We have seen a lot of dogs come to the clinic suffering from vomiting and diarrhea lately. It's not a very "pretty" topic to talk about in this edition of Kelly's Corner, but none the less, an important topic! Pets, like ourselves, can sometimes get upset tummies. It can occur from simply switching food brands too quickly, eating a new treat that doesn't agree with them, parasites, or it can be caused by a virus or toxin. Treatment for these different problems do vary, so it is very important to speak with your veterinary team to figure out the right course of action. Many times, if your dog eats something it shouldn't have, you will see explosive diarrhea 12-24 hours after they have eaten whatever that "disagreed" with them. Most dogs will still seem happy, but have diarrhea. Most dietary indiscretions usually resolve after a few days, with the help of fasting your pet, and the feeding of a bland diet afterwards.

Puppies commonly get diarrhea from parasites, but adults can get them as well. We recommend deworming puppies every month for three months, (this correlates to their puppy vaccinations as well) and then once a year after that. If you travel a lot with your pets or you have hunting dogs, we may recommend a more frequent deworming protocol. There are many different creepy crawlies that your pet can pick up, if you find that after deworming, your puppy still has diarrhea, it may be time to do a fecal. This is a test that we can do at the clinic or we send it out to a lab. We analyze your dogs feces to check for other parasites a general dewormer wouldn't cover. Puppies are also prone to viruses that can cause a life threatening diarrhea. Parvovirus and Corona virus are two viruses that are known as puppy killers. These viruses are also 100% preventable through vaccinations. Puppies can get very sick, very quickly because if diarrhea. If at any time your puppy seems very depressed, stops eating and is listless, call us immediately to get your pup seen.

One other topic I would like to touch on, is a disease we are seeing a lot of this summer.......Kennel Cough. Kennel Cough is a virus that is spread from nose to nose contact with other dogs. We see outbreaks in kennels, classes and anywhere dogs have lots of nose to nose contact with many dogs. Here in Fort McMurray, we are seeing a correlation with dogs that visit the dog park. Kennel Cough starts off as a mild cough that progresses into a loud honking cough any time the dog exerts itself or has its throat irritated. Please keep in mind that some dogs pull on their leashes until they cough and gag, this is not kennel cough. Dogs that have the virus will cough even when they aren't on leash. The virus can also get a secondary bacterial component to it. These dogs cough and gag, but will also have a yellow/green discharge from the eyes and nose. If you think your dog has Kennel Cough, don't hesitate to call us. We will probably ask you to keep your dog in your car until your appointment, to keep the other patients in the hospital from being exposed to the virus. We've even done full exams out in a car! Kennel cough is treatable, but it can take a long time, and it can be costly. There is a vaccine for this disease, and we highly recommend it to owners who have dogs that visit the dog park, take any obedience classes or that board their dogs in a kennel. The first vaccine for Kennel Cough is actually drops in the nose. Then, every year after that, it's an injection under the skin, like the other boosters.

So there's the skinny on diarrhea and kennel cough! If you have any other questions, please give us a call!