Your Trusted Source for Up-to-date News from Around the World!

Unusual Respiratory Illness in Dogs Reported Across Several U.S. States

Veterinary labs in several states are investigating an uncommon respiratory illness in dogs, and urging people to take simple precautions to keep their pets healthy as veterinarians work to identify what’s causing the animals to become ill.

Oregon, Colorado and New Hampshire are among the states that have seen cases of this illness, which has led to lasting respiratory disease and pneumonia and does not respond to antibiotics. Symptoms of respiratory illness in dogs include coughing, sneezing, nasal or eye discharge and lethargy. Some cases of pneumonia progress rapidly, making dogs very ill within 24 to 36 hours.

The Oregon Department of Agriculture has documented over 200 cases of the disease since mid-August. It has urged pet owners to contact their vet if their dog is sick and told state veterinarians to report cases as soon as possible. The agency is working with state researchers and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Veterinary Services Laboratory to find out what is causing the illnesses.

Dogs have died, said Kurt Williams, director of the Oregon Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory at Oregon State University. But without a clear way to define the disease or test for it, he said it’s hard to put a number on how many died from a severe form of the infection.

Williams had a simple message for dog owners: “Don’t panic.” He also said dog owners should make sure that their pets are up to date on vaccines, including those that protect against various respiratory illnesses.

Labs across the country have been sharing their findings as they try to pinpoint the culprit.

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

His lab and colleagues at the university’s Hubbard Center for Genome Research have looked at samples from dogs in Rhode Island, New Hampshire and Massachusetts and more will be coming from Oregon, Colorado and possibly other states.

He said his team has not seen a large increase in dogs dying from the illness but still encouraged pet owners to “decrease contact with other dogs.”

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.



Share this article
Shareable URL
Prev Post

No. 21 Villanova Overpowers Maryland 57-40 Behind Tyler Burton and TJ Bamba

Next Post

Mercedes F1 Team and WhatsApp Join Forces to Deliver Exclusive Sports Content

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Read next