Anyone heard about this?

Definitely good to know what's going on. We just have to control that urge to freak out :E Which I think we all have where the fuzzheads are concerned.

It sounds to me like this is pretty severe. I know my friend in OH, whose dog got sick -- she was fine when they went to bed.
I don't remember if she woke them up during the night or if they found it in the morning, but there was explosive diarrhea and lots of it. It was pretty obvious from the git go, that this wasn't just an ordinary case of the runs.

I originally posted this, just so ppl are aware. With folks traveling and coming into contact with strange dogs it's good to know what's out there.

CA POPPY wrote:
I wonder what the treatment would be, if they don't yet know what they're fighting. IV fluids? We don't use the dog park, but do visit a park with many dog walkers all the time.

A majority of the time we treat vomiting/diarrhea without really knowing what is causing it. You always institute treatment before any lab work or cultures have results (if they are done at all).

Supportive care is what it's called, IV's, antibiotics (intestinal and or systemic), anti-emetics etc.

As far as waiting to seek vet care, we really don't know what we're dealing with here, so it's kind of hard to make hard and fast rules or recommendations. Don't get too frightened yet, it's still pretty isolated. Most of us have dealt with the occasional vomiting/diarrhea. If this looks like a more severe form or your dog is "more sick" that usual then get help quickly.

Doug, DVM

If I took my dogs to the vet every time someone spit something up, we'd all be living on the street. Predators/scavengers are put together in a way that they eat first and ask questions later (survival mechanism since the kind of food they eat can be stolen by other animals) and barf at the drop of a hat. Mine have a fine disregard for what is actually "edible" vs what "can be swallowed" and things will get spit up.

However.... there's vomiting and there's vomiting. If a dog throws up a meal and re-eats it, or spits something up that never should have been eaten and seems fine, that's one thing. A little bile before breakfast but then eats like a horse.... no problem. But people have to really use their heads. Repeated vomiting, not eating, seeming "off" and other symptoms of stomach distress or illness should be attended to quickly. If I think one is sick, there is zero waiting time before I start considering my options. Listen to your gut.

Keep in mind though, that as scary as this is, this is a very small number of dogs. That's not to say that there isn't some cause for concern, but the odds of any given dog being exposed to this or catching it are still quite small. Don't be driving yourselves crazy. (I know for some of us, that isn't much of a trip, but still.... )

dturm wrote:
Until we have more information, probably best to avoid dog parks, pet stores (with your dog) and big social gathering of dogs.

Thanks for the advise Doc. I guess no more washing the kid at Petco's self wash!

I wonder what the treatment would be, if they don't yet know what they're fighting. IV fluids? We don't use the dog park, but do visit a park with many dog walkers all the time.

Dr Doug, is it fair to say at this point, that going in to the vet at the first sign of vomiting or diarrhea, rather than waiting the usual 24 hours, would be a "better safe than sorry" practice?

Until we have more information, probably best to avoid dog parks, pet stores (with your dog) and big social gathering of dogs.