Mysterious Superbug Sickening and Killing Dogs May Have Been Identified

A mysterious superbug that’s been sickening and killing dogs across the U.S. may have been identified.

It still has no name but researchers at the University of New Hampshire are describing the microorganism as a ‘funky bacterium.’

Dr. David Needle says its small size may be the reason it’s been so successful at evading canine immune defenses.

The respiratory illness starts out with a cough, like the flu or kennel cough, but lasts for six to eight weeks. \

Other symptoms include difficulty breathing, fatigue, discharge from the eye or nose and acute pneumonia that doesn’t respond to antibiotics.

The illness has been reported in 14 states from California to Massachusetts.