There is talk of a respiratory illness spreading among dogs in the United States, but local veterinarians are urging pet owners not to panic.
Dog owners are in a frenzy after reports of a “mystery disease” spreading across the United States, but local experts are urging people not to panic.
Major news outlets across North America are warning of a “mysterious respiratory illness” that has spread across the United States in recent months. But Dr. Scott Weese, a veterinarian and professor at the Ontario Veterinary College and a leading infectious disease expert, isn’t sure a new disease is on the rise, or even a major outbreak.
So what exactly is going on?
There are reports of dogs developing cough symptoms that last longer than usual, from a few weeks to a few months. Secondary infections don’t always respond to typical treatments. Some dogs developed pneumonia and some died.
“The problem is that this largely describes our normal state,” Weese said in a statement. blog post released earlier this week.
Respiratory diseases are endemic in dogs and have a variety of known causes. This is something that veterinarians see regularly, but usually goes unnoticed.
In fact, Weese receives emails asking if respiratory illnesses in dogs are spreading more each year or if their spread is more serious.
“To me it reflects that there is always traffic…and we sometimes notice it more.”
In an interview, he compared it to cold and flu season.
“You have no idea how many people get colds in Guelph. Many people are. But then people start talking about it all of a sudden, you realize that all people are sick and you can overreact to that,” he said.
This is especially true because, like the common cold, respiratory illnesses in dogs are generally not tested for. Something like kennel cough, for example, usually goes away on its own within a week or two, sometimes requiring only a cough suppressant or antibiotics.
For example, if 100 dogs in Guelph were currently suffering from kennel cough, there is no way to know if that number is high or low.
“That’s a problem when we try to evaluate situations like this, we don’t really have a benchmark to compare to,” he said.
Severity also isn’t necessarily a big cause for concern: He said it’s typical for a small percentage of dogs to get very sick or die from respiratory illness if they’re at risk. Dogs at higher risk include older dogs, dogs already sick or with pre-existing conditions, and “wet-faced” breeds.
Dogs who regularly socialize with unfamiliar dogs, such as at the dog park, would also be at greater risk than those who don’t, he said.
However, at this point, Weese said, “we have no idea if anything is going on.” All we know is that there are more and more people talking about respiratory illnesses in dogs, but we don’t know if we’re actually seeing many more cases.
So the question is: are we seeing an increase in respiratory illnesses, something entirely new, or have the media and social media created an epidemic, simply by taking note of something that normally passes? unnoticed?
Right now, Weese suspects that there has either been an uptick in baseline disease, which he has noticed in recent years, or that normal disease activity is being curtailed. greater attention.
Highway 24 Veterinary Clinic shared similar sentiments in an email sent to customers earlier this week, noting that the disease is being called a mystery only because “a single common pathogen has not been identified that connects all these cases among themselves.”
“Just like in humans, viruses can change (mutate) and bacteria can become resistant to antibiotics – which is why it is so essential to use antibiotics correctly,” the clinic said.
“Here at Highway 24 Veterinary Clinic we often see dogs coughing, but we have yet to see a case of serious respiratory illness like this,” the email states. “Experts are working hard to determine whether there really is a completely new pathogen, but it is likely that these are problems with the same viruses and bacteria that we already know about. »
Still, Dr. Lucas Yuricek, a veterinarian at the clinic, said he’s heard from many concerned clients over the past few days and wants to make sure they listen to those concerns without becoming alarmed.
“One of the challenges we face as veterans is finding the right balance between education and information without instilling fear,” he said.
It makes sense that people are worried about a mysterious respiratory illness after experiencing the COVID-19 pandemic, but “right now, while a lot of people are talking about it, there is nothing so different from the others.” years when similar things happened.
“So we continue to exercise our usual level of caution and concern, but nothing that will cause us to panic,” he said.
While you don’t need to keep your dog cooped up indoors to avoid exposure, Weese and Yuricek agree that there’s no harm in taking extra precautions, like avoiding dog parks at this time. .
Yuricek said a vaccine for the most common respiratory illnesses, while not required, is also an option.
“If a dog is sick, keep it home. Keep your dog away from visibly ill dogs. Try to limit the number of dogs your dog encounters,” Weese said.
Ultimately, he said right now, “we have an upper respiratory infection or kennel cough that we’re wondering is happening more often, as opposed to a new mystery like COVID that will appear and noticeably change things. »
However, neither Weese nor Yuricek are dismissing the fact that something is happening, there just isn’t enough data to say if it’s worth panicking.
“In the age of media, things spread quickly and sometimes it takes time for the facts to catch up,” Yuricek said.