Panic Around New Canine Illness Is A Window Into Conspiracy Theories
Humans create comfort out of conspiracies.
The mystery respiratory illness that is affecting dogs in 10 states across the U.S. is causing widespread panic among dog owners for one reason - the word “mystery.” We don’t know what’s causing it and we don’t know how to treat it. Researchers might be getting closer, but the source of the disease and how it spreads are still unknown.
The disease, which presents similarly to kennel cough, has sickened thousands of dogs. In some dogs, it can result in pneumonia and even death. This has people comparing it to “covid for dogs.” As with Covid, the conspiracies are running wild on social media
First, let’s talk about what we do know. New, or novel, pathogens, regularly crop up. According to NIH, three to four new species of viruses that affect humans are found every year. While this particular pathogen is affecting dogs, it is important to recognize that new illnesses and new strains of existing illnesses are discovered regularly.
While the cause of this canine respiratory illness remains unknown, the fact that there is a new pathogen is not out of the ordinary.
This infection may have been around longer than is commonly thought. New Hampshire reported an unknown canine respiratory illness in the summer of 2022. The Oregon Veterinary Medical Association notes that while the state has a reported 200 cases of “an atypical canine infectious respiratory illness,” it is not seeing an increase in reports of dogs with respiratory disease in general. The Chief Medical Officer for the Oregon Humane Society told the New York Times:
“We are not seeing an uptick in respiratory disease outside of the ordinary expectation for pets that would get respiratory disease.”
This should be reassuring for every dog owner who is afraid to let their dog leave the house. There is an unknown respiratory illness affecting dogs in 14 states (at the time of this writing). That is scary, yes. But this illness is not spreading like wildfire. The majority of dogs who have gotten ill have been in close contact with other dogs - like the dog groomer, park, daycare, and the like.
This is similar to how children get sick when they go to school or daycare or other activities where they are in close proximity to other kids. This is how diseases spread.
Again, while this disease is seemingly new, the way it is spreading is quite normal.
Dr. Kurt Williams, director of Oregon Veterinary Diagnostics Lab, told Today.com that there’s no reason for owners to "become paralyzed with fear." We can be cautious and concerned, but we shouldn’t go on an emotional spiral.
But dog owners are spiraling. Whether you are on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, or TikTok, you’ve seen people post about this illness. And if you’ve read the comments on those posts, then you’ve seen the theories. These theories come from two things: fear of the unknown and lack of scientific literacy.
Before I get into the comments, I want to state that there’s nothing wrong with being afraid of scary things. Something potentially threatening the life of your dog is freaking terrifying. For many of us, our pets are the only things that keep us tethered to this world. The idea of some invisible thing taking them from us is horrific.
I get it. Because… well, same.
And there’s also nothing wrong with having a lack of scientific literacy. That’s not a failure on you as a person.
What does it even mean, scientific literacy? It means being able to understand and put into context the complex information in scientific research. Understanding research is a skill. People go to universities to learn it. This is a failing of science, to be frank. Research is often written to be inaccessible to the masses. That’s another issue and another article, but the point is that you shouldn’t feel inadequate because some research is difficult to understand.
Unfortunately, people do feel inadequate about things they don’t understand. That is one of the main causes of conspiracy theories. When we don’t understand something we try to put into a context we can understand - even if that context is seemingly outlandish.
This also connects to fear of the unknown or “waiting in uncertainty.” Uncertainty, like a mystery canine respiratory virus, makes situations feel more threatening than if we know of a concrete cause or outcome. So, if we create a world that we can understand, regardless of the lack of evidence supporting that creation, we feel like we have a level of control over what is happening.
We create certainty out of conspiracy.
So, let’s talk about some of that conspiracy surrounding this unknown canine virus. These comments come from TikTok:
“how is there something new. In the hundreds of years socializing dogs, how the fuck is there something new that’s never been here”
“umm can it be coming from the air or rain, anything on the ground is being poisoned, I wonder what they are putting in the dog food we aren’t aware of”
These two comments show fear based on the lack of scientific knowledge and literacy. As we established earlier, new pathogens are discovered and develop regularly. That’s nature and it’s not a surprise. The first comment directly leads into the second, though they are from different users. To explain the train of thought here:
“Dogs have been exposed to our society for thousands of years, how can there be something new affecting them? There can’t be. Therefore, the air, rain, ground, or food must be poisoned. It can’t be natural. It must be something someone is doing.”
And we see that last bit repeated throughout these conspiracy theories. First, let’s look at ones focusing on dog food:
“Probably the dog food they’re trying to kill animals the same as they’re trying to kill humans”
“Prob something they are putting in the food .. thank you for sharing”
“it isn’t mysterious. I work at a feed company and every store that sells several brands completely recalled and damaged it out from salmonella”
“children have died just from touching the dog food it is contaminated so bad. go look up Victor brand”
The social politics around what we feed our dogs is another subject, but there is a lot of suspicion around what goes into that food. This is largely because most of us feed manufactured kibble. Those ingredients are often listed in more scientific terms, making them sound scary and “chemically” (everything is chemicals, btw). Again, we’re back at fear of the unknown and lack of scientific literacy.
The lack of scientific literacy means that someone can reference something very real, like dog food being recalled for salmonella, and immediately draw a connection to this respiratory illness. But salmonella, a very common bacteria, affects the gastrointestinal system. It is not a bacteria that causes breathing problems, coughs, or pneumonia. Plus, there is nothing unknown about it. Outbreaks of salmonella are quite common in both humans and animals because it is a very prevalent bacteria.
As to the deaths associated with the recall of Victor pet foods - there have been none. No dogs or humans have died from foods associated with this voluntary recall. In fact, we don’t yet know if any of the seven human cases currently being investigated were caused by Victor pet foods. We only know that the food and the humans carry the same strain of salmonella. Of course, that makes it seem highly likely that the food was the cause - but that’s what we have science for, to gather multiple data points to give us as close to an accurate answer as possible. Correlation isn’t enough to equal causation. Researchers don’t yet have this answer.
But, for the sake of argument, let’s say that the food was the direct cause of human salmonella infections. Seven people in seven states in an incredibly small number. There is no widespread poisoning of dogs or people with salmonella. Again, it is a very common bacteria. Some of you reading this might have in your system right now - and you’ll never experience any symptoms.
If the contents of food is enough to make people feel uncertain, well, can you imagine how those with a fear of uncertainty feel about vaccinating their dogs?
(Before I jump into this section, my dogs see a holistic veterinarian. I don’t vaccinate them for everything because they aren’t at risk for everything and my oldest gets his titers checked because why vaccinate if he still has the antibodies? If your instinct is to say that I’m shilling for vaccine companies and hate alternative medicine - well, the tree you’re barking is def the wrong one.)
“Probably in the food or the vaccines! Like the jab people were forced to get ! I cook for my dog”
“Could be the vaccines! I refused to give it to my 2 dogs! They are good! Vets told me they need it! I don’t trust it. My dogs kept in doors”
Comment one: “the latest vaccine, that they gave to humans. is causing that”
Comment two: “Prolly the doggy jabs too”
“How about people stop vaccinating their dog!”
There’s a lot going on here and none of it is based in reality.
I want to stress this again - being afraid of an unknown illness is perfectly normal. Crafting a reality that makes you feel more in control of life is a common response to uncertainty. My entire point with this article is that, if you have had these spiraly thoughts - you don’t need to be this afraid. It’s okay.
New illnesses are normal. They happen because nature happens.
It is not possible to shed remnants of the covid-19 vaccine. So, no, “the jab” isn’t giving a relatively small amount of dogs a mystery respiratory illness. Canine vaccines do not cause this type of illness either.
The reason why people craft this belief is because it’s something they can control. If it’s the vaccines that cause our dogs to be sick, well, then we simply don’t vaccinate them and then they are safe. They’ll live with us forever. It’s simple. Much less complicated than the horrors of nature and its pathogens.
If it’s the vaccines or the food, then it’s something we can change. We can save our dogs. We can prevent them from suffering - which is all any dog owner wants to do.
But, we can craft beliefs all we want. We can draw associations between gut bacteria and respiratory illnesses. We can cook for our dogs. We can choose not to trust veterinarians who have a wealth of knowledge about our pets’ bodies that the majority of us do not possess - and that in and of itself is almost offensive, right? How dare someone else know my dog better than I do?
We can do all of these things. But nature is still going to nature. New illnesses are going to crop up. What we can do to lessen our dogs’ chances of becoming ill is to listen to the people who dedicate their time and knowledge to studying canine pathogens.
Here’s what they say about reducing your dog’s chances of getting this mystery canine respiratory illness:
Don’t let your dog drink out of a public water bowl. Avoid places like dog daycares, groomers where your dog might be in close proximity with other dogs, dog parks, and similar places. This includes boarding your dogs for the holidays. Instead of boarding them, try a pet sitter, or, if possible, stay home with them this holiday season.
Stay calm and love your dog.
