A New & Potentially Deadly Canine Flu
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=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0Just in case you haven't already heard about this,
there is a new, and very contagious and potentially deadly strain of
canine flu that is currently spreading in different parts of the
country. This is a cross-over virus, one that has mutated from one
species to another. In this case, it is an influenza strain that prior
only affected horses. This virus has so far killed dogs in seven
different states, and has been found in shelters and pet shops in many
different places, although the extent of the spread of this canine virus
is currently unknown. =A0=A0
=A0=A0=A0=A0Dr. Cynda Crawford, an immunologist at the University of
Florida's College of Veterinary Medicine, who is studying the virus,
said it spreads most easily where dogs are housed together, but it can
also be passed on the street, in dog runs or even by a human
transferring it from one dog to another. Kennel workers have carried the
virus home with them, she said.
=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0News of the illness has some dog care givers in
Seattle on alert. A puli was brought to the Capitol Hill Animal Clinic
last month exhibiting symptoms of the flu, said assistant vet Anna
Arena. The dog owners told clinic staff members that it had come from a
boarding facility or day care center where other animals were infected,
and the puli was given antibiotics, she said.=A0The clinic also treated
a young lab with similar symptoms -- such as sneezing and runny nose,
but didn't know if that dog had the same flu, Arena said. Central Bark,
a dog day care center in Seattle, gave out notices to its customers
about two weeks ago to watch out for a flu, said dog wrangler Amber
Anderson. The center hasn't had any problems with the flu, she said, and
it asked dog owners to keep their pets home if they got sick. Dogs may
be picking up the illness from local dog parks, she said. A few dogs at
Wags2Whiskers became sick recently with a cough, said owner Jean Peters.
She didn't know what was wrong with the animals, but for about the past
2 1/2 weeks, the Belltown dog day care has taken its other clients on
leash walks instead of visiting the local dog park, where she thinks
they picked up the cough.
=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0She was surprised to hear of a new flu. "That's really
scary if it's killed some dogs," she said. How many dogs die from the
virus is unclear, but scientists said the fatality rate is more than 1
percent and could be as high as 10 percent among puppies and older dogs.
Immunologist Crawford first began investigating several greyhound deaths
at a racetrack in Jacksonville, Fla., in January 2004, where eight of
the 24 greyhounds who contracted the virus died. "This is a newly
emerging pathogen, and we have very little information to make
predictions about it," she said.
She added that because dogs have no natural immunity to the virus,
virtually every animal exposed will be infected. About 80 percent of
dogs that are infected will develop some symptoms, Crawford said. She
said the symptoms are often mistaken for "kennel cough," a common canine
illness that is caused by the bordetella bronchiseptica bacterium. Both
diseases can cause coughing and gagging for up to three weeks, but dogs
with canine flu may have fevers as high as 106 degrees and runny noses.
A few will develop pneumonia, which is sometimes fatal. Antibiotics and
fluid cut the pneumonia fatality rate, she said. The virus is an H3N8
flu closely related to an equine flu strain. It is not related to
typical human flus or to the H5N1 avian flu that has killed about 100
people in Asia.
Experts said there are no known cases of the canine flu infecting
humans. But with the approach of the human flu season and fears about
bird flu in Asia, there is much confusion among some dog owners who have
heard of the disease.
=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0Crawford said she was fielding calls from kennels and
veterinarians across the country worried that they were having
outbreaks. "The hysteria out there is unbelievable, and the
misinformation is incredible," said Dr. Ann Hohenhaus, chief of medicine
at the Animal Medical Center in New York.=A0Dr. Ruben Donis, chief of
molecular genetics for the influenza branch of the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, said that there is currently no vaccine for the
canine flu. But he said one would be relatively easy to develop because
a vaccine that prevents the related horse flu exists.
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Pax Vobiscum,...~Dean.

Veterinary newsgroup addy

Here is a veterinary [computer-type] newsgroup that you can use to learn
about the dog flu: news:alt.med.veterinary
And not only about the dog flu, but any kind of pet's medical problems.
Just remember to turn off your sig before you post, or they may not be
able to read your post. Pax Vobiscum,...~Dean.