Parvovirus is highly contagious to dogs and is common in Michigan. There is a vaccine available and the virus is not contagious to other animals or humans. Otsego County has seen more than 30 deaths from the disease, Melissa FitzGerald, director of the Otsego County Animal Control and Shelter, told CBS News. Clare County had at least 10 deaths and Ostego County had about 10, but Fitzgerald said there could be more. The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development said it received a report that a dog in northern Michigan was vomiting and had diarrhea. These are common symptoms of canine parvovirus, but the animal tested negative for parvovirus at the vet clinic. Other animal control agencies in northern Michigan reported seeing dogs with the same symptoms, as well as others commonly associated with parvovirus, such as lethargy and loss of appetite. The causes of the symptoms had not been determined. The State Department is working with partners such as the Michigan Association of Animal Control Officers, the Michigan State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory and the US Department of Agriculture to learn more about the disease, but they are still in the early stages of research. Samples were submitted to the state university lab and tested positive for canine parvovirus — but more results are pending, state veterinarian Nora Wineland said in a statement. “When MDARD first learned of these cases in northern Michigan, we immediately contacted the involved veterinarians and animal shelters and began response efforts. Animal and public health protection is one of the department’s core pillars, but it’s a team effort. Owners should ensure their pet is up to date on routine vaccinations as it is the first step in keeping your pet healthy.” The department urges pet owners to keep up with routine vaccinations for their dogs, clean their pets, keep unvaccinated puppies away from other dogs and keep away from other dogs showing signs of illness. Earlier this month, the Ostego County Animal Shelter posted about the mysterious disease infecting dogs in the area, saying several dogs showed parvo-like symptoms but tested negative. “Most of these dogs have passed within 3 days,” the animal shelter wrote in its Facebook post. “These dogs are mostly under 2 years old. Some of the dogs were vaccinated.” “Nobody has an answer. The best ‘guess’ is that it’s a strain of parvo,” the shelter said at the time, adding that they hadn’t talked about the disease until then “because we really don’t know anything.” The animal shelter was in close contact with veterinarians in the surrounding towns of Gaylord, Traverse City, Grayling, Mancelona and Indian River to try to figure it out and said the infected dogs were not in any area. Last Friday, the animal shelter released an update, saying the disease does not affect certain breeds more than others, and the disease has been detected in dogs from several counties around northern and central Michigan. The shelter said at the time that while the complex disease has killed many dogs in the area, it had not seen any dogs die “that were properly vaccinated.” In Clare County, Animal Control Director Rudy Hicks said last week that all dogs with symptoms of the disease had died regardless of their vaccination status, according to the Clare County Cleaver. The shelter said the illness may be a strain of parvovirus, although the cause is not yet known. He also said there are “many” canine diseases that show symptoms similar to parvovirus, and therefore vets can treat individual cases differently. However, the shelter urged people to properly vaccinate their dogs against parvovirus. Otsego County Animal Control and the shelter will host a parvovirus vaccine clinic this week on Wednesday, August 24th at the Otsego County Fire Department. CBS News has reached out to the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Michigan State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory and is awaiting a response.
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Caitlin O’Kane
Caitlin O’Kane is a trending digital content producer for CBS News and the good news brand The Uplift.