DOG DAYS OF SUMMER

Pet Owners Fret as Unidentified Virus Kills Dozens of Dogs Within Days

“The state is in a panic right now,” one Clare County official said last week.

State health officials are investigating a mysterious illness that has fatally sickened dozens of dogs in northern Michigan in recent weeks. The virus appears to affect mostly young animals under two years old, sometimes killing them within days. More than 30 dogs have died in Otsego County so far, MLive.com reported Monday, while data from earlier this month reported a similar number of fatalities in nearby Clare County. The illness appears to mimic aspects of canine parvovirus, with symptoms including diarrhea, bloody stools, and vomiting. So far, all dogs infected with the unidentified disease have tested negative for parvovirus, officials said. When asked during a meeting last week if officials knew how the disease spread, Clare County Animal Control Director Rudi Hicks replied, “They don’t know anything. The state is in a panic right now.” According to the Clare County Cleaver, Hicks advised residents to get their pets vaccinated and to keep them indoors. “Keep your dogs home, don’t take them to dog parks, don’t walk them,” she said.