Here's what we know about mysterious illness sickening dogs in Evansville and across U.S.

Jon Webb, Evansville Courier & Press
·2 min read

EVANSVILLE –  Indiana officials don’t know how many Evansville dogs have been stricken with a mysterious respiratory illness – but they do know the numbers continue to increase statewide.

Denise Derrer Spears, communications director for the Indiana State Board of Animal Health, said the kennel-cough-like sickness has infected dogs in at least Evansville, Bloomington, Indianapolis and Fort Wayne.

But since it isn't an official reportable illness such as parvo or distemper, it's impossible to say exactly how prevalent it is. All the examples they’ve fielded have come from courtesy calls from local vets.

“It’s crept up a lot in the last couple weeks,” she said Monday. “We started getting a little bit of feedback in July, so it’s been floating around for a while.”

A mysterious respiratory illness has sickened dogs in Evansville and in various spots across the U.S. in recent months.
A mysterious respiratory illness has sickened dogs in Evansville and in various spots across the U.S. in recent months.

What is it?

Derrer Spears compared the issue – which has no known name or cause – to kennel cough: a type of contagious canine bronchitis dogs can pick up when they’re cloistered together. Problem is, the new illness doesn’t respond to the same treatments, causing the issue to linger.

Animal health officials told WANE in Fort Wayne that symptoms include, among others:

  • Coughing

  • Sneezing

  • Difficulty breathing

  • Lethargy

  • Fever

  • Pneumonia

How do you treat it? And is it fatal?

Right now the only official recourse is “symptomatic therapy,” Derrer Spears said, or treating each symptom one by one.

Owners should also make sure their pets are up-to-date on their vaccinations – especially if you plan to travel with your dog around the holiday season. And if your dog is sick, keep them away from other animals.

The has only fielded one reported death, she said, but the numbers could be higher. Another Indiana State Board of Animal Health official told WANE that pet owners shouldn’t panic. They should just be vigilant.

Does it have anything to do with the weather changing?

For humans, respiratory illnesses such as COVID and influenxa ramp up as the weather turns cold and we all start huddling inside. But Derrer-Spear said the changing season doesn’t seem to be a factor, since reports have been popping up since the summer.

Has it been reported outside Indiana?

According to USA Today, veterinarians in at least 14 states have reported similar illnesses. Illinois is the only other Midwestern state, with the rest popping up in places like California, Texas, Florida and a few spots in New England.

Dogs come in with an array of symptoms and somehow test negative for all known respiratory infections. The Indy Star reported that the cost of treatments has sometimes ballooned to as much as $17,000 as dogs are given breathing treatments, IVs and antibiotics. In severe cases, it sometimes requires a long hospital stay.

This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: What we know about strange illness sickening dogs in Evansville, U.S.