Saturday, October 5, 2013

please be AWARE circovirus??? maybe

On sept 13, 2013 ABC news reported the follwing story:

Mysterious Illness Killing Ohio Dogs Email91Smaller FontTextLarger Text|Print By Sydney Lupkin @slupkin Follow on Twitter Sep 13, 2013 1:12pm

Four dogs have died from a mysterious illness in Ohio, prompting state agriculture officials to issue a warning. “Affected dogs have exhibited similar symptoms including vomiting, bloody diarrhea, weight loss and lethargy,” the Ohio Department of Agriculture said in the warning. “Although there are several known causes of these symptoms in dogs, it is generally believed that there is an unknown contributor to the cases.” Read about the hero dog who saved a boy from his abusive babysitter. Three dogs that stayed at the same kennel in Cincinnati got sick and died about a month ago, Ohio Department of Agriculture spokeswoman Erica Hawkins told ABCnews.com. Another dog died of a similar illness two weeks ago in Akron, and a veterinarian there said she treated other dogs with the same symptoms who survived. Although it looks like two clusters of the same illness, labs have not yet been able to confirm what killed the dogs or whether it was the same in both clusters, Hawkins said. Fecal samples taken from one of the dogs contained canine circovirus, a newly identified virus about which very little is known. A spokesman for the Ohio Department of Agriculture told ABCNews.com that only one lab in the country studies the virus, and it is in San Diego. Canine circovirus can cause hemorrhaging and inflammation of the blood vessels but may not have been the cause of death, according to the department’s statement. Concerned pet owners and veterinarians have called the department over the past several weeks. “We want to share good information with owners who are concerned about their animals,” she said. “But it’s hard to do that when we don’t have a lot of answers.” Hawkins said no new cases have been identified in the last two weeks.

"Symptoms can include lack of appetite, lethargy, abdominal pain, vomiting and bloody diarrhea. Dogs displaying these symptoms should be rushed to a vet, especially if someone they’ve been in close contact with is also under the weather. Immediate treatment by a vet is required to save these dog's lives.

Untreated, dogs die within 24/36 hours.

Six dogs have died in Michigan

It appears that the virus is being passed from humans to DOGS. WASH your hands, If you are having flu like symptoms, wash your hands, do not cross contaminate. IF YOUR PET SHOWS ANY SYMPTOMS, GIVEN THE DEADLY SEVERITY OF THIS DISEASE RUSH THEM TO A VET!

BE SAFE not sorry