A mysterious and potentially fatal respiratory illness in dogs has been reported in several states across the country, as veterinarians continue to search for what may be causing the condition that has killed some dogs.
As NBC’s Today show reports, the illness starts out as a cough that can last for several weeks, but it may not respond to typical treatment, such as antibiotics, which can leave the dog struggling to breathe and with severe pneumonia.
“It seems to happen very, very quickly — to go from this cough that’s just won’t go away … and then all of a sudden they develop this pneumonia,” says Dr. Lindsey Ganzer, veterinarian and CEO at North Springs Veterinary Referral Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Ganzer estimates her hospital has seen close to 30 dogs with the condition since the middle of October, most requiring hospitalization. She says four to five of the dogs her hospital has seen have died due to the illness, but they arrived already in respiratory distress with pneumonia.
It’s not a time for dog owners to “become paralyzed with fear,” Dr. Kurt Williams, director of Oregon Veterinary Diagnostics Lab, who’s been researching the illness for the past month and a half, said in an interview with TODAY.com. “I think concern is fine,” he says, adding that dog owners may want to consider taking precautions to prevent illness, such as avoiding scenarios with other dogs and making sure dogs are up to date on vaccinations, especially against respiratory diseases.
What are the Signs Your Dog is Affected?
Dogs with this mystery illness usually have coughing, sneezing, eye or nose discharge, are abnormally tired, and do not test positive for any of the common causes of respiratory illness, the Oregon Department of Agriculture noted in a November 9 press release.
Dogs are most likely to contract the infection by being in close contact with numerous other dogs — so places like day care, dog parks, groomers or boarding kennels, Ganzer explains. Since mid-August, the Oregon Department of Agriculture has received reports of over 200 cases of the illness from veterinarians in the state. It’s not known how many dogs have died.
While dogs with a contagious cough are common in veterinary settings, Cavanagh notes that she normally sees cases decrease in the fall as temperatures drop and fewer dogs are gathering at parks. “But this year, the spike has stayed high,” she explains. One of the biggest challenges of this mystery illness is defining what cases “fall under this umbrella of this particular entity that we’re all investigating,” Williams points out. That’s because dogs can develop a cough for a variety of reasons, and it takes time to rule out known causes.
In its press release, the Oregon Department of Agriculture noted that the illness can progress in three ways: a mild to moderate cough for six to eight weeks or longer that either doesn’t respond to antibiotics or only responds a little; chronic pneumonia that doesn’t respond to antibiotics; or severe pneumonia that “often leads to poor outcomes in as little as 24 to 36 hours.”
Cavanagh has witnessed all three scenarios play out at her hospital. Recently, she’s seen more dogs than usual with a long-lasting upper respiratory infection who then develop pneumonia from a secondary bacterial infection. In a small subset of these dogs, the pneumonia can be “really severe,” she explains. Of the dogs she’s treated, she says most who develop pneumonia respond to antibiotics, and many with a long-lasting cough recover with time and never get pneumonia. But of those who develop the severe pneumonia, some have died or had to be euthanized.
Where in the U.S. has the illness been reported?
According to Ganzer and the Oregon Department of Health, cases that match the description of the mystery dog illness have been reported, officially or anecdotally, in:
- Oregon
- Colorado
- New Hampshire and the surrounding Northeast area
- California
- Indiana
- Illinois
- Washington
- Idaho
- Georgia
- Florida
The American Veterinary Medical Association said in a statement that it’s monitoring cases of canine respiratory illness in Oregon and has been in contact with state officials. The Association reiterates that the cause of the illness is still unknown.
In recent weeks, there have also been multiple reports of outbreaks of a deadly respiratory illness in dogs at animal shelters in the U.S. The San Diego Humane Society has lost four dogs to a “severe respiratory canine illness,” according to a Nov. 15 press release.
There is increasing concern about the damage that severe respiratory infections, both known and unknown, can cause in dogs, especially in shelters. “We are seeing numbers of dogs coming into shelters that we haven’t seen in a very long time,” Hedge says. “A lot of shelters across the country are overcrowded, and it just sets you up for disease outbreaks.”
Symptoms of the mystery dog illness
Symptoms of the mystery dog illness include:
- Coughing that doesn’t get better on its own after a week or so
- Sneezing
- Nasal or eye discharge
- Lethargy
- Trouble breathing, especially from the stomach
- Blue or purple gums (due to not getting enough oxygen)
Ganzer stresses that any dog owners who notice their dog coughing, especially if they recently spent time with lots of other dogs, such as at a day care, kennel or dog park, should be taken to the vet right away. You should not wait to see if the cough clears up on its own as earlier treatment makes a big difference in recovery, she adds.
What owners can do about the mystery dog illness
Ganzer says her No. 1 tip is to keep dogs from areas where they’re likely to come into contact with other dogs (but do not delay taking your dog to the vet for needed medical care). Cavanagh advises dog owners across the country, regardless of whether they live in a state where cases have been reported, to follow this guidance.
Keeping dogs out of these situations may be difficult for many families as the holidays approach because many people rely on boarding kennels when they travel. However, Ganzer says to avoid boarding dogs over the holidays “if at all possible,” adding that she’s “so scared” about what may happen with the mystery illness after dogs across the country are boarded for the holidays.
“I understand that there are circumstances that are unavoidable and that some people have to (board their dogs), but I would not take this lightly,” she explains. “If there’s somebody that can even just come to your house and let your dog out, that’s a better option.”
In light of the situation, Cavanagh says she’s been keeping her own two dogs at home and avoiding settings where they may come in contact with other dogs. She also suggests avoiding any nose-to-nose street greetings between strange dogs.
Williams agrees that it’s “prudent” to be concerned right now about putting dogs in scenarios where they may come into contact with many other dogs. If you need to put your dog in such a situation, he suggests contacting your vet ahead of time for guidance.
To keep your dog safe and healthy overall, Hedge recommends making sure your dog is up to date on vaccinations. Cavanagh also says that this year dogs should be vaccinated against respiratory diseases beyond the mare minimum, such as Bordetella and canine influenza. Be sure to give your dog two weeks after vaccination before interacting with other dogs so they can build up immunity.
If your dog has been diagnosed with the mystery coughing illness, Ganzer suggests asking your veterinarian about submitting a sample to a research lab to help with the efforts to identify the cause.
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