Ohio vets investigate mysterious dog deaths, canine circovirus isolated in one dog sample, two others negative

The mysterious illness in Ohio that has sickened eight dogs in the Cincinnati and Akron areas, killing four, is still under investigation by the Department of Agriculture.

Public domain dog drawing

The dogs have exhibited symptoms including vomiting, bloody diarrhea, weight loss and lethargy.

“While we continue to work diligently to identify what is making these dogs sick, we are asking Ohio’s veterinarians to help by contacting our laboratory for consultation if they suspect they are treating a related case,” said State Veterinarian Dr. Tony Forshey last Friday.

Friday, the investigation revealed the presence of canine circovirus in a fecal sample taken from an ill dog in the state.

“The laboratory confirmation is important because the virus is newly isolated, however we are not prepared at this time to confirm that canine circovirus is the cause of the dog illnesses,” said State Veterinarian Dr. Tony Forshey. “Because the symptoms being exhibited can also be linked to other known illnesses, additional analysis and information is needed to determine if this virus alone or in coinfection contributes to illness and death in dogs.”

However, since that announcement, The Cleveland Plain Dealer reported today that two dogs that had been sick with similar symptoms in different parts of the state tested negative for the same rare virus that showed up in an Akron-area dog last week.

Canine circovirus is newly isolated and there is very little information available about the virus, where it came from and how it spreads. The limited research available shows that canine circovirus can cause vasculitis and hemorrhaging in infected dogs.

It is unclear what the meaning of these tests mean when dealing with circovirus. UC Davis veterinarian and pathologist, Patricia Pesavento, whose lab conducted the testing said, “There is no way of saying ‘this dog is positive, this dog is negative’ yet with circovirus, because we don’t know the best tissue to sample. We’re at the early stages of understanding the disease.”

More about circovirus in dogs

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