Vet: Parainfluenza outbreak among dogs

MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) - According to a local veterinary animal clinic, there is a Parainfluenza outbreak among dogs in Mobile and Baldwin counties.

Canine Parainfluenza is a highly contagious respiratory virus. Symptoms associated with the virus are a loud cough and nasal discharge.

“If left untreated, it can act a lot like an respiratory infection which can lead to pneumonia which would of course be very serious,” Dr. Roxie Leslie of Village Animal Clinic.

Leslie said humans cannot catch the virus.

On a routine basis, Village Animal Clinic in Mobile treats one or two coughing dogs a week. Recently, vets said number has more than quadrupled.

 "In a week here in the last two or three weeks, we've been seeing somewhere in the neighborhood 10-20 a week,” said Dr. Leslie.

Leslie said dogs in social settings like a dog park or a dog show are more likely to catch the virus, but all it takes is contact with one infected dog. One of the symptoms of the virus is a hacking cough.

"A lot of people refer to it as it, ‘Sounds like they've got something caught in their throat.’ That's what people think that they are seeing but in reality it is the Canine Parainfluenza,” said Leslie.

Walks and Wags owner Cindie Carter said the virus affected a number of dogs at the dog daycare.

 Carter said before the dogs began coughing, they had fevers and were not acting like themselves. 

"It was horrible. It was like sleepless nights. It was really scary since we didn't know what it was,” said Carter.

Carter linked up with Dr. Leslie and realized the dogs contracted Parainfluenza.

"So immediately at that time, we shut our facility down and started calling all of our clients and friends and asking them to get the word out,” said Carter.

Carter’s clients took their dogs to get the Parainfluenza vaccine and the dogs are healthy again.

Since the outbreak, Carter has since made it her duty to educate pet owners on the disease my making YouTube videos and sending out newsletters.

Dr. Leslie said the Parainfluenza vaccine is the best defense against the virus. And if it's been more than six months since your dog has gotten the vaccine, it's time for another dose.