RED LION, Pa. — A mysterious illness is sickening dogs across the country, including in Pennsylvania.
“Inflammation, mucus, consistent with pneumonia," is how Dr. Kathleen Spencer, owner of Patton Veterinary Hospital in Red Lion, described the chest x-ray from a dog she saw Tuesday that is suspected to have the sickness.
“Unfortunately we don’t know if it’s a virus or a bacteria, it hasn’t been isolated," said Dr. Spencer.
It’s the same thing hitting dogs across several states, presenting symptoms that are similar to kennel cough, but lasting much longer.
“Fever, low energy, low appetite, coughing, difficulty breathing," Dr. Spencer explained.
Vets say it’s spreading quickly between dogs—through families traveling for the holidays, pet boarders, or dog daycares.
In some cases, the illness is proving to be fatal.
“And we had another case similarly where it was a household with multiple dogs affected, and unfortunately in that household one of the dogs did succumb to the disease," said Dr. Spencer.
Because the exact illness hasn’t been identified, treatment is a challenge.
“Oxygen therapy, we’ll do antibiotics but they might not help," she continued. "Antibiotics help bacteria but obviously that doesn’t help with viruses.”
Dr. Spencer said Tuesday she hasn't seen many cases yet, and doesn’t think pet owners need to be too concerned.
But she told FOX43 it’s not a bad idea to limit exposure to other canines, avoiding dog parks and not boarding your dog over the holidays if possible.
“Meaning multiple dogs coming in contact that don’t usually see each other, dogs in the same household is fine," she said.
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