COLUMBIA, S.C. — The mystery dog respiratory illness has made its way to South Carolina.
With one case confirmed in Aiken, vets in the Midlands say that it may only get worse with the holidays coming up.
"I would expect that with the holiday travel that's already occurred with Thanksgiving and then headed into Christmas and New Years that we will start seeing more and more cases," Veterinary Dr. Noelle Herrera said.
Herrera works with the Columbia Veterinary Emergency Trauma and Specialty.
She says the most common the disease is transmitted is from "nose to nose contact or basically spread of any respiratory secretion so like nasal discharge or saliva."
The clinic says owners should try to limit pets' interactions with other dogs or places where other dogs have been.
"As much as possible if they could avoid putting their dogs in those sorts of situations so avoiding boarding facilities, grooming facilities just until we know more so that their dog doesn't have quite as high a chance of getting it," Herrera said.
Owners should contact their vets immediately if they see any cough, fatigue or discoloration symptoms in their pet's gums.
"For the dogs that end up getting it, taking their dog to the vet is the best thing that a pet owner can do. It's in all of us to want to do our own research, which I definitely support owners to be as educated as possible but they really should rely on their vet. They're the ones who are the most equipped to help take care of them and can make the best treatment plan," Herrera said.
Although no cases are confirmed in the Midlands, pet owners like Joyce Lynch are concerned.
"Now that it's hit South Carolina, I'm very concerned because I've had my dog for a long time and I really don't want it to hit him. once I learn more details about it I'll see what I can do to keep him protected from the virus," Lynch said.
Herrera said that there are no signs of the virus being transmitted from humans to dogs or from dogs to cats.