The comments section on WDFW's Facebook page is pretty sad.

[NW-GSP]

If your crazy and you know it ( shake your Meds!) 

These wolf lovers are like trying to talk sense to a toddler

[runningboard]

You are more likely to catch Hydatid disease from your pet dog.

I know you are correct but it's from the wolf feces in the forest that your dog gets it right? at least that's what I read in an article written by a biologist who warned the IDFG against transplanting wolves in the 1st place. vicious circle of ungulates getting it from plants infested with eggs from wolf feces then wolves kill & eat ungulates & spread it even further. then Joe public goes hiking with his dog & they get it.

[Sitka_Blacktail]

You are more likely to catch Hydatid disease from your pet dog.

I know you are correct but it's from the wolf feces in the forest that your dog gets it right? at least that's what I read in an article written by a biologist who warned the IDFG against transplanting wolves in the 1st place. vicious circle of ungulates getting it from plants infested with eggs from wolf feces then wolves kill & eat ungulates & spread it even further. then Joe public goes hiking with his dog & they get it.

Tapeworms were in this state a long time before the wolves returned.  The usual cycle is your dog eats an intermediate host animal(of which there are many including most farm animals and wild animals that eat plants) which contains the cysts. Then the cysts attach to the intestines of your dog and turn into adult worms which lat eggs that are passed by your dog and eaten by an intermediate host. The eggs turn into cysts and the cycle starts again. Coyotes, foxes, and cats also host the adult worms. But the intermediate hosts are an important part of the life cycle and are where your dog picks up the disease.

[gasman]

I commented..... and mam=n there are some stupid people out there 

[Kola16]

I have found 1 pro wolf that actually knows what he is talking about. The rest

[turkeyfeather]

I threw my  in but I know it won't do any good. I can't believe how many un-educated people there are on this issue that want to have their say.  It was actually scary to see how outnumbered we are.

[Kola16]

Ok, now it is really getting stupid.

[silverdalesauer]

I read through the comments and this one just about knocked me off my chair:

"So glad I can eat meat from Safeway that died of natural causes."   

Seriously, where do these people come from?

[bearpaw]

From the comments, I didn't realize there were this many cases in Idaho now....

Chandie Morse Bartell - In conclusion: There are four confirmed human cases of Hydatid Disease in humans in Idaho in the first time in our state's history: 2 USFWS employees who won't go public as they were threatened with their pensions, 1 a friend of mine from Elk River- Keith Lunders he has been cat skanned, and has a cyst in his liver, his letter was entered into the Public Record in front of the Senate Natural Resource Committee, for HB 343, Wolf Disaster Bill, which passed by a huge majority in the Idaho House and Senate. The other is the woman above who went public, and George Dovel wrote an Outdoorsman about her operation, with what she went through. She is not recovered yet, and last I heard still can have daughter cysts, and has to take medications for the rest of her life. *We also have a 15 year old teenager who's family contacted us their son has a cyst on his spleen, that isn't confirmed yet.

This is the tip of the iceberg! With all of the photos of the hunters I've seen with thier wolves and no respirators or anything, there will be many more cases.

You are more likely to catch Hydatid disease from your pet dog. Dogs are the primary spreader of this disease. Ever had a dog with tapeworms? There you go. How many people hug their dogs or let them on their beds or couches? Hydatid disease doesn't prevent people from having contacts with their dogs, but add the word wolf into the equation and people lose their power of reasoning.  http://www.dpiw.tas.gov.au/inter.nsf/WebPages/CART-6SA36R?open

Sitka, actually all canines are susceptible to Hydatid Disease, but wolves do not get treated by vets or caring humans and wolves cover large expanses of territory, that is why wolves are suspected to be the worst carrier of the parasite. Studies of wolves killed in Idaho and Montana found that the rate of infection in wolves in those states was 62% and 63%. Because wolves defacate literally all over the landscape at will, they are a premier host for the spread E. Granulosus, which could result in widespread infections in grazing animals of all types and the potential for dogs, coyotes, and even humans to contract the parasite. I find it disheartening that learned people like yourself fail to admit (I think you recognize the threat) and warn other people of the dangers of this parasite. A compassionate person should be concerned about the well being of other people and animals.

Government agencies (in their effort to make wolves more acceptable) have failed to warn ranchers like the McIrvins who have wolves "pooping" all over their range to watch for infections in their cattle and stock dogs which by now must have sniffed many piles of wolf poo, to be careful not to contract this potentially lethal parasite. Also please imagine all those cattle going to slaughter every fall that have grazed over wolf poo and are potentially infected, and think of all the rare meat that will be eaten by humans from those cattle.

I wonder if WDFW has warned the bios and hunters they have working with and hunting these wolves to be careful about touching the fur of these wolves and breathing in close proximity to the fur. Anyone with knowledge of canines knows that a dog licks his anus when cleaning himself and also licks his fur, thus the method that eggs are deposited on a wolf's fur and the reason humans handling wolves should be careful.

What's also dangerous is that a family pet that happens to sniff wolf poo in the wild can become infected. That same dog may be allowed into the house and onto the bed as Sitka mentions or worse yet the kids play with the dog and get infected.

Even third world countries are taking preventative actions to teach their people to avoid infected dogs, livestock, etc.

Anyone who doubts the dangers of "wolf worms", please simply do a youtube search for "hydatid disease".

Cystic echinococcosis - Kist hidatik (subtitle in English)
Cystic echinococcosis, a life-treatening infection transmitted from dogs to humans. Prevention and control

Craniotomy Surgery for Hydatid Cyst of Brain done by Dr.Mohammed Nooruldeen.MP4
Craniotomy Surgery for Hydatid Cyst of Brain

Totally removal of the liver hydatid cyst. Karaciğer kist hidatiğinin total çıkarılması
Cyctopericystectomy of hepatic hydatid cyst describes totally removing of the all parasitic mass and the wall which surrounds this parasitic mass. It is a radikal procedure, with low recurrence rates. Modern surgical devices, here the ultracision was used has made this operation easy and quick.

[pianoman9701]

I read through the comments and this one just about knocked me off my chair:

"So glad I can eat meat from Safeway that died of natural causes."   

Seriously, where do these people come from?

Eww, eating meat dead from natural causes. That's just gross.

[boneaddict]

Gotta love Dallas.   I think he'd hump a wolf if he thought he could hybridize with one.

[JLS]

 B053 - ECHINOCOCCOSIS-HYDATIDOSIS
Nature of the disease 
Hydatid disease (echinococcosis) is a parasitic infection caused by tapeworms Echinococcus spp., 4 species have been associated with echiniococcosis. The disease in intermediate hosts is caused by hydatid cysts growing in the body. Hydatidosis is a severe zoonosis.   
Classification 
OIE List B disease 
Susceptible species 
The definitive hosts are dogs, wild dogs and foxes. Sheep, pigs, goats and some macropods can be intermediate hosts. 
Humans and cattle can be infected, but do not cause infection in the definitive host.

For Echinococcus granulosusn, the dog–sheep cycle is the most important cycle of infection.

For Echinococcus multilocularis, the fox-rodent cycle is the most important.

For Echinococcus oligarthrus, the wild felids-large rodent cycle is the most important.

For Echinococcus vogeli, the bush dogs-large rodent cycle is the most important.
 
Distribution 
E. granulosus is widely distributed and is found in most of the important sheep and goat rearing regions of the world. It occurs in Africa, North and South America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. In the Pacific, hydatids occurs in Australia and New Zealand where it has not been recorded since 2000.
E. multilocularis seems to be only found in cold countries; E. oligarthrus and E. vogeli are only found in Central and South America.
 
Clinical signs (E. granulosus) 
Most dogs with hydatids show no signs of infection. If a large number of tapeworms are present in a dog, diarrhoea may be seen, but this is uncommon. 
Clinical signs are also not obvious in sheep and the disease is rarely diagnosed before slaughter. Sometimes, depending on the localisation of the cysts, the following signs can be seen:

•Bronchopneumonia,
•Hepatic disorders leading to ascites and jaundice,
•Heart failure,
•Slow growing, weakness and lameness.
In humans, hydatid cysts can establish in the brain, kidneys, bone, liver and other tissues. The disease is caused by hydatid cysts growing in the body. Clinical signs can take months to years to develop and become more apparent as the cysts grow. As the cysts increase in size they can cause the body to become distended. When the cysts grow in vital organs, they may disrupt the function and lead to signs of disorders related to disruption of the organ functions. The most serious development is when the cyst ruptures and causes an anaphylactic reaction, which may be fatal.
 
Post-mortem findings (E. granulosus) 
There is little to be seen in dogs, since the adult tapeworms attached to the dog’s small intestine are only 6 mm long.
In intermediate hosts, the characteristic lesions are fluid filled cysts. These grow slowly but may eventually reach the size of a football or larger. Most cysts are found in the lungs and the liver. Other sites are the brain, kidneys, heart, omentum, spleen and bone.

In Equids cysts are almost exclusively found in the liver.
 
Differential diagnosis (E. granulosus) 
Other tapeworms with ruminant intermediate hosts include:
•Taenia ovis 
•Taenia saginata 
•Taenia hydatigena 
 
Specimens required for diagnosis (E. granulosus) 
In dogs, diagnosis is based on microscopic identification of E. granulosus eggs in a sample of duodenal mucus shed in the faeces. However, E. granulosus cannot be differentiated from other Echinococcus spp. and Taenia spp. eggs.
Samples of intestinal contents can be obtained by purgation with arecoline (1-2 mg/kg) and microscopic observation permits to observe adult worms.

In intermediate or accidental hosts serological tests can be performed out from blood using ELISA, IFI, IDR or immuno-electrophoresis. ELISA tests also exist for dogs.
 
Transmission   (E. granulosus)
Dogs are commonly infected by ingesting cysts containing protoscolices (by eating contaminated offal). Cysts can be either fertile or sterile. The proportion of sterile cysts varies with the host — 90% or more of cysts in cattle, 20% of cysts in pigs and 8% of cysts in sheep are sterile. If cysts burst in the intermediate host, new cysts are formed by the protoscolices.
After ingestion by dogs, the protoscolices attach to the small intestine and develop into adult tapeworms. At about seven weeks after infection, dogs start shedding gravid tapeworm sections. These sections release eggs as they travel down the gut. The eggs then contaminate the faeces and are spread in the environment.
Intermediate hosts such as sheep become infected by ingesting eggs. The embryo penetrates the intestinal wall and is carried in the blood to the liver by portal circulation. About 20% are then carried to the lungs and another 20% to other areas of the body such as the brain, kidneys, heart, omentum, spleen and bone.

[b]Humans usually become infected by ingesting eggs that have contaminated the general environment. Eggs may be present on vegetables and fruit contaminated by dog faeces. Humans can be directly contaminated by petting dogs or being lick by dogs. Humans are not infected by eating meat containing hydatid cysts. [/b]  
Risk of introduction   (E. granulosus)
Hydatid tapeworms are most likely to be introduced to a previously free country through the importation of infected dogs. These are capable of producing large number of eggs that could contaminate the environment and set up an infection cycle if ruminants are exposed. Dogs coming from an infected country should be treated with praziquantel.
Importation of sheep could also pose a risk. If these come from endemic areas, they could be harbouring hydatid cysts. If dogs get access to infected offal, an infection cycle could become established. 
Control / vaccines  (E. granulosus)
There is no treatment for sheep with hydatid cysts.
In humans, surgical removal of cysts is the treatment of choice.

Dogs can be treated with anthelmintics. Praziquantel (‘Droncit’) is highly effective in removing the tapeworms, but provides no protection against reinfection. 

The activities of dogs should be controlled to help prevent transmission of the parasite. Measures to stop the dog–sheep cycle include:

•Preventing dogs from eating infected offal,
•Preventing infected dogs from defecating on pastures grazed by sheep.
For human protection, dogs should be kept out of vegetable plots to prevent contamination of the vegetables by eggs from the dog’s faeces. Hygienic measures should also be observed (prevent dog licking hands, hand washing before heating).
 
References 
•BUSSIERAS J, CHERMETTE R, Helminthologie In Parasitologie Vétérinaire, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire D'Alfort, 1992, p 49-53; 111-116
•Office International des Epizooties, 2002
•SOULSBY EJL, Helminths, Echinococcus In Helminths, Arthropods and Protozoa of Domesticated Animals, Lea and Febiger Inc, 7th ed, 1982, Philadelphia, p 119-125
•Tapeworms, In Merck Veterinary Manual, National Publishing Inc. Eight ed, 1998, Philadelphia, p 320-321
 

 


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[notellumcreek]

Did they take off all the pictures/posts of wolves and the wolf issues on thier FB page? I can't find this great entertainment everyone is talkingt about! 

[boneaddict]

click on the link at the front of this thread

[bearpaw]

Thanks JLS, glad to know you can't be infected by eating the meat. I think people surely want to be careful of handlings dogs living in or visiting wolf areas and be careful eating berries and mushrooms from wolf areas. You should also be careful of handling wolves or wolf fur that has not been sterilized.