18 Jan 2022
BVA urging vets to report cases of “gastroenteritis-like illness” as dozens of dogs presenting with vomiting and diarrhoea following visits to the Yorkshire coast taken to practices.
Joshua Silverwood
Job Title
Image © charlottegupta / Pixabay
The BVA is asking vets to help solve the riddle of a mystery illness that has left dozens of dogs with sickness and diarrhoea following visits to the Yorkshire coast.
Last week (11 January), RVN and Yorkshire Coast Pet Care owner Brogan Proud warned dog owners to be careful when visiting beaches between Scarborough and Redcar, after a number of dogs presenting with the symptoms of vomiting and diarrhoea were taken to practices in the same weekend.
At one practice, 20 dogs with the same clinical signs were brought in over 48 hours.
Defra has launched an investigation into the illness, while the University of Liverpool’s Small Animal Veterinary Surveillance Network (SAVSNET) team is looking into the possibility of a seasonal link to the outbreak.
Now – speaking on BBC Radio 4 – BVA president Justine Shotton has asked vets to inform SAVSNET of any similar cases they may have seen in the past few weeks.
She said: “The BVA is asking vets to report any gastroenteritis-like cases to SAVSNET to help researchers build a clearer picture of the outbreak, and to investigate if the spike is part of normal seasonal variation or if a specific virus or bacteria is at play.”
Dr Shotton refused to speculate on the reasons for the spike in cases or any possible links to beaches or other environmental factors.
She also advised owners not to panic and to talk to their vet in case of any concerns.
Dr Shotton added: “We are aware of a recent spike in cases of dogs falling ill from gastroenteritis-like symptoms in several parts of Yorkshire and north-east England. Vets see gastroenteritis cases relatively commonly in practice, but numbers seem to be increasing and more widespread than usual.
“At this time, we can’t speculate on what might be causing the symptoms, and there is currently no evidence to suggest a direct link between the illness and the dogs visiting the beaches.
“We’ve heard reports from vets in the area who are really far inland, and they are also seeing an increase in these kinds of cases in dogs that have never been to the beach, so I’m not sure yet if we have enough information to make that link.”
