Several possible causes of Norwegian dog death
Dog food probably has not caused dog death in Norway.
- The entire range of feed types has been used among the sick dogs, says Asle Haukaas at the Norwegian Veterinary Institute.
Other possible causes are ticks, fungi and water.
It is very common for dogs to have bloody diarrhea and a general impairment, for completely different reasons. These are precisely the symptoms that have been registered in a short time in dogs in 14 of Norway's 18 regions, or counties, the Norwegian newspaper VG reports.
But in 13 of the regions, this is a normal number of cases. Only in the Oslo area are there more cases than usual.
In recent weeks, 29 dogs in Norway have been registered as dead or ill, since they received bloody diarrhea. Ten dead dogs have been autopsied, seven of whom had diarrhea.
Two bacteria have been detected in abnormally large quantities at the autopsies of dead dogs, namely Clostridium perfringens and Providencia alcalifaciens.
Can be various diseases the dogs died of
It is still unclear whether an unknown dog disease has spread in Norway, or whether it is a case of various diseases that the dogs have died from.
In Sweden, the Swedish Veterinary Institute, SVA, writes on its website:
“SVA has so far no information to show that it is an infectious outbreak, or that it would pose a risk to dogs in Sweden. So far, nothing has emerged that indicates any new serious infection that poses a risk to Swedish dogs. "
The Norwegian Veterinary Institute's communications director Asle Haukaas tells the magazine VG:
- It may be that we conclude that only a small number have died from this disease.
Possible reasons
VG has gone through possible causes of dog death.
• Infected dog food is not excluded, but almost:
- The information we have indicates that the entire range of feed types has been used by the sick dogs, Haukaas tells VG.
• Contaminated water can be another source of infection. Dogs often drink from ponds and other water collections.
• Toxic fungi may also have caused problems:
- It's mushroom year this year, and we have received reports from dog owners about strong reactions when dogs have eaten mushrooms, says Haukaas.
• Disease-bearing ticks may be behind.
- New tick areas have emerged, and we do not know how it affects the situation, says Haukaas.
Asle Haukaas points out that the situation is being investigated as widely as possible, so that the source of the disease can be determined.