the family how to administer the medicine at home.

Cowart wants to spread word about the disease because, while she has a daughter who fosters dogs and family members who work with rescues, no one had heard about brucella. Therefore, she worked with the state vet on creating an information sheet to educate people about the illness.

"This is a rare disease, but I feel like there are people like us going back and forth to vet ongoing unexplained pain," said Cowart.

Cowart said the state vet, until five years ago, hadn't seen a brucella case in Rhode Island. According to State Veterinarian Scott Marshall, there are two known cases in RI. 

"I would assume that there are likely more cases that have not been correctly diagnosed but I trust that veterinarians will report it once a diagnosis is made," said Marshall.

Marshall has been the state veterinarian for 16 years and has seen fewer than six cases in RI during his tenure.

"That said, there were two cases in 2022 and one in either 2021 or 2020; so it seems like there is a trend that there are more. I would caution that this may be a statistical blip and cases may even out over time.  We will need time to see if this is just a blip or if there is an actual trend. I can also state that the last three cases were associated with dogs imported from out of state by rescue groups," Marshall said.

As to whether Marshall believes rescue animals going to out of state homes should be tested for brucella before leaving their state that will bear watching. 

"At this time with the known incidence of this disease being so low it is not something that DEM is contemplating requiring of rescue dogs by enacting regulations. That position may need to change if we determine this disease is becoming more prevalent in that population of dogs. I would encourage rescues to screen for this if they have the financial resources to do so. Keep in mind that all rescues are required to spay and neuter all dogs and cats prior to adoption, and spaying/neutering is one of the tenets of management of known positive animals for those animals that treatment is attempted.  Spaying and neutering greatly reduce the likelihood that an infected dog will transmit the infection, but it does not completely eliminate the risk since blood and urine contain small amounts of infective bacteria," Marshall said.

Cowart feels like people need to be more aware of brucella. If Yeti had been tested for brucella before leaving Texas, he would not have been allowed to leave the state. While the family loves him and would do anything for him, if they knew he had the disease when he was offered to them, they would not have said yes. Cowart said the family is lucky to have had pet insurance, but there are other pet adopters and foster parents out there who may have health conditions or financial constraints who may unknowingly bring a dog with this disease into their homes.

Cowart also wants to raise awareness of the importance of pet insurance. While the family would have done the MRI for Yeti, she doesn't know if they would have been able to afford the treatment without the insurance. Cowart's brother had given her recommendations on insurance companies when the family first got Yeti and Gertie, and through her own research she chose a company where there was no cap on what you could submit in expenses each year.

Today, at four years old, Cowart said Yeti is a different dog.

"Even though he was skittish as a rescue, we didn't realize how much this was impacting him," she said. Now he's affectionate, plays and doesn't hide as often.

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