12/06/2023
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 United States over the last year. These cases have recently been popping up in Canada too. 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 lessen the severity of symptoms.
๐๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐๐ฅ๐๐ฆ ๐ฅ๐จ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฒ? There have been no reported cases in Nova Scotia at this point; however there is a bad bout of kennel cough going around which we have been dealing with. At this time we have not seen a pattern of symptoms outside of the seasonal norm at our hospital, however we are still taking precautions.
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. 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.
