Mysterious respiratory diseases are affecting dogs in multiple states

Labs in at least four states are investigating a mysterious respiratory illness in dogs that exhibits similar symptoms to kennel cough, but can last much longer and in some cases prove fatal, veterinarians said.

The infected dogs develop cough, fever, lethargy and occasionally loss of appetite. Veterinarians said the undetermined illness has led to hospitalizations and deaths of older dogs or people with health problems.

While there is no official count of the number of infections, veterinarians said they have been treating more dogs with these symptoms in recent months. Cases have been reported in at least four states: Colorado, Massachusetts, Oregon and Rhode Island, but experts suspect the disease is much more widespread.

Dr. Lindsey Ganzer, a veterinarian and general manager of the North Springs Veterinary Referral Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado, said she has treated about 35 dogs with the disease since late October.

Four dogs had to be euthanized or died. She said she has treated infected dogs of different breeds and ages. Some were just coughing and others had pneumonia, she said.

However, there was one similarity between them: they spent time in places with a high concentration of dogs, such as boarding houses, dog daycares or dog parks. Dr. Ganzer said she fears veterinarians will see an increase in cases as more owners board their dogs or send them to daycare during the holidays.

“We really hope that just by getting the word out, people will be less likely to do that,” she said. “The veterinary community as a whole is a little scared.”

Since mid-August, veterinarians in Oregon have reported more than 200 cases, according to the newspaper American Veterinary Medical Association.

Dr. Stephen Kochis, the chief medical officer of the Oregon Human Society, said he doesn’t want people to panic because this figure represents only a small number of all dogs in the state.

“We are not seeing an increase in respiratory disease beyond the normal expectation for pets that would develop respiratory disease,” he said. He added that there are many respiratory conditions that are treatable.

For example, dogs with kennel cough may exhibit similar symptoms, such as coughing, loss of appetite, fever and lethargy, which usually resolve within one to three weeks. Owners don’t need to worry if their dogs show symptoms of this emerging disease, but they should be proactive.

“We’ve all been through Covid,” he said. “I would say that if your dog is showing signs of respiratory illness, isolate him at home, call your vet and get him seen.”

Normally, dogs can recover from a respiratory illness on their own or with the help of antibiotics, but that’s not always the case with the latter disease, says Dr. Kurt Williams, director of the Oregon Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory at the Carlson College of Veterinary Medicine. at Oregon State University.

“In these dogs it lingered longer, or it led to a downward spiral and led to very serious consequences, including death,” he said.

Experts are unsure whether the disease is caused by a bacteria or a virus. Some veterinarians in Oregon hypothesize that it could be viral because the dogs they have treated have not responded to antibiotics.

“I’m open to the possibility that this is the case, and I’m open to the possibility that it’s something we don’t even think about,” said Dr. Williams.

Dr. David Needle, a senior veterinary pathologist at the University of New Hampshire’s New Hampshire Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, has been researching the disease for about a year.

Dr. Needle, along with his colleagues at the university’s Hubbard Center for Genome Research, hope to gain clarity after conducting tests to determine whether the organism that causes the disease has the same genetic makeup based on samples from across the country.

“Something important is happening,” he said. “Whether it is the same remains to be seen.”