New respiratory illness spreading among dogs, El Paso vet weighs in

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- Researchers and veterinarians are trying to figure out the source of a mysterious illness affecting dogs in a several states, in some cases, even leading to death.

According to a press release from the Oregon Department of Agriculture, the illness is described as an “atypical canine infectious respiratory disease."

Veterinarians in Oregon have reported more than 200 cases of the disease since mid-August.

Other cases have been reported in Colorado, Illinois and New Hampshire.

Symptoms include coughing, sneezing, eye or nose discharge and lethargy.

Erin Rogers, Medical Director at El Paso Animal Emergency, tells ABC-7 this is something they haven't seen in Texas yet, and is warning pet owners to take precautions as the holiday season nears.

“We normally see an uptick of respiratory infections this time of year," said Rogers. ”But unfortunately with this particular thing, we don't really know what it is. Treatment is kind of speculative, and so right now it's a little scary that we may see more of this and not be able to treat it because there have been some serious cases and some fatalities from this.”

In an effort to catch it early in the disease process, Rogers said they are sending out tissue samples to the Texas Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory, when a pet passes away from a respiratory infection.

She warns owners to be mindful of their pets, check for symptoms and try to minimize contact with other pets.