LIGHT OF LIFE

Dr. David Needle, pathology section chief at the College of Life Sciences and Agriculture at the University of New Hampshire said: The culprit is “smaller than a normal bacterium in its size and in the size of its genome. Long story short, it is a weird bacterium that can be tough to find and sequence.”

 

There are no diagnostic tests available to identify the bacterium in-clinic currently.

 

Symptoms commonly seen in infected dogs include:

 

A) Persistent coughing, sneezing, loss of bark, lethargy, poor appetite, laboured breathing, and fever.

 

B) Respiratory system inflammation that is only slightly or not responsive to antibiotic treatments is common.

 

C) Progressing to chronic pneumonia that is only slightly or not responsive to antibiotics.

 

D) A sudden onset or acute pneumonia that rapidly becomes severe and often leads to severe illness or possibly death in as little as 24 to 36 hours.

 

 So far there is little indication of a zoonotic risk. 

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There are no signs of this disease in Singapore at the time of publication.

 

Nevertheless, we recommend that owners:

 

A) Vaccinate their pet dogs with:

 i) Bordetella bronchiseptica

ii) Canine adenovirus, and

iii) Canine, parainfluenza virus

iv) Canine influenza viruses (H3N2 and H3N8)

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B) Get a full diagnostic panel from canine respiratory diseases done if there are symptoms, to determine the actual cause of your pet dog’s respiratory condition.

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C) To avoid areas that congregate a lot of dogs, e.g. dog parks, dog café, and boarding, especially for puppies, and unvaccinated dogs.

 

 

Treatment for the known pathogens that cause canine respiratory diseases usually resolves within 2-3 weeks at most.

 

Owners should work closely with their veterinarians and update them if their coughing dogs have symptoms that are worsening rapidly or remain unresolved despite medication after 2 weeks.