Canine Respiratory Disease

The team at Grays Harbor would like to stress an abundance of caution concerning the respiratory disease that is circulating in dogs. This is a newer disease affecting dogs in several states throughout the country. The veterinary community is unfortunately not sure yet of the specific cause, although research and surveillance are actively being performed. Currently, we are not seeing any increased risk in our cat population; however, we urge all of our clients with dogs to take extra the following precautions:

• Please ensure your dog is current on Bordetella and influenza vaccines. The influenza vaccine was on national backorder for much of this year, so it may not have been done as part of your routine annual exam, but it is back now available, and we recommend all dogs receive it. If you are unsure if your pet is up to date, please check their records on the app or give us a call.
• It is also recommended to keep your pets away from meeting unfamiliar dogs. We recommend not going to dog parks and avoiding new dogs on walks. We do not recommend that dogs drink out of communal bowls. We also would encourage limiting doggie daycare playtime.
• If your dog is experiencing any new nasal discharge, coughing, shortness of breath, or pale/purplish/bluish discoloration to the gums we encourage you to call us to schedule an appointment as it is reported this is a rapidly progressing disease.
• Additionally, we strongly encourage any dogs boarding with us over the holidays to update their influenza vaccines prior to their stay. Currently, we will not be requiring the influenza vaccine prior to the holiday boarding as we have not given enough warning for everyone to get this done; however, any boarding reservations beginning after January 1, 2024, will be required to have the updated influenza vaccine. If you are getting or have gotten this done with another veterinary clinic, please have records sent to us prior to your stay.

As more information becomes available, we will post updates on our Facebook page and send emails to those clients who have supplied us with their current email addresses. Do not hesitate to call with any questions that may arise. We hope everyone has a happy and healthy holiday season.