Cases of mysterious, potentially fatal dog illness on the rise; Colorado Springs vets on ‘high alert’

USA : The veterinary community in Colorado Springs is urging caution since an unknown respiratory illness has been found to be spreading in dogs, leading to hospitalization and death in some.

Fox Run Veterinary Hospital in Monument sent out an email to customers warning about the “new and sometimes quite severe respiratory illness” that has been presenting in dogs.

“Dogs present to us with cough, fever, and sometimes pneumonia. Many of them are not responding to typical treatment for respiratory illness in dogs and are even progressing to needing hospitalization in the ICU on oxygen and IV antibiotics. We have seen a couple patients where it has become fatal due to hemorrhagic pneumonia — even in younger pets. Pets that are older or have other systemic disease seem to get sicker much faster,” the email said.

Dr. Lindsey Ganzer, veterinarian and owner of North Springs Veterinary Referral Center, said that area hospitals and clinics are on “high alert” as new cases present. She said that her hospital has seen at least 30 cases so far of the unknown illness.

Ganzer said dogs develop a cough typically after having been in contact with other dogs at places like dog parks. She said that some have then developed acute pneumonia that does not respond well to common antibiotics. The difficult-to-treat pneumonia has made the illness more concerning to Ganzer than other common contagious illnesses like kennel cough, which usually clears up on its own in seven to 10 days.

Ganzer said that while most of the dogs treated early for the illness are “doing OK,” several with serious symptoms and other contributing conditions have died at the hospital.

The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo on Wednesday canceled its November Dogs Days, which would have allowed visitors to bring their dogs on certain days, citing concerns over the illness. Zoo spokesperson Rachel Wright said in an email that the zoo has been monitoring the situation through veterinarian contacts and employees’ own experiences.

“Many of us who work at the zoo have dogs in our families, and we have been encouraged by our own veterinarians to use caution in scenarios where our dogs might encounter other dogs,” she wrote.  Ganzer said that screens for common viruses and bacteria have not turned up a culprit for the illness. She said that her hospital and other area veterinarians are sharing samples with researchers now to find the cause.

Ganzer echoed the point, saying that dog owners should monitor their pets for cough, shortness of breath or fast breathing, discolored gums and lethargy. She advised bringing a dog with a cough to get checked out “sooner rather than later.”

“It’s definitely scary,” Ganzer said.