Vets giving Covid pills to dogs in bid to fight mystery illness spreading
A dog who came down with a mysterious illness has made a miraculous recovery – after vets gave him Covid drugs.
The bulldog, named Cash, was struggling to breathe when he was taken to Lyman Vet Clinic in Cass County, Iowa. Veterinarian Doug Swain decided he had nothing to lose and gave him Paxlovid, the antiviral pills meant for humans.
The dog was within days of death, according to the vet, but remarkably was able to recover just days after being given the drugs. "It's like, 'Why not, what do we have to lose?'" owner Ryan Knowles told KCCI 8. "From everything we've read or heard, it's kind of a death sentence if we don't."
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Paxlovid is given to humans to treat Covid (Getty Images)Dr Swain has continued to prescribe Paxlovid to other dogs battling severe cases of the mysterious illness. He told KCCI 8 he noticed owners of the pets had recently been ill with COVID-19 and their symptoms were similar to humans. "I had COVID and spent nine days in the ICU myself," Dr. Swain told the local news outlet. "When I see these dogs, I think about how I looked."
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According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, the mysterious illness among dogs has been reported in at least 14 states.
Currently, there is no treatment or cure available and the disease is resistant to antibiotics. Symptoms of respiratory illness in dogs include coughing that can last six weeks, sneezing, nasal or eye discharge, and tiredness. Some cases of pneumonia progress quickly, making dogs critically sick within 24 to 36 hours.
Dr. Lindsey Ganzer, veterinarian and CEO at North Springs Veterinary Referral Centre in Colorado Springs, Colorado told TODAY.com the illness happens "very, very quickly". She said: "It seems to happen very, very quickly — to go from this cough that’s just won’t go away ... and then all of a sudden they develop this pneumonia."
Vets across different states have admitted seeing "a plethora of these infections and it's concerning. ... We are using our isolation ward heavily with all of these infections", Dr Gina Kettig, veterinarian at VCA Alameda East Veterinary Hospital in Denver, said. She added over 30 dogs with the condition have been in her clinic since October. It also affects different types of breeds and ages but is most common in dogs who have spent time in kennels or day care centres.
The Oregon Department of Agriculture said the "illness can progress in three ways such as a mild to moderate cough for six to eight weeks or longer that either doesn't respond to antibiotics or only responds a little. Chronic pneumonia that doesn't respond to antibiotics. And severe pneumonia that "often leads to poor outcomes in as little as 24 to 36 hours."
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