Canine illnesses on the rise in Arkansas

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KATV/KAIT) – Canine illnesses are on the rise, making their way to the Natural State.

According to our content partner, KATV-TV, with many dogs suffering from respiratory illnesses such as Canine Flu and Canine Cough, medical professionals are giving advice on how to keep your dog safe.

“Any sneezing, coughing dog or running a fever, these dogs will run a fever of 100.4, 100.5, 100.6. So when they’re then fevered out, they’re really feeling bad,” said Dr. Rene Lavergne with Pinnacle Valley Westrock Animal Hospital, “It takes six weeks for us to be sure your dog is protected. You have the initial vaccine, We give a booster in three weeks, And it’s two to three weeks before we expect full immunity, So six weeks from the first injection until we are confident that animal is protected.”

Even pet resorts like Hounds Lounge Pet Resort and Spa in Little Rock are warning owners about these illnesses.

“As soon as I learned that the canine flu had made its presence here in Central Arkansas again it was important for me to educate and inform pet parents in the community that the flu was here,” said Hounds Lounge, Owner/Founder Mandy Marshall.

Marshall said the business is going the extra mile to make it safe for all its pets.

“[We’ve] been cleaning like crazy, anybody that’s ever been in our facility knows that it doesn’t smell like a dog already but we’ve kicked up that cleaning. We are also changing our air filters weekly; we have UV filtration in our HVAC system,”

Pet owners are encouraged to not take their dogs out in public, and to always wash their hands after dealing with dogs to prevent spreading the illness.

For more information, you can visit KATV-TV’s website.

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