San Antonio's Animal Care Services says the city has no reported cases of a mystery respiratory illness spreading among dogs in the U.S.
Image by Marie LaFauci/Getty Images
San Antonio dogs at risk as mystery illness spreads across U.S.
Published: Thu, 11/23/23
San Antonio dogs at risk as mystery illness spreads across U.S.
San Antonio's Animal Care Services says the city has no reported cases of a mystery respiratory illness spreading among dogs in the U.S.
Image by Marie LaFauci/Getty Images
San Antonio Express-News
By Gabriella Ybarra, Staff writer
A mysterious illness is spreading among dogs in the U.S., but San Antonio Animal Care Services said it isn’t aware of any local cases.
While the illness has yet to make its way into Texas, it’s been spotted in seven states so far and is being described by veterinarians as an “atypical canine infectious respiratory illness.”
It has spread wildly in states like Oregon, which has reported more than 200 cases since mid-August, according to the Oregon Department of Agriculture. Cases also have been reported in Colorado, Illinois and New Hampshire.
Symptoms of the illness include coughing, sneezing, eye or nose discharge, and lethargy. Researchers still are trying to figure out what caused it, but dogs around other dogs are most likely to develop it. The illness has been fatal in some cases.
Lisa Norwood, ACS spokesperson, said the city’s animal shelter is aware of the illness but has yet to confirm any local cases.
“We are not seeing it in San Antonio or even in Texas from what we have seen,” Norwood said. “The best thing people can do is to keep their pets on their property and get their pets vaccinated, so they’re at less risk of illness.”
Norwood said ACS’ in-house veterinary team looks for emerging diseases, but prevention starts with pet owners. Until more is understood about the illness, making sure dogs are up to date with their vaccines is critical, she said.
“Unfortunately, these illnesses do pose a risk to local pets because we have such a low vaccination rate in our community,” Norwood said.
It’s been reported that the illness has been resistant to antibiotics, though the Oregon Veterinary Medical Association said it is milder among dogs vaccinated against respiratory illness.
Norwood recommends consulting a veterinarian if pet owners notice their dogs have any respiratory symptoms.
Every weekend, ACS hosts free vaccination events with the Animal Defense League and Protect Your Pet. Pet owners should check ACS’ Facebook page regularly to see when and where the events will be hosted.