Hemorrhagic gastro-enteritis at the Pet Spot in Cincinnati

[LauraKY]

Updated: Wednesday, August 14 2013, 06:25 PM EDT Officials at the State Department of Agriculture are waiting on test results to see if a disease called HGE is responsible for the violent deaths of three local dogs. They’re also worried there could be other cases they don’t know about.

According to owners and state officials, the dead dogs may have something in common. Local 12’s Rich Jaffe has the story. Hemorrhagic gastro-enteritis or HGE is a brutal disease. Its onset is very fast, and if dogs aren’t treated immediately they’re likely to die a horrific death, basically bleeding out from the inside.The disease is extremely hard to identify and even harder to isolate. Basically experts have to eliminate everything else, and what’s left is HGE. The concern is there could be a lot of cases out there not being reported. We have to warn you this is a disturbing story.

Last week Russell Gibson took his two dogs…Buster and this one, Max to stay at Pet Stop in Norwood while he went on vacation. Via web cam he was able to check in on them. When he picked them up, he noticed Max wasn’t acting right. Gibson says… “So I took him home and started noticing little spots on the hardwood floors of blood and I was examining him to make sure he didn’t have any cuts or anything and when I got out of the shower there was just this huge pool of blood.” Gibson took his dog to the MedVet emergency clinic on Redbank road, where they immediately started the treating the dog. Soon, unfortunately he had company. He says “they examined him and while I was there. Another woman had come in with a Chocolate Lab and I could just see the towel she had her dog wrapped in was just soaked with blood.” That dog was this Lab named Lanie. She died a short time later…according to her owner Lanie was diagnosed with what’s believed to be hemorrhagic gastroenteritis.

Russell Gibson…“and I heard her talking to the receptionist and she told her that her dog became ill having blood coming out of his rectum and she had picked him up from the daycare at the same place I had mine, the Pet Spot.” While the owners of The Pet Spot didn’t talk with us on camera, they’ve posted this warning notice on their door advising customers that they’re aware of a problem with sick dogs and that anyone experiencing similar problems should immediately take their animal to a vet. We could see on their web cam that there were a number of dogs on site today.

State officials say they’re aware of three dead dogs with HGE symptoms and they confirm that two of them have been at The Pet Spot, but no one can say for sure where the disease is coming from or how many cases exist in the area. Pet Spot owner Jeff Voelpel told me on the phone he’s spent the last two days scrubbing the place down and says everyone is awaiting test results. Again it’s important to point out that while the facility is connected to three of the four known cases of what’s believed to be HGE at this point there’s nothing that says definitively the problem is coming from Pet Spot.

State officials tell us that anyone who’s had a dog at that facility or has a dog acting strangely should keep a close eye on it, and take it to a vet immediately if they start seeing bloody vomit or diarrhea. Facilities that board dogs are licensed by the State Department of Agriculture. Agency officials say they hope to have some additional answers in a few days.

They’re also asking that any veterinarians treating dogs with these symptoms contact the department. “First and foremost, our deepest sympathies go out to the families who lost their pets. In eight years, we have had more than 15,000 customers. We serve at least 1,000 dogs a week, and we have never had a situation like this. We are trying to find out what happened but do not have answers right now. In the meantime, we are communicating with our customers, monitoring the dogs closely and are continuing to take every precaution in maintaining a clean and safe environment.” - Jeff Voelpel, owner, The Pet Spot

Read More at: http://www.local12.com//news/features/top-stories/stories/state-officials-watching-dog-death-cases-1006.shtml?wap=0

[SarahandSam]

I’m very interested in what they find from this… my older dog has chronic issues with HGE, but I was under the assumption that it was generally caused by eating something bad/potentially bacteria-laden (she usually has symptoms of it after staying with my mother, where she inevitably gets fed table scraps, gets into the trash, eats her own poop, etc.). I know that stress/anxiety can contribute to it, but I can’t imagine what might be floating around at one boarding kennel that would make multiple dogs sick…

HGE is super scary, though. Her first bout, I came home one night and found her hiding behind the toilet with pools of blood everywhere. I have never run so many red lights in my life. Now at least we know the earliest signs, so she gets immediately switched over to a bland diet, pumpkin/yogurt/Fortiflora, and metronidazole, and usually that nips it in the bud. But full-blown HGE is absolutely terrifying.

[frisky]

My dog had HGE this spring. ONe night I came home and found a pool of blood.Turns out she was peeing blood out of her rectum. Very graphic and gross. I was told the same thing as S&S-- food and/or stress related.My dog went to the vet and got your basic fluids, pain killers and antibiotics and she was fine $700 and two weeks of antibiotics later.

[bits619]

How timely of a thread! Was out with the dogs this morning and saw our cocker foster dog produce the brightest, reddest diarrhea I’ve ever seen. Loaded up and rushed to the vet in minutes. Hge is the diagnosis, Ampicillin for two weeks every 8 hours. Our vet (and the reading I’m doing) don’t suggest that it’s contagious, but I will be watching the other dogs, of course. Just so glad I caught it early! Scary stuff.

[SarahandSam]

[QUOTE=bits619;7127880]
How timely of a thread! Was out with the dogs this morning and saw our cocker foster dog produce the brightest, reddest diarrhea I’ve ever seen. Loaded up and rushed to the vet in minutes. Hge is the diagnosis, Ampicillin for two weeks every 8 hours. Our vet (and the reading I’m doing) don’t suggest that it’s contagious, but I will be watching the other dogs, of course. Just so glad I caught it early! Scary stuff.[/QUOTE]

Glad you caught it early too! If you’re not already, a bland rice/boiled chicken diet will help, as well as a little canned pumpkin, probiotic, yogurt, etc. As I said, I am now a pro at dealing with HGE!

[SarahandSam]

Just saw this article today and believe it’s referring to the Cincinnati cases–looks like these dogs (and several others) might have contracted circovirus rather than HGE. Scary, and hoping more info comes out on it soon. http://www.pethealthnetwork.com/lifestyle/new-virus-threatens-dogs-circovirus

[VaqueroToro]

SIL nearly lost her dog to this almost a year ago.

What a horrible, scary thing to have to go through.

[LauraKY]

It’s in Akron too. Stay out of dog parks and doggie day care centers.

[FalseImpression]

a Canadian rescue who pulls dogs out of shelters in OH had 7 puppies in foster… lost 3 due to ??? their vet has been in touch with the authorities and sent the files. It is so scary. The other 4 puppies are doing fine.

[LauraKY]

[QUOTE=FalseImpression;7167012]
a Canadian rescue who pulls dogs out of shelters in OH had 7 puppies in foster… lost 3 due to ??? their vet has been in touch with the authorities and sent the files. It is so scary. The other 4 puppies are doing fine.[/QUOTE]

How horrible. I know the cocker rescue I transport for has cancelled their reunion next week.

[islgrl]

I have dealt with HGE in my dog thre times now. I havenever heard it was contagious, and I firmly believe his are triggered by allergies although we can’t prove it. The vet I spoke with the first time said they aren’t totally sure why it happens…

[LauraKY]

My “love having a scientist in the family” opinion:

“After looking online, symptoms include: severe vomiting, bloody diarrhea, extreme lethargy, neuro problems, loss of appetite and acute vasculitis (leaking of the vessels). The best GUESS of incubation period is 1-2 days and is primarily spread through fecal matter. Because this is a virus, cleaning up piles of feces is NOT enough to protect your dog. Viruses are incredibly small and can remain regardless of whether one can visibly see anything or not. If treated immediately, the survival rate is good. I would also encourage all dog owners to wash their own hands frequently as it is believed to have already jumped species. Personally, even though the likelihood of infection is low, I would still not take my dog to a dog park or anywhere that dogs congregate. Just my lowly immunology researcher opinion.”

[GaitedGloryRider]

OMG I almost didn’t click on this thread and I am SO glad I did. My mom and I were planning to take a short weekend trip and since no one in the family could take our dogs on short notice we were going to put them in a doggy day care. Pet Spot is only ten minutes from her house…she probably called them when she was checking places yesterday.

No way, no how, I’m staying home and so is my dog.

[LauraKY]

If you’re in Cincinnati, I would stay out of boarding kennels until they get a handle on this…to be extra special cautious.

http://www.cleveland.com/healthfit/index.ssf/2013/09/two_ohio_dogs_test_negative_fo.html

[GaitedGloryRider]

Yeah, I’ve already decided my dog won’t be leaving the yard for a while and neither will my mom’s, if she really needs a weekend out I’ll just keep hers with me. She’s right in Cincinnati and I’m in the suburbs. I missed this in the news, if I hadn’t caught this thread both our dogs might have been kenneled this weekend. Possibly even at the same kennel where the two dogs died.

Thank you for the PSA, I’d have been devastated if I went out of town and later found out this was going around. Better safe than sorry, a weekend road trip certainly isn’t worth risking my dog’s health over.

[LauraKY]

An update (posted in Off Course as well).

It looks like we may be back to “we don’t know what is causing it.”

Veterinarians skeptical canine circovirus alone is sickening dogs

September 10, 2013
By: Jennifer Fiala
For The VIN News Service

That’s what scientists investigating the mysterious illness that’s sickening and killing dogs in Ohio and elsewhere say after diagnostic tests of some infected samples came back positive for Dog Circovirus, or DogCV.

Dr. Patricia Pesavento is an associate professor of pathology, microbiology and immunology at the University of California, Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine. In the wake of reports that dogs in Ohio were dying of a mysterious toxicant or virus, she received samples from three of the infected animals, only one of which tested positive for DogCV.

The dogs’ clinical signs included bloody diarrhea and vomiting, extreme lethargy, neurological problems and lack of appetite. Severe hemorrhagic gastroenteritis and vasculitis are associated with DogCV. Treatment guidelines do not exist apart from supportive care.

“Understanding the pathogenesis of DogCV is in its infancy,” Pesavento explained by email. Pointing to previous research she conducted on DogCV, Pesavento said, “We have identified 10 animals retrospectively that are infected with DogCV and that have vascular-based disease, but there is a large burden of proof for causality.”

By phone, she added: “My bottom line: Circovirus is part of this; we don’t know if it’s the same agent killing all of these animals.”

The Ohio Department of Agriculture, which is organizing the investigation, is asking veterinarians to consult the agency’s Division of Animal Health at (614) 728-6220 if they see suspected cases. Concerned pet owners are encouraged to talk to their veterinarians.

Researchers at The Ohio State University (OSU) also are testing samples from sickened dogs. Melissa Weber, director of communications for the veterinary college, confirmed that one dog was sent to OSU for necropsy.

She stated that OSU does not have the ability to test for DogCV. “Everything else they’ve tested for has come back negative,” she said. “Circovirus is interesting, but that doesn’t mean it’s causing these deaths.”

Even so, mainstream media have run with the idea that dogs are dying after contracting circovirus. “It’s a scary new disease that can kill your dog,” an Ohio news agency reported.

A press release issued last week by State Veterinarian Dr. Tony Forshey is less definitive.

“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,” he said. “Because the symptoms being exhibited can also be linked to other known illnesses, additional analysis and information is needed to determine if this virus is alone or in co-infection.”

DogCV is newly isolated and there is very little information available about the virus, where it came from and how it spreads, the Ohio Department of Agriculture press release stated. “The limited research available shows that canine circovirus can cause vasculitis and hemorrhaging in infected dogs.”

Porcine Circovirus, the only other known mammalian circovirus, can cause vasculitis in swine.

Dr. Melanie Butera in Canal Fulton, 18 miles south of Akron, is one of a handful of practitioners in Ohio who’ve treated dogs infected with the novel virus. “I had two dogs come in on the same day with these odd and very severe signs,” said Butera of the first of her patients that presented with signs of the disease on Aug. 24. “These dogs had been sick such a short period of time with normal blood work. I immediately thought there was no way this was a virus. It worked too quickly for the viral diseases we are used to seeing.”

One of the two dogs died. It was then that Butera learned several dogs recently had become ill and three died after visiting a boarding facility in Norwood, north of Cincinnati.

Despite extensive testing of the facility, no bacterial agent or toxicant was found to have caused the cases, which sounded a lot like what Butera was seeing in her own practice. Butera turned to the Veterinary Information Network (VIN), an online community for the profession, where she consulted colleagues about what she was witnessing.

“What has really stood out to me in these cases is the acute profound lethargy/weakness/depression, and the sinus tachycardia,” she wrote in a VIN discussion. By phone, she added: “The big thing was how sick these dogs were in such a short time period. They had fluid coming out of their gums. They weren’t passing bloody diarrhea, they were passing blood and clear fluid.”

Another dog Butera treated with similar clinical signs is on the mend after vasculitis caused the skin on its back to slough off. She’s now collecting reports from veterinarians in the area who’ve seen patients with similar conditions and has warned her clients about what she says are “sporadic cases.”

“It was one of my patients that tested positive for circovirus,” Butera said. “But I’ve said this repeatedly: Just because they found the virus does not mean it caused the disease.”

http://news.vin.com/VINNews.aspx?articleId=28696