I’m a dog mom – I think my beloved Yorkshire Terrier, 2, died from mysterious new canine disease spreading across America

A dog owner in Virginia fears her beloved Yorkshire Terrier has died from a mysterious disease that is sweeping dogs across the country.

Mitzi Neighbors believes two-year-old Brodie died from the disease after what she assumed was just kennel cough turned into pneumonia.

Brodie went from having a mild cough to lungs so full of fluid he could barely breathe and had to be placed in an oxygen chamber, Ms Neighbors said.

So far, more than 200 dogs in Oregon have tested positive since mid-August, as well as dogs in Oregon Colorado, Illinois and New Hampshire.

But experts believe thousands of people in the US are affected because there is no testing for the disease.

Mitzi Neighbors believes her dog, a two-year-old Yorkie named Brodie, died from the disease after the kennel cough she contracted turned into pneumonia. He was in a boarding house while her family traveled out of town

Symptoms of the circulating infection include coughing, sneezing, eye or nasal discharge, and lethargy. Sometimes the disease quickly progresses to pneumonia, which can cause breathing difficulties and loss of appetite

The symptoms are similar to kennel cough, an upper respiratory infection, but can last much longer and in some cases be fatal.

Last week, Ms. Neighbors put her dog in a kennel in Roanoke, Virginia, for four days while her family traveled out of town.

“It’s a really nice jumping off point,” Ms. Buren said. “They have people there 24/7, cuddling the dogs.”

When she brought Brodie home, she had a mild cough.

‘He had a little cough, but nothing unusual. It was a cough here, a cough there. That was it,” she said. “Things deteriorated rapidly on Monday.”

The family took Brodie to a local vet, who suspected he had severe pneumonia caused by kennel cough, which Brodie had been vaccinated against.

Brodie was given antibiotics, but it didn’t help, so his family took him to the vet clinic.

“They said his lungs were so full that all he had left was a small sac at the top of one of his lungs that wasn’t full.

“So they put him in an oxygen chamber and tried to help him breathe,” Ms Buren said.

“And the next morning they called and said they had done everything they could and there was nothing left to do. So he had to be killed.’

Virginia is not considered a hotspot for respiratory infections, but dogs in other states, such as Indiana, New Hampshire and Georgia, have had similar symptoms.

Earlier this week, health officials urged dog owners to stay away from dog parks and avoid communal water bowls.

Oregon veterinarians added that pet owners should also get dogs vaccinated and avoid travel.

They also recommended avoiding large gatherings with unfamiliar dogs, especially if the dogs appear sick. This includes daycare centers, parks, grooming salons and boarding houses.

Shared water bowls should also be avoided.

If your dog becomes ill, he should be taken to the vet. Symptoms of the circulating infection include coughing, sneezing, eye or nasal discharge, and lethargy.

Sometimes the disease quickly progresses to pneumonia, which can cause breathing difficulties and loss of appetite.

The disease is spread through airborne droplets when dogs sneeze, cough or bark.

There have been no reported cases of the disease spreading to humans.

Veterinarians have not been able to identify the disease because dogs do not test positive for common respiratory diseases.

The disease is also resistant to typical treatments, such as antimicrobial drugs.