Robert Allen

Detroit Free Press

Two dogs in the Flint area recently tested positive for lead toxicity, according to the state veterinarian.

The dogs with lead toxicity are both cross-breeds, and they're both still alive, said Dr. James Averill, state veterinarian and Animal Industry Division Director for the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. One is a pet, and the other was a stray. Their test results were confirmed in October 2015 and January 2016, but state officials declined to release further details about the cases — including whether they live in Flint.

Both were in Genesee County, where high levels of the heavy metal in Flint's tap water system are a major crisis. Officials in Flint continue to advise that people and their pets avoid drinking unfiltered tap water.

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"The confidentiality of the owners is like medical information in humans," Averill said.

These were the first two dogs to be confirmed with lead toxicity in the past five years, according to state records. Officials have not disclosed whether they were drinking Flint water, how much lead was in their systems, what symptoms they were showing, their weight or how old they are.

"(The state) does provide reportable disease/condition case information down to the county level, but cannot provide the specifics of those individual cases," according to an e-mail from Jennifer Holton, spokeswoman for the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. The e-mail cites the Animal Industry Act of 1988 for keeping information in the cases hidden from the public.

The state is in contact with area veterinarians, and the "vast majority" of tests for lead in dogs has been negative, Averill said. But people who notice their pets acting unusual are encouraged to see their veterinarian.

If a veterinarian determines a dog may have lead toxicity, the lab testing is provided free of charge, he said. And the number of requests has been increasing. But Averill also said that symptoms can vary widely.

"The thing with lead toxicity in animals, their clinical signs, they're so similar to so many other diseases," he said.

Dr. Michael Merrithew, a veterinarian for about 43 years, works at Veterinary House Call Services and Clinic in Grand Blanc, near Flint. He said he's not seen any recent cases he'd attribute to lead, but he's told his staff to watch for symptoms.

Among the possibilities, "mental dullness," possibly arthritis, "probably general malaise first," he said.

Averill said to watch for deviations from routines.

"My dog, when I get up in the morning, the first thing he wants to do is get up and go to the bathroom," he said. "(Pet owners) know their animals. And when they're not their normal selves, tell them to seek veterinary care."

Dr. Lawrence Ehrman, a veterinarian for about 33 years, works at Veterinary Medical Hospital in Flint Township. He also said he doesn't appear to have had any recent patients with lead toxicity, but lead poisoning from water can be more challenging to determine.

"What we're dealing with here is not like an acute poisoning. It's more a chronic sort of thing," he said. "It can cause brain and mental issues, blood issues and even some digestive and kidney issues, though they're much less common."

He said changes in attitude or signs of weakness could be symptoms of lead toxicity.

Averill said it's OK to bathe pets in Flint's tap water, but they should only be drinking filtered or bottled water. Since 2011, all the other cases of lead in animals have involved cattle.

Ehrman said that for people who don't immediately have bottled or filtered water available for their pets, there's an alternative.

"Probably melt some snow," he said. "And it would be safer, if your only other choice is feeding them straight Flint water."

Contact Robert Allen: rallen@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @rallenMI.