A mysterious respiratory illness is plaguing dogs in over a dozen states across the country, and veterinarians are sharing tips to keep your furry friends safe.
The Connecticut Department of Agriculture said in a statement Wednesday that there aren’t any confirmed cases of the illness in the state, but it has been reported in New England states like Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island.
A veterinarian in Guilford said he’s treated several dogs with the symptoms in recent months.
“Between roughly June and October, we saw approximately a dozen cases, and they presented very much like dogs that have kennel cough,” said Anthony Dellamonica, DVM, of Guilford Veterinary Hospital. “Many of the dogs were running a fever, they were lethargic which they’re often not with kennel cough.”
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Dellamonica said all of the dogs recovered, but a few got pneumonia.
Researchers at the University of New Hampshire are looking into the illness, and have analyzed dozens of cases.
“They have basically reported 31 cases, and out of 21, they have isolated or identified a bacteria which is very small,” said Neha Mishia, assistant professor at the Connecticut Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Lab.
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The bacteria, researchers said, evades a dog’s immune system.
"We don’t want people to panic, we want people to be cautious," Theresa Geary, of the Connecticut Humane Society, said.
The Humane Society in Newington said they haven't seen any cases of the illness in their facility.
“Of course, it can be scary. We don’t really know too much about it,” said Colleen Gleason, a veterinarian at the Connecticut Humane Society. “Do we think it’s something new or is it something that has been seen before and it’s just an uptick of that?”
Gleason said there is no need to change your daily routine, but there are precautions dog owners can take.
“If you’re going to doggy daycare, or a groomer, have that open convo with those facilities, see if they’ve had any respiratory illness, or if they’re closed,” Gleason said. “We don’t want to stop the socialization of them, but we do want to be careful.”
She also recommends vaccines for canine respiratory illnesses.
“There are some vaccines that are available for respiratory disease that we’ve seen in the past, including Bordetella and Parainfluenza,” she said. “You can speak to your veterinarian further about that and if that is a good fit for your pet.”
