Mysterious Dog Illness has Now Reached North Dakota

If you have a dog who is a social butterfly like my Callie, you might want to think twice.

My Yellow Lab enjoys being around other dogs. Either when we're hunting, going for walks in my development, and when we go on our nightly runs. I always keep her on a leach during our exercise time, but many of my neighbors just let their dogs roam.

Because of this, we often have other canines running up on us. I've never had a problem with this (unless the dog was aggressive and mean) because my Callie is very friendly, but now with this new illness, you should definitely think twice before you let your dog interact with other strange dogs.

If you haven't heard about this new sickness for dogs you should do a deep dive now.

This mysterious new illness is impacting dogs across the country. First off, this is a respiratory illness that can be quite serious, according to NBC Chicago. This illness is a pneumonia-like sickness that can be potentially fatal if not treated.

Here are the symptoms that you should be looking for.

This illness in your dog will likely start out as a cough and will gradually worsen. In addition to coughing, your dog may also sneeze, have a discharge from the eyes or nose, and have trouble breathing. Fatigue is also possible for your four-legged friend as well. This illness has also shown signs of being resistant to antibiotics.

What's the most likely way your dog can contract this respiratory illness?

Your dog is likely to get this from another dog. That means the most likely place is boarding kennels, doggie daycares, dog parks, and groomers pose the biggest risk.

Your best way to protect your dog is to keep them away from those types of places (this could be difficult if you must board your dog daily or if you need to board your dog for the holidays). Also, avoid contact with other dogs who appear sickly.

Back around Thanksgiving, about ten states across America had reported this canine respiratory illness.

They included Illinois, Oregon, Colorado, New Hampshire, California, Indiana, Washington, Idaho, Georgia, and Florida.

This illness wasn't pinpointed to a certain region but instead was spread out all across the country.

Now, this mysterious canine illness has reached North Dakota.

According to Valley News Live in Fargo, one veterinarian in Casselton said at the time of the article that he had seen five cases that day alone with one dog fatality.

Again, if your dog exhibits any of the conditions stated above, you are advised to seek veterinary care as soon as symptoms appear.