Re: Durango CO: Dogs suffer from mystery respiratory illness
<TABLE id=apex_layout_271110100662109808 class=formlayout border=0 summary=""><TBODY><TR><TD noWrap align=right>
Archive Number</TD><TD noWrap align=left>20110503.1368</TD></TR><TR><TD noWrap align=right>
Published Date</TD><TD noWrap align=left>03-MAY-2011</TD></TR><TR><TD noWrap align=right>
Subject</TD><TD noWrap align=left>PRO/AH/EDR> Undiagnosed illness, canine - USA: (CO) RFI</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
UNDIAGNOSED ILLNESS, CANINE - USA: (COLORADO) REQUEST FOR INFORMATION
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A ProMED-mail post
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Date: Sun 1 May 2011
Source: DVM News Magazine, Veterinary News [edited]
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http://veterinarynews.dvm360.com/dvm/Veterinary+news/Local-Colorado-outbreak-in-dogs-stymies-vets-labs/ArticleStandard/Article/detail/717881?contextCategoryId=40534>
Local Colorado outbreak in dogs stymies vets, labs
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About 150 dogs in Durango, Colorado, have fallen ill with what one
local veterinarian can only call a "mystery."
"We're in a tourist town, so generally after the holidays, there's a
little surge of kennel cough," says Dr Stacee Santi, managing
veterinarian at Riverview Animal Hospital in Durango.
But around mid-February [2011], she started seeing a "skyrocketing"
number of dogs presenting with a cough much thicker than those
suffering from kennel cough and some that had progressed to
pneumonia.
"It was really bizarre," she says, adding the dogs typically were not
responsive to antibiotic treatment.
At a quarterly meeting of the Four Corners Veterinary Association,
comprised of all the veterinary practices in Durango, Santi discovered
that other veterinarians in town were seeing the same thing. About 150
in all -- 50 at her practice alone-are suspected to have succumbed to
the mystery ailment, but none died and all have made full recoveries
after about 3 weeks.
The primary complaint of clients was the dog's cough, but Santi says
clinical signs also included low-grade fever, nasal discharge varying
from clear to thick, and occasional conjunctivitis. The coughing
ranged from a dry cough similar to that found with kennel cough
turning into a more moist cough, Santi says.
About 75 percent of the dogs identified to be suffering from clinical
signs of the same ailment had spent time at a local dog daycare
facility, but a number of the center's "regulars" showed no signs.
Santi says the owner's dogs -- who regularly attend the daycare --
have not gotten sick. Veterinarians in neighboring towns have not seen
any cases, either, Santi says.
"I don't know if we're dealing with a new virus that hasn't been
isolated or a new form of the flu. At this point it's kind of up in
the air," Santi says.
Samples were sent to the US Department of Agriculture and other
veterinary epidemiologists, but experts have not confirmed the ailment
yet, she says. About 75 percent of the samples were negative for
everything, and others had some positives for more common infections,
but the results were not consistent for any one particular problem,
Santi explains. The samples have been negative so far for H3N8, canine
influenza. Santi consulted with Dr Cynda Crawford of the University of
Florida College of Veterinary Medicine, who told her canine flu has
not been found to mutate yet.
"She doesn't think we're dealing with a new strain," says Santi. "So
at this point we're moving forward." Testing is now being done for
H1N1, "but everyone seems to pretty much think it's a long shot."
The outbreak seems to be winding down now, Santi says. But at its
peak, her clinic was seeing 2 to 3 cases a day. "I'm kind of feeling
like it's dying down, and the other vets are feeling the same (way)."
What's not dying down, however, is the interest in the sick dogs of
Durango. "I've probably been getting 10 emails a day from people ...
they want access to the samples," Santi says, adding the calls are
from individuals in academia, research, and drug companies.
Veterinarians consulting with Santi declined to comment on their
research, which is sponsored, but say it's an "interesting outbreak."
[Byline: Rachael Whitcomb]
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[The doggy day care is an interesting connection. Of the animals that
have not been to the doggy day care, did they have direct contact with
those that had? This would take some epidemiological legwork but it
might track down the source of the situation. I also wonder what
illnesses did the people at the day care center have? If there was
human illness, perhaps it was passed to the dogs.
.../
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