A mysterious disease is infecting dogs in Michigan and some cases appear to be fatal. It is a parvovirus-like illness that causes vomiting and bloody stools.
Parvovirus is highly contagious to dogs and is common in Michigan. A vaccine is available, and the virus is not contagious to other animals or people.
Otsego County Animal Control and Shelter director Melissa Fitzgerald told CBS News that there have been more than 30 deaths from the disease in Otsego County. There have been at least 10 deaths in Clare County, and about 10 in Ostego County, but Fitzgerald said there could be more.
The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development said it had received a report that a dog in northern Michigan was vomiting and having diarrhea. These are common symptoms of canine parvovirus, but the animal tested negative for parvovirus at the veterinary clinic.
Other animal control agencies in northern Michigan reported seeing dogs with similar symptoms, as well as others more commonly associated with parvovirus, such as lethargy and loss of appetite. The cause of the symptoms was not determined.
The State Department is working with partners such as the Michigan Association of Animal Control Officers, the Michigan State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to learn more about the disease, but they are still in the early stages of the investigation.
State veterinarian Nora Vinland said in a statement that the samples were submitted to a state university laboratory and they tested positive for canine parvovirus – but further results are pending.
“When MDARD first became aware of these cases in northern Michigan, we immediately reached out to the veterinarians and animal shelters involved and began our response efforts. Protecting animals and public health is one of the department’s key pillars. There is one, but it is a team effort. Dog owners need to make sure their pets are up to date on routine vaccinations because this is the first step in keeping your pet healthy.”
The department urges pet owners to continue routine vaccinations for their dogs, clean up after their pets, keep unvaccinated puppies away from other dogs, and keep any dogs showing any signs of illness away from others. doing.
Earlier this month, the Ostego County Animal Shelter posted about the mysterious disease infecting dogs in the area, saying that several dogs developed parvo-like symptoms but tested negative. “Most of these dogs passed within 3 days,” the animal shelter wrote in its Facebook post. “These dogs are mostly under the age of 2. Some dogs were vaccinated.”
“Nobody has an answer. The best ‘guess’ is that it’s a strain of parvo,” said the shelter at the time, adding that they hadn’t talked about the disease until “because we really don’t know anything.”
The animal shelter was in close contact with veterinarians in nearby cities trying to trace it, including Gaylord, Traverse City, Grayling, Manselona and Indian River, and said the infected dogs were in any way. were not in an area.
Last Friday, the animal shelter posted an update, saying the disease doesn’t seem to affect some breeds more than others, and that the disease was detected in dogs from several counties around northern and central Michigan. The shelter said at the time that, while the dangerous disease has killed many dogs in the area, it has not seen any dogs die “that have been properly vaccinated.” In Clare County, animal control director Rudy Hicks said last week that all dogs with symptoms of the disease had died, regardless of their vaccine status, according to Clare County Cleaver.
The shelter said the disease could be a strain of parvovirus, although the cause is not yet known. It also mentions that there are “many” canine diseases that present symptoms similar to parvovirus, and therefore veterinarians may treat individual cases differently. Nonetheless, the shelter urged people to get their dogs properly vaccinated against parvovirus. Otsego County Animal Control and Shelter will host a vaccine clinic for parvovirus at the Otsego County Fire Department this week on Wednesday, Aug.
CBS News has reached out to the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Michigan State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory and is awaiting a response.
Caitlin O’Kane
(This story has not been edited by seemayo staff and is published from a rss feed)