Deadly Dog Virus

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

Avoid kennels and pet walks.

 

See here: http://foxct.com/2013/11/14/vets-warn-pet-owners-of-new-and-deadly-dog-virus/

 

And here:  http://foxct.com/2013/11/14/vets-warn-pet-owners-of-new-and-deadly-dog-virus/

 

And here:  http://www.kpho.com/story/23964180/deadly-new-virus-attacking-dogs

 

[sherryberry 35]

Thanks for the heads up! Shared on Facebook, also.

[Okieatheart 33]

Oh, gosh, Gwen.  I hope this isn't what Abby had.  She had those symptoms, but they are so common and could be symptoms for most anything.  Of course, we rushed her to the animal emergency clinic and they pumped her full of fluids all night.  But she had vestibular syndrome along with whatever she had.  She's doing well now, but it took her four days to begin eating her dog food again.  For those who aren't familiar with vestibular syndrome - and I wasn't - it's a virus of the middle ear.  The vet likened it to human sea sickness, but Abby looked as if she had just had a stroke - eyes not focusing, head tilted, stumbling when she tried to walk.  Although he said it is quite common, none of our dogs had ever experienced it before.  That contributed to her nausea, but her blood work showed that she had something else going on; but neither the clinic nor Abby's personal vet could actually confirm positively that is was what they were calling pancreatitis.

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

Vestibular syndrome really is pretty common, particularly in older dogs.  We get quite a few older dogs into the rescue group I volunteer with, and many of my friends have older dogs, so we see cases pop up every so often.

 

It looks awful. Like you described, it seems like the dog had a stroke, but it's usually very treatable, sometimes with just simple motion sickness meds.  Some dogs will have a residual head tilt afterwards, but I know many who've gone back to their normal selves, although sometimes it can take a little while.

 

So glad to hear that Abby feeling better!  :)

[Grumpy and Grandma 739]

The virus Gwen posted has hit here in Cincy  and Northern Ohio. The Ohio Dept of Agriculture and several other major Vet schools were involved, it hits fast and most of the time owners notice it and get the dogs to the vet it's too late.

 

It's not the Vestibular Virus.

[Lou... 3,118]

The problem is like Jean Ann wrote, those symptoms could be for a lot of things. Buddy gets them from time to time, but he's fine within 12 hours.

Guess we'll have to be extra cautious.

[Grumpy and Grandma 739]

Here's the story from Cincy.

CINCINNATI - The mysterious illness that killed three dogs connected to a Norwood dog care facility last month may be a new virus that is now suspected of killing another dog and sickening two others in northeast Ohio.

While tests are ongoing, the leading suspect appears to be a circovirus, previously found mainly in pigs. The first confirmation of canine circovirus in the state came last week in one of the new cases in the Canal Fulton area, between Akron and Canton, according to Erica Hawkins, communications director for the Ohio Department of Agriculture.

Although circovirus is contagious, the cases so far appear to be isolated in the farthest corners of the state. But the news has some dog owners worried that their pets already have it because the symptoms – notably, bloody diarrhea and severe vomiting - are similar to more common dog ailments.

Canine circovirus is newly isolated and there is very little information available about the virus, where it came from and how it spreads,” the Ohio Department of Agriculture, which oversees the state Division of Animal Health, said in a release. “The limited research available shows that canine circovirus can cause vasculitis and hemorrhaging in infected dogs.”

It’s the vasculitis (inflammation of body blood vessels) that makes circovirus potentially deadly and separates it from common gastroenteritis (often caused by feeding dogs “people food") and the more seriousparvovirus and hemorrhagic gastroenteritis (HGE),

“There are countless causes of vomiting and diarrhea in dogs, even bloody diarrhea,” Dr. Melanie Butera, the Canal Fulton veterinarian who treated the sick dogs in her area, told the Akron Beacon-Journal. “What made these cases unique is what the pathologist terms ‘acute necrotizing vasculitis.’ This is when the blood vessels become suddenly damaged and fluid begins leaking out of the vessels. Because of this, the cases I know of did not just have vomiting and bloody diarrhea, they also developed fluid around their lungs and in the abdomen.”

That can lead to hemorrhages, physiological shock and blood clots, she said.

The ODA connected Butera’s cases with the ones here and sent samples to the University of California-Davis, which diagnosed a fatal case of circovirus in a dog last spring, she said. It will be several weeks before scientists can determine if dogs from both areas died from the same illness, Hawkins said.

See a study detailing the California case at http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/19/4/12-1390_article.htm

Locally, no more deaths or related illnesses have been reported to the agriculture department since the three dogs connected to The Pet Spot in Norwood died three weeks ago, Hawkins told WCPO. One other local dog survived the mysterious illness.

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

Oh, gosh, Gwen.  I hope this isn't what Abby had.  She had those symptoms, but they are so common and could be symptoms for most anything.  Of course, we rushed her to the animal emergency clinic and they pumped her full of fluids all night.  But she had vestibular syndrome along with whatever she had.  She's doing well now, but it took her four days to begin eating her dog food again.  For those who aren't familiar with vestibular syndrome - and I wasn't - it's a virus of the middle ear.  The vet likened it to human sea sickness, but Abby looked as if she had just had a stroke - eyes not focusing, head tilted, stumbling when she tried to walk.  Although he said it is quite common, none of our dogs had ever experienced it before.  That contributed to her nausea, but her blood work showed that she had something else going on; but neither the clinic nor Abby's personal vet could actually confirm positively that is was what they were calling pancreatitis.

 

 

Jean Ann, we've had Schnauzers for 25 years and, since they are prone to getting pancreatitis we've had our share of experience with it.  But neither of our dogs ever had it and couldn't be diagnosed.  IMHO it's an easy -- but expensive -- set of blood work.

 

Glad to hear that Abby is better!

[c_line 1]

Thanks for the heads up Gwen.  Scary stuff.