An outbreak of an unknown respiratory illness is affecting dogs in at least 14 states, including Maryland.
Illness has been reported in Oregon, Colorado, California, Illinois, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Massachusetts, Washington, Vermont, Maryland, Idaho, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA).
The illness has been classified as a canine infectious respiratory disease, or CIRD, which is a general term for known bacterial and viral causes of lung, trachea (throat), and nasal disease. But unlike common CIRD, this atypical version is minimally or not responsive to antibiotics.
Some patients infected with this illness have died, though the fatality rate is unclear and “may not be very high,” The Washington Post reported.
Dr. Ashley Nichols, president of the Maryland Veterinary Medical Association, said although dog owners should take this illness as seriously as other infections, they advise them “not to panic.”
“We veterinarians do have the tools and resources to work with owners to do what’s in the best interest of the dogs and their pets,” said Nichols, who is a veterinarian at Banfield Pet Hospital in Hanover, Maryland.
Symptoms
The AVMA said symptoms of atypical CIRD can include:
- Chronic mild to moderate tracheobronchitis that lasts 6-8 weeks or longer and is minimally or not responsive to antibiotics. Tracheobronchitis is an inflammation of the trachea – also known as the windpipe – and the bronchi – a pair of tubes that carry air from the windpipe to the lungs.
- Chronic pneumonia that is minimally or not responsive to antibiotics.
- Acute pneumonia that rapidly becomes severe and often leads to poor outcomes in as little as 24-36 hours.
The illness usually starts with coughing, sneezing, and sometimes a runny nose or eyes, Nichols said.
“Not every patient with respiratory symptoms needs to go to the ER,” they said, but dogs who have a lack of appetite, high fever, difficulty breathing, and sudden extreme lethargy need to be seen by a specialty facility with 24-hour supervised care.
“And I’m not just talking about sleeping more than normal,” they added. “I’m talking like you’re having trouble getting them up.”
The cause of the infection is still under investigation, and while patients in these cases have exhibited similar symptoms, the AVMA said it has not been able to definitively link cases in the states where illness has been reported.
Oregon appears to be the first state to have identified “something unusual might be going on here,” but the national veterinary association does not know for sure if the cases originated in Oregon, said AVMA spokesperson Michael San Filippo in an email to Baltimore Fishbowl.
To date, Oregon officials have received more than 200 case reports from veterinarians in the state since mid-August, according to the Oregon Veterinary Medical Association.
In Maryland, there is no mandatory reporting for cases of CIRD, Nichols said. Veterinary offices are advised to report any unusual illnesses to the state animal health department.
Differences between common and atypical CIRD
The atypical infection appears to progress more quickly than common CIRD.
“One thing that I’ve noticed in what I’ve been seeing lately is the presentation [in atypical CIRD] appears to be faster than what I see with the common, meaning pets that were previously healthy 24 hours ago are presenting with uncontrollable coughs and things like that,” Nichols said.
This unknown illness also appears to be more resistant to antibiotics.
Patients with common CIRD typically respond to a one- to two-week course of a broad-spectrum, first-line antibiotic. But for patients with the atypical illness, within one to three days of being seen by a veterinary professional and starting treatment, they are not responding well to antibiotics or they are declining fast, Nichols said.
“It doesn’t mean that we’re not giving them antibiotics,” they said. “It just means that we’re changing the type of antibiotics and how it’s administered to try to help them fight the infections.”
Patients may be referred to a specialty facility where they can receive oxygen therapy and have antibiotics administered intravenously instead of orally.
“The benefits of IV antibiotics over the oral antibiotics that most of your clients will get is the IV goes directly into the blood so it can fight the infection faster and more directly,” Nichols said. “So when we’re dealing with rapid progression, it’s one of the best things to do.”
Vaccination and preventive care
Prevention is the best medicine against serious illness, Nichols said. But some dog owners are wary of bringing their dog to a facility with other sick animals.
“I have heard concerns that people are trying to cancel their preventive care appointments and we do have concerns about that because it could potentially lead to bigger issues later on down the road,” they said.
Nichols added that veterinary hospitals are sanitary and take precautions to reduce the risk of hospital-transmitted infections. When in doubt, it’s best to express your concerns to your veterinarian rather than skipping out on needed appointments.
Dr. Rena Carlson, president of the American Veterinary Medical Association, said pet owners should make sure their dogs are up-to-date on their vaccinations, especially vaccines for respiratory diseases like Bordetella, Adenovirus type 2, parainfluenza, and influenza H3N2.
“The AVMA also strongly urges owners to keep their dog’s vaccines updated,” Carlson said in a statement. “While the existing vaccines may not specifically target this unknown infection, maintaining overall health through routine vaccinations can help support a dog’s immune system in combating various infections.”
Risk reduction
Transmission of the illness is airborne, including coughing and sneezing, or through close contact, Nichols said. If a household has multiple dogs and one or more begins showing the previously described symptoms, owners should separate the symptomatic dog from non-symptomatic ones. They added that there is no concrete evidence that the illness is transmissible through saliva, but owners are advised to keep separate bowls if they have multiple dogs.
Nichols said there is no reported transfer of atypical CIRD from dogs to humans, or from dogs to other species, such as cats or other types of pets.
Still, animal health professionals advise handwashing after touching a dog.
“In general, the risk of people getting sick from dogs with canine infectious respiratory disease is extremely low,” said Carlson, the national veterinary association president. “However, because we don’t know yet exactly what agent or agents is or are causing the current outbreak, it’s a good idea to thoroughly wash your hands after handling your or other dogs.”
Veterinary experts are discouraging dog owners from bringing their pets to crowded, high-traffic areas and events, such as dog parks, dog shows, parades, and holiday light events, where they do not know whether other animals are vaccinated or in good health.
Owners can still safely walk their dog around their neighborhood, Nichols said.
If you must take your dog to a pet day care, grooming business, or boarding facility, check that your animal is up to date on all vaccines two weeks before the visit. Owners should also make sure the facility they are visiting with their dog requires pets to be up to date on all vaccines, not just rabies.
Investigations into the specific cause of atypical CIRD are still underway, but Nichols said veterinary professionals are doing everything they can to keep pets safe and healthy.
“We are in this with other veterinarians, and we are working on finding information and relaying the latest information to everybody in the state so everybody can do their best,” they said.
