PORTLAND, Ore. (KATU) — Kennel cough is circulating in the Portland metro area and the Willamette Valley, the Oregon Veterinary Medical Association says, adding that the respiratory disease is resistant to antibiotics.
Since August, the Oregon Department of Agriculture said veterinarians have reported more than 100 cases of pneumonia or tracheobronchitis.
The ODA said it is working with specialists at Oregon State University's Carlson College of Veterinary Medicine, and veterinary labs at the state and national level to find what is behind the cases. They are also working with a Salem-area pet rescue that saw several recent cases.
At this point, they have ruled out Bordetella bronchiseptica as a cause, ODA spokesperson Andrea Cantu-Schomus said.
The Oregon Veterinary Medical Association said it is trying to test dogs before they might show symptoms. The veterinary association says dog owners should make sure their pets are up to date on their vaccines, and maybe avoid areas with lots of dogs.
Here are the "knowns" about the current cases, which the Oregon Dept. of Agriculture said fall into three different categories:
- Chronic mild-moderate tracheobronchitis with a prolonged duration (6-8 weeks or longer) that is minimally or not responsive to antibiotics
- Chronic pneumonia that is minimally or not responsive to antibiotics
- Acute pneumonia that rapidly becomes severe and often leads to poor outcomes in as little as 24-36 hours
"Based on the epidemiology of the cases reported at this point, the cases appear to share a viral etiology, but common respiratory diagnostic testing has been largely negative," the ODA said. "A handful of cases do test positive for M. cynos, but that agent is not believed to be the underlying causative agent."
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