The Canine Vomiting Bug, also known as HGE, is causing great concern among dog owners and currently spreading into new areas of the UK, with the midlands and the North of England the latest areas to record cases.
According to Pet Gazette, The Small Animal Veterinary Surveillance Network (SAVSNET) of the University of Liverpool has begun to collect data on the outbreak. Any animal health professional who comes across a case of the bug is asked to fill in a SAVNET questionnaire. You can find out more about SAVSNET and the surveillance project here.
What is the Canine Vomiting Bug?
The bug is defined as acute onset “prolific” vomiting – at least five instances in 12 hours. The sickness is often accompanied by bloody diarrhoea. Affected dogs usually go off both food and drink. The frequency of the vomiting is one of the key differences between the bug and dogs throwing up because they’ve eaten something nasty on a walk. The vomiting also tends to be quite forceful. Dogs stay feeling unwell for longer than they would after a minor vomiting episode. Dogs can take up to 10 days to get well. In some cases dogs seem to improve for a day or two and then have another episode.
If you see these symptoms in your dog, expert advice is to get them to the vet as soon as possible for the best outcome. In extreme cases the bug can kill so keep an affected dog isolated from other dogs.