BALTIMORE, MD — Dogs in four states are battling respiratory viruses that researchers say antibiotics can't treat.
The illness comes with coughing, sneezing, eye or nose discharge and lethargy.
"Signs similar to kennel cough which a lot of people are familiar with, so it can start with just maybe lethargy, cough, fever just being kind of off. With this particular virus what they're seeing is it can intensify into a much sicker dog," said Meghan Johnston, medical director at the Hunt Valley Animal Hospital.
Just like COVID-19, the disease is transferred from one dog to another.
Doctors suggest keep your dogs away from others if they're sick.
"If there are ever any upper respiratory symptoms like a cough, sniffles, drippy nose, sneezing, the first thing to do is call your vet. The second thing to do is to stay away from dog parks, grooming facilities, we want to try to make sure we keep things contained and no other dogs get sick and your dogs don't get sicker," said Johnston.
So far none of the vets we've talked to have seen a dog with the illness or any amount of increase in the number of dogs walking in with those symptoms.
While some of the states have reported deaths from the disease, Dr. Johnston isn't overly concerned with pups getting severe versions of the illness.
"I think that most of our pet owners are in tune to their dog and how they're acting, how they're feeling but again since we're not seeing any major concerns here if you notice anything off with your dog you're going to take them in right away and we're going to catch those things early and be able to treat them appropriately so nothing gets worse," said Johnston.
If your dog does have any of these symptoms it's best to contact your veterinarian for treatment.
