Humane society aware of respiratory illness spreading among dogs
Cari Ciancio, executive director of the Butler County Humane Society, said she is aware of a respiratory disease that has been infecting dogs across the country over the past few weeks.
The humane society hasn’t seen any cases of dogs with respiratory issues this month, and Ciancio said the staff helps maintain clean areas in the shelter so sickness is less likely to spread between humans or animals.
“That is why we have strict cleaning protocols in place,” she said, “that are based on the industry's cleaning standards and suggested cleaning agents which allow us to limit the spread of disease as efficiently and effectively as possible.”
The Associated Press reported in November that veterinary labs in several states are investigating an unusual respiratory illness in dogs, and encouraging people to take basic precautions to keep their pets healthy as vets try to pin down what is making the animals sick.
Oregon, Colorado and New Hampshire are among the states that have seen cases of the illness, which has caused lasting respiratory disease and pneumonia and does not respond to antibiotics. Symptoms of respiratory illness in dogs include coughing, sneezing, nasal or eye discharge and lethargy. Some cases of the illness progress quickly, making dogs very sick within 24 to 36 hours.
Ciancio said the Butler County Humane Society has protocols in place for new animal intake, so even animals that have health issues when they come in can be examined and treated before they get close to other dogs or cats.
“From a shelter perspective where we house many animals and receive many stray animals with unknown medical histories or vaccination records, these diseases and how they spread are always a concern from a herd perspective,” Ciancio said.
