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Gundog Nation #022: Rachel Busselman: Chagas Disease and Prevention in Gundogs
About this Episode
A deadly parasite spread by kissing bugs is silently attacking hunting dogs across America, and most owners have no idea their dogs are at risk until it's too late. In this eye-opening conversation, Kenneth Witt welcomes Rachel Busselman, a fourth-year veterinary student who earned her PhD researching Chagas disease at Texas A&M University.
Rachel reveals alarming statistics from her years studying hunting kennels across Texas, where she discovered over 25% of previously healthy dogs became infected within a single year. The parasite, Trypanosoma cruzi, primarily attacks the heart and can cause sudden death without warning signs or symptoms. Most troubling is that infected dogs often appear completely healthy until they suffer cardiac failure.
"We took our dog out to run, ran great, brought him back, was grabbing the food, came back to find he had had a heart attack," Rachel shares as one kennel owner's heartbreaking experience. Unlike common parasitic infections, Chagas disease doesn't respond to standard medications, and detection requires specialized blood tests that aren't part of routine veterinary examinations.
The geographic reach of this disease extends throughout the southern United States, with highest concentrations in Texas and Louisiana, though cases have been documented as far north as Nebraska. Approximately 50% of the kissing bugs that transmit the disease carry the parasite, creating a significant threat for dogs spending time outdoors.
For dog owners, Rachel provides crucial prevention advice, including using insecticides around kennels, changing outdoor lighting to red wavelengths that don't attract the bugs, and turning off unnecessary lights at night. While researchers work toward better treatments, awareness remains the best defense. If you find kissing bugs on your property, collect them safely and submit them for testing through Texas A&M's community science program at kissingbug.tamu.edu.
Don't wait until your hunting companion becomes another statistic. Listen now to learn how to identify, prevent, and respond to this hidden threat that's endangering our gundogs.
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Hosts & Guests
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