Surge in mysterious respiratory illnesses in dogs subsides – News

In late November, a wave of severe respiratory infections among domestic dogs in the United States received widespread media attention, leading many to fear the worst was yet to come. It is believed that travel, overnight stays and gatherings associated with the December holidays will cause another spike in cases.

That didn’t happen.

Reports from veterinarians and researchers, as well as data from pet insurance, show that the wave reached its peak before the end of the year, and that the number of infections had declined to normal levels within the first few weeks of January. ing. “It disappeared as quickly as it appeared,” said Dr. John Daugherty, an Ohio practitioner. “We haven’t had any new cases since around Christmas, which is strange because that’s the peak period for boarding.”

This phenomenon, casually known as kennel cough, is officially called Canine Infectious Respiratory Disease Complex (CIRDC) because no single pathogen has been found to be the sole cause of the spate of illnesses.

A clear explanation for the drop is as elusive as a definitive explanation of what caused the wave.

Dr. J. Scott Weese, an infectious disease researcher at the Ontario College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Guelph, wrote: Worms and Bacteria Blog Last month: “[W]I still don’t know what happened. This is not surprising because as endemic conditions like CIRDC rise and fall, we rarely have a clear picture of what happened and why. ”

Substances that can cause respiratory symptoms such as coughing and sneezing in dogs include: Bordetella bronchisepsis, Streptococcus zooepidemicus and mycoplasma bacteria; and Canine parainfluenza virus. Canine influenza virus (there are two known strains of it). canine distemper virus. herpesvirus; canine adenovirus; and canine respiratory coronavirus (not the pathogen behind Covid-19, but similar to the coronavirus that causes the common cold in humans).

“There are at least a dozen different microorganisms that are involved in this syndrome. [acting] They can be transmitted alone or in combination with other organisms,” said Dr. Michael Lappin, an infectious disease veterinarian at Colorado State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.

Speaking at a webinar last week hosted by pet insurance company Trupanion, Lappin reported that cases seen at the university’s veterinary hospital have “dramatically decreased. There have been no deaths from pneumonia since January 14.” did.

One aspect of this wave that caused particular concern was that some young, healthy dogs became seriously ill. Daugherty said his clinic serves affluent communities with pets that are typically well cared for, but typically puppies and bulldogs (flat-faced breeds with respiratory problems). It is said that 6 to 8 cases of pneumonia occur each year. Last year, the practice had eight pneumonia cases over an eight-week period, all of them adults, and none of them had flat muzzles.

One of the patients, a 6- or 7-year-old German Shepherd mix, required repeated visits to specialized referral hospitals to receive oxygen. “It took over two months for him to fully recover,” Dougherty said.

This dog was one of two patients who required multiple visits to a specialty clinic for treatment. “That was the other weird thing,” Dougherty said. “Even though symptoms may get better, they seem to come back, but this usually doesn’t happen.”

Many people suspect that this pattern is similar to that of the novel coronavirus infection at the beginning of the pandemic, but researchers are wondering whether the dog’s breathing phenomenon may be derived from SARS-CoV2, the virus that causes COVID-19. There are many people who have doubts.

Weese, who spoke at the same webinar as Lappin, acknowledged the concerns and allayed them. “COVID-19 is the elephant in the room,” he said. “I always have so many questions. [of] “Is COVID-19 driving this?” I said, “Well, maybe COVID-19 is having an impact, but it’s our virus, not dog’s.” Masu. ”

He explained that the impacts include changes in the way people interact with dogs and the veterinary care provided to them. Weese recalled that during 2020, dogs were locked down along with people and rarely received veterinary care unless they were extremely ill.

A graph presented by Trupanion of insurance claims for canine respiratory-related visits to veterinarians shows a dip in the first half of 2020 when the pandemic began, then a gradual increase as the year progressed, and then a decline in claims in 2023. It is shown that there are continuing ups and downs towards the future.

Comparing these waves to the peaks and troughs of COVID-19 infections in people, Weese said the patterns do not overlap, suggesting it is not SARS-CoV2 that is causing the cases in dogs. “I’m very confident,” he said.

Lappin agreed, saying that when a dog (or cat) comes to a veterinary hospital in Colorado with acute gastroenteritis or respiratory illness, the owner is still asking if any family member has been infected with COVID-19 in the past 10 days. He noted that people will be asked if anyone has been infected. There has been no indication that sick dogs have come from homes recently infected with the pandemic, he said.

The outbreak also did not occur uniformly across the United States and Canada. A map created by Trupanion that compares respiratory claims for the fourth quarter of 2023 to the same period in 2022 by selected state and province: Colorado, Nevada, Nova Scotia, Ontario, and Oregon. States are showing notable spikes. And Quebec and Virginia saw notable declines.

No agency tracks respiratory infections in dogs, so case numbers are not available. Weese said he is speaking with veterinarians, including state veterinarians in various regions, to monitor the outbreak. Find out how many phone calls and emails he receives. Review sporadic data sources such as Trupanion claims.

Due to the lack of absolute case numbers, Weese said, “We are primarily focused on the upward and downward trends.”

Waves of respiratory disease in dogs go back many years

The clear upward trend in respiratory disease in dogs began before SARS-CoV2 surfaced. “This is consistent with what some of us have been saying,” Weese said, pointing to Trupanion’s graph showing an overall increase in respiratory claims from 2018 to the present. “We think we’re seeing an increase in respiratory disease,” he said, noting that cases are increasing in young dogs and dogs. number of deaths.

“I think even before COVID-19, there was a gradual and fairly clear increase over time… [and] “This is earlier than what we’ve been looking at over the last six months,” he said, adding, “As our baseline goes higher and higher, the peaks from that rise and fall become more apparent. …On top of this gradual increase, we see this upward and downward trend.”

(According to Trupanion, the data in that chart is normalized to account for year-to-year changes in the number of dogs insured. Without that adjustment, the number of claims for a given condition would be The increase may simply reflect an increase in the number of pets being insured.)

Several veterinarians contacted by VIN News Service said they saw a sharp increase in cases of dogs with respiratory illnesses in the second half of 2022, compared to the second half of 2023, when the phenomenon was in the public eye.

For example, Dr. Julia Norton, who practices in the Philadelphia area, said in an email: “In the last four to six months, we’ve seen a decline in cases. Before that, we were seeing six to eight cases per week. We were having sick dogs for about a month.”Most of our practice now Bordetella– Have or already received a flu shot. …Luckily, things are back to normal. ”

Similarly, Dr. Keenan Gold, who practices near Charlotte, North Carolina, said in an email that “Charlotte’s case numbers peaked in the fall.” [of 2022]A gradual decline was seen towards 2023. ”

He credited this reduction to several actions: “We increased flu vaccinations; Bordetella To prevent comorbidities, we recommended switching to pet sitting rather than boarding, and we followed up cases more thoroughly to detect pneumonia as early as possible. We witnessed these cases wearing disposable gowns, either outdoors or in isolation rooms with strict hygiene controls. ”

Are you going back to the dog park?

Now that the latest wave is at its height, is it safe for dogs to return to off-leash parks, daycares, and other places where dogs congregate?

Maybe not.

“We’re still discovering the bugs, bacteria, viruses and other germs that are always lurking in the background,” Lappin said. “…Whenever we’re in a social situation, whether it’s with a two-legged animal or a four-legged animal, we’re more likely to share these bugs.”

Weese said: “Risk is not binary. It’s not yes or no. … The real question for me is: Is the risk greater now than on any random day? That’s it.”

“Here’s where I understand your situation. [is important]”You hear a lot of talk about sick dogs, and you see a lot of sick dogs coughing at dog parks, or outbreaks at day cares. Well, your risk is… It’s probably higher than it is now,” he elaborated.

Risks also vary from person to person. Weese says older dogs and dogs with flat faces should have less contact with other dogs than younger dogs with longer muzzles because catching respiratory bugs can have more serious effects. It was pointed out that it may be important to reduce

On the other side of the equation, there are also social benefits. “Going to an off-leash dog park, if that’s your social thing, you like it, you socialize with the people there, and your dog likes it too, then you’re willing to accept some risk.” said Weese. “You’ll have to decide how much you’re willing to accept. If you don’t really care, you’ll go to an on-lead park where there’s less contact.”

She added: “If you have to go to work and your dog is better off than being in a crate all day or tearing down your apartment, then day care is a better deal.” He continued.

Weese and Lappin say a surefire way to reduce the risk for all dogs is to vaccinate dogs that are in regular contact with other dogs, including influenza and so-called “lifestyle vaccines” against influenza. Agreed that it should always be kept up to date. Bordetella.

Lapin said the only protection other than vaccination is “not getting infected.”