Dr. Lori Baldwin, a vet at Animal Care Clinic Monadnock in Peterborough and Veterinary Emergency Center of Manchester (VECM), said a respiratory disease affecting dogs has been really worrisome, and there are still a lot of unanswered questions about the illness.

The disease is called canine infectious respiratory disease complex (CIRDC), and since May, VECM has seen around 300 cases. Baldwin said the ICU is constantly full, and dogs are often staying overnight for a few days and put on oxygen, nebulizers and double antibiotics. It is unknown what is causing the sickness, but it can quickly turn into pneumonia and can make dogs really sick. Some dogs are even dying.

Baldwin said she hasn’t seen anything like this before, and that it feels strikingly similar to the beginning of the COVID  pandemic.

“It feels like we’re dealing with that in our world,” she said.

In the emergency room, staff members are wearing gowns and gloves and isolating sick dogs. At Animal Care Clinic, dogs that have any symptoms are asked to stay outside. Baldwin and the team are examining dogs in the parking lot and in cars. They don’t want to risk spreading the disease to other dogs in the clinic. 

It’s not completely clear how the disease is spread. It appears to be easily transmitted in places where groups of dogs interact, but there is some debate about how well it can survive on surfaces or human clothing. 

Unlike kennel cough, a common contagious respiratory disease which generally presents symptoms about a week after exposure, a dog with CIRDC may not develop symptoms for one to three weeks. Kennel cough is generally mild, with the main symptom being a persistent dry cough. CIRDC is more dangerous.

“If your dog starts to have unusual runny eyes and nose, a cough, call your vet to check in, especially if they have exposure to day care or training facilities,” Baldwin said. “If they have a fever, lack of appetite, or lethargy – we treat that as an emergency,” and she strongly recommends bringing the dog to the ER immediately if these signs are present. She said there may be a wait, but they are seeing severe pneumonia develop very fast. 

Although dogs are often left with a lingering cough, Baldwin said, “We’re seeing a pretty good success rate with aggressive treatment.” But with serious symptoms and without care, there’s a significant risk the dog won’t survive. 

The illness has left animal hospitals feeling overwhelmed, and Baldwin said at times the ER has been close to turning away additional patients. Seemingly healthy dogs are getting sick, and all ages are being affected.

The disease appears to be concentrated in New Hampshire and northern Massachusetts. Animal Care Clinic started seeing cases in mid-August, and so far the Peterborough office has seen around 10 to 15 less-severe cases and about five cases have been severe. The Bedford, Manchester and Seacoast areas have been hit the hardest, but “it is definitely very much out there,” Baldwin said. 

VECM is working with the New Hampshire Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory at the University of New Hampshire, and Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine is doing research but “there are no definitive answers so far,” said Baldwin. 

One obstacle is the fact that there is a major lack of funding for studying new animal diseases. 

“This is showing a weakness in our system,” Baldwin said.

CIRDC doesn’t seem to be transmissible to humans or other animals, Baldwin said, but if it was, it could have a huge impact beyond the dog community, a possibility that is frighteningly close to home as the world enters another winter with COVID.

“I think this is definitely setting some alarm bells off,” Baldwin said, and she thinks “more and more people are becoming aware of it.”

She encourages dog-owners to be cautious before taking their dog to a space with other dogs where they could be exposed.

“Now might be a good time to take a time-out and talk with facilities,” she said. 

And Baldwin is trying to stay optimistic that questions will be answered about the illness. 

“Vets tend to be pretty good investigators,” she said. “Hopefully we’ll get to the root of this.”

David Needle, a senior veterinary pathologist at UNH’s diagnostic lab, has reached out to vet clinics asking for small donations to continue their research of this disease. If individuals would like to donate, they can mail a check to the New Hampshire Veterinary Medical Association, NHVMA, P.O. Box 247, Amherst, NH 03031 with  “In vestigational Diagnostics Fund” in the mem o field.

Reporting from David Brooks of the Concord Monitor was used in this story.

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