TYLER, Texas (EAST TEXAS NEWS) – A Tyler veterinarian says that vaccination is the best way to shield pets from seasonal respiratory infections.
Dr. Gary Spence, a veterinarian and the owner of Spence and White Veterinary Hospital in Tyler, spoke about the respiratory problems affecting pets. Spence mentioned kennel cough in dogs as well as a combination of herpes and chlamydia in cats.
In dogs, kennel cough is a highly contagious illness, he explained.
“Dogs cannot expel secretions the way we can, so they end up swallowing them,” Spence said. “What you often see in dogs is that they sometimes vomit a lot of foam and cough continuously. People may think they’ve swallowed something, but that isn’t the case. It’s all the foam that accumulates in the throat.”
Cases of cats developing upper respiratory virus infections are rising this season, Spence noted.
“The more severe cases can develop ulcers in the throat and other complications,” he said. “Of course they feel lousy. But when owners bring them in, it’s because they aren’t eating or they eat slowly and spit out dry food. And if you stop to think about it, if you have a sore throat, would you prefer Cheerios or oatmeal? That’s the difference: as long as they have soft food, they’ll usually eat.”
Spence said outdoor cats are the most vulnerable.
“Cats should live indoors,” he stated. “Many people disagree. But the cats at the highest risk are the ones that go outside, since they do so only occasionally. And it’s also the other cats that roam near stray populations and the like. It seems the moment your cat goes out, others want to sniff and visit. That’s how it spreads. We’re seeing four or five cases a day when the situation worsens. And many cases occur in populations of stray cats and similar groups. Unfortunately, this is one of the reasons why stray cat populations will decline because of this disease. They can’t eat, and they die. The medical treatment involves managing the symptoms. You have to ensure they eat. You may need to feed them via a tube. You have to give them intravenous fluids.”
Spence asserted that both infections, in dogs and cats, are easily preventable with vaccines.
“The key to controlling diseases in these pets is all of these vaccines,” he concluded.
