Here is a heads up, and at this point there is NO further information available. This was brought to my attention by member Lynne Carothers via a Facebook group she follows (and so do I NOW).
I have copied this verbatim, blast the copyright, too important.
I am in contact with this group and they are putting some information on their web pages at my mention of all of us traveling through Ohio SOON.
Their web page is here, and at this moment there is NOTHING there, they are working on it as fast as they can. Hopefully it will give you an outside URL/site to check.
I will continue to monitor this and will post further info as I am made aware of it.
In the meantime, safe travels, see ya at the Rally.
URGENT UPDATE, DEADLY VIRUS IN OHIO
Please share this notice!
Dr Forshey, the Ohio state veterinarian, confirmed that they are working on identifying the cause of death in several dogs. They suspect that it is a virus, possible Circo virus. This virus has not been found in dogs before. (It is commonly found commonly in pigs.)
They have sent tissue samples to UC Davis, which is the only lab that can identify the virus. Ohio State has already ruled out common causes like salmonella, parvovirus, campylobacter, hemorrhagic gastroenteritis (HGE).
He thinks they will have it figured out by Monday and will have a national news release. Ohio is the only state seeing it so far.
The important thing is that dog owners need to get their dog to the vet ASAP at the first sign of vomiting and bloody diarrhea. Dr Forshey indicated that most of the dogs are surviving if treated early. There is, of course, no vaccine available.
Please share this information to your own Facebook feed so we can reach as many dog owners as possible.
They told me in comments: "The only good news is that it seems whatever the means of transmission, it isn't airborne. Dogs have stayed healthy in some households where others have died."
Posted JUST NOW:
Okay, folks ****IMPORTANT UPDATE REGARDING THE OHIO VIRUS**** I spoke to Dr. Forshey, the state veterinarian for Ohio, this morning (Friday, September 6), at length. He said that it is TOO soon to state definitively that the problem is a circovirus. The tissue tested did test positively for circovirus, and it is likely that it is circovirus, but they do not know if that is what's making the dogs so sick. They are still awaiting test results on several other dogs. THEY DO KNOW THAT THE MEANS OF CONTAGION IS THROUGH FECES. They do not yet have a handle on the period of incubation. Dogs cannot "catch" this virus from pigs, He said the best thing that dog-owners can do is to behave as people do in a flu epidemic. Dog parks, especially, should be avoided. As for dog shows, he says that it is up to individuals to determine their own comfort level regarding risk. Clearly, do not allow your dogs to be near the poop of other dogs. It will be incumbent on dog day care providers and boarding kennels to keep their premises very clean. Probably this virus is NOT confined to Ohio. We may just be the first state to recognize that this is it's own problem. He said they expect to have more information, but it may be a couple of weeks, these tests take time. Please remember, if your dog has any of these symptoms--vomiting, bloody diarrhea, foaming at the mouth; get them to a vet immediately. Do not try to ride this out, don't try to treat it at home.