11/22/2023
Hi Everyone,
We wanted to let you know that there was a case of antibiotic resistant canine respiratory disease that was treated at the Southern Oregon Veterinary Specialty Center in Medford this week.
We have been getting some questions about the cases of canine respiratory disease that you might have seen in the news lately. There have been an increasing number of cases of respiratory disease in dogs in the last six months in parts of the country, including parts of Oregon (mainly in Portland and Eugene area as of this writing). Many of the cases are mild to moderate, with a cough, mild lethargy and sometimes a fever. These dogs tend to recover fairly quickly, usually within a couple weeks and they respond well to antibiotic therapy without requiring hospitalization. A small percentage of cases are more severe are more severe , with signs of lower lung involvement causing pneumonia. These patients are more depressed, have a deeper cough and higher fever and might not respond to antibiotics like the more mild cases, and the most severe cases can be life threatening. It is believed that there are multiple factors involved with these illnesses, viral infections followed by secondary bacterial infections have been identified, but there may be infectious agents that are involved in most serious cases that are still unidentified.
Recommendations for prevention of canine infectious respiratory disease include staying current on distemper/parvo, bordetella and canine flu vaccines, avoiding places where dogs congregate, use pet sitters at home instead of boarding facilities, minimize grooming appointments if there are multiple animals being groomed at one time, avoid dogs that are coughing, have runny noses or are sick, and if you dog is sick Do Not expose them to other dogs.
If your dog is coughing, depressed or having problems breathing, contact our office ASAP for an appointment 541-482-1386.
If they are having trouble breathing and our office is closed, contact Southern Oregon Veterinary Specialty Center at 541-282-7711. The SOVSC is now offering urgent care appointments during the day as well as their normal emergency service after regular business hours.
We hope everybody has a safe and happy holiday season!