Canine Influenza update

4-17-15

Hey Everyone!

We just wanted to update you on the Canine Influenza news that’s been out there lately.

According to Channel 12 news, April 17^th, 2015, there’s been reported cases of the Canine Influenza here in Rhode Island.  Because of this, we will be now offering Canine Influenza Vaccine Clinics.  IF your pet has been seen in the past 6 months you can come in for a tech appointment and have the vaccine done.  If your pet has not been seen in that time frame, we will need to see your pet for a semi-annual exam.

Please keep in mind, if your pet has never had the vaccine, it will need to be boostered a second time after the initial first vaccine.

If you have any questions, please feel free to give us a call here at the clinic. 

Thanks So much!

Dr. Linda.



4-10-15

Soloxine and levothyroxine have been put on a manufacturing backorder and have reduced availability for the near future. If your pet is on thyroid medications, and is need of a refill, we will gladly supply what we have available in monthly amounts to try to spread what stock we have out to as many patients as possible. If your pet's size becomes unavailable, we can either try to script out to an internet pharmacy or switch your pet onto the liquid thryoid medication, Leventa, which is currently readily available.  Our past experience with using the human formulations of levothyrosxine have not been very positive, but if you would like to discuss options with your veterinarian, please feel free to call and set up an appointment for a consultation on the variety of options currently available.

4-10-2015

It was recently reported on Good Morning America that there has been a significant outbreak of Canine Influenza in the mid west.  While we have vaccine readily available, we are NOT currently recommending that every pet be vaccinated.  Pets that travel, pets that spend a lot of time at doggie day care, dog parks, or places where a lot of different dogs come into frequent contact with one another, or dogs at risk for respiratory illness, should be considered for vaccination.  Unlike kennel cough, CIV can cause serious, even fatal fevers, in dogs of all ages, not just puppies, but most times dogs present with signs very similar to kennel cough and recover without incident.  For more information, please check out the info sheet on CIV on our health care page.

4-10-2015

While we have had the Purevax vaccine against rabies in cats available, in the past we have always used the 3 year Imrab vaccine as our core recommendation because of how long the immunity lasts, and because in the past, the majority of our patients were indoor/outdoor cats.  Our cat population has changed, and more cats are now indoors only, so we will be transitioning to using the 1 year Purevax Rabies vaccine as our core recommended vaccine. This vaccine does not use an added adjuvant to stimulate the immune system, and therefore is significantly less likely to cause the vaccine induced cancer, fibrosarcoma, in cats. It is a more expensive vaccine, and cats will need to see us yearly to stay up to date, but we feel the cancer prevention benefits out weigh these factors.  While there is a 3 year version of this vaccine available, it works by increasing the viral load of the vacciine, thus making cats act lethargic and sore for up to three days after their vaccination, and it is significantly more expensive than even the  1 year Purevax vaccine.  For more information about the benefits and risks of vaccinating your cat, and about feline fibrosarcomas, please read our info sheet on Cat vaccines.