New dog disease?

[Allen]

Just a few days ago a good friend mentioned one of his dogs had something weird going on with a cough, etc. So, this article caught my attention.


https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/ot...p&cvid=d6e0eeb1c7ee4b589affb7f49f6a1384&ei=24

Mysterious and fatal dog respiratory illness now reported in 14 states:​

An unknown and potentially deadly contagious canine respiratory illness that began in one Western state this summer now spans more than a dozen states, the nation's lead non-profit veterinary organization is reporting.

As of Monday the disease had been reported in 14 states stretching from Florida to California and the cause of the mysterious illness remained under investigation, American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) President Dr. Rena Carlson, told USA TODAY.

In Oregon alone, veterinarians and animal sanctuary owners have reported more than 200 cases since mid-August. The remaining 13 states have not yet reported their respective numbers.

Start the day smarter. Get all the news you need in your inbox each morning.

Oregon Department of Agriculture officials are working with state and national diagnostic laboratories "to identify the causative pathogen," asking veterinarians to report cases to the department as soon as possible, AVMA reported, and advising pet owners to work with a vet if their dog is ill.

In another affected state, the association reported, Colorado State University College of Veterinary Medicine and Biological Sciences reported, “The possible virus, which is under intense observation by Colorado State University veterinarians, has been linked to cases of severe pneumonia and, tragically, resulted in some fatalities.”


The exact fatality number nationwide was not immediately known, AVMA spokesperson Mark Rosati told USA TODAY Monday.

Here is where the disease has been reported as well as information about symptoms, treatment and tips for dog owners as the mysterious respiratory illness lingers:

TikTokers help Oregon animal sanctuary: These rescue dogs fell sick with rare pneumonia in Oregon. These people helped pay the bill.

What states have the mysterious respiratory dog disease been confirmed in?​

As of Monday the illness had been reported in the following states:

• California
• Colorado
• Florida
• Georgia
• Idaho
• Illinois
• Indiana
• Maryland
• Massachusetts
• New Hampshire
• Oregon
• Rhode Island
• Vermont
• Washington

Dogs gone: Thieves break into LA pet shop, steal a dozen French bulldogs, valued at $100,000

Get unlimited digital access to USA TODAY and premium Sports+ stories
One month free
Get it now

Symptoms of mysterious dog disease:​

According to the AVMA, common symptoms of the respiratory illness in dogs include:

• Chronic mild-moderate tracheobronchitis − a sudden or long-term inflammation of the trachea and bronchial airways, according to Merck Veterinary Manual − lasting 6-8 weeks that is barely or non responsive to antibiotics.
• Chronic pneumonia not responsive to antibiotics.
• Acute pneumonia that quickly turns severe sometimes in as little as 24-36 hours.
• Difficulty or rapid breathing, wheezing, dehydration, fever, nasal or eye discharge, weight loss, loss of appetite and lethargy.

Veterinary technician Casey Garrity, 33, right, and Dr. Amy Kalinauskas, with the Humane Animal Rescue of Pittsburgh, administer vaccines to a dog at a mobile clinic on Thursday, Oct. 26, 2023, in Pittsburgh. The American Veterinary Medical Association recommends pet owners keep their dog vaccines current as a mysterious respiratory canine illness plagues the nation.© Justin Merriman for USA TODAY
Man celebrates lotto win with his dogs: He won $500,000 from a Virginia Lottery scratch-off

How is the illness spread?​

Although the exact transmission of the disease remains unknown, University of New Hampshire’s Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory senior veterinary pathologist David Needle said he believes the illness, which causes chronic respiratory problems, is likely spread through close contact and breathing in the same air as an infected animal.


Needle, who told USA TODAY he has been studying the illness for more than a year at the school's Hubbard Center for Genome Research, said the disease is not always fatal and so far, the dogs who contracted it and died had underlying issues.

Needle said he and a team from the university have been studying samples from Oregon, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Rhode Island and are slated to begin receiving samples from Colorado and Illinois this week.

Treatments of mysterious dog illness​

According to the University of Illinois School of Veterinary Medicine, outbreaks of canine infectious respiratory disease complex − also called kennel cough − often occur in shelters, boarding or training facilities over animals living in homes.

Unlike more common infections associated with kennel cough, that university reported, new cases do not respond to "standard medical therapy and can have a prolonged illness that can progress to pneumonia."



Picture, is a nebulizer, a drug delivery device used to administer medication in the form of a mist inhaled into the lungs.© Mandi Wright, Detroit Free Press
Currently the treatment that dogs receive is symptomatic and supportive, Dr. Marta Vidal-Abarca, with Petkeen.com told USA TODAY.

"This means that, since the agent causing the infection has not been identified, the treatment is not aimed at killing any pathogen in particular," Vidal-Abarca said Monday. "Instead, the treatment is aimed at mitigating clinical signs and facilitating the dog’s recovery."


Treatment, Vidal-Abarca said, includes:

• Oxygen therapy.
• Use of a nebulizer (a drug delivery device used to administer medication in the form of a mist inhaled into the dog's lungs).
• Antibiotics (to treat secondary infection).
• Measures to ensure the dog has "adequate nutrition" and hydration (including the use of intravenous fluids).

©Brynn Anderson, AP
November 27, 2023: A Georgia State Patrol honor guard stands as members of the public pay respects to former first lady Rosalynn Carter at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta during the public repose.

Tips for dog owners to avoid the mystery respiratory illness​

Although researchers are not yet sure what causes the illness, below are tips from the AVMA and Vidal-Abarca as well as other vets, to help avoid your dog from becoming infected with it.

• Make sure your dog has been fully vaccinated - especially for kennel cough. While the existing vaccines may not specifically target the unknown infection, maintaining overall health through routine vaccinations helps support a dog’s immune system.
• Avoid dog parks, pet stores and grooming facilities with your canine companion, if possible.

• Be mindful of boarding. It is recommended to avoid boarding your dog "unless absolutely necessary. Caution is advised rather than worry. There is a lot of interstate mobility among people and their pets and this may facilitate the transmission of the disease, as it appears to be highly contagious."
• If your dog shows any signs of respiratory issues, including the symptoms listed above, contact your vet and keep your pet isolated from other animals until the matter is resolved.

Until the cause is determined, Michael Stepien, a spokesperson with the United States Department of Agriculture, said the federal agency will "continue supporting states with testing when needed," but noted the agency's support role is limited to testing and collaborating with partners.

Contributing: Saman Shafiq

Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Mysterious and fatal dog respiratory illness now reported in 14 states: See the map.

 

[lunkerslayer]

Hopefully it will stay out of North Dakota

 

[espringers]

Brought to u by the makers of covid 19 and gain of function research? No sarcasm intended.

 

[ndfinfan]

Kinda scary - guess like the article said...avoid dog parks and interactions for your dogs with other unknown dogs.

 

[Traxion]

My dog had very similar issues late this summer. Took three rounds of medicine to clear it out. Vet didn’t really know what to do. Happy she pulled out of it.

 

[guywhofishes]

If you get desperate, ask vet to administer prednisone for the inflammation aspect. We believe it saved Royce about a year ago when he had what they described as a tick-borne illness - but symptoms were similar to what’s described in the OP.

But either the pred or the illness might have permanently effed his adrenal system and Royce now exhibits signs of Addison’s disease. So every two days he gets 5mg of prednisone and he’s right as rain. I’m pretty sure without it he’d be dead in a week or two (trembling, no appetite, heavy breathing, etc.).

OR it was Addison’s all along - it’s a known issue with standard poodles.

 

[shorthairsrus]

Hopefully it will stay out of North Dakota

Its my understanding alot of the dog owners got the clot shot


PS a shorthair is immune as they are still ranging and getting fresh air -- especially this year no snow.

 

[Kurtr]

If you get desperate, ask vet to administer prednisone for the inflammation aspect. We believe it saved Royce about a year ago when he had what they described as a tick-borne illness - but symptoms were similar to what’s described in the OP.

But either the pred or the illness might have permanently effed his adrenal system and Royce now exhibits signs of Addison’s disease. So every two days he gets 5mg of prednisone and he’s right as rain. I’m pretty sure without it he’d be dead in a week or two (trembling, no appetite, heavy breathing, etc.).

OR it was Addison’s all along - it’s a known issue with standard poodles.

Did they run blood tests to see if it was tick borne. I know their has been alot of research being done on the east coast. Did he also have arthritic symptoms as that seems to happen alot.

 

[Josh Havelka]

My lab caught something like this. Started off like kennel cough, then breathing really heavy. Took 6 weeks of high dose antibiotics and no activity to kick it.

 

[guywhofishes]

Did they run blood tests to see if it was tick borne. I know their has been alot of research being done on the east coast. Did he also have arthritic symptoms as that seems to happen alot.

Yes - they did the panel and it was positive for Anaplasma phagocytophilum.

He doesn't exhibit signs of arthritis - humps his fluffy toys like a teenager often (he's fixed - so it's a confused hump of course).

But they can't know by the panel if he'd had anaplas but had gotten over it already... or if it was the current (active) cause of his ailments at the time.

Know what I'm saying?... it's not definitive,

The anti-biotics didn't fix it first round (three weeks?) - and the second round was longer (six weeks??) BUT the 2nd round included prednisone for inflammation.

Looking back... was it simply Addison's all along?

Very confusing to figure out - just glad my wife and I discovered that small pred doses has him "permanently" on the mend.

I know there's a test for Addison's... but what's the point, since pred is the recommended fix if it came back positive.

 

[guywhofishes]

Brought to u by the makers of covid 19 and gain of function research? No sarcasm intended.

It crosses easily between many mammals - so you are indeed correct. I still suspect the whitetail EHD apocalypse out west was not due to EHD alone.

 

[guywhofishes]

BTW, if your dog (or you) are in need of prednisone, the cheap MX stuff is the way to go. Have someone in AZ pick some up for you for pennies on the dollar this winter.

I've been blessed to have gotten to the stage where bouts of gout are very rare now, so I'm sitting on a lifetime supply of pred (about $40 worth).

 

[tikkalover]

he's fixed - so it's a confused hump of course

Confusing for him or you?

 

[Traxion]

We did prednisone for dang near 6 weeks. Two different bouts of antibiotics. Last one I can’t recall the name, it was an equine medicine that wasn’t pleasant. But that seemed to do it. First two times off the prednisone she was good for several days, then it came back. Wasn’t till the heavy antibiotic that we cleared her up. The was a golden doodle FYI.

 

[snow]

After 50 yrs raising retrievers i have never come across an ailment like this,this includes the human factor,breathing issue,shortness of breath.

I suspect our hazardous air quality warning late last summer has something to do with this,

Easy on the pred,nasty side effects,pred is a fix all for our besties but water retention, increased appetite, hardening of bones,5mg is a lite dose but beware of side effects.

 

[guywhofishes]

he's fixed - so it's a confused hump of course

Confusing for him or you?

Both!

 

[guywhofishes]

After 50 yrs raising retrievers i have never come across an ailment like this,this includes the human factor,breathing issue,shortness of breath.

I suspect our hazardous air quality warning late last summer has something to do with this,

Easy on the pred,nasty side effects,pred is a fix all for our besties but water retention, increased appetite, hardening of bones,5mg is a lite dose but beware of side effects.

Yep - pred is not good long term. But every attempt to wean (five or six times) results in a near death crash - so we're in it for the duration at this point.

 

[guywhofishes]

We did prednisone for dang near 6 weeks. Two different bouts of antibiotics. Last one I can’t recall the name, it was an equine medicine that wasn’t pleasant. But that seemed to do it. First two times off the prednisone she was good for several days, then it came back. Wasn’t till the heavy antibiotic that we cleared her up. The was a golden doodle FYI.

Get the name to us plz.

 

[lunkerslayer]

If you do any research you will find quite quickly this has nothing to do with coof and has more to do with something completely different. Of course the peanut gallery has to throw out the obvious rhetorical answer to stir the pot, mock all you want about the coof, because you hysterically played into a story that had one goal, public paranoria over a cold virus with 99.99 percent survival rate. Mock away dipshits keep digging that hole

 

[espringers]

Nobody was mocking. Notice the: "No sarcasm intended"? Sensitive are you?