Mystery Dog Illness 2023

Some of you may have heard whispers recently regarding a “mysterious respiratory illness” affecting and often killing dogs. Here's what you need to know:

Veterinary professionals are advising the following:

-Stay out of dog parks

-Stay out of doggy daycare’s or boarding facilities and grooming facilities

-Stay away from group training classes

-Do not allow your dogs to interact with other dogs outside your home

-Try to stay away from high traffic areas where people walk their dogs or dogs hang out or play

-When walking your dog, do not let them greet, unfamiliar dogs, or any dogs really for that matter to be the safest

-On walks try to avoid letting your dog (and this will be hard) sniff in high traffic areas like poles, corners, fire hydrants, or reading the pee-mail and such.

Many veterinarians are recommending suspension of walks all together- if that is what you choose to do (that is in fact the safest option)

PLEASE be sure to create an environment with a lot of engagement and enrichment activities for your dog in the home. Your dog will need more interaction during this time and more brain exercises to try and keep them occupied. If you need some tips or ideas comment below and I’ll make another post with awesome alternative ideas.

SYMPTOMS INCLUDE

• -Coughing

• -Sneezing

• -Eye or nose discharge

• -Lethargy

• -Difficulty breathing

• -Loss of appetite

• -Disorientaion

• -Wheezing

The disease can present similar to symptoms in kennel cough, or pneumonia but if you see even one of these symptoms crop up- get to the vet immediately- early detection is your dog's best chance of survival.

The disease has potential to kill and does not test like common dog viruses. The best the Doctor spearheading the (Dr. David Needle) research can come up with is it is a "funky bacterium." With no known relative or similar culture for comparison.

A family in the So CA area found their dog doing very poorly and their vet tried chloramphenicol (a bacteria inhibitor) and the dog went home 5 hours later. Other than that, most vets are treating it anecdotally with doxycycline and other pneumonia or kennel cough treatments until they know more.

They do not know what they’re dealing with, and there is no treatment nor a cure many dogs have succumb to this already in the last week. It started in Oregon and it’s moving his way across the country quickly- please be cautious and minimize contact with other dogs, and please make sure your dog is up-to-date on vaccinations.

Reported cases: Oregon, Washington, Delaware, Colorado, Florida, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Colorado, Maryland and unfortunately CALIFORNIA. I will update the list of states affected as new breaks. So please be extra cautious if you are traveling with your dog over the holidays.