Many dog owners are alarmed after an urgent health warning for canines started circulating online in recent weeks.
Some viral social media posts claim a mysterious respiratory illness that’s highly contagious and potentially fatal is spreading among dogs throughout the U.S. One of the posts warns owners not to bring their pets to dog parks or other places where dogs may congregate.
Many commenters responded to the posts with questions and concerns about the alleged illness and how it could affect their dogs.
THE QUESTION
Is a mystery illness spreading among dogs in some states?
THE SOURCES
- Oregon Veterinary Medical Association
- American Veterinary Medical Association
- Washington State Department of Agriculture
- Colorado Department of Agriculture
- Article published by Colorado State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences
- Lindsey Ganzer, DVM, CEO of North Springs Veterinary Referral Center in Colorado Springs
- David Needle, DVM, senior veterinary pathologist at the University of New Hampshire's New Hampshire Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory
THE ANSWER
Yes, a mystery respiratory illness is spreading among dogs in some U.S. states.
WHAT WE FOUND
An unknown respiratory illness is spreading among dogs in multiple U.S. states, according to veterinarians and multiple state agencies.
Researchers are still trying to collect and verify data from samples across the country to determine exactly where the illness is spreading.
But canine respiratory illness has been reported either officially or anecdotally in these 14 states, according to American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) president and veterinarian Rena Carlson:
- California
- Colorado
- Florida
- Georgia
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
- Oregon
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- Washington
The illness starts out as a cough that can progress to severe pneumonia in some cases. Though the symptoms can be similar to a typical case of “kennel cough,” veterinarians say they haven’t been able to identify what’s causing the new respiratory illness.
There have been some deaths reported from the unknown illness, but it is “very rarely” fatal, veterinarian and researcher David Needle told VERIFY.
Cases of the unknown illness reported to the Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) typically result in chronic mild to moderate inflammation of the trachea that lasts for 6-8 weeks or longer, and is minimally or not responsive to antibiotics; chronic pneumonia that is minimally or not responsive to antibiotics; or acute pneumonia that rapidly becomes severe and “often leads to poor outcomes in as little as 24-36 hours.”
Dogs that contract the unknown illness do not respond to typical treatments for another known diagnosis, according to the Washington State Department of Agriculture.
Owners should be on the lookout for progressive coughing that may be accompanied by nasal or eye discharge, sneezing, extreme lethargy, loss of appetite, and trouble breathing, and consult their veterinarian immediately if their dog develops these symptoms, Carlson says.
What we know about cases of the illness throughout the U.S.
In August 2023, Oregon's agriculture department began receiving reports of an “atypical canine infectious respiratory disease” circulating in the Portland and Willamette Valley areas, the Oregon Veterinary Medical Association says.
The ODA has received more than 200 case reports from veterinarians since mid-August, the AVMA reported on Nov. 17.
On Nov. 22, the Colorado Department of Agriculture (CDA) said it has been receiving calls from veterinarians over the past two months “reporting an elevated number of canine respiratory disease cases in the state.”
“Veterinarians are currently reporting that they are seeing double the number of cases than what is typically seen during a canine infectious respiratory disease outbreak,” the CDA said. “The cases are presenting with prolonged coughing which can last weeks to months with minimal response to treatment.”
The dogs in Colorado have contracted pneumonia and required hospitalization in some cases. In rare cases, dogs have died, the CDA said.
North Springs Veterinary Referral Center, an emergency veterinary clinic in Colorado Springs, has treated about 35 cases since October, veterinarian and CEO Lindsey Ganzer told VERIFY. A few of the dogs have died, Ganzer said.
Other animal hospitals in nearby Denver and surrounding areas are also seeing cases of the unknown illness, according to Ganzer.
Needle, who is a senior veterinary pathologist at the University of New Hampshire’s Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, has been studying the unknown illness for about a year. It emerged in New Hampshire in 2022, he said.
Since then, Needle and other researchers have received samples from Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Oregon, and are awaiting samples from other U.S. states, Needle said.
The researchers are trying to figure out if the samples from various states share the same genetic makeup.
A spokesperson for the AVMA told VERIFY it does not have data on the number of cases or deaths in various states.
Experts share precautions for dog owners
Our experts recommend that owners make sure dogs are up to date on all of their vaccines, including canine influenza, Bordetella and parainfluenza.
While these vaccines may not target the unknown infection, “maintaining overall health through routine vaccinations can help support a dog’s immune system in combating various infections,” an article published by Colorado State University’s (CSU) College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences says.
The CSU article also recommends avoiding social events for dogs, including dog parks. If owners have to take their dog to a boarding facility, groomer, or daycare, they should make sure to complete the recommended vaccinations, the article says.
This story is also available in Spanish / Lee este artículo también en español: Sí, una misteriosa enfermedad respiratoria se está propagando en perros de algunos estados