# Circovirus



## EvaE1izabeth (Nov 14, 2017)

Our dog has always had on and off trouble with diarrhea, but the last 1-2 months it’s been much worse. We think he had a partial obstruction that did resolve itself but he didn’t really bounce back from that as we hoped. We’ve been working with the vet to eliminate a few possibilities before moving to diet changes. They did a comprehensive fecal panel and it came back positive for Circovirus. None of the vets in the clinic have ever had a test come back positive for circovirus, and the treatment is all supportive. But there is so little information on it, I’m not sure about the whole thing. Anyone have anything they can share?


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## EvaE1izabeth (Nov 14, 2017)

Sorry I just thought of all of these questions that can’t find answers to. Is it possibly a lab mistake, and should we do the test again? Can a dog test positive for it if they had an infection a long time ago? How long do symptoms last? He specifically tested negative for Parvo but there’s an outbreak in my state that made the news last month, so i’m kind of paranoid about any possible mixups


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## Sheri (Oct 11, 2008)

I don't know anything about that. I hope it will be resolved for you, and will be watching.


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## Molly120213 (Jan 22, 2014)

I have not heard of this virus. I just wanted to say that my dog had a lot of problems with diarrhea when she was younger. Diet changes, along with a daily probiotic, worked for us. I hope you find a solution that works for your dog.


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## EvaE1izabeth (Nov 14, 2017)

Molly120213 said:


> I have not heard of this virus. I just wanted to say that my dog had a lot of problems with diarrhea when she was younger. Diet changes, along with a daily probiotic, worked for us. I hope you find a solution that works for your dog.


Thank you!

Our dog also has on and off issues, mostly controlled, that have been worse recently. Since he had giardia multiple times the winter we brought him home, it made sense to eliminate parasites before starting diet changes. This was completely unexpected.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Sorry, I really don't know anything about it. Labs CAN make mistakes, of course, but it's unusual. I'd see what they want to DO about it before getting too worried. Most viruses clear with supportive care in a healthy dog.

And they usually start with a snap test in the office if they suspect Parvo. If he HAD Parvo and they missed it, it's too late to worry about it now. He has mostly recovered, right? And you don't have another dog who could get sick from him. And he was vaccinated for it, right? I really doubt it was Parvo.


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

https://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2013/10/23/dog-circovirus.aspx


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## EvaE1izabeth (Nov 14, 2017)

davetgabby said:


> https://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2013/10/23/dog-circovirus.aspx


Thank you! From the article, this basically answers all of my questions:

"Researchers also found that circovirus was present in the stool of 14 out of 204 healthy dogs, which suggests that the presence of the virus does not mean a dog will become ill."

Our dog is from California, so knowing it can be present makes a lot more sense than this isolated case.

Which also means these symptoms are unlikely to come from a current viral infection and it's time to make a dietary change. I was hesitant on how to do this because I'm not a fan of the prescription food our vet carries, but I've decided to try to work with our vet first (since it's local) to identify what might be causing the food intolerance. I still want to consult with a nutritionist to replace the vet food, and I can always switch to working with a nutritionist early if it doesn't go well.


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## EvaE1izabeth (Nov 14, 2017)

krandall said:


> Sorry, I really don't know anything about it. Labs CAN make mistakes, of course, but it's unusual. I'd see what they want to DO about it before getting too worried. Most viruses clear with supportive care in a healthy dog.
> 
> And they usually start with a snap test in the office if they suspect Parvo. If he HAD Parvo and they missed it, it's too late to worry about it now. He has mostly recovered, right? And you don't have another dog who could get sick from him. And he was vaccinated for it, right? I really doubt it was Parvo.


He is vaccinated, and the breakout was mostly among dogs who weren't vaccinated. When I searched for Circovirus, Parvo kept coming up, so it planted the idea of any kind of mixup in my head.

He's back to his usual self, but the diarrhea has never gone away since he was sick last month. It did improve the week after he was really sick, but then it gradually became worse again. It's definitely worse now than when he was a puppy, which is why I'm leaning towards the symptoms coming from a food sensitivity he's developed over time. I can tell the vet is leaning that way, too, but I get the feeling he's being cautious.


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

I highly recommend consulting with Sabine . She is a nutritionist who has helped many people on the forum for the last ten years. Give her an email [email protected]om


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## Marni (Apr 1, 2017)

Yeah, the food change will make a difference I bet. Good luck to you. It is awful to go through an extended period of this.:tea:


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