Outbreak of dog virus in Mayo

tk123

Just heard this on the radio:
http://www.midwestradio.ie/mwr/index.php/news/13223-outbreak-of-virus-affecting-dogs-in-west-mayo-area.html

Outbreak of virus affecting dogs in West Mayo area
Thursday, 21 February 2013 09:07
An outbreak of a contagious virus is affecting dogs in the Newport/Tiernaur area.
A number of dogs have died after contracting the virus and a local vet is warning dog-owners that it is a contagious outbreak.
Dogs which are not vaccinated are susceptible to the virus and local vet John Corrigan says that people should take care walking their dogs or with other dogs coming into their property.

ISDW

How weird that they don't specify which virus, and which vaccination is required to keep the dogs safe. I'm guessing parvo?

**Vai**

Surely all dogs are vaccinated these days?

space_man

**Vai** wrote: »

Surely all dogs are vaccinated these days?

are you serious? i would say no more than 30% are. (just a guesstimate btw).

my dog was vaccinated about 18 months ago.
just wondering should i get her a booster?

Toulouse

Unfortunately not Vai, that's why it's still not uncommon in this country for a dog to contract and die from Parvo.

Completely agree with ISDW, why didn't they name the virus? At least let people know what they're dealing with so they can look for symptoms, disinfect appropriately, etc.

tk123

I agree - thought it was very strange that they didn't say what it was?

meoklmrk91

Agree that it is strange they didn't name the virus, must be Parvo.

ISDW

space_man wrote: »

are you serious? i would say no more than 30% are. (just a guesstimate btw).

my dog was vaccinated about 18 months ago.
just wondering should i get her a booster?

As you've left it so long, you'll have to start the whole vaccination program from scratch. Your dog is now unvaccinated, you need to get it done every 12 months to keep the efficacy up, or get the dog titre tested. The initial course of vaccinations isn't actual completed until the dog has had the first booster 12 months after the first course, so even if people choose not to vaccinate each year, and more and more people want to leave it for longer, the first 12 month booster, has to be done.

Stheno

ISDW wrote: »

As you've left it so long, you'll have to start the whole vaccination program from scratch. Your dog is now unvaccinated, you need to get it done every 12 months to keep the efficacy up, or get the dog titre tested. The initial course of vaccinations isn't actual completed until the dog has had the first booster 12 months after the first course, so even if people choose not to vaccinate each year, and more and more people want to leave it for longer, the first 12 month booster, has to be done.

Depends on if that was the dogs first vaccine. If it's had a booster a year after the first puppy vaccinations, it may be ok for three years. New guidelines were issued a few years ago that adult dogs only need parvo and distemper boosters every three years, rather than yearly

Having seen mystery viruses show up in the past, it's often thought to be parvo, but can also be one called corona virus, something which is not routinely vaccinated against here, and which is as bad as parvo

ISDW

Stheno wrote: »

Depends on if that was the dogs first vaccine. If it's had a booster a year after the first puppy vaccinations, it may be ok for three years. New guidelines were issued a few years ago that adult dogs only need parvo and distemper boosters every three years, rather than yearly

Having seen mystery viruses show up in the past, it's often thought to be parvo, but can also be one called corona virus, something which is not routinely vaccinated against here, and which is as bad as parvo

I made the assumption that it was the dog's first vaccinations, as the poster said the dog was vaccinated 18 months ago, and wondered if a booster was needed Just pointing out that the first 12 month booster is vital, no matter if you then decide not to vaccinate each year. It is also recommended that Lepto is given each year.

**Vai**

space_man wrote: »

are you serious? i would say no more than 30% are. (just a guesstimate btw).

my dog was vaccinated about 18 months ago.
just wondering should i get her a booster?

Dead serious. Maybe I fell into the trap of thinking most dog owners are responsible.

As ISDW said, if its your dogs first vaccination, you're starting again and hoping your dog hasnt caught anything.

space_man

**Vai** wrote: »

Dead serious. Maybe I fell into the trap of thinking most dog owners are responsible.

As ISDW said, if its your dogs first vaccination, you're starting again and hoping your dog hasnt caught anything.

thanks for that guys!
yes it was her first vaccination, so i had better get her to the vet 2morrow and get the ball rolling again.

i usually have her on a leash, but being a Jack Russel she's very sociable and always wants to mess about with other dogs. i presume that's how most of these viruses get passed, ie dog to dog contact.

ISDW

space_man wrote: »

thanks for that guys!
yes it was her first vaccination, so i had better get her to the vet 2morrow and get the ball rolling again.

i usually have her on a leash, but being a Jack Russel she's very sociable and always wants to mess about with other dogs. i presume that's how most of these viruses get passed, ie dog to dog contact.

Unfortunately a lot of them are airborne, so if it is particular virulent, your dog doesn't have to have physical contact with another dog, even just walking where another dog has been previously can be contagious.

space_man

it's very curious that the type of virus has not been mentioned.

could the "explanation" be poisoning?

Stheno

space_man wrote: »

it's very curious that the type of virus has not been mentioned.

could the "explanation" be poisoning?

The explanation could be as simple as the type of virus hasn't been identified.

I remember an outbreak of what was thought to be parvo which turned out to be a particularly nasty strain of corona, and it took a while for it to be figured out.

Poisoning would be easy enough to determine.

Mountainsandh

Mr Mountains brought our little dog for his yearly boosters last week, he said the people before him walked in with their dog, and the poor thing came out of there in a body bag . It hadn't been vaccinated and had caught something (don't know what specifically).
You'd be so heart broken wouldn't you, I think I could understand if you had lots of dogs and it were really costly, but then why take on lots of dogs if you don't have the money for their vaccinations ? Maybe in some cases if people were rescueing as many as they could, better to rescue and not vaccinate than not rescue at all I suppose. Cases like that I'd understand.
Our vet only charges around 40/50 euros I think for full vaccinations (including rabies) and he even did worming and fleas that day on top of that for that price, I think that's really honest and reasonable.

I'm in South East, hope this thing is not gone nationwide, there would be a lot of casualties allright.

ISDW

It can be expensive if you have a few dogs, and as Stheno has said, isn't really necessary every year now, but as my dogs go into kennels, and we travel, I do get them done each year, have two due now, I just spread them out over the year so I don't feel it so much. We have foster dogs in the house quite often as well, so I like to know my lot are protected. I also like them having their annual check up at the vets, they get their temps taken, heart and lungs listened to, weighed, eyes and ears looked at, worth the money I think for the peace of mind

So sad about the dog walking into the vets and not coming out

space_man

the reason i raised the poisoning question is because Newport seems like a very rural area for this type of outbreak to occur. i know there has been a problem with farmers having their sheep killed in that area and they are very angry about the damage caused by stray/unhoused dogs.

that said i agree any vet ought to be able to differentiate between the two fairly quickly. but that's assuming the dogs have been brought to a vet in the first place.

Aru

Its thought to be a Parvo outbreak but not officially confirmed...Vets in the surrounding area were told its Parvo and to prepare for a potential increase in cases as isolation needs to be set up for dogs with the disease within clinics.... Plus given that few places in Ireland have access to the Corona vaccine....(if its even licensed here?I have not come across it in Ireland.) I think its safe to say its the most likely culprit

Severe corona virus and Parvo are very similar in their initial symptoms so I would not be surprised if any vet could not say 100 percent which a dog had without doing further tests. Both produce severe diarrhoea and rapid dehydration particularly in the immunosuppressed animal ....ie puppies....with severe corona infections there is sometimes has blood in the poo,Parvo more commonly has blood a very severe diarrhoea with rapid deterioration and the dogs also can be vomiting.

Corona is less commonly diagnosed as its usually not as severe so samples are not sent off for analysis bar ruling parvo out using a snap test.Corona however is thankfully rarely fatal once the dehydration is treated. The same cannot be said of Parvo due to the severe internal damage it causes

A dog with bloody diarrhoea and dehydration could have a severe infection of the corona virus but would look like a Parvo case. If treated symptomatically and no snap tests done to distinguish the two apart it is not to far of a stretch to imagine that many "parvo" cases that survive did not have that particular virus in the first place. Bar perhaps the smell......parvo often has a fairly distinctive horrific smell to it

Parvo, Adeno, and Distemper vaccines....(all covered in a combi injection) are 3 yearly once the initial course and booster have been given. Leptosporosis however still requires an annual booster.

From what I have heard from vets in Mayo is that this isn't the normal few cases of Parvo that vets see every few weeks around the area(Parvo virus is still common in the Mayo region for definite...and not unusual at all in most small animal practices across this country)It is a full on spreading outbreak in the area.

Edited to add...My practice charges 25 euro for a booster injection and exam.50 for the full initial two injection course and cheaper if there are several pups to be done.

If you cannot afford to stretch to 25 euro to prevent fatal diseases in your pet I would question why you have one.....perhaps that is a harsh opinion but I am low on pity for people who plead money problems. Put down to many dogs lately that should not have had to die for having poor and somewhat neglectful owners.

Stheno

Aru wrote: »

Plus given that few places in Ireland have access to the Corona vaccine....(if its even licensed here?I have not come across it in Ireland.) I think its safe to say its the most likely culprit

I believe it's licenced here, I've known vets in Dublin, Kildare and Laois who have been able to offer it. It's just not commonly given.

Binka

I'm a bit confused. So the most likely culprit is the corona virus, yet it's rarely fatal.
The midwest article was reporting fatalities. As I'm in Mayo I'm a bit unsettled by this news. My boys are vaccinated and up to date but it sounds like that wouldn't include corona.
Should I take this up with my vet as to why this isn't part of the routine vax?

Stheno

Binka wrote: »

I'm a bit confused. So the most likely culprit is the corona virus, yet it's rarely fatal.
The midwest article was reporting fatalities. As I'm in Mayo I'm a bit unsettled by this news. My boys are vaccinated and up to date but it sounds like that wouldn't include corona.
Should I take this up with my vet as to why this isn't part of the routine vax?

No one has come out and confirmed which virus it is to be fair. Going by what Aru said, it's believed it's an outbreak of parvo though which if your dog is vaccinated then they are covered against.
Corona is not one of the core vaccines that are recommended for dogs, therefore, it's not that commonly used. Parvo on the other hand is a core vaccine. Anytime I've been in a vet that had it, it was part of a combination of vaccines as in the link below.

http://www.vetstreet.com/care/canine-coronavirus-vaccine

space_man

Stheno wrote: »

No one has come out and confirmed which virus it is to be fair. Going by what Aru said, it's believed it's an outbreak of parvo though which if your dog is vaccinated then they are covered against.
Corona is not one of the core vaccines that are recommended for dogs, therefore, it's not that commonly used. Parvo on the other hand is a core vaccine. Anytime I've been in a vet that had it, it was part of a combination of vaccines as in the link below.

http://www.vetstreet.com/care/canine-coronavirus-vaccine

I had my JR vaccinated today. The place was very busy with concerned owners doing same.

The vet said he felt the outbreak was parvo. He gave her the once over and thankfully my wee dog seemed to be fine. €35 (also covered Corona) so seemed good value tbh.:)

Stheno

space_man wrote: »

I had my JR vaccinated today. The place was very busy with concerned owners doing same.

The vet said he felt the outbreak was parvo. He gave her the once over and thankfully my wee dog seemed to be fine. €35 seemed good value tbh.:)

Good for you Someone who knows the science more may be able to post more on this, but apparently the more you have dogs vaccinated in an area, the lesser the risk of the live virus affecting dogs, read this before, it might be related to houses, but not open spaces, but essentially the act of vaccinating dogs reduces the likelihood of the occurence of an outbreak of the viruses vaccinated against.

I actually think vaccinations are one of the best value services offered by vets. They generally will do a quick check up, let you voice concerns and if it's something quick give you advice, or advise on anything you need to follow up on, and your pet gets the shots they need.

Seems very little to pay the same or less than the cost of a 15e bag of food, and get that value for it.

Mountainsandh

Yes, I treat my pets' boosters visit as their annual check up, unless anything else pops up during the year, that's the only time they go in, and our vet always gives them a good once over. It's worth it.

space_man

i agree.
without being overly sentimental, she gives my family such joy €35 is very a small price to pay for her continued health 'n happiness.

Stheno

Mountainsandh wrote: »

Yes, I treat my pets' boosters visit as their annual check up, unless anything else pops up during the year, that's the only time they go in, and our vet always gives them a good once over. It's worth it.

Same here, now mine are all old, youngest is five/six (rescues so not certain on age) so they get a three yearly booster and lepto every year, but outside of that barring an accident/fight they'd rarely be in, until they get really old and might have arthritis/old people/dog illnesses.

Mountainsandh

Yeah, my cat is nine and I can see him growing older, I'm thinking it might be a twice yearly check up for him from next year, we'll see. He's fine, fingers crossed it will last, has just slowed down a good bit and the naps are longer

edit : what's lepto ?

Stheno

Mountainsandh wrote: »

Yeah, my cat is nine and I can see him growing older, I'm thinking it might be a twice yearly check up for him from next year, we'll see. He's fine, fingers crossed it will last, has just slowed down a good bit and the naps are longer

edit : what's lepto ?

Lepto is shorthand for leptospirosis (sp?), have you heard of weils disease where people catch a very very nasty virus from rats urine?

Lepto is the dog version of weils. Very dangerous if you don't vaccinate your dog against it if they swim regularly, or are around a lot of farm/rural areas, not to say they are immune in an urban areas, but more high risk. It's not just rats, other animals can carry it too, but rats would be the most common.

Dreadful dreadful thing to catch, hits the liver and kidneys, and it's an awful awful illness. It's fatal something if not caught in time. My wolfhound developed kidney disease and died from it and the vet initially thought i was lepto but thankfully it wasn't.

tk123

Stheno wrote: »

I actually think vaccinations are one of the best value services offered by vets. They generally will do a quick check up, let you voice concerns and if it's something quick give you advice, or advise on anything you need to follow up on, and your pet gets the shots they need.

.

+1 Our vet goes over them with a fine tooth comb checking everything! A dog in our park was in for vaccinations and the vet felt a lump - cancer Now the poor thing died recently but he was on chemo for a few months and in great form, they were able to spoil him and prepare themselves for letting their boy go. (he was only 6)

borderlinemeath

tk123 wrote: »

+1 Our vet goes over them with a fine tooth comb checking everything! A dog in our park was in for vaccinations and the vet felt a lump - cancer Now the poor thing died recently but he was on chemo for a few months and in great form, they were able to spoil him and prepare themselves for letting their boy go. (he was only 6)

I dunno, maybe it's just me but I'm always checking dogs and making sure they don't have any lumps and bumps. I found a wee lump on one of my regular mindees once and was dreading telling the owner. She got the vet to check it out and he removed it but there was nothing sinister about it and it was ok. I wonder do some people barely pet or rub their pets sometimes?

paultf

borderlinemeath wrote: »

I dunno, maybe it's just me but I'm always checking dogs and making sure they don't have any lumps and bumps. I found a wee lump on one of my regular mindees once and was dreading telling the owner. She got the vet to check it out and he removed it but there was nothing sinister about it and it was ok. I wonder do some people barely pet or rub their pets sometimes?

Sometimes it can be hard to spot.

Over the years my eldest dog was always getting lumps/growths of some sort and the vet removed them. Luckily no problems.

But recently I was washing him and I spotted 2 warts. With his thick coat (cocker) I didn't see them when he was dry. Vet checked them and said that older dogs get warts and there was nothing to worry about.

Normally I only wash the dogs every 3 months. Thinking now I better do it more frequently as a health check for growths that are hidden.

Whispered

We were in on Thursday getting boosters. I would much prefer to get them less often than yearly, but because they're in kennels a lot I get them done as close to yearly as possible. (we were a month late this year )

Full check up and the vaccinations came to 80 for both of them.

Mayo Miss

A vet based in Claremorris was talking on MidWest Radio news today. She said she had 2 cases of parvo in dogs from Claremorris and Ballyhaunis. She was blaming the mild winter for the outbreak.

space_man

A WESTPORT-based vet has recommended the immediate vaccination of dogs, particularly young pups, following the outbreak of a strain of a contagious virus which has resulted in the death of three dogs.
Canine parvovirus has been detected in dogs in the Newport and Tiernaur region in the last week. The virus has resulted in the death of three dogs and more have been hospitalised. The contagious virus is especially severe in puppies, and can cause vomiting, diarrhoea and internal bleeding.
The mortality rate for the virus is very high when left untreated. It can also cause pregnant bitches to abort their pups. Older dogs are also at risk. Healthy adult dogs are generally immune to the effects of the virus.
John Paul Corrigan (pictured)of the Lodge Veterinary Hospital in Westport told The Mayo News that canine parvovirus is a very contagious and severe type of virus. It is not contagious to humans, but can be spread indirectly by humans if they come in contact with affected dogs. He urged farmers in particular to vaccinate their animals.
“The farm dog is typically not vaccinated, and it is farm dogs who suffer the most. It mostly affects young pups under a year, pregnant bitches and older dogs. This virus is particularly severe. Affected dogs run up high temperatures, which leave them vomiting, and they become dehydrated very quickly.
“The best way to prevent a dogs being infected is through vaccination, although it takes between ten and 14 days to take effect. Any dog that is vaccinated properly should be close to 100 per cent safe, and I would encourage people to have their dogs vaccinated,” he said.

Source
The virus is believed to have been brought into the Newport area by a young pup that was brought in from outside the county a week before the outbreak. It spread from Newport towards the Tiernaur area but has not been detected in any other area. This is the first time Mr Corigan has come across the virus in Mayo, but he has treated it in Dublin and he expects more dogs to be affected before it ‘peters out’.
However, he said that the strain was ‘very stubborn’ and recommended that farmyards where an infected dog was present should be thoroughly disinfected.
“People should avoid farms where the virus was detected to prevent it spreading. The virus is also very stubborn and can remain in the ground for many years, and there may be a repeat outbreak in the future. Anyone who has a dog which contacted the virus should give their yard a thorough cleaning and disinfection,” he said. The number of cases of Kennel cough, a common respiratory infection has been reported to have risen in Mayo recently with claims that it is picked up by dogs along the Greenway.
John Paul explained that dogs brought to Mayo can sometimes spread diseases but added that Kennel cough was one of the most common diseases in Ireland. But he has not seen a substantial increase in the number of Kennel cough cases since the opening of the Greenway.

http://www.mayonews.ie/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=17197:vet-urges-vaccinations-after-virus-outbreak-kills-three-dogs&catid=23:news&Itemid=46

ISDW

As far as I'm aware, dogs aren't allowed on the Greenway as it crosses privately owned farmland, so not sure what relevance that has to anything.

boxerly

Its worrying the amount of people who dont vaccinate their pets .There was a dog a few months back in Leixlip who had parvo and lepto? poor dog was in agony when brought into vets:(he died very shortly afterwards,he was too far gone (

space_man

ISDW wrote: »

As far as I'm aware, dogs aren't allowed on the Greenway as it crosses privately owned farmland, so not sure what relevance that has to anything.

no you are correct, dogs are not allowed on the Greenway.
but then again you are not allowed to have a dog without a licence, you're not allowed to let your dog poop everywhere, you're not allowed to let your dog wander at night-time, your'e not allowed to let your dog chase cars ...............:(