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View Full Version : Virus linked to illness that has killed/sickened dogs in CA, OH, MI



Harley PoMMom
09-18-2013, 03:52 PM
A mysterious illness that has killed one local dog and sickened several others has been linked to a virus that killed several dogs in California in the spring.

The Ohio Department of Agriculture is expected to release additional information Monday confirming that early test results indicate the virus found in the tissue of the dead dog is consistent with circovirus, a disease more commonly seen in pigs.

Dr. Craig Sarver, a veterinary diagnostician at the Ohio Department of Agriculture’s Division of Animal Health, confirmed late Thursday that circovirus, responsible for the deaths of several dogs in California, was found in fecal samples submitted from sick dogs in the Canal Fulton area last month.

Doctors studying the virus aren’t sure how the virus is spread, but have suggested one way might be through an infected dog’s stool.

“[Dr. Sarver] told me that the circovirus is not shed in the stool of sick dogs for more than a few days; that is the current understanding,” said Dr. Melanie Butera, who was the first local veterinarian to report the illness to the state agriculture department. “This makes it less likely to be transmitted dog to dog unless the dog is in contact with a sick one at that time. Sick dogs are unlikely to be at the dog park.”....


....“This does not seem to be an out-of-control epidemic, but just seems to be sporadic cases here and there, and we do not yet know if these are even related, let

Full article can be found here: http://www.ohio.com/news/break-news/...-dogs-1.426633

Other informative articles: http://www.avma.org/KB/Resources/Pages/Circovirus-in-Dogs-Frequently-Asked-Questions.aspx

http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/19/4/12-1390_article.htm

Trixie
09-20-2013, 11:17 PM
Well that's scary stuff...thanks for posting.

Barbara

lulusmom
10-04-2013, 11:09 AM
This is reallly scarey!

http://www.wxyz.com//dpp/news/region/washtenaw_county/a-deadly-virus-getting-dogs-sick-in-metro-detroit-is-being-seen-in-michigan-for-the-first-time

lulusmom
10-04-2013, 12:46 PM
Marianne, thank you for moving my earlier post to this thread. At the time I posted, the article I referred to mentioned the virus as being similar to circovirus but it had not yet been identified. I therefore started a new thread so that members in and around Ann Arbor would see the title quickly. I have just found a more recent article stating that circovirus has been identified in two dogs in Michigan. Please see url below for details:

http://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/index.ssf/2013/10/canine_circovirus_positively_i.html

mytil
10-04-2013, 06:22 PM
At the onset, the symptoms appear similar to many other canine sicknesses. However, an infected dog’s health deteriorates rapidly and the dog becomes extremely ill with an unusual set of symptoms. They are still not sure what is causing this.

These include:

- very rapid heartbeats
- passing blood without stool (some cases are reporting bloody diarrhea)
- a bloody smell to their breath
- in shock
- severe weakness
- abdominal pain
- lack of appetite
- vomiting
- possible loss of skin
- elevated red blood cell count
- low protein levels

Veterinarians are noticing that the quicker a dog is treated, the better his/her odds of survival. Therefore, doctors are advising dog owners to bring their dogs to a vet as quickly as possible, should their pets notice any of the symptoms.

Read more at http://www.dogheirs.com/dogheirs/posts/4187-mysterious-new-canine-disease-claims-lives-of-several-dogs-in-ohio-and-michigan#IQCdU5UvJhjxZBEY.99