"I boil and freeze tap water before giving it to my dog," says David Carswell , "it gives me peace of mind," he adds at his home in Flint on Friday, Jan. 22, 2016. (Photo: Romain Blanquart Detroit Free Press) 
 
 DETROIT — Two dogs in the Flint area recently tested positive for lead toxicity, according to the state veterinarian. 
 
 The dogs with lead toxicity are both cross-breeds, and they're both still alive, said Dr. James Averill, state veterinarian and Animal Industry Division Director for the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. One is a pet, and the other was a stray. Their test results were confirmed in October 2015 and January 2016, but state officials declined to release further details about the cases — including whether they live in Flint. 
 
 Both were in Genesee County, where high levels of the heavy metal in Flint's tap water system are a major crisis. Officials in Flint continue to advise that people and their pets avoid drinking unfiltered tap water. 
 
 "The confidentiality of the owners is like medical information in humans," Averill said. 
 
 These were the first two dogs to be confirmed with lead toxicity in the past five years, according to state records. Officials have not disclosed whether they were drinking Flint water, how much lead was in their systems, what symptoms they were showing, their weight or how old they are. 
 
 Dr. James Averill, State Veterinarian within MDARD's Animal Industry Division. (Photo: Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development) 
 
 "(The state) does provide reportable disease/condition case information down to the county level, but cannot provide the specifics of those individual cases," according to an email from Jennifer Holton, spokeswoman for the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. The email cites the Animal Industry Act of 1988 for keeping information in the cases hidden from the public. 
 
 The state is in contact with area veterinarians, and the "vast majority" of tests for lead in dogs has been negative, Averill said. But people who notice their pets acting unusual are encouraged to see their veterinarian. 
 
 If a veterinarian determines a dog may have lead toxicity, the lab testing is provided free of charge, he said. And the number of requests has been increasing. But Averill also said that symptoms can vary widely. 
 
 "The thing with lead toxicity in animals, their clinical signs, they're so similar to so many other diseases," he said. 
 
 Dr. Michael Merrithew, a veterinarian for about 43 years, works at Veterinary House Call Services and Clinic in Grand Blanc, near Flint. He said he's not seen any recent cases he'd attribute to lead, but he's told his staff to watch for symptoms. 
 
 Among the possibilities, "mental dullness," possibly arthritis, "probably general malaise first," he said. 
 
 Averill said to watch for deviations from routines. 
 
 "My dog, when I get up in the morning, the first thing he wants to do is get up and go to the bathroom," he said. "(Pet owners) know their animals. And when they're not their normal selves, tell them to seek veterinary care." 
 
 Dr. Lawrence Ehrman, a veterinarian for about 33 years, works at Veterinary Medical Hospital in Flint Township. He also said he doesn't appear to have had any recent patients with lead toxicity, but lead poisoning from water can be more challenging to determine. 
 
 "What we're dealing with here is not like an acute poisoning. It's more a chronic sort of thing," he said. "It can cause brain and mental issues, blood issues and even some digestive and kidney issues, though they're much less common." 
 
 He said changes in attitude or signs of weakness could be symptoms of lead toxicity. 
 
 Averill said it's OK to bathe pets in Flint's tap water, but they should only be drinking filtered or bottled water. Since 2011, all the other cases of lead in animals have involved cattle. 
 
 Ehrman said that for people who don't immediately have bottled or filtered water available for their pets, there's an alternative. 
 
 "Probably melt some snow," he said. "And it would be safer, if your only other choice is feeding them straight Flint water." 
 
 Follow Robert Allen on Twitter: @rallenMI 
 
 Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/1X7hCq4 ||||| FLINT (WWJ/AP) – Flint’s lead toxicity problem has now apparently spread to animals. 
 
 Officials are reminding people to make sure pets aren’t drinking unfiltered Flint tap water after two area dogs recently tested positive for lead toxicity. It’s the state’s first lead toxicity cases involving dogs in five years. 
 
 “Here in Michigan, specifically in Genesse County, we’ve had two cases of high-lead levels reported to us in dogs in the last six months,” State Veterinarian Dr. James Averill told WWJ’s Chrystal Knight. “One was last fall and one was here in January. … One was a stray dog and the other was a family animal.” 
 
 Both dogs are still alive, although officials haven’t disclosed whether the dogs were drinking Flint water, how much lead was in their systems or what symptoms they were showing. 
 
 “There is no regular testing for lead,” said Averill. “What we do is we rely on the veterinarians who have the boots on the ground that are interacting with their clients and looking at the patients in front of them. When they are concerned or suspect a lead toxicity may be possible, they let us know at that time and then we work with them moving forward from there.” 
 
 Averill said the “vast majority” of tests for lead in dogs in the area have been negative amid Flint’s crisis with lead-tainted water. 
 
 “Dogs are at a higher risk amongst mammals for finding high lead levels, but it’s not that common. Typically for us when we deal with lead toxicity, we’re usually dealing with cattle. So, really this was a new instance for us,” he said. 
 
 To protect your pets, Averill said residents in Genesee County should “do what you are doing for yourself for your pet.” 
 
 “So number one, get your water tested to see if you have high lead levels. Two, if necessary, get a filter in place and then water your pets through that filtered water,” he said. “Take the same steps that you would for yourself for your pets.” 
 
 Averill said the first sign that your pet might be suffering from lead poisoning is any deviation from their normal behavior. 
 
 “I think the key thing is, as pet owners you know what is the normal routine for your pet,” he said. “So what pet owners need to be looking for is the animal having their normal behavior in their normal routine, as they are creatures of habit.” 
 
 The next step would be bringing your concerns to a local veterinarian, who can further decode what is going on with your pet. 
 
 “The signs and symptoms of lead toxicity are very broad and general, and similar to so many other diseases that a veterinarian needs to work up the case and do things to determine if it’s lead toxicity or if it’s something else,” said Averill. “For example, vomiting can be caused by many things. So it’s really critical that people work with a veterinarian when a pet has gone outside their normal routine.” 
 
 Anyone who notices their pets acting strangely is encouraged to take them to a veterinarian. 
 
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– First it was the kids of Flint found to have been tainted by lead, attributed by many to the area's toxic water. Now two dogs who live in the vicinity of the Michigan city have tested positive for lead toxicity—the first two pups to be confirmed with this in state records in five years, the Detroit Free Press reports. "Here in Michigan, specifically in [Genesee] County, we've had two cases of high-lead levels reported to us in dogs in the last six months," state vet Dr. James Averill tells CBS Detroit. "One was last fall and one was here in January." He says that one of the affected dogs was a stray, while the other was a pet. Both dogs are alive, Averill notes, but the state report doesn't specify how high their lead levels were, or what symptoms they had. And indeed, it's challenging to diagnose dogs with lead toxicity, as symptoms such as "mental dullness," arthritis, and lethargy can mimic those of other illnesses, Averill says. Instead, he mentions keeping an eye on variations in a pet's routine to help pinpoint if something's wrong. He does note to CBS, however, that the "vast majority" of lead tests on area dogs have come back negative, and he says they're relying on local veterinarians with "boots on the ground" to look out for suspicious cases. In the meantime, while Averill gives the OK to bathe pets in Flint-area tap water, he says they should be drinking filtered or bottled water or, as a last resort, melted snow. "It would be safer, if your only other choice is feeding them straight Flint water," he notes. (The FBI's now on Flint's case.)