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02/18/2019 11:00 PMIt was scary scenario for local dog owners who read the email written by Dr. Kristin Williams of the Essex Veterinary Clinic: Three dogs taken hiking on the trails at The Preserve had fallen ill.
Williams’s email stated the following: that there were three cases of apparent toxin exposures to dogs in The Preserve property, which spans Essex, Old Saybrook, and Westbrook. The first two cases involved ingestion of a deer carcass; the third involved the same clinical neurological signs, but involved no know toxin ingestion. The affected dogs presented with abnormal muscle tremors of the head and body, as well as impairment in visual and mental capacity. All three dogs improved and their issues were resolved with supportive care and intravenous fluids, she said.
“I wasn’t sure if they were all related in some way and I felt it was my responsibility to notify The Preserve and dog owners of what I had seen in the past two weeks. All three cases occurred shortly after the dogs were exercised at The Preserve property,” said Williams, who regularly walks her own dog on those trails.
“Whatever it was, it wasn’t highly fatal, but I wanted people to be aware and to ideally keep their dogs on leashes to prevent any additional exposure,” said Williams.
Williams had no concrete answer as to what the toxin was that was making the animals sick. She did warn however, that if area residents noticed their dogs acting strangely after going for a walk in the area to get in touch with their veterinarian as soon as possible.
A Facebook page devoted to The Preserve (@preserve1000acres) has since posted that a fourth dog has become ill, and that “in each case, the walkers parked at the lots off Ingham Hill Road in Essex and walked into or around the Eversource utility right-of-way on the Essex/Old Saybrook border inside the forest.”
The post also reminds visitors that dogs must be kept on a leash in The Preserve.
According to Bob Nussbaum, vice president of the Essex Land Trust, which owns the 70 acres of Preserve property in Essex and acts as its steward, there have been no other reported cases of dogs getting sick after being at The Preserve.
He was notified that there were two deer carcasses that were well into the Old Saybrook portion of The Preserve property just north of the Eversource utility right of way and, just as a precaution, he advises people to be more vigilant with their animals on those sections of trails.
According to Connecticut Department of Environmental & Energy Protection (DEEP) wildlife biologist Michael Gregonis, who specializes in deer, turkey, and small game, DEEP has received no notice about dogs getting ill from deer carcasses in the state recently.
“I don’t know of any correlation of dogs in the state getting sick from eating deer carcass, it very well may be from something completely different,” said Gregonis. “I am skeptical that the sickness is caused by the deer.”
While several Facebook posts speculated the cause might be something called chronic wasting disease (CWD) that causes similar symptoms in deer, Gregonis said that CWD has not been found in the state.
Gregonis also offered a tip for dog owners concerned about keeping their pets healthy.
“We always advise that owners keep their dogs on leashes when hiking in Connecticut woods,” he said. “It helps to keep the dogs safe and prevents them from eating things they are not supposed to.”
There are four major trails in The Preserve in the Essex area, and the entire property is the largest remaining unprotected coastal forest between Boston and New York. There are several different species of wildlife, flora and fauna as well as reptiles and birds that call the Preserve home.