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Mysterious Respiratory Illness in Dogs
The news has been buzzing with the new mysterious and fatal respiratory illness in dogs that has been spreading throughout the country. There is limited information on this new illness as cases are still developing and being studied but currently the AVMA is recommending keeping a close watch on your pets and contacting your veterinarian at the first signs of illness.
Current symptoms of this new respiratory illness present as:
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- Chronic cough that lasts for a few days to weeks
- Pneumonia that is minimally responsive to antibiotics
- Acute pneumonia that rapidly becomes severe and leads to poor outcomes in as little as 24 hours
Keep watch of your dogs for early symptoms such as:
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- Coughing
- Sneezing
- Nasal or eye discharge
- Lethargy
- Trouble breathing
- Fever
Now is not time to panic, but we do recommend taking some extra precautions to keep your dogs safe and healthy during this time the same as you would for a kennel cough outbreak. This is especially important this time of year as many families are traveling and dogs might be boarding and around other dogs.
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- Avoid having your dog around other dogs as much as possible. This includes avoiding dog parks, doggie daycares and boarding facilities
- Make sure that your dog is up to date on all vaccines recommended by your veterinarian especially Bordetella, and influenza
Keeping your dog home from daycare and dog parks doesn’t mean that you need to limit their exercise. It’s still good for your dogs to get out and about for walks and fresh air, just avoid nose contact with other dogs while you are out. Continuing to feed your dogs healthy foods and probiotics such as Caniotic is another way that you can help keep their health up during this time.
As always, if you are concerned about your pets health or if they start showing any of the symptoms listed above, contact your veterinarian!
https://www.today.com/health/mystery-dog-illness-2023-rcna125553