With everyone going on vacation and boarding their dog, or dogs going to day care, or dog parks, or groomers, or just having neighbor dogs, we’re seeing one of the worst outbreaks of kennel cough I’ve seen in a while! Many of my patients who are coughing got the bordetella vaccine, so the question I’m […]
This week we have a great example of policy catching up to science! Every year or so, a group of experts in the field convenes and updates the Compendium of Animal Rabies Prevention and Control. They are the ones making recommendations on what action is required in terms of vaccination against rabies, as well as […]
These days, there are lots of vaccines available for our dogs. When parvovirus emerged in the 1970’s, thousands of dogs died from what was at the time a horrible “mystery virus.” Veterinarians and pet owners cheered when an effective vaccine against this deadly disease was produced! That vaccine alone has saved thousands of lives. As […]
When I first started making house calls, I debated whether or not to offer the vaccine against Leptospirosis. I didn’t routinely carry it, but for the small number of dogs who needed it, I would order it and vaccinate them. Well, I decided to just start carrying it. There are many pros and cons to […]
Nope. Wait, I guess I should write more than that. First, some perspective. Every year, between 5,000 and 25,000 people in this country die of influenza and/or related complications. This did not make the news. Recently 1,000 or more dogs in Chicago come down with influenza, 5 dogs died, and it’s making national headlines. To […]