A deadly illness continues its spread among dogs in northern Michigan.
The Clare County Animal Control Director reported at least 30 dogs in the county have died from the virus since the beginning of August.
It comes after the Otsego County Animal Shelter identified more than 20 dogs dying in their area from a parvo-like illness since June.
The symptoms dogs are experiencing are similar to the parvovirus.
“The symptoms are diarrhea, usually bloody diarrhea, vomiting, lethargic, and death, especially to the young ones that don’t have an immune system that’s mature at that point,” said Dr. Craig Brakeman, veterinarian at Cherry Capital Pet Hospital.
When vets are testing for the parvovirus, most results come back negative.
“That’s why we think it’s something other than the traditional parvovirus that we’ve been dealing with since the seventies and had a vaccine for since the seventies because vaccinated dogs are getting sick,” said Dr. Brakeman.
Veterinarians say the best thing to do is ensure your dog is up to date on all vaccinations.
“We keep them pretty well immunized and up to date on their shots, that record. So we’re not too worried,” said Juashua Gauthier, a dog owner.
“All vets I know are extremely busy,” said Dr. Brakeman. “If you think your dogs are due for vaccines, call and get on the waiting list or get an appointment for two or three weeks from now.”
The other recommendation is to keep your dogs at home.
“It’s passed in the stool of another dog. What’s the first thing a dog wants to do when he finds a new place? He wants to sniff around and sniff everybody else’s what they left behind,” explained Dr. Brakeman.
The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development says they are in the early stages of investigating. Some of their samples came back positive for the parvovirus, and they are still waiting to get more results back.
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