HEROES FOR HEALTHY PETS - Dog Flu

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Heroes for Healthy PetsPet Parents Guide to Infectious DiseasesAuthored by Dr. Kathryn Primm, Dr. Courtney CampbellEdited by Madeleine Stahl, DVMInfectious Diseases of DogsForeword by Steve Dale.3Parvo Uncovered.4Distemper, Adenovirus, Parainfluenza, and Parvovirus.7History of Rabies.18Leptospirosis in Real Life.20What Every Pet Owner Needs to Know About Leptospirosis.23The Coughing Conundrum.27Kennel Cough.29Prevention of DiseaseCleaning Up After Pets.35The History of Vaccines.39How Vaccines Work.42Vaccine Strategy for Social Dogs.47Pet Parent’s Guide to Infectious Diseases of Dogs

ForewordBy Steve Dale, CABCDogs that are social or visit pet businesses such as doggie day cares and boarding facilities areat risk for infectious diseases. This was proven as a fact when an outbreak of dog flu hit the USin 2015; thousands of pets were affected. Within nine months, the virus had spread to more thanhalf the country. Countless pets were sickened, and some succumbed to the flu.In Chicago, where the H3N2 strain of dog flu began in the US, the community was completelyunprepared for this, but we all came together – veterinarians, veterinary technicians (nurses),pet professionals, and pet lovers – and we worked together to help significantly slow thespread of disease.We have learned that the key to success is prevention, and better understanding of infectiousdiseases and preventative care, including strategic vaccination, can help keep pets healthy.I am very proud to be part of the Heroes for Healthy Pets program, which was created tohelp keep pets disease free. The Heroes for Healthy Pets Pet Parent’s Guide brings togetherpet owners and veterinary professionals. I encourage you to read on and learn more aboutinfectious diseases, how to prevent them, and how to become a Hero, like me.Your dog will thank you.Within nine months, thevirus had spread to morethan half the country.

ParvoUncoveredDr. Kathryn Primm3

““If you have never been around a dog that isinfected with parvoviral enteritis, commonlycalled parvo, you will have to trust me andthose who have when we say that there is a verydistinctive odor associated with this disease.and their own immune system needs to step upto handle challenges on its own. If the puppy’simmune system is naïve to the parvovirus in theabsence of vaccination, the puppy gets very sickvery quickly.I bought the facility that isnow Applebrook AnimalWhat is canine parvovirus?Hospital as a residentialhouse. It requiredA highly contagious viral disease that can produceintensive remodeling toa life-threatening illness. The virus attacksmake it into an animalrapidly dividing cells in a dog’s body, most severelyhospital, and the fundsaffecting the intestinal tract. Parvovirus alsoto do so were sparseattacks the white blood cells, and when youngand borrowed. I didanimals are infected, the virus can damage thenot have a separateisolation ward like I doheart muscle and cause lifelong cardiac problems.now. But parvovirus is socontagious that affectedIt is characterized by vomiting, tiredness, andanimals must be strictly quarantined from otherextreme bloody diarrhea. The dog will becomepets. When I first opened and the parvovirus casesso sick and depressed that without treatment,started to creep in, the only place in the wholehe will suffer and die. Parvovirus is a disease that of the new Applebrook Animal Hospital that didis routinely prevented by routine vaccination;not have ongoing traffic with other pets was myfortunately, in my community, we do not see itupstairs office. When these two puppies camevery often.at once very sick with parvovirus, I suited myselfup like an astronaut and carried them resolutelyThe occasional cases that arise are puppiesto my office. We rigged up a makeshift isolationthat have been inadequately or inappropriatelyward in my walk-in closet. We have portable kennelvaccinated by people who are not veterinarians. Butcages and IV fluids. We even rigged up a foot bathwhen I first opened Applebrook Animal Hospital, Imade of a cat litter box with antiseptic to cleansehad not had the chance to spread the news aboutour shoes before leaving the closet. I was quiteappropriate vaccination nearly as far as I have now.impressed by our resourcefulness at being able toI did see more cases of sick dogs with parvovirus.treat and help these puppies and still protect allThese heart-wrenching cases are usually puppiesthe others, even without an official isolation ward.around 5-6 months of age, when they start to loseI was impressed until .the diarrhea began again.what immunity they had gotten from their mothersWith it came the odor. This odor is unlike anything5Pet Parent’s Guide to Infectious Diseases of Dogs

that you have smelled before. It is pungent andrepugnant. It is quite literally the smell of death,and, left untreated, that is exactly what it becomes.My patients, Darla and Duffy, two darling Bassethound puppies, had been home-vaccinated by awell-meaning breeder. After valiant conversion ofmy closet to a medical isolation ward, we beganaggressive fluid therapy and the other treatmentsrecommended to treat parvoviral enteritis. If apuppy is already pretty far into the course of thedisease, the odds of beating it decrease. Darla andDuffy were already dehydrated and well into thecourse of the disease before I saw them.But my assistant and I were not dissuaded. Iexplained everything to the owner and gave thema 50/50 chance of survival and took up watch in myoffice, peering into the closet frequently. Since wehad just opened, we did not have a busy dayplanned. So I was able to keep vigil over thesesick pups, carefully attending to their every need.would see in a cartoon. The smell did not stopor even slow me down. Those puppies neededme and I was going to fix them. I cleaned upfoul diarrhea every few minutes and cleaned thepuppies too as best I could. I checked IV fluidsand gave medications. I made sure that theywere warm and as comfortable as possible and Imade sure that they never felt alone. I told themthat if they could just hang in there, I would doeverything I could to support them while theirbodies tried to fight.Despite my best care, my projected 50/50 oddswere sadly correct. Darla recovered but sadly Duffydid not. To this day, I can’t walk near my closetwithout my brain remembering those floppy earsand sad eyes.It is truly sad that a readily available vaccine couldhave prevented the whole tragedy, but at least Iwas able to save Darla. I am a more empatheticdoctor because of my experiences with thesetwo sickly pups.My closet smelled so bad that I could imagine agreen vapor emanating from the closet like youIt is truly sad that areadily available vaccinecould have prevented thewhole tragedy, but at leastI was able to save Darla.Heroes for Healthy Pets6

. Courtney Campbell

When a law enforcement agency issues an APBbroadcast, you know it’s a serious situation.APB stands for all-points bulletin, and it signals toother law enforcement agencies that the subjectthey are looking for is a person of interest, witha possibility that the subject may be extremelydangerous.There’s a trio of extremely dangerous diseasesthat can affect young puppies. Although theacronym for these three dangerous diseases isn’texactly the same as an all-points bulletin (APB),they can be abbreviated as ADP, and they are alsoextremely dangerous. ADP, in this case, stands foradenovirus, distemper, and parvovirus. Protectingyour pet from these viruses is practically aprerequisite for them to survive into adulthood.DISTEMPERYour puppy has gooey eyes, nasal discharge,and he’s just not eating well. He feels warm tothe touch and he’s sleeping all the time. For anypet parent that would be cause for concern.Innocently, one might assume that their puppycaught a “cold” and may need some basicmedications – possibly some money-saving, overthe-counter medications – to clear the cough andrunny nose. It’s only after a consultation with yourveterinarian that you discover that this conditioncould indeed be more serious.When a dog is infected with the distemper virus,the symptoms may begin with gooey eyes, fever,and poor appetite. As the virus burrows deeperinto the respiratory tract, coughing may start, andthen the virus may slowly percolate down to thelungs to cause pneumonia.8After attacking the respiratory tract, the virusbegins to terrorize the nervous system. Yourpuppy may begin to tremble and stumble offbalance. Seizures – classically starting withsnapping or tremors of the jaws – can fulminate tofull-body convulsions. This is a classic distempersign called a “chewing gum fit”. The degree ofdamage to the nervous system depends on thestrain of the virus as well as the status of yourpuppy’s immune system. Even if distemper infectsthe nervous system, it does not automaticallyresult in nervous system symptoms. In fact,some dogs do not develop neurological signs.Unfortunately, it’s impossible to predict which dogswill develop convulsions and which ones will not.The good news is that some puppies can recovereven after the nervous system has been affected.Other dogs appear to recover, only to break withneurologic disease 1 to 3 weeks later. For some,those neurologic signs will remain permanent, andsadly, there are many puppies that die from thiscondition. Some report the mortality rate to beclose to 80%.The distemper virus is closely related to thehuman measles virus. It’s made with a naturalshell called a fatty envelope. The fatty envelopeis easily disrupted in the environment, making itnearly impossible for the virus to live outside thebody. Its only recourse is to survive through dogto-dog contact or contact with extremely fresh,infected body secretions.Coughing is a vehicle for the virus to spreadto other dogs. With each cough, the virus issuspended in the air for another dog to inhale.Pet Parent’s Guide to Infectious Diseases of Dogs

Urine is also a rich source of virus particles, whichmakes contact with bodily secretions anotherstealthy mode of virus transmission.The virus then hitches a ride on white blood cellsand travels to the lymph nodes, intestines, andthe liver. Your dog’s fever begins to spike and atthe most critical stage of the illness. The immunesystem begins to wage war on the virus. If it winsthe war, it will clear the virus in 14 days. A weakresponse, however, and the virus will invade therespiratory system and the brain. Your dog willcontinue to get sick. The vigor and strength ofthe immune system is what makes the differencein the symptoms from pet to pet. The last stageof the virus’s life could include covert hiding inthe nervous system and skin. Because of thisphenomenon, thickening of skin or seizuresmay occur long after the infection was thoughtto be cleared.The colostrum suckled in the first day of a puppy’slife will offer initial protection. This immunitywill have completely waned by 16 weeks of age,leaving the puppy vulnerable if vaccines have notbeen administered for further protection.The most intense viral shedding occurs in the first2 weeks. An infected dog may shed virus for upto 2 to 3 months after infection. It is importantThere is no special test to confirm distemper.to keep this in mind when taking a pet that hasBecause the virus can hide in the nervous systemsurvived distemper anywhere where there areand skin, a combination of tests, symptoms, andother dogs. If a dog survives the infection, thehistory are used to confirm the diagnosis.adult teeth may appear stained and have pittedenamel. This is calledenamel hypoplasia. Thisoccurs because theThe distemper virus is closely related to thedistemper virus attackshuman measles virus. It’s made with a naturalthe rapidly dividing cellsshell called a fatty envelope. The fatty envelopeof the mouth (epithelialcells). In puppyhood, theis easily disrupted in the environment, makingbuds of the permanentit nearly impossible for the virus to live outsideteeth are still developing.the body. Its only recourse is to survive throughDistemper will attackdog-to-dog contact or contact with extremelythese immature cells,fresh, infected body secretions.leaving these tooth budspermanently damaged.Heroes for Healthy Pets““9

““Veterinarians have used everything from directobservation of the virus under a microscope,measuring antibody levels, and PCR – a test usedto detect viral DNA – to diagnose the condition.Initial immunity for a newborn comes from themother in the form of maternal antibodies (i.e

when I first opened Applebrook Animal Hospital, I had not had the chance to spread the news about appropriate vaccination nearly as far as I have now. I did see more cases of sick dogs with parvovirus. These heart-wrenching cases are usually puppies around 5-6 months of age, when they start to lose what immunity they had gotten from their mothers and their own immune system needs to step up to .