A previously unknown contagious and potentially deadly canine respiratory illness has shown up in Georgia and 13 other states. The disease was first diagnosed in Oregon where 200 cases have now been reported.
Other cases have shown up in California, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington.
Common symptoms include a sudden inflammation of the trachea and bronchial airways and chronic pneumonia that is non-responsive to antibiotics, acute pneumonia that quickly turns severe, plus difficulty or rapid breathing, wheezing, dehydration, fever, nasal or eye discharge, weight loss, loss of appetite and lethargy. The exact number of fatalities nationwide is not known.
