Several veterinary laboratories in the United States have alerted the population about an unusual respiratory disease that has appeared in dogs in several states of the country. The population has been urged to take the necessary precautions to prevent the disease from spreading.
Cases have been detected in Oregon, Colorado, and New Hampshire. It is a long-lasting respiratory illness that has developed into pneumonia and does not respond to antibiotics. Symptoms include coughing, sneezing, runny nose, eye discharge, and lethargy.
The most worrisome is that some cases develop into pneumonia with alarming speed, within 24 to 36 hours; a rapid progression of the disease to pneumonia has been seen. So far, revealed Kurt Williams, director of the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory at Oregon State University, there is no clear way to define the disease or detect it early, and the number of deaths caused by the disease has not been calculated.
Vaccines Are Fundamental
The expert wanted to cushion the impact of such news -we all know here that the owner of a beloved doggie is going to worry about this- by mentioning that you should not panic. If you have a dog in the United States, you should make sure it has all its vaccinations and, of course, reduce contact with other dogs.
In the meantime, several pathologists at the Hubbard Center are analyzing samples from patients in Rhode Island, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts, and are awaiting the arrival of samples from Oregon, to expand investigations into this worrisome disease.
We will be watching for any updates regarding this disease how it is being controlled in the United States, and if there is a need to apply the same precautionary measures in other countries. But be cautious with tourist dogs!
This story was written in Spanish by Carmen Guerrero in Cultura Colectiva News