NEW ORLEANS — Out on a walk in Crescent Park Tuesday, Sol Wunch and her ten-month-old pup Stevie were doing some bonding.
“I just got her about a month ago,” said Wunch. “She’s super sweet and calm, loves going on long walks.”
Those long walks help keep Stevie healthy. That’s why when Wunch, a vet tech, recently heard of an unusual canine respiratory illness spreading in several states, she started paying attention.
“It makes me worry, especially with me working in the vet-med field. I bring her to work with me a lot,” said Wunch. “So, it makes me worry that there’s not a vaccine or anything for it yet.”
According to the American Veterinary Medical Association cases started popping up a few months ago in Oregon. Since then, cases have popped up in Colorado and New Hampshire. The illness has caused lasting respiratory issues, like pneumonia, and isn’t responsive to antibiotics.
“This one is a little bit bizarre because it’s believed to be viral, but nothing has been isolated yet from the labs,” said Chief Medical Director at All Star Animal Clinic Dr. Treyton Diggs. “We don’t know what actually is causing this.”
There are no reported cases in Louisiana, but Diggs is already getting calls.
“I would tell people to be cautious, don’t panic, but be really cautious about bringing your dogs around anyone’s dogs that you’re not aware of their vaccination status,” said Dr. Diggs.
Dr. Diggs says symptoms to be on the lookout for are coughing, sneezing, lethargy, and any discharge from a dog’s eyes or nose.
“I strongly recommend making sure your dogs are current on all vaccinations,” said Dr. Diggs. “It’s holiday time. A lot of people are going to want to board their dogs.”
That has Wunch paying close attention to Stevie and the dogs she works with.
“They’re domestic but their instinct from being wild is basically to kind of hide any illness that they’re having because they don’t want to seem weak,” said Wunch.
At this point, taking basic precautions is recommended for dog owners, to make sure pups like Stevie can keep going on those long walks.
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