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Source: https://www.ledgertranscript.com/Ca...ing-New-Hampshire-dogs-still-unknown-48379474
Root of respiratory illness in dogs remains a mystery
By ROWAN WILSON
Monadnock Ledger-Transcript
Published: 10/12/2022 11:35:49 AM
Dr. Lori Baldwin, a vet at Animal Care Clinic Monadnock in Peterborough and Veterinary Emergency Center of Manchester (VECM), said a respiratory disease affecting dogs has been really worrisome, and there are still a lot of unanswered questions about the illness.
The disease is called canine infectious respiratory disease complex (CIRDC), and since May, VECM has seen around 300 cases. Baldwin said the ICU is constantly full, and dogs are often staying overnight for a few days and put on oxygen, nebulizers and double antibiotics. It is unknown what is causing the sickness, but it can quickly turn into pneumonia and can make dogs really sick. Some dogs are even dying.
Baldwin said she hasn’t seen anything like this before, and that it feels strikingly similar to the beginning of the COVID pandemic...
...Unlike kennel cough, a common contagious respiratory disease which generally presents symptoms about a week after exposure, a dog with CIRDC may not develop symptoms for one to three weeks. Kennel cough is generally mild, with the main symptom being a persistent dry cough. CIRDC is more dangerous...
..The illness has left animal hospitals feeling overwhelmed, and Baldwin said at times the ER has been close to turning away additional patients. Seemingly healthy dogs are getting sick, and all ages are being affected.
The disease appears to be concentrated in New Hampshire and northern Massachusetts. Animal Care Clinic started seeing cases in mid-August, and so far the Peterborough office has seen around 10 to 15 less-severe cases and about five cases have been severe. The Bedford, Manchester and Seacoast areas have been hit the hardest, but “it is definitely very much out there,” Baldwin said.
VECM is working with the New Hampshire Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory at the University of New Hampshire, and Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine is doing research but “there are no definitive answers so far,” said Baldwin.
One obstacle is the fact that there is a major lack of funding for studying new animal diseases...
Root of respiratory illness in dogs remains a mystery
By ROWAN WILSON
Monadnock Ledger-Transcript
Published: 10/12/2022 11:35:49 AM
Dr. Lori Baldwin, a vet at Animal Care Clinic Monadnock in Peterborough and Veterinary Emergency Center of Manchester (VECM), said a respiratory disease affecting dogs has been really worrisome, and there are still a lot of unanswered questions about the illness.
The disease is called canine infectious respiratory disease complex (CIRDC), and since May, VECM has seen around 300 cases. Baldwin said the ICU is constantly full, and dogs are often staying overnight for a few days and put on oxygen, nebulizers and double antibiotics. It is unknown what is causing the sickness, but it can quickly turn into pneumonia and can make dogs really sick. Some dogs are even dying.
Baldwin said she hasn’t seen anything like this before, and that it feels strikingly similar to the beginning of the COVID pandemic...
...Unlike kennel cough, a common contagious respiratory disease which generally presents symptoms about a week after exposure, a dog with CIRDC may not develop symptoms for one to three weeks. Kennel cough is generally mild, with the main symptom being a persistent dry cough. CIRDC is more dangerous...
..The illness has left animal hospitals feeling overwhelmed, and Baldwin said at times the ER has been close to turning away additional patients. Seemingly healthy dogs are getting sick, and all ages are being affected.
The disease appears to be concentrated in New Hampshire and northern Massachusetts. Animal Care Clinic started seeing cases in mid-August, and so far the Peterborough office has seen around 10 to 15 less-severe cases and about five cases have been severe. The Bedford, Manchester and Seacoast areas have been hit the hardest, but “it is definitely very much out there,” Baldwin said.
VECM is working with the New Hampshire Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory at the University of New Hampshire, and Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine is doing research but “there are no definitive answers so far,” said Baldwin.
One obstacle is the fact that there is a major lack of funding for studying new animal diseases...