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dog across the U.S. are getting sick with an unexplained respiratory illness .
As of Monday ( Nov. 27 ) , at least 14 state , includingOregon , New Hampshire , ColoradoandMassachusetts , have describe cases of pet dogs of different breeds developing symptoms include coughing , runny olfactory organ , lethargy and a personnel casualty of appetite . In Oregon , for example , more than 200 cases have been reported since mid - August . However , the first instance of the eruption are believed to have been reported in New Hampshire as early on as last twelvemonth , an expert told Live Science .
The mystery disease is causing dogs to experience symptoms that resemble other known respiratory illnesses, such as kennel cough and canine influenza.
The mystery unwellness ' symptoms resemble those of common respiratory disease that affectdogs , such askennel coughandcanine grippe . However , the contagion appear to last longer than those diseases typically do and seems resistant to discussion with antibiotic drug , vets say .
Here ’s what we know so far about the outbreak .
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Cases of the disease have so far been reported in at least 14 states.
What are the symptoms of the new dog illness?
The unexplained dog disease is similar to common respiratory illnesses that feign canines . It typically set out with a cough that run on to a febrility , sneeze , a fluid nozzle and watery eyes . However , not all the affected dog have show the same combining of symptoms .
Normally , dogs recover from respiratory illnesses evenhandedly easily , either on their own or with the helper of antibiotic drug in the case of bacterial infection , Dr. Kurt Williams , music director of the Oregon Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory at Oregon State University , toldThe New York Times . Usually dogs retrieve from kennel cough , for example , within seven to 10 days . However , this outbreak is different .
" In these dogs , either it linger for longer or it consume a downward spiral and led to very serious outcomes , including last , " Williams said . It seems that serious resultant are more likely to happen in honest-to-god dogs or those with existing health issues , The New York Times reported .
What is causing the dog respiratory infection?
The cause of the outbreak among U.S. dogs is still unknown . However , some scientists think the perpetrator is a eccentric of " foul-smelling bacterium " that has never been see before , based on samples gathered from firedog in three states .
" It ’s smaller than a normal bacterium in its size and in the size of it of its genome,“Dr . David Needle , a senior veterinary pathologist at the University of New Hampshire , toldNBC News . " Long story short , it ’s a unearthly bacterium that can be problematic to regain and sequence , " he tell . ( Sequence refers to analyze an being ’s DNA code . )
Needle and his team have been tracking the eruption since last year . So far , they have genetically sequence 30 clinical samples from dogs that fall ill in New Hampshire last yr , as well as 40 dogs from Rhode Island and Massachusetts that mother sick this twelvemonth . Twenty - one of the 30 New Hampshire samples were identify as the same unusual bacterial species , NBC reported . And 7 % of the Rhode Island and Massachusetts sample also contained the microbe , Needle recount Live Science in an e-mail .
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The researchers have yet to publish their findings in a compeer - reviewed journal , but they ’re sharing what they ’ve found so that vets are kept as informed as possible . Needle ’s squad has n’t been capable to grow the bacteria in research lab dish yet , so they have n’t had the opportunity to directly examine how antibiotic drug affect it , Needle toldNBC word . However , they can take out some cue from its structure and genetic code .
The specific pathogen behind the ongoing irruption has n’t been identified , Needle stressed , and it ’s still ill-defined whether the one they ’ve found is the same one infect dogs across the land . Needle thinks the newfound bacteria may have germinate from a microbe commonly find in the dog microbiome — the collection of microbes and virus that live inside and on the airfoil of their soundbox .
Whatever its cause , the disease presently seems to be specific to dogs . There have been no describe cases in humans , Mike Stepien , a spokesperson for the the United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service , told NBC News .
Where has the new dog disease been reported?
Potential cases of the new dog respiratory illness have been reported in at least 14 states , American Veterinary Medical Association ( AVMA ) presidentDr . Rena CarlsontoldUSA Todayon Nov. 27 . The affected res publica let in California , Colorado , Florida , Georgia , Idaho , Illinois , Indiana , Maryland , Massachusetts , New Hampshire , Oregon , Rhode Island , Vermont and Washington .
As far as we bed , New Hampshire was the first body politic to describe sheath , Needle told Live Science .
There is no official tally of the full identification number of infection nationwide , so a batch of our agreement of the irruption is down to anecdotal reports from veterinarian .
It ’s also hard to get a full film of how many contagion there have been because scientist still do n’t know what is causing the disease , so vets ca n’t accurately name or trial for it , Williams toldThe Associated Press .
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What advice do vets have for dog owners about the new illness?
As the vacation season approaches , citizenry are more probable to put their dogs in kennels or send them to doggy daycare , Dr. Lindsey Ganzer , a veterinarian and chief executive director at North Springs Veterinary Referral Center in Colorado , assure The New York Times . This could set off an increment in infections as dogs are likely to come in tight contact with one another .
" We ’re really hoping just with find the discussion out there that people are less disposed to do that , " Ganzer say . Since former October , she ’s treated about 35 dogs with the disease and all of them had lately spent time in boarding facility , doggy mean solar day care or dog parks . Four dog died or had to be euthanized . " The veterinary biotic community as a whole is kind of scared , " she say .
However , other vets reckon that dog owner should be cautious but not apprehensive about the contagion . In Oregon , for object lesson , the phone number of wienerwurst with the mysterious infection represents only a pocket-sized fraction of the entire number of cad in the state , Dr. Stephen Kochis , chief medical officeholder for the Oregon Humane Society , separate The New York Times .
Although the current outbreak is being stimulate by an unknown pathogen , alike respiratory diseases , such as kennel coughing , also cause periodic eruption of infection , the ODA said .
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To help keep heel healthy , Williams say that owners should check that click ' vaccination are up to engagement , but do n’t panic , he told the AP . Vaccinations may include those for eye tooth influenza , Bordetella(a rough-cut cause of kennel cough ) andparainfluenza .
If a dog is sick , people should keep it at dwelling and avoid using communal water bowls or toy , as well as report any symptom to their vet , the ODA aver .
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