Cases of mystery respiratory illness affecting more dogs and it can be fatal

Dogs are getting sick, and some dogs are dying from what vets call a mystery illness.

“If a dog has respiratory, any sort of respiratory disease, I would let other owners know,” said Sami Akel, a dog owner.

The experts say this dog “illness” starts with a cough, which can develop into pneumonia, and it has the potential to kill.

WINK News asked Naples Humane Society’s Chief Medical Officer if he’s ever seen a mystery dog illness like this.

“I have not,” said John Morton. “No, in the past, there have been some outbreaks of various viral diseases that we’ve typically found the causative agent for. We have to be able to identify that virus and, therefore, initiate treatment, and I imagine there will hopefully be one of those soon,” he said.

His best advice is to make sure your dog is vaccinated.

“I don’t think panic is necessary quite yet. I do think people need to know that this type of infectious disease typically is going to be when dogs are social, dog parks, dog beaches, grooming facilities, daycares, those types of things, so I think people should be extra vigilant,” said Morton.

“I’m nervous that you’re telling me now,” said Akel. “If I see any symptoms with another dog coughing, I would ask them to sort of remove them from the area because we can’t be too careful, especially with the illness you don’t have a cure for, right?”

Vets say the illness started in the summer and has been going strong through the fall, so keep a close eye on your dog, and if you notice anything out of the ordinary, call your vet immediately.