Most shelters have some kind of treatment protocol in place to treat signs of coughing and mild respiratory disease in their dogs. How do they know when they’re dealing with something else?
Most shelters have some kind of treatment protocol in place to treat
signs of coughing and mild respiratory disease in their dogs. How do
they know when they're dealing with something else?
Cynda Crawford, DVM, PhD, is a leading expert in canine respiratory diseases, and the researcher who identified the canine influenza virus
in 2004, the first influenza virus ever known to affect dogs and the
first new canine disease since the emergence of canine parvovirus in the
1970s.
At the recent University of Florida Maddie's® Shelter Medicine Conference, held in conjunction with the No More Homeless Pets Conference in Jacksonville, FL, Dr. Crawford gave attendees an overview of the wide variety of respiratory pathogens that are "Beyond Kennel Cough," and gave tips on how to know when you need to change course in responding to an outbreak:
- An increased number of sick dogs in the population while you're treating them
- An increased severity of disease, including pneumonia and death
- An increased duration of disease
- Complaints from adopters and community veterinarians
Dr. Crawford's complete presentation will be available on the Maddie's Fund® website soon, and includes specific recommendations on what to do when it's clear the outbreak has gone "beyond kennel cough."