by Vets across the country are scrambling to treat the growing number of dogs suffering from a severe form of respiratory illness. At the same time, scientists are trying to figure out what is causing the current outbreak, how widespread it is, and how many previously healthy cubs have become seriously ill or died.
Maple was a happy, healthy 7-month-old Australian shepherd until last Saturday, when she started coughing. Her owner, Adrianna Defenderfer of Fontana, California, was horrified when the pup’s cough quickly progressed, keeping Defender Fear up through the night.
“I was just holding her, trying to comfort her as best I could,” said the Defendant, 23. “I could tell she was scared too.”
At the vet the next morning, the young dog was tested for various respiratory ailments, all of which ultimately came back negative.
“The vet called me and said, basically because there’s no definite proof of this disease yet, we don’t really know what causes it,” Defendant said.
Maple was treated for bronchitis, given a nebulizer and a steroid shot, and the secretions were cleared from her lungs. She was also sent home with two different antibiotics.
Canine respiratory infections, especially canine influenza, are common, often caused by outbreaks in shelters and kennels. The current boom has been spreading in parts of the US and Canada for the past year. This outbreak is different from garden-variety respiratory illness, experts say, because of the large number of cases that are serious enough to lead to pneumonia.
In Colorado, the number of canine pneumonia cases rose 50% from September to November of this year, compared to the same months in 2022, said infectious disease expert Dr. Michael Lappin, director of the Center for the Study of Companion Animals at Colorado State. University School of Veterinary Medicine. According to Trupanion, a pet insurance company, claims data indicate that the number of dogs with serious respiratory illness is increasing in some states.
More dogs may be getting seriously ill because they are infected with multiple pathogens at the same time – including canine influenza, Bordetella (kennel cough) and mycoplasma pneumonia – said Dr Deborah Silverstein, chief of emergency and critical care medicine at the Ryan. Veterinary Hospital at the University of Pennsylvania – like the tripledemic of Covid-19, flu and RSV that affected people last fall and winter.
Is it a new bug?
There could be several reasons for the uptick. Many dogs may have lower resistance to infections because pandemic-era restrictions kept them out of day care or boarding facilities and were not exposed to circulating viruses or bacteria, experts say. It has also been reported that dog vaccination rates have decreased. A recent study found that nearly half of dog owners are reluctant to vaccinate their pets.
“We have more dogs with a lower level of resistance because they have been less exposed in the last few years and have received fewer vaccinations,” Dr. Scott Weese, an infectious disease veterinarian at the Ontario College of Veterinary Medicine, said during Thursday online briefings. “That just means with our normal respiratory disease that’s always there and always spreading around, we can see more disease and more spikes.”
Silverstein said any of these factors could explain the increased incidence of diseases that make some dogs fatally ill.
“It’s more likely that some bug could have turned into a nuisance,” Silverstein said. “Just like Covid strains can be milder or more severe.”
Still, there is a chance that new bacteria will spread.
Scientists at the University of New Hampshire recently identified a new bacterium as a possible culprit. The results are based on a small number of cases from the New England states, so the results need to be confirmed in a larger and more geographically diverse sample of dogs.
Researchers at other centers, including Oregon State University, Colorado State University and the University of Pennsylvania are also trying to identify the cause of the outbreak.
One major factor slowing research in the US is that no single group is keeping track of pet illnesses. For example, scientists at CSU are coordinating with the state veterinarian’s office, the US Department of Agriculture and other researchers to better understand what is happening in Colorado.
Another obstacle is that many owners cannot afford to take a sick dog to a veterinary hospital or specialty center or even pay for diagnostic testing. In fact, the cost of treatment for the sickest dogs can be between $15,000 and $20,000, said Steve Weinrauch, chief veterinary product officer at Trupanion.
Which dogs are at increased risk?
Generally, brachycephalic or flat-faced dog breeds such as French bulldogs or pugs, senior dogs or dogs with underlying lung disease are more at risk of developing pneumonia from a respiratory infection.
But at Texas A&M School of Veterinary Medicine, Dr. Kate Aicher treated a cluster of cases of atypical canine respiratory disease in young dogs vaccinated in March and April of this year. What Aicher and her colleagues saw was a sudden onset of fever and a wide range of severity.
“You don’t expect 1- and 2-year-old dogs that are in good condition and healthy to have pneumonia so severe that they have to be put on a ventilator and then die,” Aicher said. “You don’t expect dogs to die despite aggressive care.”
About 75% of the dogs at Texas A&M tested positive for a known pathogen. But in 25% there was nothing at all on the tests, said Aicher.
Then, for Aicher, it suddenly got personal.
Her 2-year-old Labrador retriever developed a high fever and a hacking cough. Aicher’s dog was hospitalized and, fortunately, recovered for treatment. The pup is now back at home “running around like her normal lab self.”
Sadly, a dog of the same age and breed that came to the hospital for treatment did not make it, she said.
Aicher recalled that her dog was walking and that her dog had made some snuffling noises and coughed once.
“In retrospect, those were probably the first signs and didn’t set off alarm bells,” she said.
He emphasizes the importance of owners knowing their dogs and recognizing when things look different.
Symptoms of a canine respiratory infection include:
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Coughing.
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Sneezing.
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Red, runny eyes.
Many dogs will recover on their own. But if the dog has difficulty breathing or stops eating, it could be a more serious problem and the dog should be taken to a vet.
With all the attention coming to the unknown disease in the news, and especially on social media, Dr. Cynda Crawford, chair of shelter medicine at the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine, says owners will panic when they’re not there yet. there seems to be a lot of cases overall.
However, “veterinarians working on the front lines in private practice are seeing a higher number of dogs with respiratory illness, and some of those dogs are progressing to pneumonia,” Crawford said. “They are reporting that the dogs are not responding as well or as quickly to the usual standard of care.”
Meanwhile, Maple, the Australian shepherd, appears to be improving and another chest X-ray is due to make sure the antibiotics are working.
“She can sleep through the night, she can take a nap,” Defendant said. “We can do a little training.”
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
