In 2023, veterinarians saw an increase in canine respiratory disease spread across the U.S. Regular treatment methods have no impact on the illness, and the cause is unknown. Affected dogs suffer from a more severe and longer respiratory disease than what is typical of other canine infectious respiratory disease (CIRD) complex, a common type of kennel cough.
Causes: How Does a Dog Get the Flu?Dog influenza can also be transmitted between dogs via contaminated objects such as food and water bowls, collars, leashes, toys, bedding, and nose-to-nose contact.
The virus is able to live on surfaces for up to 48 hours, on clothing for 24 hours, and on hands for up to 12 hours.

Symptoms may include:

• Persistent cough
• Nasal discharge – not just your dog’s normal wet nose
• Fever
• Eye discharge – look for goopy, mucus-like discharge or a noticeable increase if your dog normally has eye discharge.
• Reduced appetite
• Reduced activity, lethargy

Dog Flu Facts

1. Dog flu is not usually fatal. The death rate is reported to be less than 10% among flu-infected dogs.
2. There is now a vaccine for both the H3N2 and the older H3N8 strains. Talk to your vet about the best option for you and your pup, especially if they spend a lot of time around other dogs.
3. You can’t catch the flu from your dog. According to the CDC, this is highly unlikely since it would take a sizable cell mutation for human infection from a dog CIV to infect you.

 We do currently have the flu vaccine on hand. Call to make an appointment if you would like your dog to get the vaccine.

​How can we make Halloween safer for pets?
Costumes and masks, lights and decorations, and a constant parade of strangers coming to your door— Halloween can be a downright spooky experience for pets. You can protect your pets by taking these steps to reduce the risk of them being hurt, poisoned, or lost.

• Don't feed pets Halloween treats. Raisins can cause your pet’s kidneys to fail, and candy may contain substances toxic to pets, such as chocolate or xylitol (a common sugar substitute found in sugar-free candies and gum). Often, you won’t be able to tell what a treat or piece of candy contains just by looking at it. 
• Make sure your pets have identification (microchip, collar, and ID tag) that will make it easy for someone to contact you and return them home in case they escape through an open door while you're distracted with trick-or-treaters.
• Keep lit candles, jack-o-lanterns, and other Halloween decorations out of reach of pets.
• Keep all human costume pieces away from pets, along with glow sticks, decorations, batteries, and other holiday items. When chewed, glow stick items can release liquid that tastes really bad and can make pets drool excessively or act strangely (though it isn’t likely to be harmful). Other costume parts and decorations might cause choking, internal injury, or illness.
• If you plan to put a costume on your pet, make sure it follows these guidelines:
  • Fits properly and is comfortable
  • Doesn't have any pieces that easily can be chewed off or cause choking
  • Doesn't block your pet's sight, hearing, breathing, mouth, or movement
• Take time before Halloween to get your pet accustomed to the costume, and never leave a costumed pet unsupervised.
• If your pet is wary of strangers or has a tendency to bite, put them in a room away from the front door during trick-or-treating hours, or provide them with a safe hiding place.
• Keep your pet indoors

Many ask why they have to have a current physical or bloodwork before we can fill or refill medications. While there are many reasons here are the most important ones:

• ​The DEA and State laws requires that the Veterinarian and patient have a current relationship(which means the vet has seen the animal in the last year) before prescribing meds.
  • Some medication requires careful monitoring to achieve proper therapeutic levels. This may include bloodwork at regular intervals.
• Vets can not accurately diagnose or treat an animal that has a previously unseen problem over the phone.
• While is may apper to be the same problem your pet had 2 years ago, the vet needs to make sure that there is not another problem that can be made worse by the medications.
• Eye, Ears and skin all need to be seen to make sure the proper medications are dispensed.

The Veterinarians provide the best care for your animals. Many times that means putting eyes and hands on the pet to insure that the best treatment is being carried out.

Blood tests help the doctor determine causes of illness accurately, safely, and efficiently, and let us monitor the progress of medical treatments. To help you understand your pet's test results, this blog with explain the common tests. We want you to understand our recommendations and to be a partner in your pet's health care.

Blood Chemistries:
These common blood serum tests evaluate organ function, electrolyte and hormone levels and more.
they are important in the evaluating pets receiving long term medications and overall health before anesthesia.
TOTAL PROTIEN(TP); indicates hydration status and provides additional information about liver, kidney, and infectious diseases. 
ALBUMIN (ALB): is a serum protein that helps evaluate hydration, hemorrhage, and intestinal, liver, and kidney disease.
GLOBULIN(GLOB): is a blood protein that often increases with chronic inflammation and certain disease states.
ALBUMIN/GLOBULIN RATIO: increases can indicate an inflammatory condition or renal disease.
ASPERTATE AMINOTRANSFERASE(AST): increases may indicate liver, heart, or skeletal muscle damage.
ALAINE AMINOTRANSFERASE(ALT): is a sensitive indicator of active liver damage but does not indicate the cause.
ALKALINE PHOSPHATE(ALKP): elevations may indicate liver damage, too much cortisol being produced from the adrenal glands, Cushing's disease and active bone growth in young animals. Mild elevations may be normal in older animals.
GAMMA GLUTAMYL TRANSFERSE(GGT): is an enzyme that indicates liver disease or corticosteroid excess.
TOTAL BILIRUBIN(TBIL): elevations may indicate liver or hemolytic disease. This test helps identify bile duct problems and certain types of anemia.
​UREA NITROGEN(BUN): indicates kidney function. An increased blood level is called azotemia and can be caused by kidney, liver, heart disease, urethral obstruction, shock and dehydration.
CREATININE(CREA): reveals kidney function. this test helps distinguish between kidney and non-kidney causes of elevated BUN.
BUN/CREA RATIO: when elevated can indicate gastrointestinal bleeding.
PHOSPHORUS(PHOS): elevations are often associated with kidney disease, hyperthyroidism, and bleeding disorders.
GLUCOSE(GLU): is a blood sugar elevated levels may indicate diabetes mellitus. Low levels can cause collapse, seizures, or coma. Stress alone can cause mild transient elevations.
FRUCTOSAMINE(FRU): it helps determine the average glucose level for the previous 2 to 3 weeks. Fructosamine monitoring is often the preferred method for monitoring the glucose level in cats because it is not affected by stress, which can cause a sharp increase in the blood glucose level in cats.
CALCIUM(Ca): deviations can indicate a variety of diseases. Tumors, hyperthyroidism, kidney disease and low albumin are just a few examples that alter serum calcium.
CHOLESTEROL(CHOL): is used to supplement diagnosis of hypothyroidism, liver disease, Cushing's disease and diabetes mellitus.
AMYLASE(AMYL): elevations can show pancreatitis or kidney disease. 
LIPASE(LIPA): is an enzyme that may indicate pancreatitis. 
CORTISOL: is a hormone that is measured in tests for Cushing's and Addison's diseases.
BILE ACIDS: is used to diagnose liver disease, monitor the effectiveness of treatment and assess overall liver function.
T4: Thyroid testing in dogs and cats is a common diagnostic test that measures the levels of thyroid hormones in the blood. The test is used to diagnose hypothyroidism, a condition where the thyroid gland does not produce enough hormones, or hyperthyroidism, a condition where the thyroid gland produces too much. hormones.
CBC: will reveal the presence of anemia (low red blood cell count). The results can indicate a possible diagnosis of infection, inflammation, or immune system disease. Sometimes, the CBC can help determine the underlying cause of an anemia or infection. Drugs that affect the bone marrow change the CBC. Certain types of cancers, especially leukemia, may be evident on a blood smear. Blood parasites and some microorganisms are found by careful inspection of the blood cells during the CBC. In some cases, the results of the CBC will prompt your veterinarian to recommend other diagnostic tests.

AS WE ENTER THE HOTEST DAYS OF SUMMER HERE ARE A FEW THINGS TO REMEMBER