The Washington Post spoke with veterinarians and veterinary medicine experts about what people should know about the disease and the precautions dog owners should take as they do so. vacation travel plan.
Avoid kennels, doggy day care and dog parks
Vets say dog owners shouldn’t panic, and there’s still a lot to learn about the disease. There are simple precautions dog owners can take to prevent any dog respiratory illness.
Experts suggest avoiding situations where your dog interacts with groups of dogs — advice that can disrupt many people’s pet care plans during vacation travel.
“If you don’t have to board your dog, use a pet sitter,” says Amanda Cavanagh, an emergency and critical care veterinarian at Colorado State University. “If you don’t have to go to the dog park or doggy day care, try to avoid it. Do not exercise with other dogs that are not from the same household.”
Experts don’t know how contagious the disease is or how it spreads. But the assumption is that, like other respiratory diseases, it spreads when dogs inhale aerosolized particles from infected dogs, said Kurt Williams, the director of the Oregon Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory at Oregon State University.
Evidence, Williams added, shows it’s more common in dogs in situations where they are with other dogs, such as in shelters or boarding facilities.
“Most of the dogs that come in with this cough are at doggy day care or at the dog park, so we think it’s passed to the dogs as they gather in groups,” Cavanagh said.
Experts also say the disease appears to be specific to dogs and does not spread to humans or other animals.
Pay attention to your dog’s health
If you are concerned about your dog, consult your local veterinarian, especially if your dog has a cough. If your dog shows signs of illness, do not send the puppy to a kennel or doggy day care where it will be around other dogs.
The healthier your dog is, the better it can fight off this disease, says Rena Carlson, the president of the American Veterinary Medical Association, a non-profit organization that represents more than 100,000 veterinarians.
“Make sure your dog is as healthy as possible,” said Carlson, whose veterinary practice is in Idaho. “That includes vet visits, vaccines, nutrition and exercise, all part of being a healthy dog.”
Get the bordetella and canine influenza vaccines
Cavanagh recommends full vaccinations for all dogs, including the four standard vaccines for distemper virus, adenovirus, parainfluenza and parvovirus, and two additional shots he says are essential this year: the bordetella and canine influenza vaccines.
If you plan to board your dog or allow it to socialize with other dogs, make sure your pet is vaccinated at least two weeks before coming to the kennel.
“Getting those vaccines now probably isn’t enough time for dogs to be boarded now and be safe for Thanksgiving, but it might be enough time for Christmas,” Cavanagh said.
Pay attention to symptoms
Experts don’t know if it’s a virus or bacteria that causes the respiratory illness.
“There’s a lot of chatter that there’s a virus, but we’ve tested it here in Oregon, and we don’t see evidence of any of the known viruses that can be associated with respiratory disease in dogs or novel viruses,” Williams said.
Researchers in New Hampshire found evidence of an atypical bacteria in sick dogs around New England, but the team isn’t sure if that’s the case for other dogs across the United States, says by David Needle, a senior veterinary pathologist and the pathology section chief at the New Hampshire Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory.
Dogs with this disease may start with a dry cough or runny nose and eyes, Cavanagh says. But it can progress to pneumonia, where dogs develop a wet cough.
“They will be lethargic and weak and stop eating, and many times have a fever as well,” Cavanagh said.
The Oregon Department of Agriculture, which has received more than 200 reports from Oregon veterinarians since mid-August about the disease, said the cases appear to fall within three general clinical syndromes:
- Chronic mild to moderate tracheobronchitis – inflammation of the upper airways — with prolonged duration (six to eight weeks or more) that is minimal or unresponsive to antibiotics.
- Chronic pneumonia that is minimal or unresponsive to antibiotics.
- Acute pneumonia that becomes severe quickly and usually leads to a poor outcome within 24 to 36 hours.
Most animals can get supportive care if needed. Carlson says the most important thing is to give your dog enough fluids and nutrition.
And if your dog has pneumonia, he may need to be given a supplement oxygen. Some dogs are given anti-inflammatories to reduce the inflammation caused by the disease. “Consult your vet to decide how serious it is,” he says.
