A mystery illness is making dogs sick in other parts of the country sick, raising concerns here in Massachusetts.
“I hope it doesn’t come this way. We got our hands full enough with Lyme,” said Ross Mottau, who was with his three dogs at Millennium Park in West Roxbury Friday afternoon.
The potentially fatal condition has been reported in a number of states. In Oregon, warnings have been issued after dogs that became sick failed to test positive for the typical causes of respiratory illness.
“We’re not seeing anything different than normal. So we’ve got it on our radar of course to be very vigilant,” said Doctor Erin Doyle, the VP of veterinary medicine at Animal Rescue League of Boston.
The study was conducted by researchers at the University of Copenhagen and questioned more than 2,000 pet owners in Europe.
She says respiratory illnesses are common in canines and owners should monitor the health of their animals.
“Coughing, sneezing, runny nose, similar to what you would see for a cold and people. And so that’s what folks should watch out for in their own pets,” Doyle said.
The unknown illness starts out as a cough and apparently doesn’t respond to regular antibiotics, leaving dogs struggling to breathe and in some cases with a severe case of pneumonia.
Nathan Burke says his dog Ginny is good shape, but he worries about this new potential health threat.
”Big concern, being a dog owner and loving my dog like a lot of people do, part of family, definitely a big concern,” Burke said.
No health alerts have been issued here in Massachusetts. But people are advised to keep a close eye on their dogs in the coming months and weeks.
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