HomeMy WebLinkAbout2022_04_24 BMasi_Giardia from deer - AttachmentLetter to editor for The Leader
Newest concern with our deer herds
On 2/29/2022, the results of my cat Swirl’s lab tests came back showing that he had giardia. I
walk Swirl daily with harness and leash in uptown Port Townsend. He likes to nibble grass and
his giardia likely came from the local deer herd’s saliva on the grass. The symptoms are
vomiting and loose stools with diminished appetite and rapid weight loss.
I pick up deer droppings from my yard, and it appears the giardia is getting worse and worse
each week. There’s no mistaking the loose, slightly slimy, greenish blobs that smell very
different - much more pungently awful than usual.
Giardia is transmitted animal to human and vice versa; it spreads rapidly and easily from the
saliva. If one pet tests positive, all in the home need to be treated. The vet’s care and treatment
work very well; Swirl felt better after about 4 days of treatment. If you suspect your animal may
have it, take them to vet right away, as the decline is rapid, especially for smaller animals.
I posted about Swirl on NextDoor to bring awareness about giardia here. Responses showed
some dogs and people had also contracted giardia.
My concern is what can be done for treatment of the ever growing deer herd, now with many ill,
to stop the spread. If the trap/neuter/return suggestion had been implemented 20 years ago, when
it was first suggested, a treatment protocol for giardia would be easier to manage, with fewer to
treat.
Someone who was knocked down by the deer last year said the city’s plan to cut deer population
growth is to strictly enforce the fines for feeding them. That over time, the herd growth should
diminish. My thought is that it will only diminish if they ban everyone’s gardens, kill the lawns,
etc. A much better solution would be to neuter all the bucks, as there seems to be many more
does than bucks. Instead of possibly a hundred years (with the fines plan), we could see steady
decline in a few years.
Maybe the city can consult the veterinarians who deal with cattle and larger animals, and Fish
and Wildlife, to see what can be done for the deer herds to stop the giardia. At this point, it can
easily become a health hazard (as if we need another one after the past 2 years) and the Health
Dept. may also need input.
I suspect that many of the fawns soon to be born will have giardia.
https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/giardia/general-info.html
https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/giardia/prevention-control-pets.html
Bonnie Masi