Contents of Today's Veterinary Practice - JAN-FEB 2012

Today's Veterinary Practice provides comprehensive information to keep every small animal practitioner up to date on companion animal medicine and surgery as well as practice building and management.

Page 72 of 83

PRACTICE TO PRACTICE | Clinical Signs of Canine Influenza Virus
Type of Infection Clinical Signs Mild,
Uncomplicated Infection
UÊLethargy UÊAnorexia UÊLow-grade fever UÊNasal discharge UÊDry, nonproductive
cough or soft, moist cough
Severe,
Complicated Infection
UÊHigh fever (104–106°F) UÊIncreased respiratory rate and effort
UÊLung consolidation and lesions
UÊOther clinical signs of pneumonia
It was 106°F outside and we had to bleach every cage
and carrier outside wearing uncomfortable, hot plastic disposable suits. It was a miserable experience for all. We disposed of every item that was not washable and even made sure to bleach the top of the cabinets. But by the end of the 48-hour period, the clinic was decon- taminated and we were ready to reopen our doors.
DEFINING PROACTIVE After the outbreak, I realized I needed to be much more proactive. So what makes us proactive practitio- ners instead of reactive? It's testing, vaccinating, and educating both our staff and our clients about dis- eases. We cannot be complacent; even if clinical signs look like kennel cough, clinics should still test for other upper respiratory diseases, such as CIV. Testing tells us what diseases are affecting our patients and then we can gauge how to best treat them as well as protect them in the future.
Michele Wright, DVM, practices at Huebner Oaks Veterinary Hospital in San Antonio, Texas. She received her DVM from Texas A&M; University after receiving her Bachelor's degree in Biomedical Science from the same institution. Dr.
Wright is the daughter of two veterinarians and is married to an equine veterinarian, Dr. Travis Wright. She and her husband share a love for horses as well as for their two cats, Jasmine and Ariel, and Beamer the dog.
VACCINATION: CONTROLLING THE DISEASE The good news is that vaccines do exist that help con- trol the severity and spread of CIV (Nobivac Canine Flu H3N8, merck.com; Vanguard CIV, pfizer.com). In our case, we now use Nobivac Canine Flu H3N8 to protect our patients from contracting CIV as well as to prevent severe infection. Some practitioners shy away from vaccinating
for CIV because the vaccine is not 100% effective. However, no vaccine is 100% effective. The vaccine for feline leukemia virus is only 80% effective—does that keep you from administering it? By vaccinating for CIV, you decrease the severity and
duration of the disease, which, in turn, lessens the impact of the infection on the patient; the vaccine also helps prevent shedding of the disease, which protects other dogs that are naïve to CIV. For other veterinar- ians who say their patients aren't at risk, my response is that I have seen the virus travel 50 to 100 feet in the air. Dogs that came to the clinic for an ear infection and never had face-to-face contact with the originally infected dogs contracted this highly contagious virus. Take it from me—it's far easier to help prevent canine influenza than it is to deal with an outbreak. ■
CIV = canine influenza virus; ELISA = enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; PCR = polymerase chain reaction
More from Today's Veterinary Practice In our November/December 2011 issue, Holly Morss, CVT, discussed infectious disease prevention, including infection control plan development, patient isolation, veterinary team and client education, and sanitation/hygiene. Her article, Preventing Transmission of Infectious Disease Among Patients, is available at todaysveterinarypractice. com; select Back Issues from the top navigation bar on the homepage.
References 1. Syndromic surveillance data of Cynda Crawford, DVM, PhD, University of Florida; Edward Dubovi, PhD, Cornell University; Sanjay Kapil, DVM, PhD, ACVIM, Oklahoma State University; Rhode Island State Veterinarian's office; and IDEXX Laboratories; September 2011.
2. Crawford C, Spindel M. Canine influenza. In Miller L, Hurley K (eds): Infectious Disease Management in Animal Shelters. Ames, IA: Wiley- Blackwell, 2009, pp 173-180.
3. Tellier R. Review of aerosol transmission of influenza A virus. Emerg Infect Dis 2006; 12:1657-1662.
4. Dubovi EJ, Njaa BL. Canine influenza. Vet Clin North Am Small Anim Pract 2008; 38(4):827-835.
5. Canine influenza update. UC Davis Koret Shelter Medicine Program website; sheltermedicine.com/shelter-health-portal/information-sheets/ canine-influenza.
6. Information sheet: Canine infectious tracheobronchitis. UC Davis Koret Shelter Medicine Program website; sheltermedicine.com/shelter-health- portal/information-sheets/canine-infectious-respiratory-disease-complex- aka-kennel-co.
7. Beeler E. Influenza in dogs and cats. Vet Clin North Am Small Anim Pract 2009; 39:251-264.
8. Control of canine influenza in dogs-questions, answers, and interim guidelines. AVMA website; avma.org/public_health/influenza/canine_ guidelines.asp.
January/February 2012 Today's Veterinary Practice 71
Is Your Practice Proactive or Reactive?