Contagious illness keeps Edmundston dog parks closed

Dog parks in Edmundston remain closed Thursday, more than two weeks after they were shut down because of a number of cases of a highly contagious illness.

The temporary closure of the city's two dog parks, in central Edmundston and Saint-Jacques, was announced Jan. 27, with the explanation that a local veterinarian had recently seen several very sick dogs with the same symptoms: coughing to the point of almost vomiting, difficulty breathing, fever and dehydration.

"This week, the number of dogs returning with symptoms had somewhat decreased, but [the veterinarian] recommends that parks remain closed for the time being," Annie Dancause, a city spokesperson, said in an email Thursday afternoon.

Cédric Laplante, director of operations at the Madawaska Veterinary Hospital, said the number of cases presenting to the clinic had stabilized.

"Some dogs still have a persistent cough after a few weeks, but their general condition has greatly improved," he said in an emailed reply to CBC on Thursday in French.

It's still unknown what exactly caused the illnesses. Tests for a wide variety of ailments all came back negative, said Laplante, including canine distemper, bordetella bronchiseptica, infectious canine hepatitis, canine respiratory coronavirus, and canine pneumovirus.

"According to some veterinarians specializing in population medicine, a viral strain is probably the cause in situations like ours," he said. 

The good news is affected dogs have responded well to treatment, Laplante added.

The clinic continues to ask dog owners in the Edmundston area to keep their pets away from dogs from other homes to avoid more spread.

That recommendation will be reviewed early next week, he said.