‘Mystery’ dog illness reported in Illinois, but is your pet at risk? What to know

Veterinarians across the U.S. have reported rising numbers of canine respiratory disease cases that don’t respond to typical treatments recently, and symptomatic dogs have been reported in Illinois.

Affected dogs are experiencing a “longer and more severe” disease than what’s usually expected for canine infectious respiratory disease complex, according to the Cornell Richard P. Riney Canine Health Center.

Canine medical experts are researching the “mysterious” disease, but much remains unknown at this time. While a “mystery” canine respiratory illness has been at least anecdotally reported in Illinois, a new, specific canine respiratory virus has yet to be identified in the state or anywhere in the U.S.

“We don’t know that there’s a new virus that’s circulating, and that’s one of the big issues around the current concern about respiratory disease in dogs is that there are a number of dogs that have had respiratory diseases, some of them more severe, but whether or not this is a departure from normal is a lot harder to document, and to date there has not been any new virus that has been identified,” Dr. Marcella Ridgway, internal medicine specialist with the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, said in a Dec. 1 phone interview with the News-Democrat.

It’s possible there’s an uptick in respiratory infections across the U.S., Ridgway continued, but it’s also possible we are merely experiencing increased attention on respiratory viruses in dogs. We could be experiencing a new bacterial agent causing dogs to become more ill than usual, but this has not yet been proven.

Veterinary professionals use the term canine infectious respiratory disease complex, or CIRDC, because there are a number of infectious disease agents that have been associated with causing respiratory illness symptoms, Ridgway said, and more than one agent may cause a dog to become ill at any particular time.

CIRDC is not one specific disease, but rather a blanket term used to describe a sudden onset of respiratory disease in dogs.

What to know about severe illness

In most canine respiratory cases, vets don’t have specific treatments to provide, and dogs don’t usually need antibiotics. Care is more focused on ensuring a dog is eating and drinking normally, and cough suppressants may be used.

But with any canine respiratory virus, a relatively small number of dogs will develop pneumonia, which becomes a much more serious condition than the initial illness, Ridgway said.

Certain subsets of dogs are more likely to experience these complications, including those with pre-existing respiratory or heart problems, dogs with a suppressed immune system and older dogs.

Brachycephalic dogs, such as French bulldogs, bulldogs, mastiffs, pekingese, pugs and others are also more susceptible to serious respiratory complications.

Is it safe to send your dog to daycare?

It’s typical for the number of canine respiratory virus cases to vary year-to-year, Ridgway said. As of Jan. 4, Ridgway said there have not been any major reports of disease after recent holiday boarding.

Many of the potential infectious agents that can cause canine respiratory illness can be shed from asymptomatic dogs, Ridgway added, so it can be difficult to limit exposure.

Fully vaccinated, healthy dogs who are not brachycephalic are at a relatively low risk when attending training classes, daycare or boarding, Ridgway said, though the risk of contracting illness is never zero.

The level of risk involved in dogs from different households congregating closely also depends on how prevalent respiratory diseases are in the area, and you could ask your vet about this to more accurately assess the level of risk where you live.

“We don’t really have good numbers for comparison, but we do have information that’s been provided by some of the veterinary health care insurance providers that show that most of the country is not really seeing a difference at least in the number of claims made for canine respiratory disease,” Ridgway said.

Because there is not a central reporting system for most canine diseases, it’s hard to say exactly how many dogs are experiencing respiratory symptoms or illness.

If you have a dog who may be at a higher risk of severe illness, you might want to work with your veterinarian to determine what level of contact with other dogs is appropriate for your dog at this time.

Respiratory illness symptoms in dogs

Common respiratory symptoms in dogs include, according to the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine:

• Coughing

• Sneezing

• Lethargy

• Decreased appetite

• Difficulty breathing

• Nose or eye discharge

Vaccines are available for some specific canine illnesses, including bordetella, canine influenza, canine parainfluenza, Lyme disease and leptospirosis. These are considered “non-core” vaccines, as opposed to the core vaccines against rabies, canine distemper virus, canine parvovirus and canine adenovirus-2 (hepatitis).

Dog owners should speak with their vets about which non-core vaccines are appropriate for their dog, Ridgway said, as the answer can depend on the dog’s lifestyle and how often it interacts with non-household dogs.

Although there is no conclusive evidence of a new bacterial agent causing severe respiratory illness in dogs, Ridgway said it’s always safe to be cautious and there’s nothing wrong with taking precautions, especially in areas where veterinarian offices are seeing increased respiratory-related visits.

If your dog has a sudden onset of a cough, it’s a good idea to call your veterinarian to check in, Ridgway said, and other best practices include avoiding panic, making sure vaccines are up to date and avoid contact with dogs who are presenting respiratory symptoms.