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After multiple American states reported cases of dogs suffering from pneumonia-like symptoms, the US Department of Agriculture and other veterinary organisations are studying an infectious respiratory disease that seems to be afflicting dogs across the United States.

The sickness, and how it spreads, is however still a mystery.

According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, the state of Oregon was the first to report cases of an “atypical canine infectious respiratory disease” in August. Since then, more than 200 cases have been reported by veterinarians.

According to the ODA, the illness often causes chronic mild to moderate tracheal inflammation and chronic pneumonia that is “minimally” responsive to medications. Several cases of ‘acute pneumonia’ that rapidly lead to ‘poor outcomes’ within 24 to 36 hours are also reported.

The mode of transmission is still unknown according to the university, which noted it was studying whether the illness was a new virus, bacteria or a “more pathogenic form of a known agent”.

David Needle, a veterinary pathologist at the University of New Hampshire, has been researching the sickness for about a year now and concedes that although the sickness is similar to kennel cough, it is very contagious and “nobody knows what it is.”

Respiratory illness among dogs has several symptoms, including ‘progressive coughing’ in addition to eye or nasal discharge, lethargy and sneezing.

Other respiratory infections affecting dogs in animal shelters have been reported in recent weeks and according to the San Diego Humane Society, four dogs died as a result of a ‘severe respiratory canine illness’.

Scientists are now in a race to properly identify the cause of the illness amongst the pooches and stop the spread of the disease.

[source:forbes]