A mysterious respiratory illness has been spreading among dogs in the United States. Spanning several states, this illness is described as an “atypical canine infectious respiratory disease,” the Oregon Department of Agriculture said in a November 9th news release. Symptoms include coughing, sneezing, eye or nose discharge, and lethargy.
“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,” Oregon State Veterinarian Dr. Ryan Scholz told the American Veterinary Medical Association, according to a report by CNN.
Veterinarians in Oregon have reported more than 200 cases of the disease since mid-August. Other cases have been reported in Colorado, Illinois, and New Hampshire.
The disease is generally resistant to standard treatments, said Dr. David B. Needle, a pathologist at the New Hampshire Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory and clinical associate professor at the University of New Hampshire. “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,” Needle said. “We think these may represent secondary infections.”
To help keep your dog from getting sick, the mainstream media and veterinarians recommend all “vaccines” even though they don’t know what is causing this illness. Other tips from the Oregon Veterinary Medical Association include:
• Reducing contact with large numbers of unknown dogs. Just like with other respiratory pathogens, the more contacts your dog has, the greater the risk of encountering a dog that’s infectious.
• Reducing contact with sick dogs. This can be harder to determine but if a dog looks sick (coughing, runny nose, runny eyes), keep your dog away from it.
• Keep sick dogs at home and seek veterinary care.
• Avoid communal water bowls shared by multiple dogs.
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