A Knaresborough man has urged dog owners to avoid letting their pets drink from puddles after losing his dog to a disease called leptospirosis.
Two-year-old Cassie died in Andy Bell’s arms last Wednesday after contracting the illness. A previously healthy dog, she was well known in Knaresborough and a regular at Parkrun.
But the Vizsla went downhill quickly after contracting leptospirosis, also known as lepto, which is caused by bacteria damaging vital organs such as the liver and kidneys.
Known as Weil’s disease in humans, lepto can spread in water infected with rats’ urine. It is often caught by dogs drinking from puddles.
Cassie
Mr Bell said he hadn’t left the Knaresborough area in the days before Cassie fell ill and he wanted to prevent other dogs suffering a similar fate. He said:
“I’m keen to have other owners aware of not letting their dogs drink from puddles. It was a horrifying way to die, I wouldn’t wish it on another loved companion.
“It can be contracted in standing or slow moving water, not just puddles. It is vaccinated against but it doesn’t cover every strain.”
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Cassie, said Mr Bell, had helped two Ukrainian refugees living with him to settle in.
He said:
“Dozens of people loved her and she loved everyone.
“She ended up in a specialist animal ICU north of Middlesbrough, but despite best efforts her kidneys were destroyed. She went from coming ninth in a 10k canicross race to being dead in a few weeks.”
The vet charity PDSA has more information here.
Police seek woman after dog attacks man in Harrogate town centre
Police have appealed for help identifying a woman after a “dangerously out of control” dog attacked a man in Harrogate town centre.
The man had to go to hospital after the dog attacked him.
North Yorkshire Police this morning issued a photo of the dog and a woman it wants to speak to.
The force said in a statement:
“We want to speak to this woman after a man needed to go to hospital due to injuries caused by a dangerously out of control dog.
“The dog also tried to attack the victim’s dog.
“The victim was knocked over when the dog rushed him. He suffered an injury to his hip and hand which resulted in a hospital visit.”
The incident happened outside Holland & Barrett on Cambridge Street in Harrogate at 4.40pm on Monday, September 23.
The statement added:
“We’d like to hear from you if you recognise the woman in this image, as we believe she may have information that could help the investigation.
“Anyone with any information is asked to email asa.donovan@northyorkshire.police.uk or call us on 101 and ask for PC 1841 Donovan.
“If you wish to remain anonymous, you can pass information to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”
Quote reference number 12230180734.
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Firefighters rescue 16-year-old dog in Harrogate
Harrogate firefighters rescued a 16-year-old dog that had got stuck on a path yesterday.
A crew from Skipton Road were summoned to nearby Dene Park in Bilton at 9.43pm last night.
According to North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service’s incident report, the dog was too frail to stand.
It said:
“Fire control received a call from a resident who was concerned for the safety of a 16-year-old dog who was unable to get up and was laid in the middle of the path.
“The caller stated the dog was very old and his owner was also an elderly gent.
“Other residents were unable to lift the dog and take him back home. A fire crew from Harrogate attended whilst still maintaining their availability and assisted by lifting and carrying the dog back home to his owner.”
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Photo of the Week: Out in the snow
This week’s photograph was taken by Barry Carter, capturing his 13-year-old westie Lulu enjoying the snow in Ripley last weekend.
Photo of the Week celebrates the Harrogate district. It could be anything from family life to capturing the district’s beauty. We are interested in amateur and professional photographs, in a landscape format.
Send your photographs to letters@thestrayferret.co.uk for a chance to be featured next week, we reserve the right to adjust and crop images to fit into our format.