SAN DIEGO — Researchers are trying to get to the bottom of a mysterious and contagious illness that's making dogs sick.
While there are no cases in San Diego County yet, a growing number of states — including California — have pups with symptoms of a respiratory disease or kennel cough.
This illness is unrelated to a bacterial outbreak at the San Diego Humane Society.
Here's what we know:
What's causing the illness?
Vets are struggling to find answers for pet owners because they don't know exactly what is causing the new respiratory illness.
“There’s an infectious disease spreading, and we don’t know what it is and we don’t know how it's transmitted or how to treat it," said Dr. Joshua Yonas, veterinarian and owner of Southpaw Vet.
What symptoms should dog owners be aware of?
Dog owners are encouraged to be on the lookout for any signs their pet may be sick.
“A chronic cough one that doesn’t seem to be getting better, potentially progressive or getting worse, decreased energy, decreased appetite," said Dr. Yonas.
The symptoms are similar to other respiratory infections such as canine influenza and kennel cough, which makes it hard to know just how many dogs have been infected.
“What’s frustrating is we don’t know if its bacterial if its viral if there’s a component of both or if this is an autoimmune reaction to a external component," added Yonas.
Unlike other illnesses, this disease does not respond well to antibiotics and standard treatments. It can also spread easily.
Los Angeles County officials say they’re investigating at least 10 reports of sick dogs that have tested negative for common viruses and bacteria.
Dog owners in San Diego say they're not taking any chances.
“Right now we’re just avoiding dog parks and mainly just getting him together with dogs that we do know or families that we do know," said San Diegan, Karl Bublitz.
How can dog owners be proactive against respiratory illness?
Dog owners should make sure their pets are up-to-date on their vaccines, including those for canine influenza, Bordetella and parainfluenza, experts say.
To prevent infection, pet owners are advised to avoid traveling with pets and minimize exposure in social settings like dog parks, boarding or daycare.
If not treated the illness can develop into pneumonia, which can be deadly.
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