12/03/2023
We have had a lot of questions about the mysterious respiratory illness that has been reported in the news lately. As of now, we have not yet seen any cases, but as always we are being vigilant.
First of all, there is no need to panic. A bit of caution and common sense can go a long way toward protecting your pet from this unknown illness.
Following is the best explanation I have seen, we have permission to share this from another animal hospital. And it has a link to the Worms and Germs blog, which can give more info if needed.
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=749823303831130&id=100064104006405&mibextid=RtaFA8
๐๐ง๐ค๐ง๐จ๐ฐ๐ง ๐๐๐ฌ๐ฉ๐ข๐ซ๐๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ฒ ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ง๐๐ฌ๐ฌ โ ๐
๐๐๐ญ ๐จ๐ซ ๐
๐๐๐ฅ๐?
So youโve seen the stories on the news or your friend posted something on Facebook about this scary new respiratory disease that is spreading across the US. Sound familiar? Weโre getting lots of questions about these stories, so hereโs our take, along with a link to help those who want more.
๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ก๐๐ฏ๐ ๐ฐ๐ ๐ก๐๐๐ซ๐?
There are pockets of reported respiratory infections around the country over the last year. While most start out looking like a โsimpleโ case of kennel cough, some pets develop severe cases of pneumonia and some dogs have died.
๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐๐จ ๐ฐ๐ ๐ค๐ง๐จ๐ฐ?
Unfortunately, nothing. Sadly, as is often the case, a very low number of these dogs had diagnostic tests sent out prior to starting treatment which can complicate interpreting results. The tests that have been sent out have not given us a diagnosis to explain what is happening beyond the usual suspects.
Upper respiratory infections come in the form of viruses or bacteria (and sometimes both at the same time), causing mild to severe coughing in dogs that usually gets better over one to three weeks. Rarely, it can progress into pneumonia (an infection in the lungs). Some of the common culprits have effective vaccines to prevent or lesson the severity of symptoms.
๐๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐๐ฅ๐๐ฆ ๐ฅ๐จ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฒ?
There has been an outbreak of an upper respiratory infection at SpokAnimal; however, the tests so far have not given a definitive culprit and all we know is that the severity of the symptoms has been much improved after treating with antibiotics (indicating part of the problem likely was bacterial, although there is likely some other undetermined infection as well).
Our veterinarians ๐ก๐๐ฏ๐ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ seen an increase in respiratory infections in our clientsโ dogs in the local area.
๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ฌ๐ก๐จ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐๐จ?
First, donโt panic!
Second, make sure your pet is up to date for the vaccines your veterinarian recommends, and make sure you get your pets vaccinated at a veterinarianโs office or veterinarian led vaccine clinic. Unfortunately, itโs hard to assess the safety and efficacy of vaccines from in person and online stores as storage at both too cold and too warm of temperatures can damage the vaccine at any point from manufacturer, to warehouse, to delivery truck, to the storeโs display, to your house (giving the shot is the easy part).
Third, consider your dogโs overall health and make good decisions related to their risk. This means that dogs that have asthma, cancer, or any other medical condition causing a weakened immune system should probably be cautious about exposure to dogs of unknown health status.
If your dog is likely to consume everything including the kitchen sink resulting in emergency surgery, and your only outlet for their energy is a trip to the dog park or doggy daycare, then it is likely reasonable to continue these outings.
๐๐๐ง๐ญ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฅ๐๐๐ซ๐ง ๐ฆ๐จ๐ซ๐?
See this link (https://www.wormsandgermsblog.com/2023/11/articles/animals/dogs/new-weird-canine-respiratory-pathogen-what-do-we-know/) where Dr. Weese explains what information is available. Dr. Weese is a veterinary epidemiologist โ a veterinarian who specializes in disease spread โ and does a great job going through what we know, what we think we might know, and his take on how to proceed.
