Wyoming Livestock Board sent this bulletin at 12/08/2023

Veterinarians have been reporting an increased number of cases of canine infectious respiratory disease in other states, including Colorado, Oregon, Florida, and New Hampshire. However, as canine respiratory disease is not typically reportable to the state, a number of affected animals is not well known. A few practices in Wyoming have contacted the Wyoming Livestock Board about seeing an increased number of cases. 

The two links below offer expert information on the canine respiratory disease situation.

NPR Radio interview with infectious disease veterinarians - 3 minutes

Canine Respiratory Illness Q&A with Trupanion - 1 hour

A summary for veterinarians and information to share with pet owners is provided below. 

Case Definition and Symptoms:

At this time, a specific case definition has not been developed for this disease condition. The following symptoms have been noted by other states:

• Chronic mild to moderate cough lasting 3 weeks or longer and is minimally or not responsive to treatment. Ocular and nasal discharge may also be present.
• Chronic pneumonia that is minimally or not responsive to antimicrobials
• Acute pneumonia that can rapidly progress and become fatal

**Please report any canine cases adhering to one of these bullet points to the

Wyoming Livestock Board: (307) 777-7515.**

Diagnostic Testing:

At this time, a single causative agent has not been detected. This may be due to a lack of testing or testing being performed too late in the disease process for a diagnosis. 

Per recommendations from the USDA and diagnostic labs, see testing information below:

• Ideal testing for suspected viral infection is within the first 72 hours of onset of clinical signs and prior to initiating therapy.  

• If you are submitting samples, please contact your diagnostic laboratory for appropriate sample collection and storage.  

• Here are some basic guidelines regarding sample collection for acute respiratory cases:  
  • Collect nasal and oropharyngeal swabs for PCR testing using appropriate swabs and viral transport media.
  • Do NOT use cotton-tipped, wooden shafted swabs as they contain PCR inhibitors. 
  • In cases of pneumonia, respiratory washes can be collected for culture to aid in treatment of infections that have an opportunistic bacterial component. 
• If you are performing in-house diagnostics or using a diagnostic lab that doesn't have a program for further genetic sequencing in place, consider collecting duplicate samples.  Hold the second set of samples until the screening tests are completed.  
  • If the initial screening tests come back negative, certain diagnostic labs may have additional testing for acute case work-ups. 

The following laboratories offer canine respiratory disease panels for initial testing. The panels vary by location so please follow the link for further details. 

Colorado State Veterinary Diagnostic Lab:  

CSU Canine Respiratory Screen

Cornell Animal Health Diagnostic Center:

Cornell Respiratory Disease Testing Advisory

Kansas State Veterinary Diagnostic Lab:

KSVDL Testing Information

Treatment of  Respiratory Disease:

See the link below for ACVIM guidelines on treatment of respiratory disease in dogs.

Antimicrobial Guidance on Respiratory Disease Treatment - ACVIM

Information for Pet Owners

Infectious respiratory disease in dogs in not uncommon. There are a few different pathogens that can cause respiratory disease in dogs that can be transmitted by direct contact through the air.  Pet owners should monitor for the following symptoms and seek veterinary care early. Symptoms can include: Coughing Difficulty breathing Sneezing Nasal discharge Eye discharge Lethargy

A few things owners can do to protect their pets:

• Ensure dogs are up-to-date on vaccinations. Respiratory disease that vaccines are available for include canine influenza, bordetella and parainfluenza. For appropriate coverage, pets should not be commingled with other dogs within 2 weeks of a booster vaccination.
• Reduce your pet’s exposure to disease by limiting commingling with other dogs (including dog parks, boarding, grooming, and play groups).
• Consult with your veterinarian if your dog becomes ill.
  • Early diagnostics may help in getting an accurate diagnosis and treatment. If your dog becomes ill or presents symptoms, keep them at home to avoid exposure to other dogs.  

Risk to humans:

• A link has not been reported between this canine respiratory disease and disease in humans. Any person who develops signs of respiratory illness who had close contact with an ill dog should consult with their physician as they normally would during the winter season.

Over the last few days, we've heard a lot about the mysterious respiratory disease that's causing concerns across the country. With this increased visibility in the pet-owning public and as the we approach the holidays during which time many dogs being boarded or traveling, you may receive more inquiries than usual. We wanted to share this information we've received: 11/22/2023 FOR CBS NEWS FROM DR. RENA CARLSON, PRESIDENT, AMERICAN VETERINARY MEDICAL ASSOCIATION, RE CANINE RESPIRATORY ILLNESS The AVMA is monitoring reports of canine respiratory illness in the state of Oregon, Colorado, Illinois, and across the country. The AVMA has been in contact with officials in Oregon, who say they have received a little more than 200 case reports from veterinarians in that state since mid-August. Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) officials are working with state and national diagnostic laboratories to identify the causative pathogen, are asking veterinarians to report cases to the department as soon as possible, and advise dog owners to work with a veterinarian if their pet is ill. The Colorado State University College of Veterinary Medicine and Biological Sciences says, “The possible virus, which is under intense observation by Colorado State University veterinarians, has been linked to cases of severe pneumonia and, tragically, resulted in some fatalities.” Currently, the infectious agent is not known but is under investigation. ODA says cases reported to that agency appear to primarily fall within three general clinical syndromes: ·         Chronic mild-moderate tracheobronchitis with a prolonged duration (6-8 weeks or longer) that is minimally or not responsive to antibiotics. ·         Chronic pneumonia that is minimally or not responsive to antibiotics. ·         Acute pneumonia that rapidly becomes severe and often leads to poor outcomes in as little as 24-36 hours. Owners should monitor their dogs closely for progressive coughing that may be accompanied by signs of ocular or nasal discharges and sneezing. Please consult your veterinarian immediately if those clinical signs develop, particularly if your dog concurrently loses its appetite, has trouble breathing, is coughing continually, or is extremely lethargic. We also strongly urge owners to keep their dog’s vaccines updated.  While the existing vaccines may not specifically target this unknown infection, maintaining overall health through routine vaccinations can help support a dog’s immune system in combating various infections. Optimal protection against common respiratory infections includes the annual intranasal vaccine for Bordetella, Adenovirus type 2, and parainfluenza vaccine, combined with the injectable influenza H3N2 vaccine. Avoid bringing a dog into the community until two weeks after the last dose of a vaccine and immunity has developed. We have been asked by journalists whether humans can catch this illness from dogs. In general, the risk of people getting sick from dogs with canine infectious respiratory disease is extremely low. However, because we don’t know yet exactly what agent or agents is or are causing the current outbreak, it’s a good idea to thoroughly wash your hands after handling your or other dogs. Separately, the San Diego Humane Society (SDHS) is dealing with a canine respiratory illness outbreak exacerbated by overcrowding. The organization said that four of its dogs died after being infected with Streptococcus equi subsp. zooepidemicus (also known as Strep zoo), which was complicated by infection with bacterial agent in some cases. ·         At this time, there are NO indications that there is a connection between the San Diego situation and the cases in Oregon, Colorado and other areas of the country.

Resource: Colorado Department of Agriculture - https://ag.colorado.gov/canine-respiratory-disease Colorado State University CVMBS - https://cvmbs.source.colostate.edu/respiratory-illness-canine/ Here are recent articles from the media about cases: NBC: https://www.today.com/health/mystery-dog-illness-2023-rcna125553 CNN: https://www.cnn.com/2023/11/20/us/mystery-dog-illness-spreading/index.html New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/20/science/dog-respiratory-illness-us.html Worms and Germs Blog: https://www.wormsandgermsblog.com/2023/11/articles/animals/dogs/respiratory-disease-in-dogs-sweeping-across-the-us-outbreak-of-disease-or-media-attention/

Xylazine is an important animal sedative used to facilitate the safe handling and treatment of many species. Recently, illicit xylazine is increasingly showing up in street drugs as traffickers have begun mixing xylazine with fentanyl and other narcotics. Collaborative efforts among congressional offices, the AVMA, stakeholders, and federal agencies to address the complexities of the xylazine issue led to the introduction of the Combating Illicit Xylazine Act (H.R. 1839/S. 993) – an AVMA-supported, bipartisan bill that would provide harsher penalties for trafficking illicit xylazine while maintaining current veterinary access to this important animal sedative. Please join the veterinary community and urge your members of Congress to support the Combating Illicit Xylazine Act through the AVMA’s Congressional Advocacy Network.

LINK: https://avmacan.avma.org/campaign/46288/

It’s hatching season!   Welcoming new chicks, ducklings, or poults into flocks is one of the most enjoyable parts of poultry keeping. Starting out with healthy poultry and then following good biosecurity practices is the best way to protect flocks from disease. USDA APHIS encourages all partner organizations to remind their stakeholders to do everything possible to keep their birds healthy and reduce the risk of spreading infectious diseases like HPAI.   USDA APHIS has also created new resources for youth and first-time poultry owners, such as a biosecurity workbook, a learning guide for youth educators, worksheets, and games! These new materials can be found at: www.bit.ly/DefendtheFlock-Youth.   The Defend the Flock public education program provides checklists, videos, webinars, and educational resources to help poultry growers. Featured outreach materials and social media posts are provided here for you to use at your discretion. High-definition versions of the images below are available upon request.   All materials in the Defend the Flock Resource Center are free and available 24/7 at www.bit.ly/DefendtheFlock-Resources2022. Checklists corresponding to each of the NPIP principles are available in Spanish, Chinese, Tagalog, Vietnamese, Arabic, and Hmong. Most of the other materials are also available in Spanish.   We encourage you to share these resources with colleagues, stakeholders, and constituents.

Michigan State University is working to improve training for veterinarians, veterinary students, and veterinary technicians in honey bee medicine. Please fill out this short survey so that we can improve honey bee medicine training for veterinary practitioners. This survey will help us understand what veterinary practitioners need to help them work better with bees and beekeepers. This survey is part of a program between Michigan State University, University of Florida, University of Minnesota, and Texas A&M. Extension educators and specialists from these universities are working with national partners to develop better training for vets. If you have any questions or want more information, you can contact the program director: Meghan Milbrath / honeybees@msu.edu / 517-884-9518.  

Survey link:  https://msu.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0jkawRZLnCqGD3g

We are writing to let you know about a new anonymous and confidential service offered by the Wyoming Professional Assistance Program (WPAP). The purpose of this service is to provide Veterinarians experiencing burnout, stress, depression or other mental health concerns a way to connect anonymously to support and services. 

To get confidential feedback and support from a Licensed WPAP Clinician, we invite you to take a few minutes to visit wpap.connectsyou.org and complete the brief online Self-Check Questionnaire. Once completed, an WPAP Clinician will review your Questionnaire and provide you with a personalized response. The response will include information, recommendations and options for next steps for connecting to support and resources, including options for mental health counseling.

Using this service is completely voluntary and anonymous. You will not have to share who you are unless you want to.

The Self-Check Questionnaire:

• Is entirely anonymous, confidential and completely voluntary
• Is a safe and easy way to find out if burnout, stress, anxiety or depression may be affecting you
• Is a free service from WPAP

There are 3 easy steps:

• Take and submit a brief (<10 min) Questionnaire
• An WPAP Clinician will post a personal response to you on the secure website with information, recommendations and options for next steps
• You decide what's next. You'll have the option of communicating with the EAP Clinician through this website or on the phone to learn more about support offerings, or you can decide to do nothing further at this time.

If you have any questions about this service, please contact Candice Cochran, Executive Director, WPAP at (307)472-1222 ext 1 or candicec@wpapro.org.

A new program at Washington State University could alleviate some of the most pressing issues facing the veterinary profession, including staffing shortages and burnout from long hours, high workloads and stress.

The problems plaguing the industry have been exacerbated in recent years, with pet ownership and service demands increasing at the same time clinics and hospitals are struggling with staff turnover and attracting qualified employees. 

Veterinary schools and technician programs have looked for solutions to bring more people into the profession, but the results of those efforts will take years to be seen. Leaders in the College of Veterinary Medicine at WSU, however, believe their first-of-its-kind Veterinary Paraprofessional Certificate Program can make a difference on a much shorter timeline and open the profession to a wider audience. 

“There is a huge issue in the profession with staffing shortages and burnout. Many of the current ideas being talked about are multi-year or decade-out solutions to an immediate problem,” said Dr. Hilary Koenigs, director of the Paraprofessional Certificate Program at WSU. “The goal of this program is to find an innovative way to address these issues, and get new, qualified people into the profession who can make a big impact in a short period of time.”

The program combines online learning that can be completed anywhere with hands-on training in a clinical setting. Students can complete a certificate in as little as a month and will leave prepared for new roles that will enhance client care and ease workloads for veterinarians and technicians.

The college began offering a veterinary scribe certificate in July, but there are plans to expand to offer certificates in telehealth, behavior, nutrition and preventative medicine. 

“Veterinary paraprofessionals will expand the team that can help serve clients’ needs,” the college’s dean, Dr. Dori Borjesson, said. “There are diverse teams of people supporting physicians in human medicine, and we envision something similar in veterinary medicine.”

Koenigs said the program will eliminate many barriers to the profession for groups traditionally underrepresented in veterinary medicine, thanks to low tuition cost, flexible online training and only requiring a high school degree or equivalent. 

“Diversity is a big focus for this program, and we’re partnering with a few of the undergraduate clubs at WSU and other organizations to hopefully provide scholarships,” she said. 

The certificates also are an option for undergraduate students looking for clinical experience before applying to veterinary school and current employees wanting to grow their skills and responsibilities. 

Dr. Kathy Hickey, a veterinarian and 2006 graduate of WSU’s Doctor of Veterinary Medicine program, helped to implement scribes into the Poulsbo Marina Veterinary Clinic in Poulsbo, Washington, before the COVID pandemic. She was consulted by WSU in the creation of the curriculum for the scribe certificate.

Hickey’s clinic cross-trained many of its employees to handle scribe duties, such as documenting patient visits and assisting in patient exams. She noted her team felt more engaged and fulfilled after the implementation, and clients gained higher levels of trust in support staff. Having a scribe in the exam room throughout the visit and not having assistants frequently entering and exiting reduced anxiety for pets.

Scribes have also resulted in the clinic’s veterinarians spending less time after hours completing medical records. 

“There is a huge morale boost for my doctors to be able to get to the end of the day, and even on the worst days when they haven’t written a single record, three-quarters of it is done because of the scribe,” Hickey said. 

Hickey’s clinic has already enrolled two of its veterinary assistants in WSU’s program to gain more thorough scribe training. 

Koenigs said WSU’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital plans to employ scribes in the future, meaning all veterinary students will be accustomed to working alongside paraprofessionals when they graduate. 

“It will be great clinical experience for pre-vet students looking to improve their applications to veterinary school,” she said, “and we would love every veterinarian graduating from WSU to be trained to work with scribes and understand the benefits of having that position in their practices. Clinics with appropriate staff ratios and trained individuals should be the standard they expect when they graduate.”

https://vetmed.wsu.edu/education/certificates/veterinary-paraprofessional-certificate/