Dogs in New Hampshire are battling an infectious respiratory disease.
“We are seeing a large number of dogs showing symptoms such as runny nose and eyes, cough, shortness of breath, high fever,” said Dr. Erin Crowley from the Veterinary Emergency Center in Manchester. “We are seeing dogs and we are finding them back in kennels and day care, groomers, wherever there is a large number of dogs coming together.”
Antibiotics are prescribed for the disease. Some are hospitalized for two to seven days. More than 99% of dogs recover, but veterinarians find dogs of all ages very ill.
One dog, 8-month-old Wallace, became ill at doggy day care and was admitted with pneumonia on Thursday. He is now receiving nebulizer treatment.
Manchester’s Veterinary Emergency Center has seen nearly 300 cases of the invasive disease over the past few months. Most phone calls to the 24-hour clinic come from owners reporting their dogs coughing or breathing problems.
The concern began around school holiday week in April, and veterinarians attribute this recent spike to people leaving their dogs to go on vacation.
The disease is transmitted by air, and because it is contagious, the clinic has set up a separate entrance to keep sick dogs isolated.
Antibiotics are prescribed. Some dogs, like Wallace, are hospitalized for two to seven days.
“It’s a scary thing when your animal is sick,” Crowley said.
(This story has not been edited by seemayo staff and is published from a rss feed)