November 29, 2023
Thom Carroll/for PhillyVoice
A canine respiratory illness with no official name was observed in Oregon and Colorado earlier this fall. It has since been spotted in Pennsylvania.
Dogs have been coming down with a respiratory illness that is stumping veterinarians — and sending pet owners into a panic.
The disease presents as a persistent cough that lingers for weeks or even months and does not respond well to antibiotics typically prescribed for respiratory illnesses. In some situations, the disease presents as chronic pneumonia. In the worst cases, it progresses rapidly to severe pneumonia and death.
While the exact number of fatalities is unknown, and likely small, the disease has led to growing concern among animal professionals and owners. Before Thanksgiving, the disease was reported in only five states: Oregon, Colorado, Rhode Island, New Hampshire and Massachusetts. After the holiday, it had spread to nine more, including Indiana and Maryland.
Pennsylvania is now one of the states where the disease has been spotted, the state's agriculture department said Wednesday.
"There have been recent reports in several states, including Pennsylvania, of an atypical respiratory illness in dogs with no known cause," Shannon Powers, press secretary for the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, said in an email. "We do not have a count of how many dogs have been reported ill. The PA Dept. of Agriculture’s Bureau of Animal Health and Diagnostic Services has alerted licensed veterinarians statewide. The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture is monitoring this situation, but the best source of information for your pet remains your trusted veterinarian."
The New Jersey Department of Health, which handles dog diseases, said it had "not received reports of suspected or confirmed outbreaks in canines" on Wednesday, but noted that not all cases of canine respiratory illness would be reported to the department.
Philadelphia veterinarians at Girard Veterinary Clinic and Center City Veterinary Hospital said Tuesday that they had not observed any cases. Neither had vets at the Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, which is headquartered in North Philly.
Much is still unknown about the mystery affliction. Experts are unsure if the illness is viral or bacterial, and many wonder if it's new at all. Dr. Deborah Silverstein, chief of emergency and critical care at Penn's Ryan Veterinary Hospital, wrote that "it is unknown at this point whether the recent reports represent a new organism, or more cases of (kennel cough) than we have seen in recent years" in a fact sheet circulated Wednesday.
Dr. Amber Karwacki, a veterinarian at the Heart + Paw clinic in Callowhill, said dogs have been coming down with a wetter cough than is typically seen in kennel cough, more formally known as canine infectious respiratory disease complex. Other symptoms for the disease include sneezing, lethargy, eye or nasal discharge and loss of appetite.
Dr. Bryan Langlois, a former president of the Pennsylvania Veterinary Medical Association, agreed with Silverstein's assessment.
"Usually when we do see these types of kennel cough syndromes, it's a combination of things," he said. "So it can be a certain type of virus that can be going around. It can be in combination with a bacterial infection. And the testing that we've done so far has kind of been all over the map...We just haven't been able to track down the exact virus or viruses that are causing the problem."
As more cases of canine respiratory disease pop up throughout the U.S., we want to share a few best practices to ensure your dog stays healthy and safe this holiday season. pic.twitter.com/CZGn0Vv2uw
— AVMA (American Veterinary Medical Association) (@AVMAvets) November 21, 2023
"We're actually telling people to be more cautious now and just bring (their dogs) in if they're not even sure," Karwacki said.
During the appointment, a veterinarian will likely take X-rays to check the dog's chest for pneumonia or inflammation. The vet may also take nasal swabs, similar to the PCR tests humans take for COVID-19, and run a respiratory panel to rule out any known diseases. Your dog may be prescribed a longer, or slightly different, course of antibiotics than what is often given for similar infections. But "we're not really at a panic point of dealing with something that does not respond to any kind of treatment," Langlois said.
For the time being, Drs. Karwacki, Langlois and Silverstein and the PSPCA say it's a good idea to limit pets' contact with other dogs. Vets have been quick to caution against visits to dog parks, kennels, groomers and day-care centers, where pups may come in close contact with other animals. They also suggest owners keep dogs up to date on their recommended vaccines for Bordetella, canine influenza and parainfluenza. If a dog can't stop coughing or sneezing, and/or develops discharge, make an appointment with the vet.
Drs. Karwacki and Langlois offered these additional tips:
• If going to the dog park, avoid busy timesQuestions around the disease have led to a deluge of panicked posts from dog owners on social media. Reddit users have posted to city-specific subreddits asking neighbors to share intel, or claiming the disease is already in unconfirmed states. On TikTok, users have vacillated between warnings and jokes about helicopter parenting their healthy dogs, or their pampered pups slumming it with at-home grooming.
• Don't let your dog drink out of water bowls at the park or at city storefronts
• Don't let your dog share toys
• If boarding your dog, ask the kennel about its prevention and vaccination policies
• If your dog has respiratory symptoms, take them to the vet and keep them away from other dogs for at least two weeks, even if they start feeling better
But experts say dog owners should be careful, not anxious, about their pets' safety as veterinarians search for answers.
"Don't panic, but be cautious," Dr. Karwacki said. "There are labs that are working to try to figure this out. Some state labs have been working on this and it could take a couple more months. Just be mindful. If your dog's not acting right, take them to the vet, get them up to date on their shots and just try not to do any big dog parks."
This story has been updated with a statement from the New Jersey Department of Health.
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