Dr. Amber Itle Washington State Veterinarian
Dr. Minden Buswell Reserve Veterinary Corp Coordinator
At the Washington State Veterinarian’s office, we require veterinarians
to report new, emerging diseases or diseases with high morbidity and mortality
so we can monitor disease trends across the state. Each year, WSDA gets reports
of isolated respiratory outbreaks in localized communities or counties, in
boarding facilities and kennels. However, the headlines and social media have
us all concerned about the claim that there is a mysterious canine respiratory
disease sweeping the nation. Certainly, after COVID-19, we are all acutely
aware that global pandemics with new, emerging diseases can happen in humans
and animals alike and we shouldn’t ignore indicators that suggest that
something new and novel could be impacting our canine population. Fortunately, the
current illness of concern has a high recovery rate with very few mortalities
reported and there is no indication of a public health risk.
As the Washington State Veterinarian, I want to provide full
transparency about what we know, what we need to understand more and what we
can do in the meantime.
What do we know about canine respiratory disease?
Canine infectious respiratory disease complex (CIRDC),
sometimes called “kennel cough” has been characterized for decades. CIRDC is a
highly contagious multifactorial disease and is often the result of concurrent infections
with viral and bacterial agents. Viruses are common in dogs (canine
adenovirus 2, canine distemper virus, canine herpesvirus 1, canine influenza
virus (subtypes H3N8 and H3N2), canine respiratory coronavirus, and canine
parainfluenza virus) but sometimes the syndrome can be complicated by secondary
bacterial infections (Bordetella bronchiseptica, Streptococcus zooepidemicus,
Mycoplasma
sp.) resulting in pneumonia.
What are the clinical signs of CIRDC?
CIRDC is characterized by acute or chronic inflammation of
the trachea and bronchial airways resulting in clinical signs such as harsh,
dry coughing fits, retching and gagging and possible partial anorexia. Some
dogs may develop progressing pneumonia. Dogs with pneumonia present with more
severe clinical signs such as lethargy, inappetence (lack of appetite), fever, nasal discharge,
and respiratory distress at rest. This would be considered typical of what we would expect to see.
Is a chronic cough a sign of new or atypical
disease?
Cough is a clinical sign that can be triggered by infection,
be it bacterial or viral, and often persists even after the infection is over
due to inflammation in the airway. Even
after treatment, a cough can persist for weeks even after the virus or
bacterial infection has been cleared. Cough can also be caused by other
underlying conditions such as allergies, heartworm infection, heart failure, fungal
infections and so on. It is important to
work with your veterinarian to rule out other causes. Regular visits and
examinations by a veterinarian can help identify individual risk factors
especially in older animals.
What are the risk factors associated with developing the
atypical respiratory disease?
Risk factors for all canine respiratory diseases include 1) elderly dogs and puppies due to age related immunosuppression 2) unvaccinated dogs or dogs that aren’t up
to date on vaccines 3) dogs in kennels,
doggie daycares or boarding facilities 4) dogs that frequently congregate with other
dogs with unknown vaccination or travel history 5) brachiocephalic breeds (dogs
with shortened skull bones, giving the face and nose a pushed in appearance) 6) stress (travel, boarding, etc.)
How do I know if my dog has the atypical or mystery
respiratory disease?
It is really important to see your veterinarian and pursue
diagnostics as early as possible. There are several respiratory diagnostic
tests available. However, timing and type of sampling is key to be able to
isolate the microorganism(s) responsible for the illness. Some tests, like
PCR, only detect viral particles early
in the disease process. That means that if you wait too long to do diagnostics,
you may get false negative results or that the dog is no longer shedding the
organism.
If a secondary bacterial infection is suspected, then doing
a culture prior to administering antibiotics is key to identifying the
infectious agent and determining the right antibiotic that the organism is
susceptible to. This improves treatment outcomes and prevents the risk of
creating superbugs that no longer respond to antibiotics.
What does it mean if my dog is not responding to
treatment?
If your dog is not responding to antibiotics or has a prolonged disease syndrome, it may be an atypical case. However, keep in mind that not all dogs with respiratory disease need antibiotics. Just like COVID-19 or a cold in humans, viral respiratory illness cannot be treated with antimicrobials and your veterinarian may prescribe cough suppressants and anti-inflammatories instead. When we talk about dogs not being responsive to normal antimicrobial therapy, that may be because viruses don’t respond to antibiotics and clinical signs like a cough, can take weeks to resolve. Dogs that don’t respond to therapy and succumb to disease are a real concern. At this point in time, reports indicate low mortality due to this illness of concern. However, any dog that dies should be submitted to a diagnostic laboratory, such as the Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory at Washington State University for a necropsy (animal autopsy) to determine the cause of death.
How do I know if my dog has a common form of CIRDC rather than something new?
As we try to untangle whether we are dealing with a new or
atypical strain of this canine illness, we are asking veterinarians to collect more data on dogs with 1)
chronic mild-moderate tracheobronchitis with a prolonged duration (6-8 weeks or
longer) that is minimally or not responsive to antibiotics, 2) Chronic pneumonia
that is minimally or not responsive to antibiotics, or 3) acute pneumonia that
rapidly becomes severe and often leads to death in as little as 24-36 hours. Veterinarians should report cases here: - WSDA Reportable Animal Disease
Form and select “Unexplained
increase in dead or diseased animals.”
Collecting
this data will help us develop a case definition so we can better track trends
over time. If we are dealing with a new
or novel strain, we would expect the canine population to have no or little
resistance to the illness and we could expect to see widespread
outbreaks of disease through our canine populations. We might also expect to see higher reports of
mortality in vulnerable, immunocompromised populations.
How many reports of atypical respiratory disease has the
WSDA received?
Since August 2023, a total of 16 reports from veterinarians
have been submitted to the Washington State Department of Agriculture
concerning atypical Canine Infectious Respiratory Disease Complex (CIRDC). Of those 16 reports, two cases have met what
WA considers an atypical CIRDC case. The two confirmed cases are recovering.
WSDA is still collecting more information on the other 14 reports to ensure we
provide accurate information.
Are the cases regionally distributed?
At this time, half of the cases reported in the state are in
King County, which may be consistent with urban population distribution. We did
have an outbreak reported in a single animal rescue in Spokane County. Otherwise, we have not been able to link
cases to each other.
|
County |
Number of Reports |
|
Clark |
1 |
|
Island |
2 |
|
King |
7 |
|
Pierce |
1 |
|
Skamania |
1 |
|
Snohomish |
1 |
|
Spokane |
3 |
Are laboratories seeing an uptick in cases?
WSDA works very closely with Washington Animal Disease
Diagnostic Laboratory at Washington State University (WSU-WADDL) to be sure we
are tracking submissions and diagnostics. At this time, WSU WADDL has not
reported an uptick in case submissions to the laboratory. Case reports have identified various causes
with no linking cause between cases. It is important to remember that there are
many underlying causes of canine respiratory disease. We are continuing to
encourage diagnostics to help us better understand trends.
Have dogs been tested for SARS-COV2 (COVID 19)?
Several laboratories across the United States are working
diligently to try to isolate any new pathogen that may be implicated or any
correlation with positive COVID 19 households. Although dogs can be susceptible
to SARS COV 2, experts reported that so far, all the cases submitted have been
negative.
What can I do in the meantime?
2. Contact you veterinarian immediately if your dog is showing signs of illness
3. Make sure your pet is fully vaccinated and booster your dog for all canine respiratory diseases annually
4. Avoid congregations of dogs, dog parks, boarding facilities, doggie daycare or kennels
5. Stay away from sick animals or animals with unknown travel or vaccination history
6. If your dog does get sick, expect laboratory testing to inform best treatment outcomes
In Washington state, we care about our companion animals.
Washingtonians have big hearts, compassion for animals and have opened their
homes to thousands of rescue dogs in recent years from all over the world. If
you have rescued a dog in recent years, please be sure they are up to date on
ALL vaccines, in addition to rabies that is required for import. Check your
documentation and work with your veterinarian on the best vaccination regimen
to protect your dog. You may think your
dog is fully vaccinated or had all the boosters needed, but they may in fact be
under vaccinated and extremely vulnerable to disease. Treatment and diagnostics
for respiratory disease can be very costly.
We all know that “prevention is better than a cure.”
If you have any questions, contact WSDA Animal Health Program at (360) 902-1878 or ahealth@agr.wa.gov.
Additional resources
H5N1 Avian Influenza in a Dog: Ontario, Canada