Pet owners across the country were planning vacation trips last fall, but many were left fearful for their four-legged friends as multiple states reported an increase in respiratory illnesses in dogs.
The disease had symptoms similar to canine infectious respiratory disease complex (CIRDC), also known as kennel cough, but was resistant to common treatments. Oregon called it a mystery, and more than a dozen states soon reported cases.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Veterinary Services Laboratory has begun sequencing some cases and found that many have a common cause, rather than being related to a single infection or emerging pathogen. the agency said in a recent statement to USA TODAY.
Cases are difficult to track due to the lack of a central data collection agency, but experts say cases are declining and this is in addition to a growing trend in canine respiratory disease that has emerged in recent years. We believe that this is a seasonal ebb and flow of dog diseases. A few years.
“If a new pathogen emerges…that would be pretty dramatic,” said Dr. Scott Weese, an expert on emerging animal diseases. Author of a popular blog among state veterinarians, noted that the disease is not working as dramatically as the COVID19 pandemic. Rather, he said, “respiratory disease is increasing gradually. These blips occur, but they become more obvious when baseline levels of disease are already high.”
more:Her dog died of a respiratory disease. Now she is trying to help others.
Periodic spikes in respiratory illnesses are increasing year on year, but are not accelerating rapidly
Scientists and veterinarians have announced that they have seen an increase in respiratory illnesses since pandemic restrictions were lifted. Pet insurance company TrupanionHowever, it cannot be said that there is a causal relationship.
Trupanion’s respiratory claims data provided exclusively to USA TODAY shows claims were relatively flat from 2018 to 2020, but began to increase in 2022. has been done.
Last year, Trupanion led to a 57% increase in claims related to respiratory diseases in dogs, but that trend did not accelerate in the final months of 2023.
The data also shows some activity, including the following locations with the largest year-over-year increases from October to December:
- Nevada (+106%)
- Oregon (+67%)
- Colorado (+50%)
- California (+20%)
- Nova Scotia (+189%)
- Ontario (+20%)
- British Columbia (+14%)
Experts don’t know the exact reason why the number of infections has increased in recent years, but the bottom line is that the dog population has grown, making them less resistant to the disease and increasing the risk of infection. I think this is due to. Weese said disruptions to vaccination schedules during the pandemic, the popularity of flat-faced breeds and dogs returning to shared facilities are all contributing factors.
New Hampshire lab studies potentially novel pathogen in 14% of cases
While experts were investigating the growing number of case reports last fall, an interesting study was published from the University of New Hampshire that hinted at a possible new pathogen. Research leaders say they found preliminary evidence suggesting a new pathogen Weese and UNH said more research is needed to confirm the link to respiratory disease in dogs. (USDA did not respond to USA TODAY’s request for comment on the UNH study).
Of the 259 samples received from sick dogs, 14% had the new pathogen, said David Needle, director of pathology at the University of New Hampshire NH Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory. He was surprised to find that some notable populations carry the new pathogen, but added that it is still not at the level of virality that has sparked the coronavirus boom around the world.
“What we found here is not a virus or a single bacterium dominating them all,” he said. “The new coronavirus is rare.”
The UNH Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory and Hubbard Genome Research Center continue to try to characterize new pathogens to help other scientists determine how to test and treat them.
In the meantime, Needle said, “people need to relax.”
more:New data shows respiratory disease in dogs is on the rise in Nevada, Canada.Experts say treat it like a human cold.
Expert advice for pet owners: Don’t panic, get your pet vaccinated and see your vet.
Trupanion’s data showed that while respiratory illnesses are on the rise, the number of pets dying as a result of respiratory illnesses is decreasing.
Some factors in your dog’s health, such as breed, pre-existing health conditions, and age, can make your dog more susceptible to serious illness from respiratory illnesses. (Dr. Trupanion said dogs over 8 years old are six times more likely to die from severe respiratory disease than younger dogs).
Dr. Steve Weinlauf, chief veterinarian and product officer at Trupanion, says that by consulting with a veterinarian, pet owners can individually assess their dog’s risk and identify potential cases in their area. He said he could notify the owner. In addition, pet owners Make sure your vaccines are up to date.
Weinlauf said that although the “mystery disease” was not as widespread as some people feared, valuable lessons were learned about the challenges of tracking diseases in pets. To collect more data about diseases in the future, Trupanion will launch a Pet Public Health Early Warning and Detection System that will pool disease data from insurance claims in collaboration with government agencies, universities, and health care providers. He said he is doing so.
“It’s not that we have all the answers here. It’s that the data is starting to surface, and now we can start analyzing that data, looking for patterns, and go from there.” he said.
