Potentially Deadly Threat to Pets Spreading Across the US, Researchers Warn

A potentially deadly parasite has been found for the first time in California’s Colorado River, according to a recent study from University of California researchers. The parasite, called Heterobilharzia americana, is a flatworm known as a liver fluke. Previously it was found in Gulf states but has now spread west, researchers with the University of California at Riverside said this month. “Dogs can die from this infection, so we are hoping to raise public awareness that it’s there,” UC Riverside nematology professor Adler Dillman told UC Riverside News. “If you’re swimming in the Colorado River with them, your pets are in peril.”...