BAKER CITY — Over 200 Oregon dogs have contracted an as yet unknown infection, with similar cases of respiratory ailments occurring in Colorado, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New Hampshire.

Since August, starting near the Portland area, the infection has quietly spread by uncertain means. With any number of dogs’ instinctual habits potentially driving its propagation, i.e., nose-to-nose contact, sharing saliva or contact with feces.

Veterinarians are recommending owners take preventative care to avoid contact with other dogs until the infection is better understood, and as yet there have been no known cases of it catching in human owners.

Several online forums so far have owners from even unmentioned states saying they’ve dealt with this in isolated cases, spurring some to withdraw from dog parks, day care and grooming services.

The illness seems to manifest into pneumonia in as little as 24-36 hours, leaving dogs feverish, coughing, sneezing, lethargic and weeping from their eyes and snouts. In many cases treatment requires an extended recovery period, with several elderly dogs left too weakened to recover.

The infection has elicited official responses from the American Veterinary Medical Association and the Oregon Department of Agriculture.

Baker City veterinarian Brett Hamilton says he’s had his eye out for the infections for roughly two weeks, but as yet it hasn’t made an appearance in the Baker area.

“A lot of respiratory diseases are transmissible,” said Hamilton, “avoid contact with other dogs or the places they’ve been, they are suspected at this point.”

“We don’t know what the agent is,Hamilton said. “We won’t have those answers until we isolate the causative agent. There’s a lot of testing going on and it hasn’t been fruitful to this point.”

While it’s likely an unidentified virus, sick animals would be swabbed for bacterial, fungal and parasitic possibilities.

“Most cases have been in Western Oregon and maybe a few in Central, and to my knowledge they haven’t seen them here yet,” Hamilton said. As statistics emerge, owners are advised to ensure their pet’s immunizations are up to date.

Though the explicit cause of the illness is not known, national laboratories are putting increased focus on finding the source, and the potential extent of its spread.

Justin Primu of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife says he’s recently become aware of the issue, and though he hasn’t seen any similar respiratory ailments in wildlife, it may be difficult to discern if cross-infection has affected the ecosystem in Baker County.

“Pet owners are there with their dogs all the time, so you’ll notice if your dog is coughing or getting sick,” Primu said, but infections in the wild are liable to go unnoticed sometimes until the public begins to report unusual numbers of dead animals, such as coyotes and wolves, that may be liable to the sickness.