Out & About: Record salmon run threat to dogs

OUTFISH – For dog owners, there is a downside to this year’s record-breaking return of fall chinook in the Snake River basin.

Anglers are catching many of those fish and bringing them home.

Those they don’t catch will be spawning and dying, and many of their carcasses will end up on the banks of the Columbia, Snake and Clearwater rivers.

Dogs that have access to salmon could get severely sick.

West Coast salmon carry a liver fluke that produces bacteria known as a Neorickettsia helminthoeca, which is toxic to dogs.

Symptoms of dogs suffering from what is commonly known as salmon poisoning include gastrointestinal distress like vomiting and diarrhea.

“Oftentimes there is blood in the stuff that comes up,” Clarkston veterinarian David Rustebakke said. “It looks very similar to parvo virus, which is another thing we see a lot of.”

Most dogs respond well to antibiotic treatments, he said. But the disease is usually fatal for dogs that are not treated.

Salmon poisoning disease was first diagnosed at the Washington State University Veterinary Hospital.

Sandpoint mom finalist for Extreme Huntress title

HUNTING – Amanda Lowrey, 25, a Sandpoint mother of two girls, is among the top four finalists in the final rounds of the  2014 Extreme Huntress Competition filmed in July in Texas. Episodes will run online starting next month and then will be televised next year. 

The competitors are being judged based on physical fitness, shooting, tracking, and hunting.

The competitor with the highest daily score determines the daily activities.

In addition, the competitors will need the votes of fans.

Ten episodes will be released every two weeks online at ExtremeHuntress.com. Voting will begin on Tuesday and continue through early next year.

Hiawatha Trail closing today

OUTDONE – The Route of the Hiawatha, the rail trail featuring tunnels and trestles across the Montana-Idaho border near Lookout Pass, closes for the season tonight.

The trail, managed by Lookout Pass Ski Area, will reopen next spring.

Mount Spokane road closing

OUTDRIVE – The last chance to drive a vehicle to the top of Mount Spokane this year is Oct. 15, when the Summit Road is scheduled to be closed for the season.