{"id":7839,"date":"2020-12-01T10:49:48","date_gmt":"2020-12-01T10:49:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/homeopet.kloudexpert.com\/unitedkingdom\/?p=7839"},"modified":"2024-09-03T09:09:02","modified_gmt":"2024-09-03T09:09:02","slug":"respiratory-illness-in-pets-dont-just-worry-about-winter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/homeopet.kloudexpert.com\/uk\/respiratory-illness-in-pets-dont-just-worry-about-winter\/","title":{"rendered":"Respiratory illness in pets. Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t just worry about winter."},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n

BY: Tom Farrington MVB MRCVS VetMFHom. Chief Veterinary Medical Advisor for HomeoPet<\/em><\/h4>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Winter is the time of year when many people in the Northern Hemisphere start to worry about respiratory disease and the winter flu season. And with good reason.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Flu is more common in the winter because the virus lives longer indoors in winter, as the air is less humid than outside (the flu likes cold, dry weather). In winter we spend more time indoors and have closer contact with each other, which makes it easier for the virus to spread. And to add to the perfect storm of increased flu infections, days are shorter in winter, with a lack of sunlight leading to  low levels of vitamin D and melatonin, compromising our immune systems and decreasing our ability to fight the virus.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

But what about our pets?<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Many people worry about their pets and respiratory disease in winter for the same reasons, but in fact most respiratory disease is an all year round problem.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

For example, people with emphysema (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or COPD) have difficulty breathing throughout the year, as do our pets that suffer from COPD.  The same is true for asthmatic animals, in much same way that human asthmatics can have difficulty breathing at any time of the year.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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There are, of course, peaks and troughs throughout the year and although the season may vary depending upon where you live in the world, many of the causal factors are similar. I commonly see pets whose asthma and COPD gets worse as a result of seasonal external factors such as grass pollens in summer, or the animal being indoors more where a dusty environment stresses the respiratory system (which is a particular issue for horses<\/a>). Damp, foggy weather can also be a trigger factor, as can smoke inhalation<\/a>, which is unfortunately an increasingly common seasonal stressor in some parts of the world.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

There are also respiratory diseases such as kennel cough or cat flu, which are often spread at this time of year as kennel and cattery boarding increases during holiday season. Modern vaccinations can and have made a big difference to the prevalence of these diseases, but there are often strains that are not covered by such vaccinations, much in the same way that the flu vaccine does not always cover every strain.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

In a nutshell, respiratory illnesses can happen at any time of the year in our pets, but there are common causal factors which are often seasonally related.<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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Chronic respiratory disease requiring veterinary attention<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Three very important forms of respiratory disease that create chronic symptoms that do not go away and need veterinary investigation to diagnose are:<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

  1. Lung worm<\/strong>. Most species of animal have their own version of lung worm, from cats, dogs and birds through to horses and cattle. It is important to keep your animal on a regular de-worming protocol<\/a>.<\/li>
  2. Lung cancer or cancer affecting the respiratory system<\/strong>. I have even seen cancer in the throat, heart, ribs, liver and thymus, to mention a few cancers that can affect the lungs and  which can produce almost all of the usual lung disease symptoms.<\/li>
  3. I have seen cases of anaemia <\/strong>mimic or at least produce severe symptoms of respiratory disease such as dyspnea struggling for breath and panting. Such anaemia can have many causes, including worms, cancers, gut disorders and bleeding, both  internal and external.<\/li><\/ol>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

    Symptoms of respiratory disease in pets<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

    The symptoms of respiratory problems in pets can vary somewhat depending on the cause of the problem, but may include one or more of the following symptoms:<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n