I’m sure glad my friend, Harold,
didn’t die. I only wish his veterinarian
had been smarter, at least smarter, sooner.
Harold’s
illness began several weeks ago. He
thought he had the flu. But instead of getting
better in a few days, his symptoms worsened.
He became more tired and weak, his lungs more congested, and he had a
strange skin rash. By the time he went
to his doctor, his temperature was 104 degrees.
Harold was diagnosed with pneumonia and hospitalized for 4 days, where
he received I.V. antibiotics.
Following
his release, he felt better for a week or so, but then his symptoms returned.
I met
Harold soon after I arrived in Delphos.
His farm was one of the first my boss, Dr. Laman, took me to, and we
vaccinated and castrated baby pigs. I
have a feeling Dr. Laman thought Harold and I would become friends, and he was
right.
Early on, I
realized Harold was a special person by how he respected and cared for his
elderly parents. If how you treat your
parents is any indication of whether you will get into Heaven, Harold’s ticket
was punched years ago.
Harold has
always been the “go-to” guy neighbors and friends could rely on to help with
any situation. He has been a big
supporter of 4-H and has helped several neighbor kids get started in the sheep
business.
Harold is
the kind of person I wish I was. He’s
the kind of person I wish everyone was.
It was distressing to see such a nice man be so sick.
I didn’t
fully realize how bad he felt, though, until he asked me to vaccinate his
lambs. Usually, Harold did this himself,
but he just didn’t feel strong enough.
We arranged
to do this on Good Friday morning, so his posse of neighbor kids could help
me. In a little over an hour, we
vaccinated, dewormed, and castrated the male lambs – 45 in all. I would like to thank these kids – Zac,
Kellen, Jared and Megan. They were some
of the best helpers I have ever had.
A few
evenings later, I got a late start on my chores. Along about nine o’clock as I was watering the last group of sheep, I
heard one of them cough. That is when it
dawned on me – Harold had Q-fever!
I turned on
the computer, typed “Q-fever”, clicked the mouse a couple of times, and there
it all was – the history, the symptoms, the relapse. The only thing missing was a picture of
Harold.
Q-fever is
a zoonotic disease, spread from animals to humans, and is caused by the
bacteria, Coxiella burnetii. Commonly found in cattle, sheep, and goats,
it doesn’t usually cause clinical disease in these species, although it can
cause abortion in sheep and goats. The
organism can be excreted in milk, urine, and feces. Q-fever is one of the many reasons why only
pasteurized milk should be consumed.
The
bacteria may also become dried in the manure, aerosolized and inhaled. This may be how Harold was infected, although
he did admit he sometimes delivers lambs without wearing gloves. Shame on you Harold; although, I probably
won’t be tossing any stones your way.
In addition
to causing flu symptoms and pneumonia, left untreated, a chronic form of
Q-fever may develop, affecting the heart, causing death in up to 65% of
patients. Q-fever can also cause abortion in humans, so pregnant women should
avoid being around sheep and goats.
Since it
was getting late and I didn’t want to wake him, I decided to call Harold the
next morning. That was good timing. He had another doctor’s appointment two hours
later.
Harold’s
physician checked his sources, agreed with our presumptive diagnosis, drew some
blood for testing, and started Harold on doxycycline, the antibiotic of
choice. Within 2 days, Harold was
feeling much better and has continued to improve. Talking with him on the phone a few minutes
ago, as I write this, he sounded like his old self again.
This wasn’t
the first time I’ve played an R.D. (real doctor). Numerous clients have taken it upon
themselves to show me various skin lesions and oozing infected incisions. Yuck!
Harold’s case has been my most successful and certainly most important one
thus far.
If you
raise sheep or goats and acquire a mysterious ailment, don’t forget to tell
your physician you do so. Conversely, if
you are receiving treatment for a condition and are not responding, don’t
forget to tell your veterinarian.
Sometimes we vets can out “D” even the real doctors!
Author: Dr. John Harvey Jones
The American
Southdown Journal- Fall 2007
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