Q: Our neighbor told us that there is a dog flu going around the area now. He says there is a vaccine that we should get for our dog. I called our vet and they told us that we didn’t really need to worry. Can you tell us whether or not we should have our dog vaccinated?
A:
A few years ago, there was quite a bit of discussion about a canine influenza virus. This virus is identified as H3 N8. It’s related to, but different than the H1N1 virus that can infect people. Canine flu first showed up in isolated incidences many years ago, but fortunately hasn’t aggressively spread the way other viruses so often do. It’s initial symptoms are similar to kennel cough and other upper respiratory illnesses. (Advanced symptoms, including pneumonia, are far more serious.) But the only way to “confirm” a case of dog flu is by way of blood tests.
Veterinary hospitals are constantly seeing patients with kennel cough. And veterinarians are always on the watch for more serious illness like influenza. Fortunately, this virus hasn’t appeared in our area in a very long time. I surveyed several veterinarians in neighboring Santa Cruz and Monterey counties, and they also report no confirmed cases in the recent past.
So what should you do? Remember that the vaccine is relatively safe. And if your dog is a high-risk pet (kenneled often or is a show dog on the road), you can consider having him vaccinated. This is a vaccine that many hospitals (including the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital at UC Davis) don’t recommend unless there are special circumstances.
Q:
Our dog, Max, has terrible skin allergies. The only way to control these is with steroids. Is there any other way to control his itching?
A:
Atopic dermatitis, skin allergy, is all too common in the dog world. And in recent years, we’ve developed different ways to treat this problem. For a long time, steroids like Predisone and Dexamethasone were the only way to put out the fire, so to speak. But our understanding and approach to chronic itchy skin has evolved. Now there are several different options. These include medications such as cyclosporine, as well as the use of hypoallergenic injections (allergy shots similar to those that people use to control their own allergies).
Atopic dermatitis is a complicated condition, not just a simple itch because there can be secondary problems with those allergies. Veterinarians often find bacterial and yeast infections occurring at the same time on the skin. Because of this, I typically recommend a visit to a veterinary dermatologist, a skin specialist, if your vet’s treatments aren’t relieving Max’s discomfort. Dermatologists know the ins and outs of skin allergies much better than general practitioners and they usually can quickly develop a treatment plan that can make him a happy dog again. Ask his vet for a referral . There are several dermatologists in our area.
Q:
Is UC Davis the only veterinary school in California? Our son is interested in your profession and is thinking of applying to Davis for college.
A:
Actually, there are two vet schools in California. The other school is The Western University College of Veterinary Medicine, a private veterinary medical school in Pomona. This college consists of about 400 veterinary medical students. It was established in 1998 as the first veterinary school to open in the United States in 20 years, and is fully accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association. All in all, there are 29 veterinary schools in our country with several others in the early planning stages.
