Mysterious Virus Kills Dogs in Ohio

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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.

61 thoughts on “Mysterious Virus Kills Dogs in Ohio”

    • The treatment for this, so far, is to treat the symptoms. And quickly. If you are concerned that your dog may have this virus, get him or her to the vet asap. Serious dog people are often “do it yourself-ers”– but in this instance, that’s not enough. “Supportive care” in some of these cases has involved i.v. antibiotics (for concurrent bacterial infection) and blood transfusions. When they have a better notion about the nature of the virus, we hope to see some kind of vaccine in the future. But that’s going to take awhile.

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    • My dog became ill like this 2 years ago, he had to stay at the vet for 2 days with iv, we were very lucky, im fencing my yard in and is there anything I can put in the yard to kill this virus, I wont be allowing my dog around other dogs anymore

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      • We understand your concern, and sympathize with it. Remember though, that the rate of contagion is considered “very low” for this. In some instances, dogs that lived in the same household with dogs who died were not at all affected– they didn’t even get sick. You have to take the steps that make you feel comfortable, but it may not mean absolute quarantine. We hope they’ll have some more answers soon.

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      • Okay,if this IS circovirus circulating in my home,the puppies are not building up an immunity to it because the first one sick,a week ago Saturday,has come down with another round.Shorty after I sub-Qed him,and gave him a dose of Clavamox,he has come around a bit….None of my adult dogs have caught whatever this is.The pup that went down and out yesterday is making a comeback this morn..he was up and eating on his own,just slightly dehydrated.

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      • (Remember that we don’t know what role, if any, circovirus is playing in the illness that has affected so many dogs. We only know that one dog so far tested positive for it.) Hope we know more soon and that the rest of your puppies pull through.

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  3. In earlier reports, Akron OH was listed as having dogs with symptoms, is it known how many dogs were affected and where these dogs got sick and were they were actually located in Akron?? Is there one or more vets/hospitals in Akron that have seen the affected dogs?? What breeds have been identified with the virus?? Is there a system in place to notify Ohio shelters of this urgent issue?? If so, have they been notified??

    I have to share my theory on this. This is the time of year for County and State fairs and I’m sure many people take their dogs with them to the fairs. Maybe a dog with an inadequate or weakened immune system was exposed to or ingested pig feces that contained the virus, and contracted it themselves. After all, the swine flu came from birds yet affects humans.

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    • Hi Lisa,
      The virus CANNOT be transmitted from pig to dog. This is established fact. I made a point to ask the State Veterinarian this morning because someone who worked at a pig farm asked if his dog was in danger, and this point was made very clear that he is not. Which is a lucky thing because there are lots of pigs in the midwest and we’d be even more worried if one species could catch it from another. There have been documented cases of “this virus” near Akron and near Cincinnati. There have been documented cases of circovirus in dogs documented in California. Some dogs living in households with dogs that died were not even affected. Lately there have been stories circulating about a “hot parvo” that was not quite like other parvoviruses and was affecting vaccinated puppies and adult dogs– it could very well be “this”, whatever “this” is. Finally, the media is starting to pick up this story. I know that all Ohio veterinarians have been apprised of this by the Ohio Department of Agriculture– we hope that veterinarians associated with shelters have given those groups a head’s up.

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      • In the UK they are loosing dogs to Parvo. They said it was because people could not afford to immunize their K9’s. One person in the UK stated that their Vet had told them it was a new strain that was killing the K9’s. Do you have any information from the Vets in the UK on exactly what they are battling?

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      • Sorry, Sheryl, we haven’t heard anything here on a UK virus– but given the behavior of viruses, it’s not that unusual for new strains to develop. They have been talking about a “hot” parvo strain in this country for the last year or so– now people are starting to wonder if it was this “thing” (whatever it is) all along. If I find anything on the situation in the UK, I’ll send it along to you.

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  4. I live in Ohio and my dog was vomiting the other night; but that was before we had heard about this virus. Luckily it is day two and she is no longer vomiting and appears to be “fine” thank heavens!

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    • The veterinarians in Ohio are being kept apprised via email by the office of the State Veterinarian at the Dept. of Agriculture. More troubling, though, is the probably erroneous notion that this is somehow confined to Ohio. The Dept of Agriculture is, however, planning a national press release for the beginning of next week. Social media has been fantastic for education though– in the past couple of days, our club’s Facebook page has had 335,000 visitors looking for more information on this virus. If you live outside of Ohio and you think your vet needs a head’s up on this problem, they can call the office of the state veterinarian, (614) 728-6220.

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      • I live in Columbia Missouri . Last weekend my daughters Yorkie spent a couple of night s at Mizzou Vet Health Hospital..after suddenly having diarrhea, bloodily diarrhea, violent vomiting with foam and then large quantities of blood. He was dehydrated ,lethargic and very I’ll. they treated him with I’VE fluids and Both I’VE and oral antibiotics. They labeled it as gastroenteritis of unknown origin. I am wondering if this is what he had?

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      • It certainly could be. This is one of the reasons why we’ve been quick to point out that this virus is probably not confined to Ohio– people all over the country have reported virulent parvo-like illnesses in their dogs. You might alert your regular veterinarian to this connection, and probably it wouldn’t hurt to let the folks at University of Missouri know as well. The more people communicate, including vets, the better chance we all have of putting the brakes on this awful business.

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  6. My daughter’s dogs both have ‘sensitive stomachs’ and already are prone to bloody stools and such if they don’t eat special food. My daughter having just had a baby and her dogs are a bit ‘stressed’ over this, we just figured a recent but very excessive bout of bloody stools and vomiting (for a few days, but seems better now) was just stress of the new lifestyle and baby in the house. Should be be concerned?

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    • Given the circumstances, it is probably worthwhile for someone (your daughter probably has her hands full!) to call the dogs’ veterinarian and ask them about this. It may be that the dogs are responding to changes in the household, but an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Congratulations on your new grandchild!

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  7. There is definitely something like this going around in Southeastern NC. My friend’s dog recently had it & recovered, she never learned what it was, but her vet told her a severe GI virus is going around in dogs in the area. My dog was VERY sick for 3+ days last week, recovered on his own before I could get him to vet. He refused all food — for the first time ever — & was lethargic, coughing, vomiting, bleeding, not sure from where. On day 3 he started eating a little boiled chicken, now back 100%, all symptoms gone and back to his old happy self. I am keeping him on wet food mixed w/ rice. I thought he had gotten into some sort of poison in the neighborhood but then heard there was this virus going around here.

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  8. I recently lost a pup and had a lot of sick pups after bringing home a pup from Sandusky Ohio..I lost the new pup in 5 days and later that night lost one of my own..(all Chihuahuas)I am in Columbus.The day after I lost 2 pups,another started with the same lethargy,so I rushed him to OSU emergency vet.Test was negative for parvo..he was too little to draw blood so they decided to treat it like parvo…Sub Q fluids and Clavamox.I told them I had 10 pups left at home and being a holiday weekend,I was stressing over the possibility of a visit as each dog might get sick to the tune of $400.They gave me enough to cover all my dogs until Tuesday when my vet was in.So far,the preliminary autopsy results have not ruled out parvo or distemper.Wondering if this circovirus may be to be blamed?Puppies being puppies they do tend to walk through the others poop..no matter how viligent I have been been on cleaning.Oh,and for several days I had 3 pups down one day,2 another day.I started bleaching down everything the day the first dog died.Also,as soon as I saw a pup not up and playing,not being “normal” I started sub Qing them…they would show signs of being dehydrated from not eating and drinking.All but one pup was back to normal in 24 hours..the tiniest pup took about 36 hours and just passed a vets exam today with flying colors.All pups were between 5-7 weeks old.The pup I brought in was 8-9 weeks old.My pups have never left my home,nor has anyone been in my home to handle them,nor any new dogs except the one I penned with them that died after 5 days.Will OSU neocrospy(or whatever it is) people automatically look for this new virus ???

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    • None of my fully vaccinated adults in my house have been affected.The breeder I bought from only gives her adult dogs the puppy vaccine(5 in 1)..which means two things aren’t covered in her house..Leptovirus and Coronovirus.

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      • Might have had some bloody diarrhea….it’s always hard to tell when sometimes it’s red pieces of puppy chow.No foamy mouths,no eye or nasal discharge,very little vomiting.Mostly lethargic and no eating or drinking so,being so tiny,they go down fast.

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    • Terri, they should certainly be aware of it at this point. You might ask your own veterinarian to help alert both the state veterinarian and the Ohio State University vets to bring your case to the attention of the State Veterinarian, Tony Forshey. The telephone number for the State Veterinarian is (614) 728-6220. I’m so sorry about your puppies– certainly the symptoms you describe sound like this may be the same thing.

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      • Terri, just want to clarify that the vet you should contact is the State veterinarian at the Ohio Department of Agriculture. It does cause some confusion when he’s referred to as the Ohio State Veterinarian– but it’s the Dept of Agriculture where all this is centered rather than the University. 🙂

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      • Actually,I was referring to the OSU vet where the one dog is being autopsied and I took one sick puppy too the day after the two passed away at my home.That was all done at Ohio State University emerency vet…lol..Sorry for the confusion.My personal vet has not seen them..

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      • Just called them myself..they said to have OSU send them the autopsy results…(neocrospy or whatever it is)….I would feel much better if it were this “mysterious virus instead of my heart blaming the breeder! It’s a no win situation either way though.

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  10. I live in ohio and we just lost a dog two weeks ago from a very mysterious infection. She was not vomiting…but her body filled with infection and she had nodules that were leaking blood. She began having open sores on her legs and one of her back. She was given a strong antibiotic but she only worsened. By the end of 2 weeks she could barely walk and we had to put her down. The vet said she had never seen anything like this before….any ideas?

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    • Oh, Judy, that’s so awful! Our heartfelt sympathies to you on the loss of your dog. What your girl suffered does not sound precisely like the current virus that they’re looking at, but you might give your vet a call and ask if they could be connected and if so, should someone be notified. Again, so sorry.

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  11. My dog passed away 2 weeks ago from a mysterious infection. She had gotten away from our yard and was gone for a few hours … after being found and brought back home she could hardly walk…she was 12 so we just thought she wore herself out. After a few days she became worse and had a spot on her back that began to bleed. The vet came to see her and pointed out that she had nodules all over her and some were oozing blood. Her female parts were also swollen and her under belly was so swollen when the vet squeezed it blood came out. She treated her iwth an antibiotic but she only became worse to the point she could barely stand. The vet said she had never seen anything like this before. My poor dog was suffering so much we had to put her down. What could this have been?

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  12. My dog just died yesterday with what the vet is thinking could possibly be related to this. She had vomiting and diarrhea three weeks earlier then got over it and seemed better but her appetite was alot less than prior to being sick. I really didn’t think much about it thinking she was just getting older and not needing as much food. However on 9/6/13 she vomited and was foaming at the mouth, this was at 8 pm she was restless. By the next morning, she looked terrible falling over and heart racing. I took her to the vet. They said she never responded to any of the treatment and passed away.

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  13. You can now add cases in Las Vegas to the list of where this virus can be found. My dog had it two weeks ago and barely survived after 3 days in vet care. When I called other vets in the area they said they have been dealing with the same flu virus symptoms regularly for the last 6 months here.

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  14. My dog could of possibly died from this on the 2nd. I came home from a trip to family 5hrs away in Indiana [I live in Ohio] and found her dead on the floor. Being it was my birthday and she was my birthday present at a puppy 5yrs ago, I was devastated. She was a shih tzu. We had found she had somehow knocked over the trash can [being bored] and got into some coffee grounds we believe cause her puke when she had died was grainy. The two people we had watching them and caring for them said she was fine Saturday, and then all day Sunday she wouldn’t let the one person near her. She growled, snarled, and when he tried to touch her she tried to bite him. [that is not my dog, such strange behavior. She would love a robber] There was vomit spots in the house, and bloody diarrhea areas too. We had chalked it up to caffeine poisoning, but now I am not so sure. Our 6mo old pit bull is unaffected and perfectly healthy, so idk what to think now. I still feel horrible for leaving her behind even though they were well cared for. I hope they find a cure and soon!

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    • What a terrible loss, Katherine, truly we send our most sincere sympathies. No one yet has mentioned a behavioral component to this illness, but that doesn’t mean that there isn’t one. Did you talk with your vet about your dog’s death? It might be worthwhile to do so– and I know they are compiling information from vets around the state to see if they can get a better sense of how prevalent the problem is and the manner in which it appears. You can, of course, call the State Veterinarian’s office too– their number is (614) 728-6220. Again, our heartfelt condolences.

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      • When we had the diagnoses, based on the evidence we were told caffeine poisoning because of the grounds in her vomit, but now with this new information we may have all been wrong. I had her cremated Friday so I could always have her with me. It would be nice if there is some questions asked about dogs behavior changing for the worse as a symptom too. I have reposted this on my facebook wall, and on pages I frequent too to help spread the word. Hopefully more information will come forth about this illness.

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  16. After 4 days of coming home and no puppies down I came home to another down and out.Doing the same as OSU told me to treat with,sub -Qing and Clavamox..so far this pup is not looking good. :(:(:( Every other dog,I caught early on and they bounced back within 24 hours..might not be so lucky this time.I called the Dept of Agriculture today and they told me to have OSU send them the autopsy results of the dog I bought in Sandusky last week.

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  17. Hello we bought 2 labs from breeder in Ohio and they have been sick since the day we brought them home…they are 8. Months old now and still are not ok we have spent thousands of dollars on these dogs and still no answers and they still ate getting sick about once a week with vomiting and bloody diarreha…they are up to date on all shots and everything else…there mother had a rare infection and had to have c-section and hysterectomy and they were nursed by a sub mom. We found this out after purchase..we area tour wits end and so is our vet…

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    • Carrie, we haven’t heard anything about this being such a long-term problem (unfortunately, dogs that get it seem to die within a day or so) but you might have your vet call the Ohio Department of Agriculture to discuss the case with them. I believe they are also doing some work on this now at Ohio State University, but the Dept. of Agriculture can advise on that. The state veterinarian is Dr. Forshey and the telephone number is (614) 728-6220. Wishing you the best of luck at getting some answers for what ails your labs.

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  18. Ok,my pups are NOT building up an immunity to whatever is going on in my home,because the pup I rushed to OSU ER vet a week ago Saturday has it again.He is making a come back after I sub Qed him a while ago.The pup from last night is doing good…eating and playing already.This is driving me crazy not being able to protect my puppies from whatever this is.

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    • Clavamox would only be useful if there was a bacterial load that could be addressed with the use of that particular antibiotic. Certainly with vomiting and diarrhea, hydration can mean the difference between life and death. Hope your puppies are doing better today. 🙂

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  20. I am getting ready to travel to Ohio so I have been diligently searching info about this virus. Yesterday I found a post that had been made by the CDC in conjunction to what they are calling the dog circovirus (DogCV). It is a very hard read, however, it states that dogs in California have been identified with this virus. The article is dated April 2013. I am from California and I know of several dogs that have been very ill. It had only been identified as a “nasty virus”. But again, this link clearly states that the CDC/UC Davis identified these dogs in California with the circovirus.
    http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/19/4/12-1390_article.htm

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    • Kim, yes there were confirmed cases of canine death from circovirus in California this past spring. However, only ONE dog from the Ohio dogs has tested positive for the presence of circovirus (tests on the others are still pending) and the state veterinarian emphasized that we do not yet know what role, if any, circovirus played in the death of the Ohio dogs.

      It is widely believed that this virus (whatever it is) is not confined to any one geographical area or region. It’s just that Ohio was proactive in investigating it. They do know that the means of transmission is fecal, and Dr. Forshey, the state veterinarian advised dog owners to avoid dog parks. We would add to that the avoidance of pet areas at rest stops, which are often teeming with contagions. Some dog owners have taken to washing their dogs feet after going about in public. Good luck and safe travels.

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  21. I had a 7 month old pup that was fine one night and started vomiting in the morning and very lethargic and a bloody stool and lots of moning like she had stomach that was cramping but she would still drink and then would lay back down. My husband and I thought it may have been parvo at first but within 28 hours of it starting our baby girl was gone. We had put her in a room by herself right away before she past. Then we thought it might have been that she had some how gotten into some poison since none of our other dogs had gotten sick. Now I wonder if this might have been this and should of taken her to the vet.

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    • Jonnie, we’re so sorry. That must have been utterly heartbreaking. There are lots of well-known illnesses that can affect puppies in this way– so it might have been this mysterious virus, or perhaps one of the better known ones. A trip to the vet might have saved her, but you just never know. Because this particular virus is so lethal, it is recommended that if you suspect your dog may have it to get them to the vet right away. But this information has only been available for less than a week– there was no way you could have known. Again, our condolences.

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  22. My yorkie pup and I have been attending Obedience Classes in Dayton. I didn’t go last week because I had a sinus infection and then heard about this virus that evening. I was relieved that we had not gone to class. My little gal is 5 months old and isn’t up to 5 lbs. yet, so I think a viru like this could really be bad. We are supposed to have class tomorrow, but I am hesitant to go. Any advice?

    Sue

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    • Hi Sue,
      Sorry we didn’t get to your note in time for your class. We’ve been kind of waiting for an update from the Department of Agriculture … and waiting… Dr. Forshey, the State Veterinarian did not want to go as far as to say that people shouldn’t go to dog shows (and I would put classes in that same category) but he did caution them to stay out of dog parks. This is because the virus (whatever it is!) is transmitted through feces– so you will want to stay way clear of any area that may contain dog feces. And of course, dog parks have poop, and dogs may run through it, step it in, and so forth. We have also been cautioning people to steer clear of “pet areas” at rest stops while they’re traveling, for much the same reason. You’re right that since your girl is so tiny, it wouldn’t take long for her to get quite sick. But they have found that dogs that get prompt treatment have made excellent recoveries. They are just treating symptoms, since they have yet to identify the virus itself. So– steer clear of places where other dogs do their business, some people wash and wipe their dog’s feet after they’ve been out in public, and if you see symptoms of vomiting, bloody diarrhea and possibly foaming at the mouth, get to the vet right away.

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      • Like I had stated above I will be traveling to Ohio the end of this month. Thankful that my dogs are trained to potty where ever, even on pavement or black top. I will not be stopping at public areas to potty dogs. Also as suggested by a friend I will take a spray bottle filled with a mixture of hydrogen peroxide/water – will spray their feet after walks and dry very well.

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      • Kim, sounds like you’ve got a handle on the situation! The extra benefit is that the “Ohio virus” is not the only thing that can be picked up in areas littered with dog waste. By taking extra precautions, you are guarding your dogs against any number of illnesses. Safe travels!

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