Mystery illness affects dogs

Before you decide to board your dog as you head out for the holidays, be aware there is a mystery illness affecting canines across the United States.

The potentially fatal respiratory illness begins as a cough that can last for weeks, Today first reported. If antibiotics don’t help, your pet can develop severe pneumonia and struggle to breathe. Some dogs have died from the disease.

Idaho resident Wendy Brown told “Good Morning America” her golden retrievers — Bridge, Dooley and Lulu — started showing symptoms earlier this month.

“Dooley started doing kind of this huffing and also seemed to feel quite lethargic,” Brown said, according to ABC News. “Not too long after, Bridge began to exhibit the symptoms. But his were louder, more boisterous. I thought it was his stomach because he made like a retching sound,” she added.

The vet started one dog on a 10day cycle of the antibiotic doxycycline, but, Brown said, “Today was Day 10 and he is not a lot better.”

Lindsey Ganzer, a veterinarian and CEO at North Springs Veterinary Referral Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., told Today her clinic has seen about 30 dogs with the condition since mid-October.

According to the Oregon Department of Agriculture, dogs with the illness have coughing that doesn’t get better, sneezing, runny eyes or nose, lethargy, trouble breathing and do not test positive for common respiratory illnesses.

Experts say the condition is highly contagious, with canines who visit daycares, dog parks, groomers or boarding kennels most at risk.