Dogs killed by mysterious illness

The illness was devastating. Billie started vomiting, sulking at her bowl of kibble, having difficulty breathing. After a few hours, the French spaniel died, probably from a mysterious illness that has affected dozens of dogs since the beginning of autumn, especially in the United States.

Billie, 17 months old, was playful, full of energy and loved cuddles. One evening at the end of October, the brown and white doggie started vomiting and looking haggard. A first visit to the veterinary emergency barely improved his state of health.

Two days later, Marie-Ève ​​Langlais realized that she was losing her dog, which she considered a baby given its young age. “She was no longer drinking water, she was no longer able to lie down because she was having difficulty breathing. She remained seated. She was in respiratory distress,” says M.^me English, who lives in Mont-Royal.

Billie’s owners took the dog to the veterinary hospital again. It was then noted that the oxygen level in his blood was extremely low, his blood pressure was low, his lungs were affected by pneumonia. Above all, no usual treatment gave results. The animal died on November 2, in the early morning.

This unexpected bereavement was particularly difficult for his family, adds M.^me English.

Vets have no idea what caused Billie’s condition to deteriorate so quickly and why normal treatments didn’t work. One hypothesis: the dog may have contracted a canine disease which is spreading in the United States and which has not yet been identified by researchers.

Hundreds of dogs showed similar symptoms this fall in California, Colorado, Rhode Island, Oregon, New Hampshire and Massachusetts. Some of them died after a few days, others after weeks of coughing.

“There, what is special, what is strange, is that the animals are sick with signs that we recognize like cough, fever, they become amorphous and eat less. But the difference is that they do not respond to traditional treatments and when we do our tests for the usual viruses and bacteria, it comes out negative,” explains the D^D Ève-Lyne Bouchard, president of the Association of Veterinary Doctors of Quebec.

Difficult to identify cases

Canine respiratory diseases are nothing unusual and circulate cyclically, every year. Veterinarians treat sick dogs with medications to reduce their coughing and to boost their hydration and appetite. Anti-inflammatories are sometimes necessary in cases of fever and antibiotics if symptoms continue.

As the disease has not yet been precisely identified, the D^r Rioux says it is difficult to say if dogs were affected here in Quebec.

“What we can say is that the Canadian-American border is not very far and not that watertight. If we don’t have any cases at the moment, we can think that we will eventually,” he says.

However, there is no need to panic, insists the D^r Rioux. The disease is spread between dogs, but not to other pets or humans. It more seriously affects puppies, older dogs and those with fragile health. Mortality rates remain low, explains the veterinarian.

To limit transmission, the D^D Bouchard suggests keeping your dog’s vaccination record up to date, limiting visits to dog parks during peak hours and avoiding traveling with your pet to American states affected by the disease.

She also recommends social distancing between dogs. “It’s probably a good idea to practice bubbles with dogs you know and who are vaccinated, although you definitely shouldn’t stop socializing the dogs. They need to expend energy,” she adds.