Experts urge pet owners not to board dogs over holidays amid mysterious illness

Dog experts are advising pet owners to consider isolating their dogs from others and to avoid boarding them over the holidays because of a mysterious illness that has been spreading in various locations around the U.S.

The symptoms of the illness are a persistent cough that doesn't get better over several weeks or respond well to antibiotic treatment, along with lethargy, sneezing, discharge from the eyes or nose, fatigue, and difficulty breathing.

Some dogs have died from the disease, but most don't, veterinarians say. Because the illness lasts for several weeks, they have ample time to infect other dogs, however.

Just in the last few days, researchers discovered that the cause of the illness is likely a small bacterium that is already part of a dog's microbiome.

The bacterium is smaller than others that typically affect dogs, and can get into their lungs more easily.

Doxycycline may be an effective treatment for the illness, based on the bacterium's structure and properties, the researchers said.