TAMPA, Fla. — A Tampa veterinarian is warning dog owners about an unknown respiratory illness.
Dr. Alexis de Gale is the owner and a veterinarian at Westshore Animal Hospital in Tampa.
She said in the past six months, she has seen about 30 cases of the contagious illness.
"Two cases in the last two months have gone into pneumonia. Both dogs are doing fine, but they got really sick," she said.
She said coughing and sneezing are the top two symptoms.
"When it progresses to pneumonia, we're seeing more of a soft cough. We're seeing dogs who are not eating, who have a fever, upset tummies, so some extra signs when the dogs get really sick," said de Gale.
The contagious illness has been reported in more than a dozen states, including Florida, California, Georgia, and Colorado.
"It's not responding to the typical antibiotic I had previously been using, and the dogs are coughing longer, so even ones that feel okay are coughing for a week or two, sometimes coughing for up to a month," she said.
Chase Reilly said his dog, Mr. Oakley, developed a cough in the mornings.
"It would go away after he ate breakfast. We didn't notice any fatigue or lack of appetite. The cough continued every morning for three days. On Thursday and Friday, Oakley would cough up a yellow/green mucus and then continued to act normal," said Reilly.
Reilly took his dog to Westshore Animal Hospital.
"His exam was fairly normal except for the cough and no fever, so we started some medications on him, and he's already doing much better," said de Gale.
De Gale urges pet owners not to panic but to monitor their dogs if they develop symptoms.
"I wouldn't say you need to cancel all your plans now, so continue to board or do daycare and grooming things that you need to do. At this time, just be vigilant if your dog is sick to stay home and contact your vet sooner rather than later," she said.
