What has been reported as a mysterious new canine illness, credited by media outlets and on social media with killing family pets across the nation, has not been attributed to a specific bug, according to experts. The canine respiratory illness does appear to be contagious, and other states have seen an increase in respiratory disease in dogs. Wyoming officials have had reports of the disease, but are unsure of the current impact statewide.

“There isn’t a case definition at this time, so it’s hard to say the number of cases that have occurred in Wyoming,” said Assistant State Veterinarian with the Wyoming Livestock Board, Dr. Rose Digianantonio.

Likewise, the American Veterinary Medical Association is cautioning dog owners not to panic about reports.

“Current disease patterns are not consistent with the emergence of a new highly transmissible pathogen,” said Dr. Rena Carlson, president of the American Veterinary Medical Association, which has been monitoring the situation.

Colorado is among several states that has seen cases of respiratory illness and pneumonia that are resistant to antibiotics, according to Colorado State University. Researchers are currently investigating whether the illness that has led to a spike in the number of upper respiratory infections in canines along the Front Range is due to a new pathogen or an organism that is already known and recognized as a cause of respiratory disease in dogs.

“In addition to seeing more cases, the current wave of canine respiratory disease has differed from previous versions,” the university reported earlier this month.

“Contagious respiratory disease in dogs (kennel cough or the canine infectious respiratory disease complex) is common and there are multiple viral and bacterial causes,” said Dr. Michael Lappin, board-certified internal medicine veterinarian at the CSU. “However, in recent months, cases are being diagnosed more frequently and the course of disease is different than usual, surprising both pet owners and veterinary health care providers. It is currently unknown whether these unusual cases are caused by a virus or a bacterium, or a combination of both types of infection.”

Dogs are experiencing prolonged coughs, up to several weeks, and more cases are developing what appears to be a secondary pneumonia. In September, October and November of this year, CSU’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital has seen more than double the cases of canine pneumonia compared with the same period in 2022. Some cases have been fatal.

However, while cases are spiking over last year, the number of cases are limited. For example, Oregon, which has seen cases spike, has only documented about 200 cases since August.

Symptoms include coughing, sneezing, nasal or eye discharge, and lack of energy. It more often affects young and old dogs, according to officials. Testing is expensive and dogs must be tested early to have the best chance of identifying the cause, Dr. Digianantonio said.

“It’s hard for us to say if this is truly a new disease, or as it’s been said in the media — a mysterious disease — or if it’s just an increase in the number of respiratory cases in dogs, because right now we don’t have good testing to say what pathogen is causing it,” she said.

If your dog develops a cough, the best thing you can do is monitor them closely and contact your veterinarian with any concerns, she said. If it has a cough but is still wanting to go outside, is eating normally and continues to want to play, you shouldn’t be overly concerned. But if the cough gets more severe and they become less active and do not show signs of improvement, you should seek veterinary care.

Pet owners should be sure their dogs are fully vaccinated including kennel cough and parvo vaccinations, which offer some protections, and owners can avoid putting their dogs at higher risk by avoiding social situations.

“We do want people to be aware of this respiratory illness, but the cause and full impact is not well understood,” Dr. Digianantonio said.