New Mexico remains free of canine respiratory disease – for now

Farmington shelter director urges caution but not isolation

An unidentified respiratory disease that has plagued dogs in a handful of states across the country has not turned up in New Mexico or San Juan County, but several cases have been reported in Colorado, leading to concerns the ailment may soon spread here.

Stacie Voss, the animal welfare director at the Farmington Regional Animal Shelter, said there have been no signs of the disease locally as far as she knows. Symptoms of the illness reportedly include coughing, fever, lethargy, nose and eye discharge, and/or a loss of appetite. In some cases, the disease has progressed rapidly to pneumonia and has even proven fatal.

A Nov. 22 post on the Colorado Department of Agriculture website reported that the agency has been receiving calls from veterinarians in the state about the ailment for the last two months. The disease also has been reported in Oregon, Illinois, Florida and parts of New England.

The illness has yet to be identified, and veterinarians are unsure whether it is caused by a virus or bacteria. The Colorado Department of Agriculture website indicates that while some diagnostics have been completed, there has not been any conclusive testing performed to indicate what may be causing the increased prevalence of the disease. Officials there cautioned that there can be many causes for canine respiratory infections, and the illness may not necessarily be a new or novel ailment.

The disease has drawn considerable media attention, becoming the subject of recent stories in such outlets as The New York Times, CNN, NPR, TIME and the Washington Post.

Voss said the staff at the Farmington Regional Animal Shelter always closely monitors its animals for disease, moving quickly to isolate animals that show signs of illness, such as an elevated temperature, cough, runny nose or watery eyes. In rare cases, she said, if an animal is sick enough, it can be euthanized.

Voss recommended that pet owners keep their animals fully vaccinated against various forms of disease as a precaution. Even if there is no vaccination for this unidentified respiratory ailment, she said, a dog would be better equipped to fight off a potential infection if its immune system has not been compromised already by another illness.

Some observers fear that the disease is poised to expand rapidly over the next several weeks as people travel and board their dogs for the holidays, thus leading to increased exposure to other dogs. Voss said that is certainly a concern, but she said it’s unlikely that pet owners who plan on leaving town this year will be able to come up with a Plan B on such short notice.

“At this point, I don’t think people are doing to be able to organize other boarding plans,” she said.

The staff at the San Juan Veterinary Hospital in Farmington did not respond to an interview request from The Daily Times about the disease.

Voss emphasized that the presence of the illness has been limited thus far, and she said it’s too early for New Mexico dog owners to be overly worried about taking their animals to a dog park or to a boarding facility.

“There’s always a risk, no matter what you do, especially for older dogs or those that are immune compromised,” she said. “But socialization and exercise are important, too. Until we see (the disease) in New Mexico, I would say, just use caution.”

Mike Easterling can be reached at 505-564-4610 or measterling@daily-times.com. Support local journalism with a digital subscription: http://bit.ly/2I6TU0e.