Vaccinations best protection from mystery dog illness
Recently, I have been asked what I know about the mysterious respiratory illness impacting dogs nationwide. Here is what we know.
Canine infectious respiratory disease is a highly contagious canine illness that presents with a cough that can persist for six to eight weeks and chronic pneumonia that are both “minimally or not responsive to antibiotics,” according to “Making sense of the mystery illness found across the US,” an article in the American Veterinary Medical Association News.
Findings by the Oregon Department of Agriculture, reported in the article, include “acute pneumonia that rapidly becomes severe and often leads to poor outcomes in as little as 24-36 hours.”
Cases that match the description of CIRDC have been reported, officially and anecdotally, in 19 states: Colorado, California, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Nevada, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin. The illness does not spread to people, only to other dogs.
Now for what we don’t know. We don’t know exactly what the illness is or if it is related to other canine respiratory diseases. We also don’t know the exact number of dogs impacted since there is no national database that tracks canine or feline diseases.
Still, the Oregon Department of Agriculture reported more than 200 cases of CIRDC since August. And there have been enough anecdotal cases reported in other states to alarm veterinarians nationwide.
While Texas is not currently reporting this mystery illness, we
do know that canine illnesses have increased overall in the past few years in our state. During COVID, many pet owners did not keep their pet’s vaccinations current, and so, over the past three years, city shelters have seen an unprecedented increase in unvaccinated dogs. As a result, there have been severe distemper outbreaks in animal shelter canine populations, impacting not just the dogs inside the shelter but any unvaccinated dogs in the community that might come in contact with an infected dog.
Until we know more, the AVMA says a dog’s best protection against CIRDC is to stay
current on their vaccinations. The Bordetella vaccine prevents kennel cough and is required if dogs go to boarding facilities or groomers, and needed if they play at dog parks or are any place where many dogs are socially around each other.
The parvo-distemper vaccine protects against those two potentially fatal viruses. Canine distemper and Bordetella both may present with respiratory symptoms similar to CIRDC. While vaccinated dogs may still get upper respiratory infections, they are more likely to have milder symptoms if vaccinated.
So, if you have been lax, vaccinate your dog as soon as possible. San Antonio Animal Care Services hosts free vaccine and microchip clinics in targeted ZIP codes throughout the year. For
more information, visit SAACS at sa.gov/directory/departments /Acs/caring/vaccinations. Local animal shelters and spay neuter clinics also offer free vaccine clinics, so check their websites as well.
Cold weather warning
If you take care of community cats and provide them with shelter, remember to use only straw as bedding. No blankets, towels or beds, as these can pull moisture from the air and freeze solid. If you have a pet that spends time outside, bring them inside when temperatures dip below freezing.