SWPA EHP
July 20 2012
Health care tool kit
Case #4:
John L is a patient seeing you for blood pressure control. John and his wife have
been living in their house for the past 10 years. 2 years ago, natural gas drilling
began in the community. Shortly after drilling started, they noticed a “funny taste” in
their well water. They also noticed that their dog, a 4 year old Labrador retriever,
was refusing to drink the water. The dog subsequently developed diarrhea and died
after several months. John had the water tested and was told that it was “drinkable.”
He is concerned that the dog’s illness may he related to his own risk.
As his physician, how should you respond to his question?
Answer:
Animals may serve as sentinels for human environmental health hazards, like the
“canary in the coal mine”. Therefore, physicians hearing patients’ concerns about a
sick pet should not dismiss the human health relevance out of hand. There have
been case reports of animals becoming sick after exposure to runoff from fracking
ponds or exposure to well water near drilling operations. The reasons for these
disease events are not well understood, and could relate in part to exposure to
chemicals used in natural gas extraction activities. However, animals may develop
illness for all sorts of reasons, including genetic factors not related to the
environment.
Animals may serve as sentinels for humans when:
1) They have shared exposure to the same hazard, for example if they are
drinking the same water as nearby humans. Many times animals may be
significantly more exposed to a particular hazard, such as contaminated
water in a drainage ditch, than humans.
2) They have equivalent or greater susceptibility to the hazard relative to
humans, allowing them to display clinical signs more quickly
3) An environmental hazard may have a shorter latency in an animal compared
to a human. For example, mesothelioma due to asbestos exposure appears in
dogs earlier than in humans due to the shorter lifespan of dogs.
The principles of responding to the patient’s concerns include:
1) Confirming the diagnosis: did a veterinarian determine what the dog died of
or what was making it sick?
2) Reviewing the exposure: while the patient was told the water was
“drinkable”, were any contaminants found? Was the dog exposed to other
water sources or other environmental hazards in and outside of the house?
3) Communicating between human and animal health professionals: it may be
useful for a direct communication between the physician/health care
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July 20 2012
Health care tool kit
provider and the animal’s veterinarian regarding the animal’s diagnosis and
whether there are any human health ramifications.
4) Informing patient of resources related to animal health, including the state
veterinarian, state public health veterinarian, veterinary toxicologists, etc.
Pennsylvania State Veterinary Resources
Dr. Craig Shultz
State Veterinarian
Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture
Animal Health and Diagnostic Services Bureau
2301 N. Cameron St., Room 409
Harrisburg, PA 17110
Phone: 717-772-2852
Fax: 717-787-1868
Email: crashultz@state.pa.us
Website: www.agriculture.state.pa.us
Rankin, Jr., James T. DVM, MPH, PhD, DACVPM, FACE, MASV
State Public Health Veterinarian
Pennsylvania Department of Health
Division of Infectious Disease Epidemiology
Health and Welfare Building, Room 933
7th and Forster Streets
Harrisburg, PA 17120
717-346-4524
jrankin@state.pa.us
Walter O. Cottrell, MS, DVM
Pennsylvania Game Commission
Wildlife Veterinarian
Penn State University
Adjunct Clinical Assistant Professor
Animal Diagnostic Laboratory
22 Orchard Rd.
University Park, PA 16802
o: 814.863.8370
c:814.404.5465
wcottrell@pa.gov
David R. Wolfgang, VMD, DABVP
Field Studies Director
Extension Veterinarian
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July 20 2012
Health care tool kit
111 Henning Bld
University Park, PA 16802
Email: drw12@psu.edu
Work Phone: 814-863-5849
Lisa A. Murphy, VMD
Assistant Professor of Toxicology, Department of Pathobiology
New Bolton Center
Toxicology Laboratory
382 W. Street Road
Kennett Square, PA 19348
Office: 610-925-6217
Fax: 610-925-8217
Email:
murphylp@vet.upenn.edu
[samples are accepted from veterinarians]
Other resources:
Bamberger M., Oswald R.E. Impacts of gas drilling on human and animal health. New
Solutions Vol. 22(1) 51-77, 2012