US veterinarians are sounding the alarm on a mysterious illness with lingering, pneumonia-like symptoms spreading among canines. The disease is reportedly affecting dogs across the country, as per TMZ. If left untreated, it can become deadly, though this is a rare phenomenon. Symptoms may first appear to be similar to kennel cough, recently renamed canine infectious respiratory disease complex (CIRDC), an illness that has been around for decades, but has a shelf life of under three weeks. There is a vaccine for CIRDC and treatment does not require antibiotic therapy. Dr. Tom Le Boldus, of the Alberta Veterinary Association, confirmed with the Western Standard “there seems to be an uptick in respiratory disease cases in dogs in some of the western states as well as Eastern seaboard,” but is not convinced the “mysterious” disease is all it’s made out to be in some media reports. “In the last five years, we've been seeing more cases of CIRDC,” he said. “We typically used to see them present with vague but similar signs like coughing, some getting pneumonia, maybe decreased appetite, maybe mild lethargy, but then would go away on its own."When asked if veterinarians have determined if the sickness is viral or bacterial, Le Boldus said “there’s some thought it's likely to be viral, because the attending veterinarians have been giving these dogs antibiotics without much in the way of response.”“And historically, I guess a lot of it was linked to Bordetella bronchiseptica bacteria, or canine parainfluenza as being the most common causes in something you could actually vaccinate against.”As for whether the disease has made its way up into Alberta and the rest of Canada, Le Boldus said coughing dogs are very common, so it is hard to say. “Everywhere that there's dogs and dog density, like off leash dog parks, doggy daycares, boarding kennels, we've always seen coughing dogs because of that,” Le Boldus told the Western Standard. “Locally, we've seen an uptick above and beyond what's typical, with, you know, pets being boarded over the coming holidays."“People should “limit their dogs contacts, especially with dogs that have unknown health status,” he cautioned. “Get away from sick dogs, and if your dog is sick, keep it away from other dogs.”“But what we've been seeing more in the Calgary area, we've been seeing in the States as well. Canine respiratory coronavirus, pneumo virus, and canine influenza virus, historically exist,” he said, adding, “bacteria like streptococcus mycoplasma that respond well to antibiotics. And those are the ones that we've been seeing.”“The symptoms are the same as within the CIRDC complex, of bugs that we're now recognizing, being part of that whole respiratory thing.” “But there's other viruses and other bacteria that we can’t vaccinate against, that are causing the exact same respiratory symptoms,” he said. Le Boldus explained the higher rates of sickness could be due to lower vaccination rates in canines or the “importation of pets” from abroad. “[They may have] viral diseases that we didn't historically see here,” he said. “And there is a vaccine for dog flu, but the vaccines have been mostly unavailable in Canada.”“So even if owners were wanting to vaccinate against canine flu it has been largely unavailable as a vaccine product.”Increase in infection could be attributed to the breed as well, as some dogs, such brachycephalic (flat face) breeds, “because they're already prone to respiratory issues.”
US veterinarians are sounding the alarm on a mysterious illness with lingering, pneumonia-like symptoms spreading among canines. The disease is reportedly affecting dogs across the country, as per TMZ. If left untreated, it can become deadly, though this is a rare phenomenon. Symptoms may first appear to be similar to kennel cough, recently renamed canine infectious respiratory disease complex (CIRDC), an illness that has been around for decades, but has a shelf life of under three weeks. There is a vaccine for CIRDC and treatment does not require antibiotic therapy. Dr. Tom Le Boldus, of the Alberta Veterinary Association, confirmed with the Western Standard “there seems to be an uptick in respiratory disease cases in dogs in some of the western states as well as Eastern seaboard,” but is not convinced the “mysterious” disease is all it’s made out to be in some media reports. “In the last five years, we've been seeing more cases of CIRDC,” he said. “We typically used to see them present with vague but similar signs like coughing, some getting pneumonia, maybe decreased appetite, maybe mild lethargy, but then would go away on its own."When asked if veterinarians have determined if the sickness is viral or bacterial, Le Boldus said “there’s some thought it's likely to be viral, because the attending veterinarians have been giving these dogs antibiotics without much in the way of response.”“And historically, I guess a lot of it was linked to Bordetella bronchiseptica bacteria, or canine parainfluenza as being the most common causes in something you could actually vaccinate against.”As for whether the disease has made its way up into Alberta and the rest of Canada, Le Boldus said coughing dogs are very common, so it is hard to say. “Everywhere that there's dogs and dog density, like off leash dog parks, doggy daycares, boarding kennels, we've always seen coughing dogs because of that,” Le Boldus told the Western Standard. “Locally, we've seen an uptick above and beyond what's typical, with, you know, pets being boarded over the coming holidays."“People should “limit their dogs contacts, especially with dogs that have unknown health status,” he cautioned. “Get away from sick dogs, and if your dog is sick, keep it away from other dogs.”“But what we've been seeing more in the Calgary area, we've been seeing in the States as well. Canine respiratory coronavirus, pneumo virus, and canine influenza virus, historically exist,” he said, adding, “bacteria like streptococcus mycoplasma that respond well to antibiotics. And those are the ones that we've been seeing.”“The symptoms are the same as within the CIRDC complex, of bugs that we're now recognizing, being part of that whole respiratory thing.” “But there's other viruses and other bacteria that we can’t vaccinate against, that are causing the exact same respiratory symptoms,” he said. Le Boldus explained the higher rates of sickness could be due to lower vaccination rates in canines or the “importation of pets” from abroad. “[They may have] viral diseases that we didn't historically see here,” he said. “And there is a vaccine for dog flu, but the vaccines have been mostly unavailable in Canada.”“So even if owners were wanting to vaccinate against canine flu it has been largely unavailable as a vaccine product.”Increase in infection could be attributed to the breed as well, as some dogs, such brachycephalic (flat face) breeds, “because they're already prone to respiratory issues.”
