Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Rise in infected dog eye ulcers during Colorado 2020 wildfires
By Jones, Katrina E V et al.·Published in Veterinary ophthalmology·2022·College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Increase in infected corneal ulcerations in dogs during the northern Colorado's 2020 wildfire season.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
During the fall of 2020, a group of dogs in Colorado experienced a rise in infected corneal ulcers, likely linked to smoke from large wildfires in the area. Out of 255 dogs treated for these ulcers during the wildfire months, 9 had infections, compared to only 4 infections in both 2019 and 2018. The air quality was significantly worse during the wildfires, which may have contributed to the increase in these eye problems. This suggests that smoke and poor air quality can negatively affect dogs' eye health, and pet owners should be aware of this risk during wildfire seasons.
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Abstract
OBJECTIVE: In the fall of 2020, Colorado experienced the two largest wildfires in state history. The smoke blanketed the college town of Fort Collins, Colorado, the location of the Veterinary Teaching Hospital at Colorado State University (CSU-VTH). The objective for this cross-sectional observational study was to evaluate how these wildfires and the corresponding elevated air quality index (AQI)) was associated with infected corneal ulcerations in dogs when compared to the two previous years. ANIMALS: Seventeen dogs were included in this study. PROCEDURES: Medical records from dogs presented to the CSU-VTH ophthalmology service with infected corneal ulcerations in August, September, and October of 2020, 2019, and 2018 were evaluated. Only corneal ulcerations with growth on their microbial cultures were included in this study. RESULTS: The study revealed a significant increase in prevalence of infected corneal ulcerations in dogs presented to the CSU-VTH during the three wildfire months of 2020 that is, 3.5% (9/255) when compared with the two previous years, 2019: 1.0% (4/383, p = 0.04), and 2018: 0.9% (4/457) (p = .01). The AQI (mean ± standard error) was also significantly elevated for dogs that presented with infected corneal ulcerations in 2020 (70.2 ± 5.8) compared with 2019 (19.7 ± 8.7) and 2018 (45.6 ± 8.7) (p < .01). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Elevation of AQI from wildfires seems to be correlated with an increased prevalence of infected corneal ulceration in dogs. As the duration and frequency of wildfires continues to rise globally, the effects of these wildfires on animal health should be investigated further.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35226789/