Colorado State University researchers are investigating whether a contagious illness that has led to a spike in the number of upper respiratory infections in canines along Colorado’s 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 Colorado, the number of canine pneumonia cases rose by 50% from September through November of this year, compared to the same months in 2022, said infectious disease expert Dr. Michael Lappin, director of the Center for Companion Animal Studies at the Colorado State University School of Veterinary Medicine.
Former congressman and longtime public servant James Paul Johnson of Fort Collins died Nov. 16, passing peacefully in the company of his children, according to his family. He was instrumental in the building of the CSU Veterinary Teaching Hospital.
Dr. Amanda Cavanagh, head of urgent care services at Colorado State University James L. Voss Veterinary Teaching Hospital, told Today that, usually, cases of other contagious coughing conditions in dogs tend to decrease in the fall as temperatures cool and fewer canines congregate in parks. "But this year, the spike has stayed high," Cavanaugh told the outlet.
According to Amanda Cavanagh, the section head at Small Animal Emergency Service at Colorado State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital, dogs showing signs of a consistent cough should be brought to a veterinarian. "Let the vet fully evaluate," Cavanagh said. "That early vet visit can be so important to establish that relationship with your vet and have them help you take care of your dog and then track how this illness is going to progress."
Dr. Amanda Cavanagh, head of urgent care services at Colorado State University James L. Voss Veterinary Teaching Hospital, told Today that, usually, cases of other contagious coughing conditions in dogs tend to decrease in the fall as temperatures cool and fewer canines congregate in parks.
Unlike kennel cough that typically lasts about a week to 10 days, some of the dogs Dr. Amanda Cavanagh has treated had a cough for weeks to even months. "We're noticing that more dogs are getting secondary bacterial pneumonia," she says.
Dr. Amanda Cavanagh, head of urgent care services at Colorado State University James L. Voss Veterinary Teaching Hospital, in Fort Collins, Colorado, tells TODAY.com this past summer she started seeing cases of dogs with coughs lasting several weeks or longer, and the trend has continued into the fall. She estimates her caseload of coughing dogs has doubled over the past month or so.
“If you don’t have to board your dog, use a pet sitter,” said Amanda Cavanagh, a veterinarian specializing in emergency and critical care at Colorado State University. “If you don’t have to go to a dog park or doggy day care, try to avoid it. Don’t exercise with other dogs who are not from the same house.”
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