The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1906-10-30
WORM THAT
KILLS DOGS


bench show OF the Hawaiian Kennel
Club. \. L. vredenburgh learned OF n
worm that kills dogs. The dogs lap up
the germs, which are believed to be tho
larvae OF a nocturnal mosquito, in tho
drinking water. The developed worms
pent trate the heart and cause death by
choking up the blood passage. Tho
Hawaiian name is the heart worm"
1t is sc prevalent that II is rare for n
dog bred on the islands to live until
three years old. Beyond that age n dog
is regarded as immune from the at
lacks and old dogs brought into the
is!1rds are seldom the victims OF tho
heart worm
Mr. Vredenburgh is secretary of the
American Kennel Club. which has con-
troll oN er all American dog shows, and
his trip to the Pacific Coast and the
Philippines was combination OF bust
ness and pleasure. The discovery Of
the pest that threatens the perpetual
ton OF fine breeds OF dogs in Americas
new possessions was surprise and q
shock to him.
I'm commenting on the slim showing
of puppies and young dogs ut Homo
lulu" said Secretary Vredenburgh, II
first heard OF the heart worm and OF
the epidemic of which 1t Is the cause.
which is so virulent with young dogs
that to raise one to full growth is sell
dom possible. Before my departure
from Hawaii I had an opportunity OF
making Il personal investigation and
to verify the statements made to me.
"A night flying mosquito. harmless
to the inhabitants but most terrifying
in appearance to a visitor from the
Atlantic seaboard. is believed to de-
post the eggs of the worm on the
water that the dogs drink. The pest
is said to have been brought to the
| islands from Japan many years ago
and in that country to attack cattle
| and horses as well as dogs, but in Ha-
wall the live stock is free from it's raw
ages. The worm is supposed to hatch
in the stomach or intestines OF the dog
and, when in the germ state, to gain
entrance to the veins and by the blood
canals to the heart Here the worms
cluster and develop, with the final eff
| feet of killing the animal by choking
the main artery. 1t is not determined,
l believe. whether the worms then die
| in their turn or pass into another pc
| riod OF life as mosquitoes
Each worm is from two to four
/ inches in length, white in color and
without apparent organs Of any sort.
They are very thin, say about the
I thickness of a small knitting needle,
and suggest bits of white knitting silk.
| They are found in clusters of eight or
| ten in the heart of the dead dog. group
, ed about the source of blood supply as
| fish gather at the inlet to n pond. I
! inspected the worm infested hearts
, kept as specimens in the museum OF
the local Board of Health. The experts
said that specimens of the worm and
, similar exhibits had been sent for ex-
animation to the Government scientists
at Washington but that n full identif-
cation had not been made or any anti
dote suggested
THE presence of the worm Is made
known by hacking cough, which is
followed by dullness of coat and eye,
with an increasing debility to the end
/ In company with DR.. /. Charleton Fitz-
gerald. an Irish veterinarian, ! visited
the best kennels of pointers in Hawaii.
The owner, prominent merchant,
showed us a puppy he knew to be in
fected and asked the doctor to end its
misery. The pointer had never been
outside OF the kennel and every effort
had been made to guard the dogs
drinking water from pollution, which
reveals how insidious Is the approach
of the pest. / saw the puppy killed
by humane means and watched the
subsequent autopsy. In the valve OF
the heart we discovered the deadly
cluster of worms, precisely as l had
been told"
Turning To more pleasant themes.
Secretary Vredenburgh said that the.
dog show was in the skating rink on
Queen street, Honolulu, on September
6, and s. The expenses were 5000,
more than had been anticipated, yet
the show proved to be society success
and cleared profit OF 5000 There
were 1O5 dogs benched. Bull terriers,
the most popular breed, and Great
Danes proved to be half breeds and the
Judge, John Bradshaw of San Fran
cisco, sent the lot out of the ring, The
action opened the eyes of the club
members and as IA result number OF
commissions have been sent to San
Francisco for thoroughbreds In the two
breeds.
English and Irish settlers. pointers
and cocker spaniels were of good type.
There We're several extremely good En-
glish bulldogs and fox terriers, with
some very fair Pomeranians. Japanese
and English toy spaniels. The Princess
Kawananakoa exhibited n Dalmatian
and two more were benched, the
spotted coach dogs having all been
brought from England. There were
seven collles. The American breed.
Boston terriers, follows the flag al
though but one faced the judges. Very
few of the dogs had known pedigrees.
Fox terriers were an exception, one be-
ing Wandee Jester registered in the
American Kennel Club, by Norfolk We
locity- Norfolk Two Step, six-year-
old dog that had been henched as
youngster at New York by C. X. Hart
ley of San Francisco. The brothers