Pets get ill. Sometimes, outbreaks of pet illnesses occur but there is no Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for pet diseases. Owners decide whether to get their pets tested, and in most countries, there is no mechanism for veterinarians to formally notify one another nor a state body that tracks disease trends.
Moreover, surveillance of pets for new viruses or new variants is not routine. Veterinary scientists in the UK and the US are trying to change that with twin initiatives aimed at monitoring pet populations for outbreaks. Their aim is to alert vets about new microbial threats to animals, but some infectious disease researchers say such monitoring might one day also serve as early warning systems, detecting pathogens that threaten to spill over into people.
Dogs Are Also Catching Coronavirus: Research
A strange occurrence of coronavirus-related illness has been traced by a team of researchers at the University of Liverpool, UK, after scores of cases of dogs vomiting after being exposed to the virus were reported.
Veterinarians across the United Kingdom have reported these occurrences to the Small Animal Veterinary Surveillance Network (SAVSNet), a research entity based at the Merseyside institution.
The research has been published in the highly acclaimed Emerging Infectious Diseases journal for reference.
ALSO READ
A total of 1,258 case questionnaires and 95 clinical samples from 71 animals were received by the team of researchers from veterinarians and pet owners.
Experts warn contagious virus killing dogs could surge grimsbytelegraph.co.uk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from grimsbytelegraph.co.uk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Fears deadly dog virus is spreading after Brits snapped up puppies in lockdown
Some veterinary clinics have recorded a rise in parvovirus, which mainly affects young and unvaccinated dogs. One surgeon said the pandemic had led to a huge increase in pooches testing positive
14:04, 26 APR 2021
Updated
The video will auto-play soon8Cancel
Play now
Calling all dog lovers! Sign up to TeamDogs for your weekly dose of dog news, pictures and stories.Invalid EmailSomething went wrong, please try again later.
Sign up
When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Your information will be used in accordance with ourPrivacy Notice.
Canine coronavirus linked to outbreak of vomiting in dogs Canine coronavirus linked to outbreak of vomiting in dogs
Vets across the country began reporting cases of acute onset prolific vomiting in 2019/20.
Image/Lancaster University
The Small Animal Veterinary Surveillance Network (SAVSNet) at the University of Liverpool asked vets for help in collecting data, with 1,258 case questionnaires from vets and owners plus 95 clinical samples from 71 animals.
Based on this data, a team from the universities of Liverpool, Lancaster, Manchester and Bristol identified the outbreak as most likely to be a variant of canine enteric coronavirus (CeCoV).
Canine coronavirus only affects dogs and is not the same as Sars Cov2 which causes Covid in humans. Researchers found no evidence of any similar illness in people.