The Oregon Department of Agriculture said in a November 9 news release that symptoms include coughing, sneezing, eye or nose discharge and lethargy that can turn into phenomena.
Its an unusual respiratory illness in dogs that does not respond to antibiotics is being investigated in several states across the U.S.
Dr. Melissa Thompson, the vice president of animal welfare and medical services with AHS, said the state veterinarian confirmed two cases in Arizona but both of the dogs had recently been in Oregon, an area seeing the worst of the outbreak.
The mystery respiratory illness is spreading through close contact with other dogs and Thompson said the most at-risk groups are puppies, senior dogs and dogs already struggling with health issues.
” We have a litter of puppies and will wait an extra week to send our puppies home with their families to be extra safe,” said American Kennel Club Labrador Retriever Breeder, Linden Labs, from Linden Arizona. “We will also limit their exposure and its important to make sure all puppies are properly vaccinated.”
The Oregon Department of Agriculture is working with pathologists and virologists from state and federal veterinary laboratories, as well as the Oregon Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory at Oregon State University to determine what could be causing the illness. The state has partnered with several emergency veterinary practices to begin widespread PCR testing on dogs to test for respiratory illnesses in order to catch it before they start showing symptoms.
Oregon and other states have sent nasal swab samples to a federal veterinary lab for further testing, which could help determine what causes the illness and potential treatments.
Experts are currently working to determine the specific cause of the illness but until then, if your dog starts showing signs like excessive coughing or lethargy, contact your veterinarian.
JT Morgan Journalist for Mountain Daily Star