Dog owners can take steps to keep their pets healthy.
A baffling sickness is rapidly spreading among canines in the United States. As reported by CBS, hundreds of pets have been affected by this lethal respiratory illness across more than 10 states. The Oregon Department of Agriculture released a statement describing the mysterious illness as an “atypical canine infectious respiratory disease.”
In the state of Oregon alone, over 200 cases of the illness have been reported by veterinarians since mid-August. Other occurrences have been documented in Colorado, Illinois, and New Hampshire.
“Based on the epidemiology of the cases reported at this point, the cases appear to share a viral etiology, but common respiratory diagnostic testing has been largely negative,” stated Dr. Ryan Scholz, Oregon State Veterinarian, to the American Veterinary Medical Association.
Dr. David B. Needle, a pathologist at the New Hampshire Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory and clinical associate professor at the University of New Hampshire, told CNN that dogs with the mysterious illness exhibited similar signs of an upper respiratory disease yet didn’t test positive for common respiratory diseases.
“Fatalities do not seem to be a large part of the syndrome we are investigating, with rare animals developing an acute and sometimes fatal pneumonia after the longer chronic disease,” Dr. Needle stated. “We think these may represent secondary infections.”
“If what we have identified is a pathogen, it is likely that the bacteria is host-adapted bacteria with long histories of colonizing dogs,” Dr. Needle added. He suggested that an “evolutionary event” such as spontaneous mutation or acquiring a gene from a different source could have caused the bacteria to become virulent.
Dog owners can take steps to keep their pets healthy. The Oregon Veterinary Medical Association’s website states, “Periodic outbreaks of Canine Infectious Respiratory Disease Complex (CIRDC) can occur in a dog population. At least nine different bacteria and viruses have been linked as causes of CIRDC, which is transmitted by respiratory droplets.”
“Infection with more than one bacterial or viral agent is common. Symptoms include coughing, sneezing, nasal and/or eye discharge, and lethargy. If your dog shows these symptoms, please contact your veterinarian,” the association advised.
Steps to take to keep dogs healthy:
– Reducing contact with large numbers of unknown dogs.
– Reduce contact with sick dogs. If a dog looks sick, it’s best to keep your dog away.
– Avoid communal water bowls
– Keep sick dogs at home and seek veterinary care.
