There’s a new, unidentified illness affecting dogs across the U.S. Michigan veterinarians are advising the public to remain calm and to avoid unnecessary panic.
In the last several weeks, hundreds of dogs across the country have fallen sick with an upper respiratory infection. The illness starts with a cough and in some cases, it develops into a pneumonia resulting in death.
“I've had the opportunity to speak with several veterinarians in Michigan and some of them who are seeing cases of canine respiratory illness are reporting that the dogs are not responding as well to antibiotics,” said Kimberly Dodd, Michigan State University’s Director of the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory.
According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, dogs have fallen sick with this infection in at least 14 states.
Upper respiratory infections are common during this time of year, Dodd said, so the increase in these types of infections is not necessarily unusual.
“In the common version, the kennel cough that we see fairly routinely, dogs may develop a cough, runny nose and it generally resolves in just a few days and sometimes they need antibiotics,” she said. “But what we’re hearing in this case is that dogs are developing a cough, but it's not resolving as quickly as usual with or without antibiotics.”
In Michigan, Dodd is working with other veterinarians to figure out if the infection is the common cough or an entirely new infection. She recommends running early diagnostic testing on dogs with symptoms.
“We do have an opportunity at the beginning when they start coughing, to do some testing to see if we can define what the cause of the cough is,” Dodd added. “And at that same time, for example, if it's a bacteria that's causing the cough, we can help identify the best antibiotics for the dog as well if those are needed.”
With the unknown illness still spreading, veterinarians are urging pet owners to remain alert and limit contact with other animals who may not be vaccinated.
“The number one most important thing for dog owners to do is to ensure that their pets are up to date on all of the vaccinations for the known respiratory diseases, and that includes Bordetella, para influenza, influenza, and distemper,” Dodd said.
So far, cases of the illness have only been reported among dogs.