Dogs falling ill on Yorkshire Coast could just be a 'seasonal virus'
East Riding of Yorkshire Council is advising people to keep their pets on leads outdoors
There is nothing to suggest it is anything more than a seasonal virus which is causing dogs on the Yorkshire Coast to become ill.
East Riding of Yorkshire Council is advising people to keep their pets on leads outdoors.
It says it is NOT just happening on beaches but anywhere where dogs socialise with each other.
Kirsty Salisbury, Coastal Services manager at the authority, said:
"So we are still seeing some cases in the East Riding but it's not isolated to the coast it's all across the East Riding, so people who've never been to the beach have been picking up the virus so it does seem to be quite easily transmissible but it's not isolated to just our beaches.
"It's a lot pets. It seems to be a seasonal virus and there are literally hundreds of dogs who have come down with it. My own dogs had it last summer so I know it's not particularly a nice thing for them to have. I was speaking to a vet the other day and they were saying they're seeing about 10-15 cases a day, although that was last week.
"We've been telling Defra how many cases have been made aware to us, obviously they're also dealing with vets so it's just asking them if they've come up with anything and realistically their view is similar to ours, that it is just a seasonal virus and it'll run its course unfortunately before we see the figures dropping.
"We probably do get a lot of cases at the coast because dogs are off their lead and running around together and interacting with dogs they don't live with so it's easier to pass the virus on. We're suggesting to people to keep their dogs away from dogs that aren't from the same family group and to make sure you pick up after your dog."