Husband and I have often thought it must be a fungal thing too. Not that we are by any means experts of course....

There was some amazing toadstools at Clumber Park yesterday - huge ones with bright red tops and we saw lots of other types too. We kept Whisper well away from them of course. I was unaware that there had been a case so recently in Clumber but there was a poster in the Ladies toilets describing the sad death of a dog only a week or so ago. We may stay away from Clumber for a while tbh now.

It's ok them saying not to be worried..... but it *is* worrying.... especially when you live so close to two of the 'hot-spots'.

I think you only got a snapshot view on the tv programme. I attended a full day seminar earlier on in the year which expanded on the Harvest Mite issue, time of year and geographical locations.

But no doubt your views will be of interest not only to the AHT but to all dog owners.

These are my notes from the AHT Seminar on SCI

The Animal Health Trust
Breed Club Health Seminar

Friday 18 May 2012
Lanwades Park, Newmarket

Seasonal Canine Illness
Charlotte Robin MSc

Disease Presentation

SCI presents as acute onset within 24 hours of being walked in woodland and seen only in the Autumn. Clinical signs reported include vomiting, diarrhoea, lethargy, abdominal pain, muscular tremors and pyrexia. Treatment is with IV fluid therapy and supportive care and recovery is usually within 7 – 10 days

The AHT were first alerted to the problem after the illness was reported in the Nottingham Post on September 28 2010.

Recurrence

No SCI cases were reported in 2011 until weekend of 3rd September and there has been a “seasonal” recurrence of cases since then. Cases were also reported at the same time from other sites studied in 2010 + new woodland sites:
• Rendlesham Forest near Ipswich, Suffolk
• Blidworth Woods, Nottinghamshire

The Forestry Commission alerted dog walkers to the potential health issue and requested visitors to complete a questionnaire designed by the AHT for each study area:

• Sherwood Forest
• Clumber Park
• Thetford Forest
• Sandringham Estate
• Rendlesham Forest

Population identified as being at risk were the dogs walked in the study areas.

• Was the dog affected (CASE) or not (CONTROL)
• Case definition: dog that showed two or more of the clinical signs (vomiting, diarrhoea, lethargy, abdominal pain, muscular tremors, and pyrexia) within 24 hours of walking in woodland area.
• Compare exposure in CASES and CONTROLS




Questionnaire Responses

Study Area Cases Controls Total Questionnaires Received
Clumber Park 4 63 67
Rendlesham Forest 34 13 47
Sandringham Estate 86 206 292
Sherwood Forest 14 16 30
Thetford Forest 19 147 166
Total 157 445 602

• Combined questionnaire responses from 2010 and 2011
• Sandringham Estate produced the majority of responses

Temporal Distribution

When the figures were broken down for Sandringham, the majority of cases occurred in September.

Risk Factors?

Distance travelled to study area:

• >100km = increased risk
• Three times more likely to be a case

Number of routes walked

• Walking one route only = increased risk
• Twice as likely to be a case
• Acquired immunity in local dogs/build up of resistance in frequent visitors?
• Regular visitors more likely to walk different routes/build up of exposure on one route?

Breed

• Are smaller breeds at a higher risk?
o According to preliminary analysis, no.
• A variety of different breeds were affected
o Did not ask about weight, this has been added to the new 2012 questionnaire.

Age
• Are older dogs or younger ones at higher risk?
o As far as is known, no.
o Oldest dog affected – 14
o Youngest dog affected – 11 months.

Spatial Mapping

This revealed that the concentration of cases occurred in a particular area.

Site visit 16 September 2011

The AHT organised a visit to Sandringham with the botanist Dr Mark Spencer who considered that the woodland habitat was botanically typical and probably unchanged in the last 50 years. No non native species of plant or fungi was identified and no plant or fungi species identified that were considered poisonous through contact alone.

Several theories are now considered unlikely

No evidence for:

• Blue-green algae
• Bracken spores
• Exotic toxic plants
• Recent abundant toxic fungi

Neotrombicula Autumnalis (Harvest Mites)

Several vets have reported that all cases seen were also infested by Harvest Mites. In addition a report by Antony Bird (Lead Wildlife Advisor) revealed that whilst conducting a transect survey he had found his socks full of Harvest Mites.

Harvest Mites hatch in late summer from eggs laid in spring and summer. The larvae collect on small clods of earth and the upper parts of plants to wait for a warm-blooded host to come into contact.

They feed for 2 – 3 days before dropping off as a non feeding nymph and then develop into an adult and the cycle starts all over again.

Although geographically widespread in the UK a particular area can be heavily infested while similar adjacent ones are free from them.

Woodland and grassland are common habitats.

Adult Harvest Mites live in the soil and do not feed on mammals but Chiggers (the larval stage of Harvest Mites) do.

Preferred feeding sites are parts of the body where the skin is thin. They inject a digestive enzyme to break down subcutaneous cells. A fully nourished chigger will turn light red or pale yellow before detaching and falling to the ground.

Is this something worthy of further investigation?

Further Investigations

• Sample Harvest Mites hypersensitivity? Vector for disease?
• Determine the route of acquisition
• Improve case definition
• Access to existing clinical records/laboratory results
• Improving access to fatal SCI cases for full post-mortem examination.

Frequently asked Questions

What is the risk of my dog being affected?

• Difficult question to answer
• Only a small proportion of dogs being walked in affected areas become ill
• It is thought the risk is lower in winter months
• No cases reported between November and September 2010
• Cases stopped being reported after “cold snap”
• Advise dog owners to keep their dogs on a lead

Can it be transmitted between dogs?

• Probably not
• Dogs that were walked together did not always ALL become affected.

What is being done in the way of testing?

• Natural water sources have been tested by the Environment Agency for the presence of blue-green algae.
• Natural England tested samples in 2009 and ruled out any man made poisons (carbamates, metaldehyde, organophosphates, paraquat, diquat, rodenticides and strychnine).
• Nottingham University are carrying out investigations into cyanobacterial toxins (blue-green algae)
• Animal Health Trust is archiving samples sent to them by vets but it is too early to carry out any diagnostic tests on them.

What should I do if I think my dog has SCI?

• Seek veterinary advice immediately
• Majority of cases treated by a vet recovered within a few days
• Mortality rate is very low (approximately 9%)
• Complete one of the AHT SCI questionnaires

What should I do if I have walked in one of the study areas and my dog has not been affected?

• You can still complete a questionnaire
• Information from control dogs is vital to AHT investigation
• The AHT ideally need a ratio of 4:1 (controls to cases) to ensure analysis is reliable

What is the AHT doing to help?

• Website to provide up to date information and on line version of the new questionnaire (www.aht.org.uk/sci) (Due to be launched July 2012)
• Email alert system to provide latest information to those signed up.
• Increasing awareness and notifying owners by providing leaflets and posters to affected areas.
• Raising awareness with vets through publishing papers and presenting results at veterinary conferences and email alert.

What can you do to help?

• Raise awareness, spread the word
• If you visit a study area, fill in a questionnaire
• Sign up to AHT email alerts
• “Like” the AHT on [a social network], follow the AHT on Twitter
• Donate to the AHT SCI fund
• Take part in a sponsored walk for SCI

SmokeyBear, Thanks for that informative post. I have just read it with great interest. Is the 'Harvest Mite' angle being investigated as a result of all of the SCI dogs being infested? Do they think that dogs are more at risk to getting SCI if they are infected? My last dog only became infected with these mites when we moved the 3 miles to where we are now. There are probably 30 dogs here on the estate where I live and I know all of the owners. Every dog here who is walked on the 19 acres of fields owned by us all get harvest mites but only 6 of them have had allergic reactions to them this year. Everyone here spray their dogs legs/feet with Frontline during the season (which according to our local vet has been the longest mite season he has ever known). We spray with fields with weed killer every year but presumably the spray doesn't kill them or the mites don't appear until after spraying time.
As you say the programme only gave a brief mention as to any connection and I've learnt more about Harvest Mites through you than any vet - thank you. I believe that most the UK have had one frost this autumn which in theory means the mites have gone. I walked my dogs over our fields this week and no sign of the mites!

I am seriously considering trying to find some knee length boots for my 'allergic' dog to wear next mite season and/or a cover-all outfit, as I really can't bear to see him suffer again like he has done for the past 3 months. Any ideas?

I have a feeling that the reason some dogs are badly affected and others not is a bit like why some dogs can chomp on grapes and others die after consuming only a few.

Or even why some people react to peanuts, bee stings etc

In other words we do not know, but some individuals are more sensitive (for want of a better word).

The first documented case of grape toxicity was in 1999 yet grapes have been around for centuries, so what changed in either the grape, the dog, etc?

I would use Pawz boots although they are not knee high, maybe a barrier cream?

One of my dogs suffered an allergy to harvest mites but he eventually grew out of it - either that or the mites disappeared, which I would doubt!

interesting programme and thanks for the notes Sb. will read them in depth when i get a chance. I too thought it was fungal related at first. interesting programme

Thanks SmokeyBear, I'll look into the boots and hope I won't need them.

Countryfile and Charitable Trust help dog owners spot mystery dog illness
22-Oct-12

The Kennel Club has welcomed the awareness raised about work being done to combat Seasonal Canine Illness, funded by the Kennel Club Charitable Trust, on last night’s Countryfile on the BBC.

The item explored the research being undertaken by the Animal Health Trust, with funding from the Kennel Club Charitable Trust, into Seasonal Canine Illness (SCI), which claimed the lives of several dogs during autumn 2009, 2010 and 2011.

The continuing investigation into the mystery illness aims to find the causes of the illness, which usually comes on within 24 to 72 hours of dogs walking in woodland in autumn, causes vomiting, diarrhoea and lethargy. These clinical signs are common and non-specific, but it is their onset within only a few hours of dogs walking in woodlands that is distinctive.

Thanks to funding from the Kennel Club Charitable Trust, the AHT has been able to step up its SCI investigation in 2012 and employ a dedicated SCI investigator. With the help of dog owners, the AHT hopes to get closer to pinpointing the cause of SCI during 2012.

Caroline Kisko, Kennel Club Secretary, said: “It is essential that people are aware about Seasonal Canine Illness and know how to spot the signs. The Kennel Club Charitable Trust has given funding to the Animal Health Trust to enable it to continue its investigation into this illness, with the aim of pinpointing its cause.”

Dr Richard Newton, of the AHT, said: “Our SCI investigation has been ongoing since we were first alerted to the illness in the autumn of 2010. Since then we have had more and more cases reported to us each autumn, but thankfully the number of dogs which are surviving has increased. We hope this is due to more owners being aware of the signs of SCI and accessing veterinary help as soon as possible.

“We want to arm dog owners with as much information as we can. Unfortunately we are looking for a small needle in a very large hay stack, but information gleaned in 2011 has helped us to narrow this search area.”

The AHT’s investigation continues at five previously affected sites across the UK:

Clumber Park, Nottinghamshire
Rendlesham Forest, Suffolk
Sandringham Estate, Norfolk
Sherwood Forest*, Nottinghamshire
Thetford Forest, Norfolk.
As part of its investigation, the AHT has visited one of the study sites, Sandringham Estate, with experts from the Natural History Museum and the Institute of Zoology. Both visits were designed to identify any changes in flora or fauna that could be occurring at this particular site in the run up to, and at the time of, cases occurring.

The AHT is continuing to work with these organisations now that cases have been reported to it in 2012. It is also calling on dog owners to continue to help with information.

Dog owners who have walked at any of the five sites are asked to complete an online questionnaire at www.aht.org.uk/sci.

Dr Newton, said: “We desperately need information about dogs who have been walked at any of our study sites, even if they did not become ill. The information we can glean from owners of dogs who walked at the sites and didn’t show clinical signs of SCI is just as important to our investigation, as information about affected dogs.”

Whilst the AHT’s investigation focusses on five study sites, the veterinary charity is quick to highlight that dogs could be at risk of SCI walking in any woodland during autumn, so it advises dog owners to remain vigilant and seek veterinary advice immediately if they suspect their dog has SCI.

An information video about SCI is available to view at www.youtube.com/ahttv.

Additional notes:

The Animal Health Trust (AHT) is an independent charity, employing over 200 scientists, vets and support workers. It aims to improve the health and welfare of horses, dogs and cats through research. It also provides specialist referral services and continuous education to vets. Visit the website at www.aht.org.uk

In September 2010, the AHT was asked by the Sandringham Estate to investigate the illness on its site. Since the investigation began, more cases have been identified across Norfolk, Nottinghamshire and Suffolk and the AHT has been working with the Natural History Museum, the Institute of Zoology, the National Trust, Nottinghamshire County Council and the Forestry Commission on the investigation. The Camping and Caravanning Club and the Environment Agency have also assisted the investigation

The AHT is grateful to the Kennel Club Charitable Trust for helping with funding towards the investigation. The funding, which started in January 2012, has enabled the AHT to appoint a dedicated SCI coordinator

The AHT advises any dog owner who is concerned about their dog’s health, or if their dog is experiencing vomiting, diarrhoea and lethargy to contact their vet immediately

*There have been no reported incidents of SCI at Sherwood Forest Country Park, Edwinstowe. Suspected cases of SCI have been reported in Nottinghamshire at Sherwood Pines, Clipstone and Blidworth Woods, Blidworth

The AHT has produced an informative video about SCI which can be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YYzg...2&feature=plcp Please link to this video from any online media outlets so that dog owners can find out more.
The Kennel Club Charitable Trust was established in 1987 and has donated almost £6.3m to a range of organisations and charities, with more than half of this money distributed in the last five years.

The Trust awards grants to organisations to help them to achieve its objective of 'making a difference for dogs' and supports work with dogs across three distinct areas:

Science - funding research into health problems in dogs
Support - helping to train dogs to help human beings
Welfare - providing funds for dogs that need help or rescue
One organisation the Kennel Club Charitable Trust works very closely with is the Animal Health Trust to help improve dog health.

The Animal Health Trust (AHT), with support from the Kennel Club Charitable Trust and other funding organisations, has been investigating the genetic basis of canine inherited disease for nearly 20 years. In 2009, the Kennel Club Charitable committed £1.2m in funds over five years to the Animal Health Trust (AHT) to help the Centre investigate 25 inherited diseases.

Any idea what the asterix is next to Sherwood Forest?