Respiratory dog illness reported in Pennsylvania
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- A respiratory illness in dogs that's been spreading across the country is now in western Pennsylvania.
It's spreading across the nation, leaving canines sick.
"I'm very concerned because I want him to be healthy and not catch anything," said owner Mannika Naidu.
Its symptoms include lethargy, eye discharge, nasal discharge and a long-lasting cough. Some symptoms last as long as three weeks depending on the age and health of the dog.
According to Ohio State University, the illness quickly spreads from dog to dog in places like dog parks, kennels and doggie daycare.
"Yeah, we're absolutely aware of it," said Kyle John.
Kyle John and his wife operate Paws in the Park in South Park Township. He says canine infectious respiratory disease complex is a concern but the facility is "very strict when it comes to the health of any dog staying there."
"What we try to do is if we hear anybody coughing or anything suspicious, having any kind of respiratory disease, we isolate them as best we can," John said.
All dogs must be up to date with any and all required vaccinations. But John tells KDKA-TV their facility is equipped with state-of-the-art technology to reduce the risk of canine pathogens from infecting the dogs there.
"Here we have HEPA air filters running all the time. We have three of them, one on each end and one in the middle we have a UV system that's inducted."
"We also have something that hangs from the ceiling of our kennel that emits photons and ions that kill mold, viruses and bacteria that's in the air. The benefit to that is it covers all the ground as well."
All of these measures are designed to help but the best way to keep the sickness from spreading, according to veterinarians and Kyle John, is to keep your dog at home until gets better.
"Kinda like sending a sick kid to school, they're probably going to get the other kids sick. So I would err on the side of caution and not do it."
