Mysterious dog respiratory illness: How can you keep your dog safe?
BALTIMORE -- With Maryland now one of 14 states where a mysterious dog illness has been detected in, a local veterinarian is sharing warning signs pet owners should look out for.
Meanwhile, dog owners WJZ met at Patterson Park Thursday say they're already taking precautions to avoid the illness.
Steve Augsburger remembers when his dog Izzy fell severely ill last year, it was so bad he took her to an emergency veterinarian.
So, with this new respiratory dog illness spreading, Augsburger said he's keeping Izzy away from other dogs in an effort to keep her safe.
"We don't take her to dog parks right now. We're just worried she's gonna get like a flu and not be able to recover from it. So, we're just trying to keep her away from other dogs at this point," he said.
This new dog illness is reported to be severe and, in some cases, even deadly.
Dr. Kim Hammond at Falls Road Animal Hospital said the scariest part about this is health experts still don't even know what it is.
"We don't know what the agent is. We don't really understand the mechanism, how it spreads, but we do know that dogs are catching it and when they catch it, they can get profoundly ill and die," Hammond said.
While research is still being done on the virus, Hammon said there are some red flags pet owners should watch out for: coughing, eye or nasal discharge, and sluggish behavior.
If you notice them, call your vet immediately.
It's also important to make sure your dogs have their flu shot and up-to-date vaccinations.
"You want to prevent anything that is a co-morbidity. You want to make sure that they don't get the flu, or they don't get bronchitis because of kennel cough or something like that," Hammond said. "You don't want to exacerbate the problem."
The illness doesn't seem to pose a threat to humans. But, dog owners like Elise Moore, who has a two-month-old child, aren't taking any chances.
"There's too many mysteries behind the mystery illness. So, all I can do is avoid exposure as best I can," she said.
Hammond also recommends finding a vet or animal hospital that's open 24/7 in case your pet catches this.
If you do have to put your dog up in a kennel, Hammond advises to ask if there's been any diseases going around first.
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