A mysterious illness in Norway is killing dogs. It has a quick onset and nobody can confirm whether it is contagious or not.
ADVERTISEMENTA series of suspicious dog deaths have occurred in Norway. A total of 21 dogs in just the past few days have died from a mysterious illness that gives them sickness and bloody diarrhoea.
The majority of cases have been reported in and around Norway's capital Oslo, but also in Bergen and Trondheim, and the northern Nordland municipality.
The illness has affected all kinds of dogs of varying ages and it sets in quickly. Many dog owners are unable to get their infected dogs to a vet before they pass away. The dogs can seem fine in the morning and rapidly deteriorate in the afternoon.
The country's veterinary institute says it's doing everything it can to determine the cause of the outbreak but it still doesn’t have an answer.
Hanna Jørgensen, in charge of small animal health at the Veterinary Institute (Veterenærinstituttet), said "it is difficult because there are no obvious common features and no clear lab answers. We do not have any conclusions to give yet. But it is important to emphasise that many dogs recover from the disease."
Dog owners are being advised to look out of unusual behaviour in their dogs and to get them to a vet as soon as they see anything is wrong. Avoiding areas like parks where there are lots of other dogs is also strongly recommended.