There’s a contagious disease infecting dogs across South Florida. Here’s what to know
Dogs owners beware: A highly contagious disease is making our furry friends ill across South Florida — and Miami-Dade County Animal Services is recommending you avoid taking Fido to the park in an attempt to slow the spread.
Miami-Dade County’s Animal Services has also temporarily paused some of its services, including spaying/neutering dogs to “avoid unnecessary exposure to the virus.”
Known as Canine Infectious Respiratory Disease Complex, or CIRDC, the disease causes acute or chronic inflammation in the upper respiratory system. Sometimes referred to as “kennel cough” or “canine cough,” dogs can get the disease through direct contact with an infected pooch.
It can also spread “by air and hands” making it “as routine in an animal shelter as the common cold is in a day care center,” according to the University of Florida’s College of Veterinary Medicine. Most cases are mild, though some dogs can get severely ill.
And recently, there’s been “an abundance of cases” reported by veterinarians and animal rescue facilities throughout Miami-Dade, Palm Beach and Pinellas counties, according to Miami-Dade County’s Animal Services. The exact number of kennel cough cases remain unclear.
Those numbers include the county’s animal shelter in Doral, where a “small population” of dogs showed signs of illness, according to Miami-Dade County’s Animal Services. The canines were treated by veterinarians and have since been moved to an offsite facility to recover.
However, because of the region’s surge in cases, Miami-Dade County’s Animal Services has decided to temporarily suspend its spay/neutering surgeries, vaccinations and microchipping for dogs at its Wellness Clinic. It’s also no longer taking in dogs from owners who don’t want or can’t care for them and is only accepting injured, sick and aggressive stray animals. Additionally, offsite pet adoption events are temporarily suspended.
The county’s animal service made a post on Twitter this week urging dog owners “to help protect their pets from the spread of the virus by visiting their veterinarian, keeping their dogs current on routine vaccines, & avoiding settings with multiple dogs.” This includes dog parks, doggy day cares, dog events, shelters, boarding facilities and groomers.
Some ways you can help reduce your dog’s risk of catching the disease include avoiding direct and indirect contact with other dogs and making sure your pooch avoids extreme temperatures, humidity, stressful/fearful situations and areas with poor ventilation, Miami-Dade County Animal Services said.
Here’s what else to know:
Symptoms of CIRDC
Symptoms include coughing and nasal discharge (with or without blood), watery eyes, retching and gagging and lack of appetite, according to Miami-Dade County Animal Services. Some dogs may be asymptomatic.
What are the risks?
CIRDC is rarely fatal, according to UF’s veterinary college.
In most dogs, symptoms are mild and disappear within 7 to 10 days. While rare, some dogs might get severely ill and “need advanced care at an intensive care facility that can provide oxygen support,” Miami-Dade County Animal Services said. Puppies and dogs with underlying health conditions, for example, that fall severely ill could develop fatal bronchopneumonia.
“Morbidity threats” include fever, nasal discharge, depression, anorexia and difficulty breathing, according to Miami-Dade County Animal Services.
As for the infected dogs at the county’s animal shelter, the veterinarians “were able to intervene quickly before these cases became more severe,” Miami-Dade County’s Animal Services said.
Can humans or other pets get it?
No. “CIRDC is only transmissible to dogs and will not affect people or other pets throughout our community,” Miami-Dade County Animal Services said.
What causes CIRDC?
CIRDC is considered “complex” because it can be caused by many different pathogens, and the risk for infection also differs, depending on a variety of factors, including the dog’s age, according to UF’s veterinary college.
What should I do if my dog is sick?
If you think your dog is sick, keep it at home and call your vet.
This story was originally published March 24, 2022 at 7:16 PM.
