PRESS RELEASE

Long Beach, CA – Veterinarians in California and several other states across the country are reporting an increased number of dogs with acute respiratory infections ranging from mild and self-limiting to life-threatening pneumonia. In response, Long Beach Animal Care Services (LBACS) is issuing the following advisory to pet owners.

The disease is reportedly nonresponsive to commonly prescribed antibiotics, and diagnostic testing is often negative for known canine pathogens. It is not yet clear if this is caused by a novel emerging pathogen or one of the well-known causes of Canine Infectious Respiratory Disease Complex (CIRDC), also known as “kennel cough.” It’s also possible that localized clusters are occurring as a result of one or more known pathogens due to some predisposing factor, such as an asymptomatically infected dog visiting a dog park, day care, dog show, boarding kennel, or other.

With the busy holiday season coming up, LBACS recommends the following steps to safeguard dog health:

• Segregate dogs with respiratory signs from other dogs.
• Visit your veterinarian when respiratory distress symptoms appear, such as excessive sneezing or coughing.   
• Keep your dog’s vaccinations for DHPP (Distemper, Hepatitis, Parvovirus and Parainfluenza) and CIRDC current.
• Minimize interaction with other dogs including boarding facilities, kennels, dog parks and dog shows.
• Consider an in-home pet care giver when traveling.

More information and resources is available on the California Veterinarian Medical Association webpage at cvma.net.

Questions can be relayed to LBACS via email at AnimalCare@longbeach.gov or by calling 562.570.7387.

Media inquiries may be directed to Jane Grobaty, Community Information Officer, Department of Parks, Recreation and Marine, at 562.570.3233 or Jane.Grobaty@longbeach.gov.