Local veterinarians warning against disease that killed over 2 dozen dogs
Veterinarians are putting out a warning if you travel with your dog to and from Michigan.
A parvo-like illness is causing some concern after more than two dozen dogs have died in northern and central Michigan.
”You don’t even really have time to get them cared for and even some with medical attention, most are not surviving,” Dr. Mellissa Voll-Stouffer said.
A mysterious illness that has killed more than 30 dogs in Michigan is now causing concern for veterinarians here at home.
When vets at Ridgeview Veterinary Clinic in Derry Township heard about 20 dogs getting sick in northern Michigan, they thought it was an isolated incident, until there was another.
”Another county in Michigan that seemed to be more central, which led me to call the Department of Agriculture because, in all honesty, my dogs are supposed to go to Michigan in a week and a half,” Voll-Stouffer said.
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The Golden Retriever National Speciality event is being held in Michigan on Labor Day weekend.
The event pulls in dogs from all over the country, including Voll-Stouffers’ goldens.
”The big thing with these big events, these dogs come in from all over then go back to their areas. Hence if they’re exposed to something, something that could’ve been an isolated problem all of a sudden is a big deal,” she said.
The illness appears to be like parvovirus, but when dogs are tested at clinics, they’re not testing positive.
The parvovirus strain does not show until a necropsy is performed.
Voll-Stouffer said a lot of her clients show dogs and many go hunting in Michigan.
”When I talked to Michigan state yesterday, they said there were still necropsies pending and then late last night, they made a press release saying they felt it was a variant of parvo,” she said.
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Vets said any time you travel with dogs they are at risk for illness, but the big concern is the very short amount of time you have to get your dog help.
”Make sure your vaccines are current. What we’re telling our owners, if they haven’t been vaccinated for parvo in the last six months, to get that updated,” Voll-Stouffer said.
State agencies are still trying to determine if this could be a new strain of parvo, or if it may not be responding to the vaccine.
The best advice from vets is to cleanup after your pets and get help immediately if your dog shows any signs of the illness, like bloody stool or vomiting.
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