Prevent the Dog Flu with this Simple Tip from the Emergency Room
By now you probably know that eight states have confirmed cases of H3N2 Canine Influenza Virus. You're likely taking steps to educate the public and looking at your intake and quarantine protocols.
All great steps, but don't forget to take extra care cleaning and sanitizing right now. Now is the time to review proper protocols and make sure all staff are following them.
Are you confident your staff is observing the recommended contact time? Are you certain they're thoroughly cleaning all the kennels? Are drains being flushed and sanitized?
It All Adds Up
Small mistakes add up—leading to sick animals, which can then lead to more sick animals.
Luckily, small successes add up—creating clean kennels with healthy critters. Want proof?
An incredible example of small steps adding up is the Keystone ICU initiative. The participating hospitals cut infection rates by 66% in three months.
How? With a checklist.
Just by ensuring each step was taken—and preventing a myriad of small mistakes—the hospitals in the study were able to prevent 2/3 of infections.
How does this apply to animal shelters?
Simple, make sure you're not skipping steps in intake and disinfection protocols. For each area of the shelter, write up and print out a checklist of steps for proper disinfection. Then have staff sign off on each step as they go.
According to the American Veterinary Medicine Association, chlorine products are effective against H3N2 CIV, so continue to use Wysiwash and EfferSan to disinfect.
If you need help creating a disinfection protocol, feel free to reach out to us. This summer we began offering Wysiwash training webinars, where we can get your staff up to speed using Wysiwash and answer advanced questions on using Wysiwash. The best part, they're 100% FREE. Or if you have a specific question, feel free to call us at (866) 627-6284 weekdays from 9am - 5pm.
A check list isn't new and exciting, but it is a great tool to create consistent sanitation protocols.