Labrador Retriever Forum
Was at an eye clinic in Ohio today and owners
were talking about something called the
Cirocovirus (sp?) Any info folks can share?
Thanks!
There have been dogs in the Cincinnati area and now in Akron/Canton, Ohio that have been stricken with a virus that presents with bloody diarrhea, vomiting, lethargy. This virus can kill in 48 hours if the dog is not treated immediately. Pathology from dogs that died in Cincinnati was sent to the University of California at Davis for testing to see if it could be circovirus. This virus is from a family of viruses that has not been known to cause disease in dogs prior to this year. It is a virus usually found in pigs.
Pathologists are looking at a virus diagnosed in several dogs that died in California in the spring that showed similar symptoms to the dogs from Cincinnati. The Ohio Department of Agriculture has been receiving numerous calls from veterinarians and dog owners all across the state, and it may be in more areas than the two above mentioned areas.
So far, I haven't read anything that states how it is transmitted. If your dog exhibits vomiting with bloody diarrhea, get it to the vet as soon as possible. I read info on this on Facebook and there has been an article in my local newspaper. I took it upon myself to inform my vet clinic to be aware of this new virus.
There was mention of a national news release, but I haven't seen anything yet. Hope this gives you a little more info.
Almost 4 decades ago, I had a mixed bred that would have been considered a designer dog today. Breed X Poodle, an oops breeding with their next door neighbors dog.
He became suddenly ill with the exact symptoms described for this circo virus to a T. Quick action getting him to the vet saved his life. The blood poured from his rectum in the kitchen like I never saw in my life. I called our vet and told them I was bringing my dog in immediately. He was lethargic, acting odd the night before with some vomiting. Once I saw profuse blood from the GI tract, I knew things were worse then I initially thought.
Had it not been for my vet addressing my boy immediately or my quick action getting him there, he never would have made it. Vet gave him 10% odds of living once he saw the blood. They had him on IV fluids and an antibiotic. They cultured his stool, nothing came back, same with his bloodwork except he dehydrated fast, within 8 hours from the night before.
Bad food was suspect but never confirmed, I sent it back to the manufacturer for testing with no answer about the results.
My vet told me to be prepared to lose him and watch my other dog, a mini poodle but she was fine. Miraculously he made it, I had another 9 years with him.
If you suspect your dog has this new disease or anything like it, get to the vet as fast as you can is all I can say. Don't stop to ask questions on a board, just go quickly and mention the circo virus possibility no matter where you live. I hope this disappears as fast as it appeared.
The latest from Ohio.com
Virus linked to illness that has sickened several Ohio dogs
By Kathy Antoniotti
Beacon Journal staff writer
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Published: September 6, 2013 - 10:01 AM
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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.”
Furthermore, the virus has been found in stool samples from healthy dogs, indicating there are dogs naturally immune and perhaps genetically protected from the severe disease aspect, she said.
“This also makes it less likely that we would see an epidemic like they saw with parvo in the 1970s,” Butera said.
Butera said there has been no confirmation on what killed the dogs in Cincinnati last month or whether it also can be attributed to the virus.
Erica Hawkins, communications director of the Ohio Department of Agriculture, told a Cincinnati television station last week that research shows that a circovirus affecting pigs and the canine variation might be closely related.
“If positive, [canine circovirus] would be the first confirmation in the state,” Hawkins told WCPO.
Tests are lengthy
Ohio State University is conducting tests on tissue samples from the Cincinnati dogs.
Butera is cautioning dog owners to wait until all the test results are reported.
“Please understand, though, in microbiology in order for them to say it is definitely the cause of the disease, they have to introduce the agent into a healthy dog and cause the disease. … But isolating a new agent in suspicious cases is the first step, and then the research will follow from there,” she said Friday.
Dr. Jill Brown, a veterinarian at Village Animal Clinic in Columbus, said she hasn’t seen any cases at her practice. Nonetheless, she began warning clients last week through the practice’s Facebook page to be on the lookout for symptoms of the illness.
“I just wanted to inform my patients that it is out there and to get help for their animals right away if they notice anything wrong,” Brown said Friday.
She said State Veterinarian Dr. Tony Forshy, of the Ohio Department of Agriculture, advised her Friday that while researchers found circovirus in the samples they tested from Ohio, they were still doing research and were not ready to commit that it is the cause of death in the Ohio dogs.
“There are no vaccines for this yet, so I want to let people know how important it is that dogs get treatment right away,” Brown said.
New to dogs
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported in the online Emerging Disease Journal that pathologists at the University of California-Davis discovered the virus, normally associated with pigs (porcine circovirus), in dogs in April.
“The detection of a circovirus in tissues of dogs expands the known tropism of these viruses to a second mammalian host. Our results indicate that circovirus, alone or in co-infection with other pathogens, might contribute to illness and death in dogs,” the report stated.
Before 2012, the only
circocviruses reported that had infected mammals were two closely related porcine circoviruses that have been reported worldwide in pigs.
The report, titled “Circovirus in Tissues of Dogs with Vasculitis and Hemorrhage,” which details the study, can be found at http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/19/4/12-1390_article.htm.
Not an epidemic
On Friday, Butera said state officials requested that she refrain from talking publicly about the issue until a definite determination is made. She then pulled earlier warnings to her patients from Elm Ridge’s Facebook page.
State officials do not want to cause a panic, she said.
“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 alone have anything to do with this virus,” Butera cautioned.
Kathy Antoniotti can be reached at 330-996-3565 or kantoniotti@thebeaconjournal.com.
a friend who is Vet Tech and on the Veterinary Online Info had warned me about this ... the veterinary advice I heard is NO rest areas with travelling dogs and beware of Kentucky and Ohio ... this is very worrisome, something we will be following closely ... appreciate the post
