UNITED STATES — A new respiratory dog illness afflicting pets across the country has no confirmed cases in Wyoming to date.
Veterinarians don’t know much about the illness, as it’s still in its early stages. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), the cause behind the canine infectious respiratory disease remains a mystery.
Jackson veterinarian, Dr. Ernie Patterson DVM, told Buckrail that the illness seems to be contagious and its spread airborne. The most likely areas for the illness to spread are kennels, doggie daycares and high-traffic dog parks and trails.
“There is a respiratory illness that has been seen in other parts of the country and it’s likely to be a virus because it doesn’t respond to treatment with antibiotics,” Dr. Patterson said. “There are no confirmed cases in Wyoming. It’s still early on, but we do know that it’s mainly respiratory based. Symptoms present as a cough, runny nose and a fever and dogs seem to take a long time to get over it.”
Over 200 reports of the illness began circulating in Oregon a few months ago, according to the AVMA. Other potential cases have been reported in California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington.
Wendy Brown, a resident of Idaho, owns three golden retrievers — Bridge, Dooley and Lulu — and spoke to Good Morning America about her dogs showing symptoms in early November.
“Dooley started doing kind of this huffing and also seemed to feel quite lethargic,” Brown said. “Not too long after, Bridge began to exhibit the symptoms. But his were louder, more boisterous. I thought it was his stomach because he made like a retching sound.”
While most dogs recover, reported cases have ranged in severity, according to Oregon Department of Agriculture officials. Some dogs experience inflammation of the trachea lasting six to eight weeks or longer, while others come down with severe pneumonia.
Jackson vet clinics are monitoring the cases and will continue to stay on top of the ongoing research. The team at Animal Care Clinic advises precautionary steps to help keep pets healthy:
- Stay up-to-date with dog vaccinations, including canine influenza, Bordetella and parainfluenza
- Monitor pets for any kennel-cough like symptoms
- Avoid high concentrations of dogs in small areas, like dog parks
- Try to keep away from dogs that look sick (i.e. they have a cough, runny nose and runny eyes)
- Avoid communal water bowls
- Call the veterinarian with any questions or concerns
Experts encourage dog owners to contact a veterinarian if any of these symptoms occur: coughing, fever, lethargy, sneezing, difficulty breathing, wheezing or nasal whistling, dehydration, eye and/or nose discharge, loss of appetite or weight loss. Any dogs showing signs of consistent coughing should be brought to a vet to be examined. Dog owners are encouraged to keep any coughing dogs isolated for two weeks after the cough goes away.
