JUNE, 2008 CANINE HEALTH ALERT -  Illinois/Wisconsin...

If you have recently attended dog shows, boarded your dog(s) or frequent dog parks, please be aware of the following.  If your dog begins to cough get to vet ASAP.  Sent by P. Grant on June 7, 2008.

Please be aware of a health alert that has affected two Humane Societies in Wisconsin. The disease started as outbreaks in Las Vegas and Miami Florida and is now in Waukesha Wisconsin.

The illness is called Streptococcus equi subspecies zooepidemicus and is caused by a bacteria. It can be treated by penicillin or amoxicillin if caught within the first hours of symptoms. The shelter was able to successfully treat 2 extremely ill dogs, and currently are treating all of the dogs with antibiotics as a preventative.

It is unknown how illness is spread. In Waukesha, they had 7 dogs die from an extremely fast moving illness. It initially presents as kennel cough, but rapidly leads to high fevers -- 106 or 107, labored breathing and then death. From start to finish it's about 10 hours -- which is very scary. Dogs who were seemingly healthy are deathly ill and then dead by the next day.

Tissue samples were sent to the state lab and necropsies was done on 2 dogs, and samples were sent to other labs throughout the US before it was diagnosed.

I was informed today that kennel cough is making it's way through Chicago area boarding facilities and doggie parks. Keep an eye on your dogs.