DOG SHOW CRUD - VIRUS?

May 2011 Editor's Note: We may never know what is was but there is new speculation as to the origin of "the crud."  Like parvo virus, the new disease came out of nowhere and we would be remiss in not presenting the possibility that it too came from a test tube; possibly at the University Of Florida!  Read this 2005 article and then you may be interested in what goes on at Plum Island and you may see the "canine flu" in a new light.

Barbara "BJ" Andrews February 2005 - So unlike anything ever seen, it was descriptively called Dog Show Crud.  Part virus, part bacteria, it was definitely different.

The Crud is over, but like a massive flood, it left wreckage behind, wiping out a thousand show plans, laying waste to both dog and man. No one knows where it originated but it swept across the show grounds like a virulent wave.  By Tampa, the show site was subdued, the mood worried, frightened.

The Crud is extremely aggressive in dogs. As with parvo virus, puppies or immune-compromised adults can be lost within hours of first stage diarrhea. Trips to local vets enriched the Florida economy and show plans were destroyed as either handler or dogs were unable to make ring calls.

Parvo It's Not!

Due to the rapid and virulent onset, it can be misdiagnosed as parvo or corona virus but it simply doesn’t fit the pattern. The big difference is that antibiotics stops the diarrhea whereas it would have no effect on a virus. Secondly, parvo virus can be so deadly that even the best supportive treatment may not save the dog, it takes days for animal to completely recover.  Dog Show Crud can be reversed within a day if properly diagnosed and treated with antibiotics.  Nor does it have the characteristic “decomposing” odor of parvo, perhaps because this virus-bacteria-whatever (!) moves so quickly to hemorrhagic enteritis that the intestinal lining doesn’t slough off as badly.

It begins with lethargy and lack of appetite, then mucous and blood-tinged but formed stool. It quickly progresses to bloody diarrhea, then no stool - just blood and straining. Dehydration and blood loss can put a dog in shock very quickly. IV fluids and quick supportive treatment is critical. When it went through our 9 dogs, the vet used a new anti-bacteria product also available in capsule form. One adult went to hospital at 8:00, quickly improved, but before we could go back to get her late that afternoon, two pups were dreadfully sick and went with me to the vet! One dose stopped the diarrhea and sub-q fluids quickly brought them back. The adult bitch was almost normal the next morning. It can be over as quickly as it attacks.

Notably, adults and even puppies nursing from a fully vaccinated dam are susceptible which further diminishes the likelihood of parvo.   Corona is seldom, if ever, seen in adult dogs whereas Dog Show Crud attacks adults and there have been deaths reported.

In talking with several vets, the consensus seems to be that it is not common Campylobacteriosis (more on campy below) but may be a combination of virus and bacteria hitting simultaneously. Personal experience leads me to bet on the bacteria but others credit a “hot virus” that attacks the animal, weakens it, and allows rapid proliferation of bacteria which then results in hemorrhagic enteritis.

Zoonosis means it transmits from animals to humans or vice versa.  Many owners report upper respiratory that just won’t go away, sometimes improving and then manifesting as chronic G.I. problems. The diarrhea is symptomatic of Campylobacterium, a fairly common but seldom deadly bacteria. We can discount that unless dogs and their owners shared the same contaminated food or water. 

One source for Campylobacterium is raw chicken, and it can also remain active in feces and therefore could be problematic in kennel conditions. But “campy” or fowl flu alone does not seem to be the culprit any more than e-coli or other common forms of bacteria. But we also heard the first veterinary use of a brand new doggy disease...

Canine Flu? 

“If a dog’s been in a kennel-type situation or anywhere they could have eaten raw or undercooked meat and trash, they’re at a higher risk,” Dr. Cash said. “What makes the ‘Canine Flu’ so dangerous is that, by the time you test the animal to determine what kind of bacteria it has, the animal could already be dead.”  Of course dogs eat raw meat and trash on the farm and in the back alley but it doesn’t usually harm them. Their digestive system is built to handle that. The Vet is right though in that owners and vets have to be prepared or they may misdiagnose and consequently, not kill the bacteria immediately. Thankfully, the "dog show crud" or "canine flu" that erupted on the Florida circuit in January 2005 was short-lived and dogs and owners quickly recovered.

Bacteria, virus or a combination of both, older dogs, and dogs with weaker immune systems are at special risk.

While the treatment is supportive in terms of re-hydration and antibiotics, the dogs go down quickly.  When we got home, it seemed to jump out at us again.  My vet stopped the bloody diarrhea cold with a powerful new anti-bacterial, anti diarrhea product. No more straining. Then the stool begins to regain color and lose the stench. Within hours after treatment which included a Ringers bolus sub-q, our pups were beginning to wag and look for food.

Others have reported success with drugs such as Clavamox, Keflex, Amoxy, Baytril.  Dogs on antibiotic and supportive treatment are reported to need it for a week to ten days as opposed to our pups that turned the corner within hours and by the next day, were eating well, playing, and no diarrhea! The adults at home were given the anti-bacterial product at the first sign of bloody or mucous in the stool and never went off food more than a day.

Who knows what this new sickness is?  People who don’t even have dogs have been sick.  We thought the Dog Show Crud started in Florida but now rural hospitals in other states are full.  They are talking about Bird Flu from Asia?  Maybe.  In talking to people from coast to coast and even abroad, there does seem to be a connection between DSC and this year’s stubbornly weird flu.  Virus or bacteria, Dog Show Crud or Bird Flu, the best disinfectant is still good old fashioned pure soap!!!

"New Flu" Vaccines 2005 release re Univ. Of Florida research

http://www.thedogplace.org/VACCINES/Crud-virus-bacteria_Andrews-05.11.asp 205.115