Dog lovers are worrying. Their pups are becoming endangered by a new respiratory virus that is spreading across the country. 

     “Veterinarians are reporting an increased number of dogs presenting with acute respiratory infections,” wrote ufl.edu. The infections range from mild to life-threatening. It is spreading rapidly and has currently reached Oregon, Colorado, California, Illinois, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Massachusetts, Washington, Vermont, Maryland, Idaho, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island according to Today. 

     “It is a respiratory illness affecting dogs that is probably caused by a virus,” said North Harford’s animal science teacher Mrs. Aimee Densmore. “But there is really no known cause of this respiratory illness that has been isolated or determined yet,” Densmore continued. Veterinarians have reported that the illness has not been responding to treatments and antibiotics. “The typical first symptom is a cough, which may last for a few weeks or even months,” wrote Today. “In some dogs, the cough turns into pneumonia, causing them to struggle to breathe,” they continued.  

     Although some dogs have died from this illness most have not. “The disease is not always fatal and so far, the dogs who contracted it and died had underlying issues,” wrote USAToday. But it can still affect any dog at any age. “It is particularly hard on puppies, geriatric dogs, unvaccinated dogs, brachycephalic dogs (dogs with smooshed in faces like bulldogs, pugs, French Bulldogs, Pekingese, etc) or have compromised immune systems due to cancer or other illnesses already,” explained Densmore.

     Nobody knows exactly what the illness is. “A team of researchers have been unable to identify it as a known canine respiratory disease,” wrote CNN. There is not much information about the disease. “They think it is spread by mucous secretions, cough, and if the dogs come into contact with a toy, food, or water bowl that the sick animal played with or drank out of,” explained Densmore.

     There are some things that dog owners can do to avoid this sickness and keep them safe. The number one thing is reducing contact with other dogs. “The veterinarians that I have talked to are not overly worried about this disease as long as pets are vaccinated, are not puppies, geriatrics, brachycephalic, or have compromised immune systems due to cancer or other illnesses already,” said Densmore.