You can help prevent disease in your pets, from the oldest to youngest, by cleaning up after them. Image by pippalou
In the fall of 2013 a number of dogs in Ohio and California died showing symptoms that included vomiting and diarrhea.
Researchers found a new virus, dog circovirus(DogCV) in some of those cases.
Dog owners who remember the early years of the Canine Parvovirus outbreak were likely very concerned that another deadly virus was on the horizon.
As of spring 2014, however, there has been no significant increase in deaths linked to DogCV. At present it appears that circovirus may have been just one contributing factor in those deaths – but research into this virus continues.
Why Dog Circovirus Might Not be the Sole Cause of Illness or Death
Almost 70% of the dogs who became sick and tested positive for circovirus were also infected with other viruses and/or bacteria known to cause similar symptoms.
In pigs, where scientists have studied a similar porcine circovirus for a number of years, co-infection with other viruses and bacteria is known to increase the risk of active disease. Co-infection tends to be synergistic, particularly in the digestive system where one bacteria or virus may cause irritation or inflammation, allowing other viruses and bacteria to take hold more easily.
DogCV has also been found in the feces of other dogs not showing any symptoms of illness, which could mean that, as is often the case with viruses, the overall health status of the dog plays a part in whether he or she develops symptoms. In addition, the virus was not found in all of the dogs who died.
Research on Dog Circovirus at UCDavis School of Veterinary Medicine
Although science has known about pig and bird circoviruses for some time, and they are well studied, the canine virus is newly discovered. How similar it is to these other circoviruses is not clear yet. Work begun at University of California at Davis School of Veterinary Medicine should increase our understanding of the virus over time.
Is circovirus passed directly from dog to dog? No one knows. Image by Ina Meyer.
But researchers there caution that, at this time, we don’t know enough about how the virus works to conclude that it caused the deaths of the dogs in Ohio or California. Although vasculitis, or inflammation of the blood vessels, and severe hemorrhagic gastroenteritis have been linked to DogCV, and these symptoms were present in the dogs from Ohio, only one of the three samples from these dogs tested positive for DogCV leading to the conclusion that it may be a contributory factor but not the sole cause.
When a Dog Shows Symptoms of Vomiting and Diarrhea
Many things can cause vomiting and diarrhea, so don’t panic if these symptoms occur. Dogs tend to test their world via their mouths, so ingesting things that could cause these symptoms is not unusual. A single instance of vomiting or diarrhea may not be cause for concern, particularly if you know your dog has gotten into something he shouldn’t have.
But even you can’t determine what is causing the problem, it is important to treat ongoing symptoms before secondary problems such as dehydration and lethargy occur. Consult your dog’s regular veterinarian should be consulted; he or she will have your pet’s full history, and can help determine the best course of action.
What is the Risk of Exposure for Dogs?
As always, common sense can help dog owners decide how to react to the finding of this new virus. Given that researchers have found DogCV in feces, cleaning up should become a routine. This will have secondary benefits of reducing exposure to other viruses and bacteria passed through the GI tract.
Here are a few things you should take into account when assessing the individual risk of exposure of your pets to any disease:
- How old is your dog? Very young and very old animals are at higher risk for contracting disease.
- Does your dog have other health issues? Some other conditions medical conditions can reduce general immunity.
- Is your dog taking any medications? Anti-inflammatory medications, for example?
A discussion with your veterinarian will help in evaluating these risks.
Dog Circo Virus: No Recent Cases
Given that there have not been further reports of similar cases since fall, veterinarians hope that DogCV will not prove to be a significant disease. In the meantime, good hygiene and attention to your dog’s overall health are the best preventive measures you can take to keep your pet healthy.
Ramona,
I couldn’t find any definitive papers that addressed your question but, in testing dogs during the 2013 situation, there were dogs who had no symptoms that tested positive for the virus, suggesting that once a dog has been exposed they may continue to carry the virus or to have developed antibodies to it which result in a positive test.
In most cases, the animals who got sick had a co-infection with another bacteria, virus, etc. just as happened with your dog. As there has been no major disease outbreak from this virus (unlike when the parvo virus first appeared) it is unlikely that the virus presents a serious risk to your dog or to any dogs he may spend time with.
My dog has been diagnosed with circovirus and clostridium prefrigens. The diarrhea has gone away and he seems to be doing well. Is corcovirus like a flu virus and it goes away with time or does he always have the virus
We can an a diarrhea test on puppy. And vet said was positive for circo. But really had no info or advice what to do
A dog died just yesterday and had this virus.
Hi Heather,
I did a search through a variety of veterinary resources and was unable to find any further confirmed cases of circovirus since 2013 (although this article came out in 2014-the cases were seen in 2013). If the dog and pig were in contact with each other, then there could have been a shared infection of some sort but please note: the general consensus seems to be that circovirus may have been a component in some cases but it was not a common primary cause of death in all cases.
So the short answer is that it is among the possible reasons for a dog and pig to die with similar symptoms but there may be other causative agents-other viruses, bacterial infections, exposure to toxins, etc.
Good luck with your search.
Dawn
Recently A Dog And A Pig Died With Similar Symptoms. I Am Looking For Information On How They May Be Linked And If They Could Be CircovirusI Thanks For Any help