WHAT'S NEW

February 2022

Monthly Newsletter

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WHAT'S GOING ON WITH THE L.A. COUNTY LEPTOSPIROSIS OUTBREAK?

Highly Magnified image of Leptospira spirochetes. (Photocredit: CDC Public Health Image Library)

Happily, it appears to be winding down. Unhappily, it is still going on. As you can see on the graph below, "Lepto" was pretty much a rarity until July of 2021 when the outbreak began. Leptospirosis is transmitted where dogs are in contact with urine from infected dogs. This outbreak appears to have centered around Day Care, Boarding, and similar kennel situations. The American Animal Hospital Association has not considered this vaccine to be "core" for dogs (meaning every dog should get it) and as a result most local dogs have not been vaccinated. Is your dog vaccinated? Text us (310-391-6741) and we can tell you. Vaccination is a series of two shots 3-4 weeks apart. Because the leptospirosis organism is bacterial (and not viral), it is very large with many relevant proteins included in the vaccine. This lends itself to more potential for vaccination reaction especially is small dogs. This problem can be mitigated with pre-treatment medication and/or not giving other vaccines concurrently.

Leptospirosis can be contagious to humans though, so far, there have been no human cases associated with this particular outbreak.

Need more information leptospirosis: click here.

(Photocredit: L.A. County Public Health Website)

Data are reported through 2021 on the L.A. County Public Health Website:

http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/vet/Leptospirosis2021.htm

WHAT'S GOING ON WITH THE L.A. COUNTY CANINE INFLUENZA (H3N2) OUTBREAK?

Data has been analyzed going up to December 2021 and this outbreak does not seem to be winding down much. A total of 939 confirmed cases have been reported with 13 deaths. Most dogs are exposed where groups of dogs congregate (parks, boarding kennels and day care, grooming parlors etc.) but some patients have had no such exposure and were exposed on regular neighborhood walks.

(Photocredit: L.A. County Public Health Website)

If your dog has ANY exposure to other dogs, please consider vaccination.

For more information about the outbreak, click here:

http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/vet/InfluenzaCanineH3N2.htm

For general information about canine influenza, click here (our library page).

WE HAVE GONE BACK TO CURBSIDE THROUGH FEBRUARY 2022

...or until the Omicron Covid 19 situation has passed

No one really likes curbside practice but here are some tips to make it more efficient while we help keep everyone safe.

• Write up a note on what has been going on with your pet and what specific questions you have.
  
  
• Be prepared to wait in the parking lot while your pet is evaluated and while paperwork is processed.
  
  
• Be available by cell phone throughout the visit as we will likely be texting additional questions and will need to reach you promptly when our evaluation is complete so as to stay on schedule.
  
  
• Please send any records from other hospitals, vaccination documents etc. by email a few days before your visit if possible.
  
  
• Don't forget our phone number is textable: 310-391-6741 and our email address is MarVistaAMC@gmail.com

We are looking forward to opening up again: more effective communication, more efficient business, less waiting. It's only a matter of days now so please be patient.

DID YOU KNOW...

FEBRUARY MARKS A DEEP DISCOUNT ON PET DENTAL SERVICES?

FEBRUARY IS NATIONAL VETERINARY DENTAL MONTH - A TIME TO FOCUS ON PET ORAL HEALTH.

• Bad breath is just the beginning. There is painful infection and jaw bone destruction going on in a pet's mouth.
  
  
• Very few people brush their pet's teeth - so what else can one do?
  
  
• Because of the importance of the annual teeth cleaning, a 25% discount is applied this month to the lab work, the anesthesia, the dental x-rays and even the extractions.

You must sign up by March 15, 2022 to get the discount.

Want more information on Pet Dental Health?

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• Why is non-anesthetic dentistry usually a waste of time.
• How to brush your pet's teeth.
• How to select effective dental home care products.
• What does periodontal bone loss look like?
• Why double fangs are not cute.
• What is a feline neck lesion and why should it be extracted asap.

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