Mysterious respiratory illness affecting dogs makes its way to Mass., NH

A mysterious illness impacting dogs may have made its way to Massachusetts and it has dog owners on high alert.

This illness is potentially fatal, and while experts said its likely caused by bacteria or a virus, they still haven't explicitly said what exactly causes it, which is alarming for dog owners and now we enter holiday season.

It begins with a cough that may last for weeks before long you'll notice your dog is having trouble breathing. This illness doesn't have a name yet, but it was first seen in the western states a couple months ago.

Now, experts said it's more likely than not in 14 states across the country, including in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island — though its uncertain how many cases are in each state at this time.

Veterinarians said the disease is spread through contact or by breathing the same air as an infected animal. So, try not to take your pet to dog parks, pet stores and grooming facilities and make sure they are fully vaccinated.

The University of New Hampshire Veterinary Diagnostics Lab is still in the middle of an investigation that started more than a year ago.

“It's not a COVID-like situation. It's a bacterium, not a virus," explained Chief Pathologist David Needle.

While many dogs recover on their own, the respiratory disease can progress to pneumonia and even death in rare cases. On top of keeping vaccines up to date, there are some symptoms dog lovers should look out for:

“Things like a runny nose, runny eyes, cough, congestion, all very similar to what you would see for a cold in people," explained Erin Doyle, vice president of the Animal Rescue League of Boston.

The disease doesn’t show up on lab tests and sometimes doesn’t respond to antibiotics. That’s exactly what happened to Wilson, who had to go through a two-week regimen in isolation. The 2-year-old Staffordshire feels a lot better now.

Since cases are popping up again, researchers put out a white paper with what they do know to help local vets who are treating it.  

“They can use some of the information to infer what is probably a treatment they don't want to give," Needle said.

“Generally speaking, this is a higher morbidity, low mortality event, meaning there are animals that are sick and they're sick for a while, but they don't die from it," he added.

If your dog has any symptoms, isolate them and make sure to call their veterinarian.