Canine Respiratory Illness

Canine Respiratory Illness Unnerves Dog Owners – but Should It?

Any dog owner who watched TV, read a newspaper or clicked on social media during the last couple of weeks is likely to be concerned about a new canine respiratory illness reported as causing severe illness and even fatalities. The worry is heightened for people whose dogs participate in dog sports, operate dog training classes or boarding kennels.

Animal enthusiasts are always grateful when issues that affect their pets attract media coverage. Unfortunately, the information available to reporters on this issue is so piecemeal, so out of context, so lacking in “who, what, when, and where,” and other basic information, it forces their readers to speculate rather than gain an understanding.

About a week ago, NAIA started receiving calls and emails asking if we had information about the current status of this illness. In response, we attempted to do a little detective work. We researched the literature to find the best information on the subject available. We contacted veterinarians and veterinarian associations in several states, and we called kennel clubs that had held recent shows. We asked questions that we thought would provide clues to the current incidence of severe respiratory illness.

Although our brief investigation allowed us to form some conclusions, they are based on far less information than the data that is available to scientists and veterinarians who do this work as a profession. So, instead of sharing the results of our limited inquiry, we are providing you a link to the best single resource we’ve found on the subject, a blog authored by experts on the subject.

The source is the Worms and Germs Blog authored by Drs. Scott Weiss and Maureen Anderson. This site always has excellent information. Their treatment of canine respiratory illness is unrivaled, as you can read below:

A Dog Owner’s Guide to Navigating Respiratory Disease Concerns

New Weird Canine Respiratory Pathogen? What Do We Know?