Authorities in Michigan are investigating a mysterious disease that has killed more than 20 dogs this summer, often striking puppies or younger animals and killing them within days.
All of the animals died in Otsego County from what officials described as a parvovirus-like condition, the Otsego County Animal Shelter said in an Aug. 19 Facebook post. The dogs had typical parvovirus symptoms such as vomiting and bloody stools, but tested negative for the virus, according to shelter officials.
“We have not seen a dog die that was PROPERLY vaccinated,” the shelter said in the social media post. “If you don’t know if your dog is OK [sic] vaccinated or what is CORRECTLY vaccinated is to contact a/your VETERINARY”.
According to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), young puppies are highly susceptible to infection and may need a series of vaccines during their first few months of life to protect against parvovirus. Puppies can get some immunity from their mother’s milk, but they have a gap in protection before they are fully vaccinated when they can still become infected. The AVMA recommends that all puppies, regardless of vaccination history, receive a dose of parvovirus vaccine between 14 and 16 weeks of age.
Before then, pet owners should limit the time puppies spend in places where other puppies congregate, such as pet stores, parks, daycare centers or kennels, the AVMA advises. Good dog grooming providers will also try to reduce exposure by only accepting vaccinated dogs.
Parvovirus is highly contagious and commonly causes acute gastrointestinal illness in puppies, according to the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine. Most often, it affects puppies between 6 and 20 weeks old. Although a vaccine released in the late 1970s has helped curb infections, outbreaks are still common, according to Cornell.
A parvovirus diagnosis can be confirmed with fecal tests, which can be done in a veterinarian’s office in about 15 minutes, according to Cornell. This test is fairly accurate, but dogs that have the virus can sometimes test negative if stool samples are collected later in the course of the disease, according to the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine.
While there are no medications targeted for this condition, dogs can be treated with intensive fluid regimens to prevent dehydration, as well as medications to control vomiting and diarrhea and to prevent further infections, according to the AVMA.
One of the challenges in preventing the spread of parvovirus is that symptoms may not appear until about a week after dogs are infected, according to Cornell. In addition to nausea and vomiting, other symptoms may include lethargy, depression, lack of appetite, and the sudden onset of a high fever.
In early August, the Otsego County Animal Shelter issued a public service announcement about a number of dogs that had been sick with what officials suspected might be parvovirus.
“There have been many dogs over the past month that have come down with what appears to be parvo (vomiting, bloody stool),” the shelter said in an Aug. 9 Facebook post. At the time, shelter officials expressed some uncertainty about the cause of these illnesses, especially since all the dogs had tested negative for parvovirus.
Most of the dogs died within three days, and most were less than 2 years old, the shelter said. Some of the sick dogs were vaccinated.
“We really don’t know anything,” the shelter said on August 9. “The only thing is to make sure that your pets are vaccinated and that at the first sign of illness they get to the vet.”