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**Emily** · March 21, 2011, 09:29 PM

Re: Durango CO: Dogs suffer from mystery respiratory illness

http://www.durangoherald.com/article...lent-epidemic-

This is a virulent epidemic?
Mystery respiratory ailment in local canines raises alarm

By Dale Rodebaugh Herald Staff Writer

Article Last Updated: Friday, March 18, 2011 9:10pm

"Chris Nelson, director of the Humane Society of La Plata County shelter, said no one had alerted him to the new menace."

There doesn't seem to be a public health alert system for pets.

**Emily** · March 24, 2011, 06:22 AM

Re: Durango CO: Dogs suffer from mystery respiratory illness

I noticed there was a comment to the article that Shiloh posted that mentions Valley Fever. Hope its range isn't getting broader.

**Missouriwatcher** · March 24, 2011, 07:46 AM

Re: Durango CO: Dogs suffer from mystery respiratory illness

From original article: "...Santi said she typically sees around one or two cases of dogs suffering from pneumonia in a year. However, her animal hospital has already seen eight cases in the past few weeks. She said there have been more than 20 cases throughout the city..."

Kasa

http://www.kasa.com/dpps/news/interactive/dogs-suffer-from-mystery-illness_3752446

**Tonka** · March 24, 2011, 12:02 PM

Re: Durango CO: Dogs suffer from mystery respiratory illness

http://www.promedmail.org/pls/otn/f?p=2400%3A1001%3A2895092424119732%3A%3ANO%3A%3AF2400_P1001_BACK_PAGE%2CF2400_P1001_PUB_MAIL_ID%3A1000%2C87704

Archive Number 20110324.0924
Published Date 24-MAR-2011
Subject PRO/AH/EDR> Undiagnosed illness, canine - USA: (CO) RFI
UNDIAGNOSED ILLNESS, CANINE - USA: (COLORADO) REQUEST FOR INFORMATION
************************************************** *******************
A ProMED-mail post
<http://www.promedmail.org>
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
<http://www.isid.org>

Date: Mon 21 Mar 2011
Source: KASA.com [edited]
<http://www.kasa.com/dpps/news/interactive/dogs-suffer-from-mystery-illness_3752446>

An outbreak of an unknown respiratory illness has left dozens of dogs
sick in the Durango area and veterinarians expect more dogs will
become infected.

Riverview Animal Hospital veterinarian Stacee Santi said the mystery
virus is infecting dogs throughout the area. The animal hospital she
works at has seen 40 cases in the past few weeks. She said each dog is
coughing, wheezing, and at times is left gasping for air.

"It's getting bad quick," Santi said. "These animals are acting sick,
they don't want to eat, they don't want to play, and they have a very
bad deep cough."

The 1st case was reported in February [2011]. Santi said since then
the number of sick dogs in the city has skyrocketed. "In the whole
community there have probably been at least 100 cases" Santi said.

The sick dogs are put on 2 powerful antibiotics for 2 weeks. Santi
said it appears to be helping. However, she said for some the virus
has proven to be too strong. "We've had to hospitalize a few of those
for intensive treatment," Santi said. "It's been life threatening for
some."

Santi said she typically sees around 1 or 2 cases of dogs suffering
from pneumonia in a year. However, her animal hospital has already
seen 8 cases in the past few weeks. She said there have been more than
20 cases throughout the city.

"When the lungs become so infected they can't breathe well and we
have to support with oxygen, IV fluids," Santi said.

Santi said what worries her most is they don't know what's causing
the outbreak. So for the past few weeks, veterinarians in the Durango
area have been collecting swabs from the infected dogs' throats and
eyelids and sending the samples to specialists.

It's something Santi said she has never had to do in her 15 years of
practice. Until Durango veterinarians get this outbreak under control
they are being extra careful about what doges they send out of town
for specialized treatments.

[Byline: Crystal Gutierrez]

--
Communicated by:
Robert Peterson. DVM, MS
High Quality Research
Fort Collins, CO 80527
USA
<bpeterson@hqrllc.com>

[Most veterinarians are aware of canine influenza virus and surely
this would have already been diagnosed if that there were the case.
Please share with ProMED-mail what the illness is when it is
diagnosed. - Mod.TG]

[Durango, in south western Colorado, can be located on the
HealthMap/ProMED-mail interactive map at
<http://healthmap.org/r/0C6P>. - Sr.Tech.Ed.MJ]

.................................................t g/mj/dk
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**Shiloh** · April 6, 2011, 10:46 AM

Re: Durango CO: Dogs suffer from mystery respiratory illness

Source: http://durangoherald.com/article/201...-hacking-cough

Dogs get break from hacking cough
Local mystery illness remains unidentified

By Dale Rodebaugh Herald Staff Writer
Article Last Updated: Tuesday, April 05, 2011 11:52pm

A virulent respiratory ailment that struck dogs in La Plata County in early March seems to be slacking off, but it?s still around and still unidentified, veterinarians said this week...

**Shiloh** · May 1, 2011, 03:12 PM

Re: Durango CO: Dogs suffer from mystery respiratory illness

Source: http://veterinarynews.dvm360.com/dvm...tegoryId=40534

Local Colorado outbreak in dogs stymies vets, labs
May 1, 2011
By: Rachael Whitcomb
DVM NEWSMAGAZINE

DURANGO, COLO. ? About 150 dogs in Durango, Colo., have fallen ill with what one local veterinarian can only call a "mystery..."

**Pathfinder** · May 3, 2011, 09:15 AM

Re: Durango CO: Dogs suffer from mystery respiratory illness

<TABLE id=apex_layout_271110100662109808 class=formlayout border=0 summary=""><TBODY><TR><TD noWrap align=right>Archive Number</TD><TD noWrap align=left>20110503.1368</TD></TR><TR><TD noWrap align=right>Published Date</TD><TD noWrap align=left>03-MAY-2011</TD></TR><TR><TD noWrap align=right>Subject</TD><TD noWrap align=left>PRO/AH/EDR> Undiagnosed illness, canine - USA: (CO) RFI</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

UNDIAGNOSED ILLNESS, CANINE - USA: (COLORADO) REQUEST FOR INFORMATION
************************************************** *******************
A ProMED-mail post
<http://www.promedmail.org>
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
<http://www.isid.org>

Date: Sun 1 May 2011
Source: DVM News Magazine, Veterinary News [edited]
<http://veterinarynews.dvm360.com/dvm/Veterinary+news/Local-Colorado-outbreak-in-dogs-stymies-vets-labs/ArticleStandard/Article/detail/717881?contextCategoryId=40534>

Local Colorado outbreak in dogs stymies vets, labs
--------------------------------------------------
About 150 dogs in Durango, Colorado, have fallen ill with what one
local veterinarian can only call a "mystery."

"We're in a tourist town, so generally after the holidays, there's a
little surge of kennel cough," says Dr Stacee Santi, managing
veterinarian at Riverview Animal Hospital in Durango.

But around mid-February [2011], she started seeing a "skyrocketing"
number of dogs presenting with a cough much thicker than those
suffering from kennel cough and some that had progressed to
pneumonia.

"It was really bizarre," she says, adding the dogs typically were not
responsive to antibiotic treatment.

At a quarterly meeting of the Four Corners Veterinary Association,
comprised of all the veterinary practices in Durango, Santi discovered
that other veterinarians in town were seeing the same thing. About 150
in all -- 50 at her practice alone-are suspected to have succumbed to
the mystery ailment, but none died and all have made full recoveries
after about 3 weeks.

The primary complaint of clients was the dog's cough, but Santi says
clinical signs also included low-grade fever, nasal discharge varying
from clear to thick, and occasional conjunctivitis. The coughing
ranged from a dry cough similar to that found with kennel cough
turning into a more moist cough, Santi says.

About 75 percent of the dogs identified to be suffering from clinical
signs of the same ailment had spent time at a local dog daycare
facility, but a number of the center's "regulars" showed no signs.
Santi says the owner's dogs -- who regularly attend the daycare --
have not gotten sick. Veterinarians in neighboring towns have not seen
any cases, either, Santi says.

"I don't know if we're dealing with a new virus that hasn't been
isolated or a new form of the flu. At this point it's kind of up in
the air," Santi says.

Samples were sent to the US Department of Agriculture and other
veterinary epidemiologists, but experts have not confirmed the ailment
yet, she says. About 75 percent of the samples were negative for
everything, and others had some positives for more common infections,
but the results were not consistent for any one particular problem,
Santi explains. The samples have been negative so far for H3N8, canine
influenza. Santi consulted with Dr Cynda Crawford of the University of
Florida College of Veterinary Medicine, who told her canine flu has
not been found to mutate yet.

"She doesn't think we're dealing with a new strain," says Santi. "So
at this point we're moving forward." Testing is now being done for
H1N1, "but everyone seems to pretty much think it's a long shot."

The outbreak seems to be winding down now, Santi says. But at its
peak, her clinic was seeing 2 to 3 cases a day. "I'm kind of feeling
like it's dying down, and the other vets are feeling the same (way)."

What's not dying down, however, is the interest in the sick dogs of
Durango. "I've probably been getting 10 emails a day from people ...
they want access to the samples," Santi says, adding the calls are
from individuals in academia, research, and drug companies.

Veterinarians consulting with Santi declined to comment on their
research, which is sponsored, but say it's an "interesting outbreak."

[Byline: Rachael Whitcomb]

--
Communicated by:
HealthMap Alerts via ProMED-mail
<promed@promedmail.org>

[The doggy day care is an interesting connection. Of the animals that
have not been to the doggy day care, did they have direct contact with
those that had? This would take some epidemiological legwork but it
might track down the source of the situation. I also wonder what
illnesses did the people at the day care center have? If there was
human illness, perhaps it was passed to the dogs.

.../

http://www.promedmail.org/pls/apex/f?p=2400:1001:3256178156091752::NO::F2400_P1001_BACK_PAGE,F2400_P1001_PUB_MAIL_ID:1000,88295

**Emily** · May 3, 2011, 05:04 PM

Re: Durango CO: Dogs suffer from mystery respiratory illness

I wondered about Valley Fever and found a report of a dog treated at what looks like the same hospital in 2010 for Valley Fever.

http://www.yellowpages.com/durango-c...spital-4135464

The dog died but according to the owner there was a delay in diagnosis due to Valley Fever not being reported in Durango before. (The dog had moved into the area from Arizona, where Valley Fever is prevalent in dogs and humans.)

(Of course it is possible the dog had something other than Valley Fever.)

I guess the linked report suggests that this hospital is aware of the disease and is testing for that now.

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Durango CO: Dogs suffer from mystery respiratory illness

Durango CO: Dogs suffer from mystery respiratory illness

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