Mysterious Virus Kills Dogs in Ohio

Okay, folks ****IMPORTANT UPDATE REGARDING THE OHIO VIRUS**** I spoke to Dr. Forshey, the state veterinarian for Ohio, this morning (Friday, September 6), at length. He said that it is TOO soon to state definitively that the problem is a circovirus. The tissue tested did test positively for circovirus, and it is likely that it is circovirus, but they do not know if that is what’s making the dogs so sick. They are still awaiting test results on several other dogs. THEY DO KNOW THAT THE MEANS OF CONTAGION IS THROUGH FECES. They do not yet have a handle on the period of incubation. Dogs cannot “catch” this virus from pigs, He said the best thing that dog-owners can do is to behave as people do in a flu epidemic. Dog parks, especially, should be avoided. As for dog shows, he says that it is up to individuals to determine their own comfort level regarding risk. Clearly, do not allow your dogs to be near the poop of other dogs. It will be incumbent on dog day care providers and boarding kennels to keep their premises very clean. Probably this virus is NOT confined to Ohio. We may just be the first state to recognize that this is it’s own problem. He said they expect to have more information, but it may be a couple of weeks, these tests take time. Please remember, if your dog has any of these symptoms–vomiting, bloody diarrhea, foaming at the mouth; get them to a vet immediately. Do not try to ride this out, don’t try to treat it at home.

Please note, as of this evening, September 5, the virus has been positively identified (by the veterinary lab at University of California at Davis) as one of the circoviruses. Transmission may have something to do with pigeons. Or not. There is still very little information. But we are including this, in case it is helpful to anyone trying to rule out or confirm a diagnosis.

The symptoms mimic many other things: parvo, giardia, salmonella, coronavirus. The State Veterinarian for Ohio, Tony Forshey, has indicated that samples from multiple cases have been tested for these well-known illnesses, but have all come back negative. Tissue samples with the virus have been sent to the veterinary labs at the University of California at Davis, and test results are expected back on Monday, September 9, at which point the Ohio Department of Agriculture is expected to make a formal statement about the virus.

A statement issued August 16th by Dr. Forshey’s office indicated only that they were dealing with an unknown virus, and that testing was continuing. Since then there have been only informal updates, including one through Jill Brown, DVM of the Village Animal Clinic in Columbus Ohio, who issued the following statement:

VERY IMPORTANT HEALTH ALERT FOR DOG OWNERS.

I talked to Dr Forshey, the state veterinarian, and he confirmed that they are working on identifying the cause of death in several dogs. They suspect that it is a virus, possible Circo virus. This virus has not been found in dogs before (it’s found commonly in pigs). They have sent tissue samples to UC Davis, which is the only lab that can identify the virus. Ohio State has already ruled out common causes like salmonella, parvovirus, campylobacter, hemorrhagic gastroenteritis (HGE).

He thinks they will have it figured out by Monday and will have a national news release. Ohio is the only state seeing it so far (figures!).

The important thing is that dog owners need to get their dog to the vet ASAP at the first sign of vomiting and bloody diarrhea. Dr Forshey indicated that most of the dogs are surviving if treated early. There is, of course, no vaccine available.

Please share this information to your own Facebook feed so we can reach as many dog owners as possible.

We spoke to Dr. Forshey’s office today, Thursday, September 5 and they confirmed that they are still awaiting test results from California. They have, understandably, been inundated with calls.

There are no websites about this virus, no studies, and certainly no vaccine yet. Whether or not the vaccine for one of the porcine circovirus will be employed is only speculative at this point. We are at the tip of the iceberg with this one, and every one is understandably concerned. The biggest question is how is this virus transmitted, and simply put, no one knows the answer yet. Although it is said to have only been found in Ohio so far, the chance of that statement being accurate is probably nil. As we learn more about this, I think we will find that it is far more widespread and that we may have been dealing with it longer than we think.

As to how contagious it might be, this is yet to be determined. Three dogs died at a Dog Day Care in Norwood– but other dogs in the same facility did not even get sick.

The good news is that dogs who are treated promptly have been making good recoveries, though the treatment is sometimes intense and arduous. Since no one knows quite what they are dealing with, care has come in the form of treating the symptoms and keeping the dog well supported throughout. Please! If you have any concerns about this, contact your veterinarian.

Be alert to your own dog’s health. If there is vomiting, bloody diarrhea, foaming at the mouth– in any combination– not all symptoms may be present, get them to a veterinarian as soon as possible.

As to whether or not to attend shows, take your dog to dog parks, or to day care or boarding kennels– only you can make this decision. If you will be leaving your dog somewhere, alert the caregivers to this situation. Keep your dog’s immune system hale and hearty. If you have specific questions, the best person to answer those is your vet.

Feel free to share this post. We only want to educate folks to be on the lookout for this. As we get updates, we will post them here and on Fort St. Clair’s Facebook Page. If you are a veterinarian and you need further assistance with this, the number for the State Veterinarian’s office is (614) 728-6220.