PRO/AH/EDR> Undiagnosed illness – USA (04): multiple states, dog
Reply-To: noreply@isid.org
UNDIAGNOSED ILLNESS – USA (04): MULTIPLE STATES, DOG
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International Society for Infectious Diseases
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Date: Thu 16 Nov 2023
Source: NBC Bay Area [edited] https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/national-international/a-potentially-fatal-mystery-illness-in-dogs-is-spreading-in-the-us-it-starts-with-a-cough/3374328/
A mysterious and potentially fatal respiratory illness in dogs has
been reported in several states across the country, as veterinarians
continue to search for what may be causing the condition which has
killed some dogs.
The illness starts out as a cough which can last for several weeks,
but it may not respond to antibiotics, which can leave the dog
struggling to breathe and with severe pneumonia.
“It seems to happen very, very quickly — to go from this cough which
just won’t go away … and then all of a sudden they develop this
pneumonia,” Dr. Lindsey Ganzer, veterinarian and CEO at North Springs
Veterinary Referral Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado, tells
Today.com.
Dr. Ganzer estimates her hospital has seen close to 30 dogs with the
condition since the middle of October [2023]. She adds cases are
“really not slowing down,” with 2 to 3 coming in a day, most requiring
hospitalization. She says 4 to 5 of the dogs her hospital has seen
have died due to the illness, but they arrived already in respiratory
distress with pneumonia.
It’s not a time for dog owners to “become paralyzed with fear,” Dr.
Kurt Williams, director of Oregon Veterinary Diagnostics Lab, who’s
been researching the illness for the past month and a half, tells
Today.com.
“I think concern is fine,” he says, adding dog owners may want to
consider taking precautions to prevent illness, such as avoiding
scenarios with other dogs and making sure dogs are up to date on
vaccinations, especially against respiratory diseases.
Dogs with this mystery illness usually have coughing, sneezing, eye or
nose discharge, are abnormally tired, and do not test positive for any
of the common causes of respiratory illness, the Oregon Department of
Agriculture noted in a 9 Nov 2023 press release.
Dogs are most likely to contract the infection by being in close
contact with numerous other dogs — so places like day care, dog
parks, groomers, or boarding kennels, Ganzer explains.
Since mid-August [2023], the Oregon Department of Agriculture has
received reports of over 200 cases of the illness from veterinarians
in the state. It’s not known how many dogs have died.
A spokesperson tells Today.com cases are still being reported in
Oregon, and the department is working with other health authorities to
try to find the cause of the illnesses. Veterinarians who see cases
are encouraged to report them to the Oregon Department of
Agriculture.
Williams points out that one of the challenges is defining what cases
“fall under this umbrella of this particular entity which we’re all
investigating.” That’s because dogs can develop a cough for a variety
of reasons, and it takes time to rule out known causes.
“We’re still trying to pin down a potential cause or causes for the
entity. At least in Oregon, it’s given us some challenges,” Williams
says, adding he was contacted late Wednesday [15 Nov 2023] about
running tests on a dog that died from severe respiratory disease.
Williams speculates the cause could be a virus because “the way the
cases are presenting, the way they’re apparently spreading,
anecdotally, of course … it sounds infectious.” But he says it’s
important for researchers to “keep an open mind” to other causes.
In its press release, the Oregon Department of Agriculture noted the
illness can progress in 3 ways: a mild to moderate cough for 6-8 weeks
or longer that either doesn’t respond to antibiotics or only responds
a little; chronic pneumonia that doesn’t respond to antibiotics; or
severe pneumonia that “often leads to poor outcomes in as little as 24
to 36 hours.”
While this mystery dog illness is making headlines in 2023, Ganzer
notes it’s been around since last year [2022]. Her hospital has been
sending off samples from the dogs to a research lab in New Hampshire,
which has been studying the illness since 2022.
According to Ganzer and the Oregon Department of Health, cases
matching the description of the mystery dog illness have been
reported, officially or anecdotally, in several states:
- Oregon
- Colorado
- New Hampshire and the surrounding Northeast area
- California
- Indiana
- Illinois
- Washington
- Idaho
- Georgia
- Florida
The American Veterinary Medical Association tells Today.com in a
statement that it’s monitoring cases of canine respiratory illness in
Oregon and has been in contact with state officials. The association
reiterates the cause of the illness is still unknown.
In recent weeks, there have also been multiple reports of outbreaks of
a deadly respiratory illness in dogs at animal shelters in the US. The
San Diego Humane Society has lost 4 dogs to a “severe respiratory
canine illness,” according to a 15 Nov 2023 press release.
However, the disease at San Diego Humane Society has been linked to 2
particular bacteria, Strep zoo and Mycoplasma sp. Dr. Zarah Hedge,
chief medical officer at San Diego Humane Society, tells Today.com she
believes the outbreak at her shelter and others she’s heard about —
such as one in Las Vegas — are not related to the mystery dog
illness. That’s because Strep zoo and Mycoplasma sp. are easily
treatable with the right antibiotics, which saved many dogs at her
shelter during the recent outbreak. Also, the sick dogs she’s seen
didn’t have a long-term cough, she says.
The American Veterinary Medical Association also tells Today.com
there’s no indication of a connection between the outbreaks.
That said, Hedge is still concerned about the damage severe
respiratory infections, both known and unknown, can cause in dogs,
especially in shelters.
“We are seeing numbers of dogs coming into shelters we haven’t seen in
a very long time,” Hedge says. “A lot of shelters across the country
are overcrowded, and it just sets you up for disease outbreaks.”
Signs of the mystery dog illness include the following:
- Coughing that doesn’t get better on its own after a week or so
- Sneezing
- Nasal or eye discharge
- Lethargy
- Trouble breathing, especially from the stomach
- Blue or purple gums (due to not getting enough oxygen)
Ganzer stresses any dog owners who notice their dog coughing,
especially if they recently spent time with lots of other dogs, such
as at a day care, kennel, or dog park, should be taken to the vet
right away. You shouldn’t wait to see if the cough clears up on its
own, as earlier treatment makes a big difference in recovery, she
adds.
What owners can do about the mystery dog illness