Search Results for: dogs
Assessment of Infection Risk for Quarantined Animals
Quarantined animals that are healthy can be assessed for their risk of infection. This provides a humane and cost-effective strategy for quickly moving animals out of quarantine, thereby relieving the strain created by utilizing housing for quarantine. The risk assessment is based on 2 approaches: Test for pre-existing protective antibody titers to the pathogen Test Read more »
Risk Factors for Disease Outbreaks
Every shelter has inherent risk for a disease outbreak and this risk cannot be eliminated, even by the best management practices. Risk factors for disease outbreaks in shelters are mostly associated with prolonged length of stay and crowding due to ineffective population management practices. Longer stays in the shelter result in saturating the housing capacity Read more »
Module 5: Management and Prevention of Disease Outbreaks
Estimated Reading Time: 5.5 hrs What was Dr. Wright’s response? Remember the discovery of many dogs with respiratory infection at Gatorland Animal Services the day before the “Clear the Shelter” fee-waived adoption event? Of the 65 dogs in the shelter, 13 (20%) had clear or mucopurulent nasal discharge and coughing. With this number of dogs Read more »
Feline URI Treatment
In addition to treatment of dogs with CIRD, Dr. Wright decided that Gatorland Animal Services has the medical care staff, isolation housing, and medical care budget for treatment of cats with mild or moderate URI, but not those with severe URI requiring more intensive care and monitoring. She developed clinical criteria for defining mild, moderate, Read more »
Canine Parvovirus Treatment
Treatment of canine parvoviral enteritis largely is supportive until clinical signs of vomiting and diarrhea resolve. The standard of care treatment in a hospital ICU setting includes intravenous fluid therapy to replace fluid losses, electrolyte and glucose supplementation, anti-emetics for vomiting, broad spectrum antibiotics to control secondary bacterial infections and sepsis, early nutrition via a Read more »
Deciding to Treat the Common Contagious Diseases
When money is scarce, space for isolation of contagious animals is limited, and staff are already stretched too thin, how do you select the best treatment plan to recommend? Which animals and diseases do you select for in-shelter treatment? As with most things in shelters, there are no simple answers to such questions. Shelters must Read more »
CIRD Treatment
Dr. Wright determined that Gatorland Animal Services has enough medical care staff, isolation housing, and medical care budget to support treatment of dogs infected with viral and bacterial respiratory pathogens except for CDV. Although CDV is generally considered a treatable disease with an 80% recovery rate, this municipal shelter does not have the space, staffing, Read more »
Clinical Features of Feline URI Pathogens
FHV and FCV FHV causes rhinitis, conjunctivitis, keratitis, stomatitis, and facial dermatitis resulting in sneezing, oculo/nasal discharge, corneal ulcers, oral ulcers, and hypersalivation from pharyngitis and oral ulcers. Clinical disease can persist for 1 to 3 weeks depending on severity of symptoms. Kittens typically have more severe disease than adults, including pneumonia. FCV infection also Read more »
Canine and Feline Parvovirus
Canine parvovirus (CPV) and feline parvovirus (FPV) (aka panleukopenia virus) are highly contagious viral diseases that commonly cause life-threatening illness in dogs and cats in animal shelters. Every shelter is a high-risk environment for exposure to CPV and FPV and most have been affected by outbreaks that are very costly with regard to animal suffering Read more »
Feline Infectious Respiratory Disease
Contagious respiratory infections are the most common cause of illness in cats in shelters and the most challenging to manage or prevent. These infections represent a significant and frequent drain on shelter resources, including treatment costs, staff time, and staff morale. Holding cats for treatment and recovery adds to the number of animal care days Read more »