A mystery canine respiratory illness is giving gun dog owners, who are dedicated to keeping their four-legged hunting companions in top health, one more thing to consider.
While the exact number of cases is unknown—because we lack a way to track the illness—it has drawn the attention of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA), veterinary researchers, and veterinarians in several states where cases have occurred. According to experts, the symptoms include: mild to modern tracheobronchitis causing coughing, nasal discharge, sneezing, and lack of energy lasting six weeks or longer—they also do not respond to antibiotics. These symptoms can lead to chronic pneumonia, also not responsive to antibiotics, and acute pneumonia that can quickly become severe—sometimes causing death in just a few days.
A Closer Look at the Illness According to the AVMA, cases of the illness have been found in Colorado, New Hampshire and Oregon. However, Reuters news organization recently reported that potential cases of the canine respiratory illness have been found in California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington as well.
According to the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine, many of the dogs with respiratory infections reported by veterinarians have a history of recent contact with other dogs in a social setting.
“These settings include exposure to unfamiliar dogs and dogs with unknown health status,” UFCVM said in a news item on its website. “Respiratory viruses and bacteria are highly contagious and spread through the air as well as by direct contact with contaminated surfaces and objects in the environment. These transmission properties result in spreading between dogs co-housed in a kennel setting, or in direct contact, with other dogs. Such settings include boarding kennels, daycare centers, dog parks, groomers, and dog shows.”
A veterinary panel discussion hosted in late November by Trupanion, a pet insurance company, highlighted the uncertainty of what is causing the virus. One panelist, Dr. Scott Weese, a pathobiology professor at the University of Guelph Ontario Veterinary College and director of the university’s Centre for Public Health, said one worry is dogs becoming less resistant to illness because of less socialization; largely due to the Covid-19 pandemic prompting people to not get out as much.
It is unknown if current vaccinations affect this particular respiratory illness; however, being up to date on all vaccinations will boost your dog's immune system, allowing it to fight off other illnesses. (Photo: Nejron Photo | Shutterstock) “What the net result could be is we’ve got more dogs that have a lower level of resistance because they’ve been exposed to other dogs less over the last couple of years, and they’ve had less vaccinations,” Dr. Weese said during the panel discussion. “That means, just with our normal respiratory diseases that are always circulating, we’ll see more spikes in disease cases.”
Dr. Weese acknowledged that it could be a new bug, “but most times the strange cases we see are just the usual suspects behaving a little bit differently."
Digging Deeper One of the organizations studying this illness is the Kansas State University College of Veterinary Research in Manhattan, Kansas. There, a large team of Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (VDL) and Department of Diagnostic Medicine/Pathobiology (DMP) faculty are studying the illness using data surrounding disease onset, presentation, treatment, and duration. Researchers hope to determine if there is a new organism at play, a variation of a disease already present in the population, or a combination of the two.
NGS (next generation-sequencing) is being utilized as an exploratory/surveillance test to complement efforts toward the discovery of a possible new causative agent associated with the current mystery canine respiratory disease after common pathogens have been ruled out by a Canine Respiratory PCR Panel and/or cultures. The analysis and interpretation of NGS data is a complex task. The microbes identified by NGS under this test cannot be interpreted as causative, but study participants are hopeful the results will help veterinary researchers and clinicians identify yet unrecognized pathogens associated with this unusual disease.
Results are, of course, still pending, and the timeline for completing the study isas yet undetermined.
Meanwhile, halfway across the country, researchers at the University of New Hampshire’s Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory and Hubbard Center for Genome Study have identified a small portion of the genome of a previously uncharacterized bacteria that they believe may be causing the illness.
“A finding like this is potentially pretty exciting, even though we still have to see how it develops to a place where we are comfortable saying this is a pathogen in the syndrome,” Davide Needle, pathology section chief at the NHVDL, said in a university report . “But a finding like this is significant.”
What’s Next? Is it possible for a person to contract the ailment from an infected dog? According to the AVMA, that is not likely, but it is always wise to be cautious.
“We have been asked by journalists whether humans can catch this illness from dogs,” AVMA President Rena Carlson said in a released statement. “In general, the risk of people getting sick from dogs with canine infectious respiratory disease is extremely low. However, because we don’t know yet exactly what agent or agents is or are causing the current outbreak, it’s a good idea to thoroughly wash your hands after handling your own or other dogs.”
The AVMA also advises dog owners to keep their dog’s vaccines updated. According to Carlson, while it’s uncertain how effective these vaccines are for cases of this illness, maintaining overall health helps support a dog’s immune system in combating disease.
There is no need to panic over every slight sniffle from you dog, but if your dog does start to show sympotoms, it is best to get them looked at right away. (Photo courtesy of Brad Fitzpatrick) What to do if Your Dog Exhibits Symptoms What is a gun dog owner to do if one of their dogs begins exhibiting such symptoms? As with any canine illness, it’s best to keep the sick dog away from other dogs, and take it to your veterinarian for medical care as soon as possible.
“I would advise owners not to panic when their dog coughs, but to contact their veterinarian at the first sign of a cough to see what they recommend, and to voice their concerns,” Dr. Jerry Klein, chief veterinarian for the American Kennel Club, said in an AKC health bulletin. “Certainly, visit a veterinarian, or an emergency clinic if a cough is lingering, changes character, and doesn’t seem to go away, or if the dog becomes lethargic or goes off feed.”
As for practitioners, the AVMA advises veterinarians presented with dogs showing clinical signs consistent with the illness to pursue diagnostic testing immediately, during the acute phase of the disease, and before starting treatment.
Wrapping It Up We all love our gun dogs, and we want the best for them health wise. That’s why we spend the time, effort, and money we do to keep them healthy and hunting hard.
Hopefully, with several organizations involved in researching the malady, we’ll have some answers to the many questions surrounding this mystery respiratory illness soon. Until then, gun dog owners should focus on doing what they’ve always done to keep their dogs in top condition, and be ready for a quick vet visit if something concerning arises.
