Lubbock Animal Services says it’s seeing a noticeable rise in upper respiratory symptoms in dogs around town and at the shelter. You know the drill: coughing, yellow or green gunk coming out of eyes and noses, lethargy, irritated eyes, and—just to keep things spicy—neurological symptoms and seizures. Fun stuff. Their advice is simple: keep your dogs vaccinated and don’t ignore the warning signs.
LAS specifically reminded pet owners that distemper/parvo and Bordetella vaccines help protect dogs from these respiratory illnesses. If your dog looks like it’s auditioning for a remake of Old Yeller, the city suggests promptly seeking veterinary care instead of hoping it’ll “walk it off.”
And credit where it’s due: Animal Services is doing the responsible thing here—spotting a trend early, warning the public, listing symptoms clearly, and encouraging prevention through vaccination. No culture wars, no Facebook science, just basic public health for creatures that lick themselves and still somehow manage to survive Lubbock.
Which raises the obvious question: if we can collectively agree that vaccines and early treatment are good ideas when it comes to dogs coughing up neon slime, is there any chance—just a tiny one—that this logic might someday extend to humans, too?
If “get vaccinated and don’t ignore respiratory symptoms” makes sense for your golden retriever, maybe it’s not such a radical concept after all.