Norway is under the spell of a still-mysterious dog disease that is said to have killed dozens of four-legged friends. Before they became ill and died, all dogs had the same symptoms: a lot of vomiting and bloody diarrhea. Veterinarians sound the alarm because autopsies do indicate a severe intestinal disease, but the cause is still unknown.
According to Norwegian media, a National Veterinary Institute is doing everything in its power to solve the riddle. Dog owners hold their hearts because existing medication against digestive problems in dogs does not help. There are no clues, as the autopsy shows, that there’s been poisoning. The victims are both young and older dogs.
The Norwegian Institute for Food Safety has stated in a statement that it’s still uncertain whether all fatalities have anything to do with each other. But it does mean that there are the same symptoms. “We don’t see a pattern yet, but we are working hard on it. We look at which dogs are currently ill and at the circumstances before and after they became ill,” says Ann Margaret Grøndahl, manager at the institute.
New cases were registered in the last 24 hours in, for example, the Trøndelag regions in central Norway, Rogaland in the south and the town of Aurland near the coastal city of Bergen. The most other cases are in the Oslo region. The institution mentioned above estimates that dozens of dogs are sick and possibly the same number has died.
Viruses
According to Grøndahl, “all possible bacteria and viruses” are examined. She states that in all cases samples are taken of the feces of sick and dead dogs. And further that there are also dogs that have recovered. It will likely take days before the investigation is complete and it can be said with certainty what exactly is going on. “The tests that have already been done unfortunately did not produce satisfactory results.”
The Norwegian government has meanwhile canceled all activities with dogs in the country. This includes dog shows or driving yachts with dogs. Baasjes is advised to keep dogs on a leash for the time being, until it is more clear, and to keep them away from other dogs.
Dog owners claim to be shocked in Norwegian media about the mysterious disease that causes so many victims in a short time. The dogs that became ill were just recently healthy. There is a suspicion on social media that it may be contaminated dog food.
However, the government states that this is not the case since samples of nationally sold wet food and chunks have also been taken.
