News / Kennel cough outbreak
DOG owners in Lerwick, including those who exercise their pets in the town, are being urged to vaccinate their dogs after a particularly virulent outbreak of kennel cough.
The outbreak began about one month ago when an infected dog travelled up on the NorthLink ferry and spread the disease to the other six dogs in the ship’s kennels.
Westside Vets said they had treated between 15 and 20 dogs over the past three weeks, which was an unusually large amount for Shetland
Juliet Nicolson, of Westside Vets, said: “When this has happened in the past, we’ve seen a small flurry of cases, but it hasn’t affected the wider dog population.
Unfortunately, we’re now seeing a number of dogs in and around Lerwick with kennel cough.
“Although it’s mainly spread by air droplets between dogs, there is also a possibility that it can be contracted from a highly contaminated area in the environment.
“The practice is now recommending that owners consider vaccination of all dogs who are in contact with other dogs, or are exercised in and around Lerwick.
“We would particularly recommend vaccination of elderly dogs or those who have existing chest or heart problems, for whom kennel cough infection could be serious.”
The Gott Farm Boarding Kennels is now insisting that dogs are vaccinated against the disease, in line with the practice on the UK mainland.
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