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Veterinarians are warning dog owners in Maine to keep an eye out for a canine respiratory disease that has been getting nationwide attention in recent months, but ultimately there’s no need to panic.
“We just need to be more aware,” said Dr. Kate Domenico, a veterinarian at Portland Veterinary Emergency and Specialty Care.
The disease has a big scary name – canine infectious respiratory disease complex – but simply put, it’s like kennel cough and other more common respiratory diseases.
The issue, Domenico said, is that this disease, or possibly class of diseases, is stronger than the more common variety, and more resistant to some antibacterial treatments. It’s harder to test for, and is so similar to less severe diseases, she said, that it’s been hard for experts to track just where it came from, when it first emerged or how pervasive it is.
“It’s just a novel, a new organism that we haven’t been able to test for before because we just don’t know what it is,” she said.
The disease gained attention in Maine on Tuesday when Eastern Maine Emergency Veterinary Clinic in Brewer posted to its Facebook page that “We’ve seen a sudden spike in the last two days of cases!”
The disease has been spotted elsewhere in the country, according to the Richard P. Riney Canine Health Center at Cornell University. An information packet from the center updated as recently as Thursday indicates reports of the disease have come in from throughout New England, and as far away as Oregon.
According to the center, a veterinary clinic in Milford, N.H., reported cases of the disease as early as June of this year.
“The overall regional caseload (in Milford) peaked in August, but subsequent waves throughout the fall have shown that this illness is still an ongoing concern,” the center reported.
Domenico’s advice to dog owners is similar to recommendations the Brewer clinic posted to Facebook: Keep an eye on your dog, and if they are showing signs of not feeling well, such as lethargy, coughing, sneezing, fever or loss of appetite, consider bringing them in to a local vet for a checkup. Also, Domenico added, if you think your dog is sick, keep them away from other dogs, as the disease is contagious.
The bottom line, Domenico said, is that the disease is not fatal, so dog owners should not panic.
“I think just using common sense in these cases where you’re just monitoring your pets closely, and most dog parents are keyed into their pets, you know, any little change here and there, they’re going to notice these things, and they should contact their vet,” she said.
