A potentially fatal mystery illness in dogs is quickly spreading across the country and vets warn holiday travel could lead to more exposure risk for pets.
No cases of the unnamed illness have been reported in the Bay Area, but Los Angeles and Oregon have reported several cases — with at least one tragically turning fatal.
“I just found out about it last night and it scared me, because my puppy's all I have,” Le'a Le'a, a San Francisco dog owner, told CBS News Bay Area.
After retiring as a truck driver she quickly adopted her dog, Panther, from the SPCA. She calls Panther her best friend.
“It's a great way to enjoy retirement, because I have all day to enjoy the parks,” said Le'a Le'a.
But veterinarians like Dr. Christine Long are warning pet owners to avoid dog parks and kennels where illness is more likely to spread.
“Maybe find a dog sitter if they can maybe ask a boarding facility, or look for a boarding facility where the dogs can stay separate from one another,” Long said.
Long, the chief medical officer for Modern Animal, says none of the vet facilities under her leadership have reported a case. However, the illness has been contracted by hundreds of dogs in multiple states, including California.
Symptoms of the disease include a cough, lethargy and loss of appetite. Some dogs are reportedly catching pneumonia after getting the illness.
“That's what makes it so concerning is that it starts out innocently and it very rapidly escalates into pneumonia, which is a very serious infection of the lungs,” Long explained.
San Francisco day care and boarding facility Pet Camp is at capacity over the holiday weekend, but employees are taking extra precautions.
Senior pet counselor Mark Klaiman says they are using air filtration, disinfectants, and have a quarantine period to keep pets safe — reminiscent of COVID precautions for humans.
“Any dog that's new to the Bay Area, especially now that we don't have this mystery illness in San Francisco, is not allowed to come to pet camp after two weeks of being here. Because our hope is that if they come into San Francisco asymptomatic, two weeks later they would be symptomatic and we would not let them in,” Klaiman said.
For La'e La'e, she's trying to protect her dog by spreading the word about the illness.
“We should start putting signs up at the dog park. Maybe I will. I need something to do in retirement,” she said. “We all know a dog is a man's best friend.”
