--- title: "Mysterious Disease Spreading Among Dogs" description: "The yet unnamed disease has infected hundreds of dogs in at least five states and does not respond to antibiotics so far." date: "2023-11-23" modified: "2023-11-23" authors: - name: "Frank Landymore" job_title: "Contributing Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/flandymore" url: "https://futurism.com/neoscope/mysterious-disease-spreading-among-dogs" categories: - "Developments" - "Health & Medicine" tags: - "dogs" - "pets" --- # Mysterious Disease Spreading Among Dogs ![The yet unnamed disease has infected hundreds of dogs in at least five states and does not respond to antibiotics so far.]() *\Image: Getty / Futurism\* A mysterious respiratory illness is spreading among dogs in the US that veterinarians say does not respond to antibiotics. "We don't know what's causing it, and we can't say definitively how it's being transmitted," Lindsey Ganzer, a vet in Colorado, [told *The Washington Post*](). "We just don't know enough right now." So little is known, in fact, that the disease doesn't even have a name yet. While scientists scramble to understand it, the disease has spread rapidly to hundreds of dogs in at least five states, including Oregon, Colorado, and New Hampshire. The Oregon Department of Agriculture [says it's received]() more than 200 reports of the disease since mid-August. Many infected dogs are left with chronic respiratory disease and pneumonia, and some of the pneumonia cases have made dogs extremely sick in just 24 to 36 hours, [according to the American Veterinary Medical Association](). In most cases, though, the first symptom to arise is a cough that could last several weeks. Other reported symptoms include sneezing, nasal and eye discharge, and all-around lethargy, *The Associated Press* [reports](). Some dogs have even died, but because of the uncertainty surrounding the disease, the exact number of deaths is impossible to pin down. The disease has left many dog owners feeling helpless. Mary Heckemeyer of Colorado, who owns four dogs, told the *WP* how her six-year-old Siberian Husky named Thunder had to spend two weeks in treatment, costing her $16,900. At first, Thunder appeared to improve. But just after being discharged, he had to be rushed back to the emergency room, where he soon died of respiratory problems caused by the disease. Heckemeyer's three remaining dogs are all still sick. "He was so young," she told the *WP*. "… For this to just come on so quickly — it's just so hard." David Needle, a veterinary researcher at the New Hampshire Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, told the *WP* that researchers still haven't been able to pinpoint the disease's cause, but believes we'll know "much more" in three weeks as his lab collects more samples from across the US. "We found no known viruses, bacteria or fungus that were known pathogens," Needle told the *WP*. A colleague added that they did find a "funky little bacteria" in 21 of the 30 animals they initially sequenced, though its function is unclear. Until more is known, vets recommend keeping your furry friends away from other owners' dogs, and to make sure their vaccines are up to date. "I would strongly recommend that people avoid boarding facilities, doggy day care, anything that's going to be a high volume of dogs in a space," Ganzer told the *WP*. "I know it's going to be hard with the holidays coming up, but trying to find somebody that will come to your house and take care of your dog is a better option." **More on dogs*:*** *[Harvard Researchers Find Dogs Bite People More on Hot Days]()* ## Author At Futurism, my work has often centered on bringing a sense of clarity and insight to complex topics ranging from the regulation of emerging technologies to the esoteric ideologies of Silicon Valley executives, while striving not to lose the poetic sense of awe inspired by often-obscure fields like astrophysics and quantum computing. I broke the story of CNET using AI to produce articles that turned out to be riddled with factual errors and plagiarism — a dam-breaking inflection point, as I've reported, that's inspired copycats and endless discourse while beguiling stakeholders ranging from tech giants to purveyors of spam around the web. My work at Futurism has been cited by publications including CBS News, the Los Angeles Times, Vice, Gizmodo, Engadget, the Verge, and Vanity Fair. I grew up in locales ranging from India to China, and now live in the exotic suburbs of Virginia. In my free time, I'm an avid reader of weird sci-fi literature, an aficionado of East Asian cinema, and, regrettably, a relapsed gamer. Allegedly, I’m working on a debut novel, currently untitled. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()