READING, Pa – Veterinarians are continuing to understand illness in dogs.
“I was kind of perplexed, just like the average pet owner, because it's just this headline of mystery respiratory illness, and as I'm learning more about it, it's still kind of a head-scratcher, because we still don't know what the pathogen could be,” said Alicia Simoneau, the chief veterinary officer at Humane Pennsylvania in Reading.
Symptoms of the respiratory illness in dogs include coughing, sneezing, nasal or eye discharge and lethargy.
“The experts I've been researching seem to think there's not a whole lot of evidence that this is a new pathogen,” Simoneau said.
Veterinarians across the country don't have large, government-funded entities, like the CDC, that focus solely on animal illnesses.
“A lot of times, general practitioners depend on our local vet schools because they tend to do more of the research and have more of the fundings, and a lot of them have diagnostic labs,” Simoneau explained.
Vets also often have to share information among themselves to gain better insight into what may be making an animal sick.
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Veterinary laboratories in several states are investigating an unusual respiratory illness in dogs. Oregon, Colorado and New Hampshire are among the states that have seen cases of the illness. It does not respond to antibiotics. Symptoms include coughing, sneezing, nasal or eye discharge and lethargy. Veterinarians are encouraging pet owners to basic precautions like not having as much contact with other dogs and making sure the pets are up to date on their vaccinations. Labs across the country have been sharing their findings as they try to pinpoint the culprit.
“A lot of Facebook and social media is how vets stay in contact from different parts of the country, and so that's how I've been hearing about it, pretty much on social media,” she said.
There's still skepticism as to whether this isn't along the lines of a standard sickness or something new, as veterinarians continue to do their research.
“It seems like in Pennsylvania, the risk isn't high, New England, Florida,” said Simoneau. “The West Coast and Colorado seem to be the hot points.”
Simoneau said she recommends that if you're dog is ill, to seek veterinary help and keep the dog away from other dogs.
