Mysterious virus tragically kills ‘friendly’ pet

A family has been left distraught after their pet died due to a mysterious illness. They are now warning others about the virus, which vets say is attacking animals.

‘Everybody’s Best Friend’

Duke, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, has been described as a ‘lovely’ pup who was ‘everybody's best friend’. One of its owners, Julie Cox, took him for an evening walk on January 09, shortly after which he became seriously ill.

According to Julie, the four-and-a-half-year-old dog kept waking her up every hour to go outside because he had diarrhoea. She told ChronicleLive:

I went back to bed after an hour, and he woke me up again, it went on like this about every hour until the morning. He didn't want his breakfast and Duke normally really ravishes his food.He managed about a 10-minute walk and when we got back as soon as I took his lead off he vomited.

On the way to the vets, Duke became very sick, but tests ran on him showed that his organs were okay. He was sent home with medication, but as soon as they got home, poor Duke started bleeding from behind.

He was rushed to another vet in Newcastle but suffered a heart attack on arrival. Julie and her partner, Alan, were given the bad news after attempts to stabilize him failed.

Watch Out For Symptoms

Now, the dog owners are sharing their tragic news to warn others. Alan, who owns the Consett's Duke of Wellington pub, where Duke used to frequent, said, the mysterious illness is spreading:

They told us that this virus is going round and they don't know what to do to treat it. The vets did everything possible, they were so upset that they couldn't help.

He’s cautioning other dog owners to pay attention to and report any change in behaviour in their pets.

We just don't want other people to go through this, you'd got to be careful when you take them for walks, of course, dogs are dogs, but maybe clean their paws whenever you get home.

British Veterinary Association President Justine Shotton said last week the illness was likely to be a virus, which results in 'gastroenteritis-like symptoms' (diarrhoea and vomiting).

Although many cases are milder, there is a risk of serious illness, as happened to Duke.