Pet owners in Orangeville are on edge after an unknown respiratory illness is making its way through the dog population.

The front lobby of Fifth Avenue Veterinary Clinic in Orangeville was busy with canine patients on Saturday morning. However, dogs with a cough and a fever have been asked to use a separate entrance.

The clinic has put extra precautions in place because veterinarians have seen numerous dogs in the Orangeville area suffering from an unknown respiratory illness over the past two weeks.

“We have a special exam room to make sure they are not mingling with other dogs we use separate stethoscopes labs coats special cleaning procedures after we see those dogs,” says Dr. Leah Knoll.

At first veterinarians suspected the illness “Kennel Cough”, but now they are not so sure because some dogs that have been vaccinated have also gotten sick. 

The Ontario Veterinary College has started tracking cases in Orangeville and are conducting tests to try and identify the bacteria or virus that is causing the illness. However, so far there are no conclusive results.

Up to this point, the illness has not been fatal for any of the dogs that have become ill.  Cathy Wood doesn't want to take any chances and will avoid the local dog park and other dogs that visit there.

“We have friends that go to that park that generally come over for walks on weekends,” she says. “So we have some concerns if they are at the park and their dog might contract it then obviously it's exposing our own dog, so there is definitely some concern for the area.” 

In the meantime time, owners are being asked to keep their pets at home if they are sick or have been exposed to a sick dog.

“A dog showing any of these signs, which include discharge from the mouth or nose, coughing, sneezing, kind of making a goose honking cough, just not feeling great, keep them at home,” says Knoll. “Keep them away from the dog park, keep them away from any boarding facilities away from other dogs.”

Most cases of this illness have resolved themselves after about a week, but very young dogs and older dogs may be more susceptible to complications.