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State officials say sick northern Michigan dogs had parvovirus, still don't know why it didn't show in testing

Camilo Fierro
/
Unsplash

State officials confirmed last week the parvo-like illness that had been killing dogs in northern Michigan was canine parvovirus, a common illness found in the animals. The latest estimates show at least 60 dogs succumbed to the illness.

"Everything we know so far about these cases of parvo are consistent with everything we know about parvo," said Dr. Kim Dodd, executive director of the Michigan State University Veterinary Diagnostic Lab. "Clinically it mimics what we expect. Diagnostically it mimics what we would expect in the laboratory."

WCMU News Director Amy Robinson recently spoke with Rick Brewer about the latest on parvovirus in northern Michigan and what dog owners need to know moving forward.

Rick Brewer has been news director at WCMU since February 2024.