The Mysterious New Respiratory Dog Illness is Spreading. Here Are 7 Things to Know

If you suspect your dog may be ill, you should get it to the vet as soon as possible, Ehnert agrees. “The cough can be very prolonged; they have a very long bronchitis that lasts six weeks to two months or even more. Or it can be an acute pneumonia that progresses rapidly; an animal becomes seriously ill and can die within two days,” she says. 

3. Vets may not know exactly how to treat the sickness, but they can often prevent pups from getting worse. 

There is no treatment for this specific illness, Ganzer says, but treatment is available for “opportunistic” secondary illnesses that this one seems to set off, such as pneumonia and strep. 

Because the problem can get bad quickly, vets are using a more proactive approach, such as getting dogs started on antibiotics right away instead of waiting to see whether they improve on cough suppressants. 

Vets, including Ganzer, are always updating their treatments based on what they find works. She says cases sometimes require “out of the box” thinking. 

“My hospital is going to start doing some treatments that are a little out of the ordinary pretty soon, just with the research that we’ve been doing, and talking to other vets in various other places that have dealt with respiratory illness in the small animal field, large animal field, even human fields,” she says.

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4. Just like with humans, a strong immune system will help your pup get through an illness. 

The best thing you can do, Ehnert says, is make sure your dog’s immunizations are all up to date. Although there likely won’t be a vaccine for this illness for years, she says, a fully vaccinated dog will have the upper hand against a tough illness. 

Pay attention to your dog’s life stage, she adds. Puppies and older dogs have weaker immune systems, she says. Make sure you consider the breed of dog you have, as “older” means different ages for different breeds. One dog’s old age is 10 years while another breed might live to 15 or 16. 

5. The other species inhabiting your house — humans, cats, birds (or in my case, the mouse that’s taken residence in my kitchen) — are probably safe. 

A bit of good news: This illness doesn’t seem to be spreading to humans or other types of pets. That said, pay attention if you have other dogs in your house. It is absolutely contagious to them, Ganzer says.

6. The illness is spreading in dog social circles, so it might be safer to avoid the puppy playdates for now. 

Both veterinarians say this disease seems to spread most rapidly in places where dogs are in close contact with other dogs — boarding kennels, dog grooming facilities, dog parks, etc. So maybe let Fluffy’s fur fly free for a bit, Ganzer says, adding that it’s like when none of us could get a haircut during COVID-19. 

What about when your pup wants to say hello to a dog friend on a walk? Not until we learn more about the illness, Ganzer says, since you can’t be sure if that other dog has been coughing or not. 

If you have a playdate with a dog you know that has no signs of the illness, it is probably OK, Ehnert says. Safety is not about panicking. It’s about exercising caution, she adds. 

If you plan to travel during the holidays, avoid boarding your pup, Ganzer says. Although it’s a big ask for many, she recommends trying to get someone to stay at home with your pet instead. 

7. Bottom line: Don’t try to treat your pup at home. 

The key with this illness is that you can’t identify it at home, and it can get bad quickly, Ehnert says. It’s important that you not try to handle it yourself. 

“I don’t want people to think, Oh, I can treat at home. And then it happens to be one of these acute cases that goes downhill so rapidly, because that may have been a preventable death if they went in right away,” Ehnert says. 

Editor's note: This article was originally published on Nov. 27. It has been updated to reflect new information.