The State Veterinarian’s Office has been contacted by several clinics in Western Washington reporting a perceived increase in canine atypical respiratory cases. There is a lack of baseline prevalence data of respiratory disease in this population, and complex factors such as seasonality obscure the trends, preventing a clear diagnostic consensus. To collect consistent information, consulting veterinarians are encouraged to record the following findings on suspicious canine respiratory cases:
- History: including travel, recent exposure to other dogs, timeline of disease and description of symptoms.
- Vaccination status
- Examination findings and diagnostic testing (including radiograph findings and infectious disease testing)
- Treatments provided and response to treatment or lack thereof
Dr. Zachary Turner, Field Veterinarian for WA State, will be collecting data confidentially for epidemiologic study to determine if further action should be taken. If you have additional questions or concerns, please contact: [email protected] or (360) 783 6463.
Furthermore, the Washington State Veterinarian’s office is encouraging veterinarians to report canine respiratory disease cases that meet the following criteria:
Complete a Canine Infection Respiratory Disease (CIRD) diagnostic panel. If the panel is negative:
- And the patient has displayed any of the below clinical syndromes:
- Chronic mild-moderate tracheobronchitis with a prolonged duration (6-8 weeks or longer) that is minimally or not responsive to antibiotics.
- Chronic pneumonia that is minimally or not responsive to antibiotics.
- Acute pneumonia that rapidly becomes severe and often leads to poor outcomes in as little as 24-36 hours.
- Please report the case to WSDA:
- Use this link – WSDA Reportable Animal Disease Form
- Complete the form with the requested information.
- Under “Diagnosis or suspected diagnosis of the condition” field
- Select the “Unexplained increase in dead or diseased animals.”
- Under “Diagnosis or suspected diagnosis of the condition” field
- Please attach any important information and laboratory results in the attachments
The State Veterinarian’s Office encourages you to share the following information with your clinic and clientele on tips for dog owners: https://agr.wa.gov/about-wsda/news-and-media-relations/news-releases?article=38019.
If you have any questions, contact WSDA Animal Health Program at (360) 902-1878 or [email protected].