Unidentified parvo-like virus kills dozens of dogs in Michigan – USA TODAY

An unidentified virus has been sickening and killing dozens of dogs in northern Michigan over the past month.
Similar to canine parvovirus in symptoms, the illness first appeared in Otsego County in northern Michigan, but has spread further north, animal experts in the state say.
Parvo is a highly contagious viral disease of dogs that causes acute gastrointestinal illness in puppies, according to the Baker Institute for Animal Health. The disease, often fatal, most often strikes in pups between 6 and 20 weeks old, but older animals are sometimes also affected.
“The state is in a panic right now,” Clare County Animal Control Director Rudi Hicks told the Clare County Cleaver.
The new unidentified virus is suspected to have come from Louisiana. It kills dogs within days of symptoms, Hicks told the outlet.
More than 30 dogs had died of the disease in Clare County alone as of Thursday, Hicks said. It’s not yet known how the virus spreads.
“It is a virus much like parvo, possibly a different strain” said Melissa FitzGerald, director of Otsego County Animal Shelter in Gaylord, Michigan, about 50 miles south of Mackinaw City.
Symptoms, she said, include bloody diarrhea, vomiting and lethargy.
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The virus affects puppies and older dogs, and when the animals are tested by veterinarians, the initial test for parvo is negative, FitzGerald told USA TODAY.
Usually, the dogs die within three to five days. 
As of Monday, FitzGerald said, no dogs at the Otsego County shelter, 70 miles north of Clare County, had contracted the virus.
Most of the dogs who have contracted the illness have been under the age of 2, the Otsego County Animal Shelter posted on Facebook, and some of the dogs were vaccinated.
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FitzGerald said some of the dogs have been sent to The Michigan State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory for a necropsy. 
“The necropsy does show parvo,” she said. “The State vets office is hoping to learn more and come up with a defense as we get more specimens (either necropsies or fecal matter).” 
The shelter has been in close contact with veterinarians in Gaylord, Traverse City, Grayling, Mancelona and Indian River trying to find a solution, but there is currently no cure. 
Jane Sykes, professor of medicine and epidemiology at University of California, Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, said that as of Monday she had not heard of any similar cases in California.
“However, there are outbreaks like this that occur periodically,” Sykes told USA TODAY. “Sometimes it is a new pathogen, sometimes a combination of pathogens together with stressors in shelter environments, sometimes it can relate to diagnostic test problems, or problems with vaccination protocols.”
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In an effort to avoid the virus, FitzGerald said pet owners should get their pets vaccinated. 
“If you don’t know if your dog is properly vaccinated or you don’t know what properly vaccinated is, contact a veterinarian,” FitzGerald said.
She also recommended keeping pets away from other dogs or areas where a lot of dogs have been, including dog parks. 
Contributing: Layla McMurtrie, Detroit Free Press
Natalie Neysa Alund covers trending news for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on Twitter @nataliealund.

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