Canine Respiratory Disease Update - MDAR and UNH

Over the last few days, we've heard a lot about the mysterious respiratory disease that's causing concerns across the country. With this increased visibility in the pet-owning public and as the we approach the holidays during which time many dogs being boarded or traveling, you may receive more inquiries than usual. We wanted to share this information we've received over the last 24 hours:

MDAR:

MDAR has been aware of this issue since early spring, and is working with our colleagues in neighboring states to better understand the factors at play. We have encouraged Massachusetts veterinarians to retrieve test samples from affected dogs to send to the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory at UNH where officials there are trying to identify a specific cause. Kennel operators should be requiring vaccination and practicing good biosecurity to prevent future outbreaks. The Department’s recommendations on kennel biosecurity can be found on their website here: https://www.mass.gov/doc/mdar-canine-kennel-biosecurity-may-2023/download 

Here are recent articles from the media about cases:

NBC: https://www.today.com/health/mystery-dog-illness-2023-rcna125553
CNN: https://www.cnn.com/2023/11/20/us/mystery-dog-illness-spreading/index.html
New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/20/science/dog-respiratory-illness-us.html
Worms and Germs Blog: https://www.wormsandgermsblog.com/2023/11/articles/animals/dogs/respiratory-disease-in-dogs-sweeping-across-the-us-outbreak-of-disease-or-media-attention/

From the UNH Diagnostic Lab:

Anyone interested in contributing samples can email me. We want to talk through cases before samples are sent. Nobody is defraying costs yet so the investigation we are doing is limited in scope, but is of no cost to the clinics. 

David B. Needle, DVM DACVP
NHVDL Pathology Section Chief
Associate Clinical Professor, MCBS
The University of New Hampshire
david.needle@unh.edu