HOME "Mystery" Illness Kills 10 Dogs At Florida Shelter
"Mystery" Illness Kills 10 Dogs At Florida Shelter
Published by: smith 2010-03-13
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"Mystery" Illness Kills 10 Dogs At MD Shelter
MIAMI (CBS4) ― A mystery illness has killed nearly a dozen dogs Miami Dade's animal shelter in Medley.
Six dogs died "suddenly" Monday night, said Animal Services Department Director Dr. Sara Pizano, another four were discovered dead early Wednesday morning.
Animal services workers say all of the dogs were large strays and had been at the shelter for about a week. Before their deaths, the dogs had shown symptoms of kennel cough, a common cold-like condition that's prevalent at public shelters.
"Several of these dogs were found dead in a large pool of blood, and when we did autopsies on them their lungs were full of blood, they had other organs involved," said Pizano.
After necropsies of the first 6 dogs, Pizano said she suspects the killer flu-like illness is Streptococcus zooepidemicus, an airborne pathogen.
"It's not a normal infectious disease for a shelter," said Pizano, "it's well beyond that so we think we're looking at a new emerging disease."
Shelter managers have quarantined 12 other dogs that have the symptoms of the disease.
Tissue samples from the remaining 4 dogs are being analyzed at the University of Florida's veterinary school which will send experts to tour the shelter on Friday.
Until officials can get a handle on the disease, all adoptions from the shelter have halted and people who want to drop off dogs there are being advised to go to area rescue groups. Rabies vaccines are being done in the parking lot. So far, no cats have gotten sick.
Marcy LaHart, who came to provide foster care for three dogs, said she hopes to keep them from becoming exposed to the disease.
"I'm going to try and find them a forever home," said LaHart, "so they never end up in an animal shelter again."
The following is a list of rescue organizations for animals from Miami-Dade rescue animal shelter officials.
Liv Davalos (http://cbs4.com/bios/Liv.Davalos.cbs4.9.376118.html)
MIAMI (CBS4) ―
A renowned expert on sicknesses that strike dogs visited the Miami-Dade County Animal Shelter on Friday. She is trying to figure out what is making so many dogs so sick, even killing some.
Animal Services Department Director Dr. Sara Pizano hopes that by taking swabs from a dog's nose and mouth, she may be able to find out what is behind the mysterious deaths of at least 15 dogs this week. The canine infectious disease specialist traveled from the University of Florida in Gainesville after vets at the shelter found that a streptococcus bacteria had sickened the dogs, but couldn't figure out what else could have killed them.
After taking several swabs and blood samples Crawford will take them back to her lab and to California. She is hopeful to find an answer for the highly contagious disease that begins with kennel cough, turns to blood in the lungs, then death.
Pizano said the shelter is on virtual lockdown. Adoptions are suspended – dogs that have shown signs of the illness are quarantined behind a red sign in a restricted are.
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Until officials can get a handle on the disease, all adoptions from the shelter have halted and people who want to drop off dogs there are being advised to go to area rescue groups. Rabies vaccines are being done in the parking lot. So far, no cats have gotten sick.
Pizano hopes to have the test results from the University of Florida by early next week, and is hopeful they will be able to identify what is behind this deadly disease.
While the Miami-Dade County Animal Shelter is not accepting any more animals until the disease is identified. There are other pet rescue organizations that you can go to.
The following is a list of rescue organizations for animals from Miami-Dade rescue animal shelter officials.
Allen Babcock Dog & Cat RescueWebsite: www.petfinder.com/shelters/babcockrescue.html (http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/babcockrescue.html)
954-474-8198
American Belgian Malinois Rescue
www.malinoisrescue.org/ (http://www.malinoisrescue.org/)
H3N8 Likely Cause of Mystery Illness Killing Dogs In Florida
Recombinomics Commentary 23:55
February 8, 2008
"Several of these dogs were found dead in a large pool of blood, and when we did autopsies on them their lungs were full of blood, they had other organs involved," said Pizano.
The above comments describe dogs dying of a “mystery illness” in Miami Dade county in Florida. Although a bacterium, Streptococcus zooepidemicus, has been isolated, the deaths are almost certainly due to influenza, which is likely to be H3N8.
H3N8 has been causing problems at [URL="http://www.recombinomics.com/News/07310401/greyhound_deaths.html"]kennels (http://www.newsnow.co.uk/nn/Recombinomics) for several years (http://www.recombinomics.com/News/07310401/greyhound_deaths.html), with multiple outbreaks in Florida (http://www.recombinomics.com/News/09270502/H3N8_Companion_Dogs.html).
Identification of the serotype and release of sequence data would be useful.
.
""Several of these dogs were found dead in a large pool of blood, and when we did autopsies on them their lungs were full of blood, they had other organs involved," said Pizano.""
"highly contagious disease that begins with kennel cough, turns to blood in the lungs, then death"
"a bacterium, Streptococcus zooepidemicus, has been isolated"
"deaths are almost certainly due to influenza, which is likely to be "H3N8"
"H3N1 is a flu of equine origin that has been found in dogs since 2004"
"Avian Influenza (H5N1) Susceptibility and Receptors in Dogs"
"it might be a new strain of canine respiratory corona virus, or CRCV"
A whole bunch of viruses, bacteria, exponentialy raise last few years, and mimic the same deadly form: cough, ards, blooding, organ failure, death.
Can all these various microbes in a few decades naturaly reach such an explosion of deadly mutations?
Open air ...?
The above link has a video. There is little doubt that this is H3N8.
H3N1 is a flu of equine origin that has been found in dogs since 2004. It has infected dogs in > 20 different states since that time, most notably greyhounds in Florida. Since this virus has crossed the species barrier to dogs, it shows their vulnerability to a virus that is highly virulent.
Avian Influenza (H5N1) Susceptibility
and Receptors in Dogs
Posted on Fri, Feb. 08, 2008
Testing seeks cause of dogs' deaths at shelter
BY ELINOR J. BRECHER
No more dogs died Thursday at the Miami-Dade County Animal Services Department's Medley shelter, where a contagious infection killed a dozen animals this week.
Two of the 12 dogs had to be euthanized because ''one had very labored breathing and one was coughing blood,'' said Dr. Sara Pizano, animal services director and a veterinarian.
Neither she nor the shelters' other vets -- with 50 years' combined experience, she said -- ''have ever seen lungs so bad'' as the latter.
Lab tests have shown the Streptococcus zooepidemicus bacterium sickened the dogs, but Pizano believes further tests might indicate a virus is also at work.
All 12 were strays between 8 months and 6 years of age, she said. In addition, two strays in rescue were euthanized and one died in rescue. One adopted dog had to be euthanized.
So far, no cats or young puppies have gotten sick.
The shelter, which houses up to 400 animals, remains in virtual lockdown, except for the lost-and-found. Owners may search for and reclaim their lost pets.
Adoptions remain suspended, and rabies vaccines for the public are continuing in the parking lot.
The shelter isn't accepting owner surrenders, although some people have insisted on leaving dogs: 16 Wednesday and 19 Thursday. The shelter typically admits 100 dogs a day.
Those brought in are being kept in a ''clean area:'' a hallway in the administrative wing.
Animal Services sent two vanloads of dogs to the Humane Society of Broward County Thursday. That shelter is also temporarily accepting Miami-Dade's strays.
''Because we have a confirmed bacteria, every dog and puppy in the shelter received an antibiotic shot this morning,'' Pizano said Thursday.
Still, ''any dogs or puppies taken from the shelter must be kept strictly isolated from other pets for at least three weeks, although . . . a specific incubation period is unknown, but this is a highly contagious disease,'' Pizano said. ``Any animals leaving the shelter are receiving a 10-day course of antibiotics.''
Dr. Cynda Crawford, a University of Florida canine infectious-disease specialist, is due at the shelter Friday.
''We'll take cultures of several areas in the shelter to make sure nothing is growing,'' Pizano said. ``She'll take blood samples and nasal swabs.''
In addition to the Broward Humane Society, rescue groups are accepting owner surrenders. Go to the Crazy for Critters blog on MiamiHerald.com for the list of approved rescuers.
"There is also the accidental – and deliberate – release of organisms which could be a problem to us. Accidental release often happens through bad training or through handling errors in laboratories, or because laboratories are not being properly maintained in terms of the filters and so on, so that disease agents escape. But deliberate release is more of an international worry as a means of terrorism, and certainly one that I think is engaging a number of people's minds at present. "
From a FT thread:
Emerging viral diseases: what are the threats and how should we respond?
PUBLIC LECTURES
Safeguarding Australia 2007–2008
Emerging viral diseases: what are the threats and how should we respond?
Tuesday 4 September 2007
Professor John Mackenzie (http://www.cih.curtin.edu.au/aboutUs/aboutUs_staff_professors.html)
Professor of Tropical Infectious Diseases
Curtin University of Technology, Perth
Lee suspends dog adoptions due to disease
By news-press.com
Originally posted on February 08, 2008
The Lee County Animal Services shelter in south Fort Myers has suspended dog adoptions because of the possible appearance of a contagious disease.
About six to 12 dogs at the shelter have coughing and a runny nose, said Jim Desjarlais, interim animal services director. Desjarlais said it is unknown exactly what the disease is, but it might be a new strain of canine respiratory corona virus, or CRCV.
Tissue samples were collected by the University of Florida Monday and sent to a lab in California. Those results are expected back early next week, Desjarlais said.
At least one dog that has been adopted is confirmed to have the same symptoms, but Desjarlais said he thinks they discovered this disease before it became too widespread.
And another slightly revised news report from the Miami Herald by Elinor Brecher . . .
Posted on Fri, Feb. 08, 2008
Dog deaths halt, but shelter remains cautious
BY ELINOR J. BRECHER
For a second day Friday, no dogs died at the Miami-Dade County Animal Services shelter of an airborne infection, but business as usual probably won't resume until next week.
Adoptions and owner surrenders were suspended Wednesday after 11 dogs were found dead earlier in the week and a 12th with fatal symptoms had to be euthanized.
Cats and small puppies have not be affected.
Lab tests have shown a bacterium at work, and pending tests are likely to show a virus as well, said Dr. Sara Pizano, Animal Services director.
''We're doing a massive amount of cleaning,'' she said.
Streptococcus zooepidemicus, the major suspected pathogen, is normally found in dogs' mouths, she said in an e-mail to rescue groups and the media.
''What is unknown and will remain unknown for now is how a normally nonpathogenic bacteria was able to cause such severe disease in the lower respiratory tract and death. There is no research on that yet,'' she wrote.
``The good news is that the [bacterium] is not viable for long in the environment and is easily killed with common disinfectants.''
A small casualty of the health scare: all the shelter's dog toys and the shoe boxes used in cat cages. Replacements are welcome at the shelter, 7401 NW 74th St., Medley. Only toys that can be disinfected will be accepted.
POSTED: 6:34 pm EST February 13, 2008
UPDATED: 8:00 pm EST February 13, 2008
MEDLEY, Fla. -- A week after being closed, Miami-Dade County Animal Services opened its doors for adoptions Wednesday.
An expert from the University of Florida was at the shelter last Friday morning trying to determine why 15 dogs at the pound died in less than a week. The findings showed that two of the dogs tested positive for canine influenza, but the conclusion was that the pathogen was strep zoo.
"Nobody knows how the strep zoo is transmitted from dog to dog and we don't know the incubation period," said Pizano.
All 144 of the dogs in the facility are being given daily antibiotic injections, according to Dr. Sara Pizano, director of the animal services shelter. Any dog that is adopted will be sent home with a 10-day supply of the medicine, said Pizano.
A massive industrial cleaning effort at the Medley shelter scrubbed floors, cages and walls with bleach. All old cleaning equipment was disposed of and replaced, drains were flushed out, floors were resurfaced and even old ceiling tiles were removed. Currently, there are nine dogs quarantined and separated from the healthy dogs.
A similar situation occurred at a Las Vegas shelter last year, killing 1,000 dogs over a period of a year.
"Mystery" Illness Kills 10 Dogs At Florida Shelter 
