“New Respiratory Disease”?
Media is doing what media does best and creating buzz. Headlines have increased the number of calls and questions about respiratory disease in dogs here at Applebrook, but we are NOT seeing an increase in our patients, but it is important to know facts.
Some data suggests that there has been an increase in respiratory disease in dogs in some parts of North America (but not here yet).
Fortunately, experts are saying that there is NO CLEAR EVIDENCE of a new pathogen or resistant infectious agent. We do not have reason to believe that veterinarians will be unable to address this issue, should your dog become ill.
We do not have an official surveillance in North America at this time, so all we have is data compiled by pet insurance companies. This data is not a full and accurate reflection of actual numbers because it only represents dogs whose owners have pet insurance. It is also possible that the headlines have frightened dog owners into seeing a vet over respiratory symptoms that otherwise would not have worried them.
What can you do?
Be sure that your dog is current on available respiratory vaccines, like canine influenza and Bordetella.
What you do not need to do is panic and alter all your plans for holiday travel out of fear.
As expected from respiratory disease in dogs of all causes, there will be a small number of dogs (especially those with “comorbidities” or other illnesses) in which these cases could progress to pneumonia or other serious complications. Seek veterinary help if your dog has upper respiratory signs and is clearly not feeling well.
As of this publication, we do have a stock of Canine Influenza vaccine (although it has been backordered a lot recently) and Bordetella vaccines as well. If you would like to update your dog, click Request An Appointment at the top of this site.
If you are not sure what your dog has or needs, you can access our pet portal by clicking the Pet Portal button also at the top of the page.