Award-winning police dog succumbs to lung infection

[Lisa]

Award-winning police dog succumbs to lung infection
http://www.courierpress.com/news/2010/jan/11/award-winning-police-dog-succumbs-to-lung/
Evansville Courier & Press

An Evansville Police Department K-9 was euthanized Monday morning after a short battle with an aggressive fungal disease in his lungs.

The German shepherd, known as Lord, was an active police dog with the department and just five days shy of turning 3 years old, according to Sgt. Brent Hoover.

Lord had served on the Police Department only since March and was handled by patrolman Zach Elfreich.

Hoover, who oversees the K-9 division, said Elfreich has worked as a patrolman since 2005, but Lord was the first K-9 he has handled in his career.

"(Lord) was more than just a police dog, he was also a part of Zach's family," Hoover said.

Hoover said Lord was diagnosed with a fungal disease known as blastomycosis just before Christmas.

The disease, which generally affects dogs ages 2 to 4, causes lesions in various tissues and enlarges the bronchial lymph nodes on the animal's body.

Most dogs with the illness show signs of fever and respiratory problems.

Hoover said the department was hopeful initial treatments would work; however, Lord recently took a turn for the worse.

"We had to have him put down, just to keep him from suffering," he said.

Lord served as one of six dual-purpose K-9s for the Evansville Police Department — there are nine total on the department.

The dual-purpose K-9 is used both as a patrol and narcotics dog.

During his short time on the force, Hoover said, Lord earned a number of distinctions, including the "Catch of the Quarter Award," which is given out by the U.S. Police Canine Association.

Lord was winner for Region 5, an area that includes K-9s from police departments in Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio.

Lord was buried Monday afternoon in the department's canine cemetery.

[ZoethePug]

This really hits home with me - we lived in Madisonville, KY, which is an hour south of Evansville.  It was just a week after we moved away from Madisonville was when our Zoe started to show signs of being ill, so obviously she caught it there.  I thought she was depressed because we had moved, took her to the vet and she had a urinary tract infection.  She was coughing a bit at night, but they thought nothing of it.  This was toward the end of April - 3 weeks and many vet trips and symptoms later, I was referred to an emergency vet where they FINALLY took an X-ray of her chest, did a trach wash and a couple of other procedures that showed no blasto.  The X-ray told a different story - her lungs were covered.  The vet did not want to give her anti-fungals because there were no positive tests.  He thought since we did not live directly next to a lake and had not visited one in the past year that we were not at risk for Blasto.  After reading all the info on this site since for a year and a half, I know differently. 
I fought for the meds and we began treatment, but I think she was just too far into it.  Three weeks later she died on the way to the vet - I was taking her in for oxygen because her breathing was so bad.  Two days earlier they got a positive diagnosis for blasto by testing a lesion that had popped up. 
Sorry for the ramble!  Back to my original point - I hope the police dog did not have to suffer the way my dog did - I often think I shouldn't have put her through it, but I would have always wondered if I could have done something else to help her.  This site has been wonderful and a lifesaver for so many! 

[karen]

So sorry to hear about Lord and Zoe.  We just lost our aussi/rottie, Kuma on May 3, 2010.  We don't live near a lake or water and the only soil that has been turned over is just from weeding a small flower bed.  My vet said, dogs get it from the soil or old wood. Well, we all have soil and being in Louisville, Kentucky, we have cold winters,so we have a wood pile. It's in the back of our yard, but it's still there.  Kuma, had lived with us for 13 years, with all of the same elements.  Something happened.  We had lots of rain and warm weather quickly.  The vet said, she probbably came in contact with it several months ago.  My husband is a dog trainer and sometimes still, even in Kuma's older years, took her with him.  So she could have gotten it anywhere.  We are concerned about bringing another dog into our backyard, if this nasty blasto is here.  We were shocked and surprised to find out about this fungus.  Any suggestions on what we should do, if we ever decide to bring a new dog into our backyard.