14 DAY TRIAL // A potentially deadly virus known to affect dogs appears to have arrived in the state of Michigan, US. Information shared with the public says that, by now, two cases of pets infected by this fairly new canine virus have been reported in this part of the country.
Veterinarians explain that, according to evidence at hand, dogs infected with this microorganism, dubbed the canine circovirus, are likely to show symptoms such as vomiting and bloody diarrhea.
Lethargy and weight loss have also been linked to canine circovirus infections, The Examiner tells us.
For the time being, there are no specific drugs designed to tackle infections with this virus.
However, veterinarians say that, as long as medical treatment is sought in the early stages of infection, the dogs that contract the canine circovirus have high chances to make a full recovery.
What's more, the health officials wish to reassure the general public that, according to evidence at hand, this virus does not have the potential to infect humans. Detroit News tells us that, by now, the canine circovirus has only been reported in two other American states, i.e. Ohio and California.
Specialists working with the Diagnostic Center of Population and Animal Health at the Michigan State University stress that, of the animals that have thus far been infected, many had infections with other organisms at the time when they first started feeling ill.
This means that the canine circovirus might not be entirely responsible for the symptoms these pets displayed.
“It is important to note that circovirus has been found in the feces of healthy dogs. Also, the initial research shows that nearly 70 percent of dogs showing clinical signs of illness and found positive for circovirus were also infected with other viruses or bacteria known to cause disease.”
“Currently, circovirus by itself is not associated with a specific disease process. However, co-infection with canine circovirus and other pathogens may have the potential to cause disease as has been demonstrated in other species, for example pigs,” Thomas Mullaney with the Diagnostic Center of Population and Animal Health reportedly said in a statement.