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Luna, the Great Dane, ignores
the Meerkat imitation offered
by playmate Diogenes.
Photo: Andrew Lightman
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Fall is upon us. Here on the Hill, the biggest hallmarks of autumn include the beautiful colors in Lincoln and Stanton Parks and cooler temperatures. And flu season. Both regular and swine flu.
As if having two influenzas to deal with weren’t enough, the news from neighboring Fairfax County has us all worried about yet a third flu: canine influenza. There were two confirmed cases in their animal shelter last month. So, how much worrying do we need to do?
We’re all becoming virologists now as we learn the subtype nomenclatures thanks to swine flu (H1N1). Canine influenza virus is caused by the H3N8 virus. It’s only been within the last few years that this virus has hit our radar; the first cases were discovered at a Florida greyhound racing track in 2004. The good news for us and our dogs is that it’s not very common. Also good to know is that it can’t be spread from dogs to people.
We consider canine influenza to be endemic now, meaning it’s part of the permanent landscape. Recent reports of about a dozen or so exposures at the Fairfax shelter with those two confirmed cases mean it’s here. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), more than 1,000 cases have been confirmed to date across the country.
Like most flus, canine influenza is spread by coughing and sneezing, spreading tiny droplets onto food bowls and water dishes, leashes and collars, and of course, other dogs. The virus can hang on, too, surviving up to 48 hours outside of a host. After a couple of days, exposed dogs may start having clinical signs and can be very contagious to each other.
Canine influenza targets the entire respiratory tract—from the nose to the lungs. Fortunately, most dogs only develop mild signs, like sneezing and runny nose, low-grade fever and maybe a mild cough, much like kennel cough. And like kennel cough, the coughing can last a few weeks. And it’s a wet cough (unlike kennel cough’s dry, honking cough). Some dogs, however, can develop a deeper cough, bronchitis and even full-blown pneumonia.
More severely affected dogs, however, can run high fevers and even have trouble breathing. The disease is diagnosed by testing for antibodies to the virus. And we can’t even hope it’ll all blow over after the winter. Because, unlike our flus, H3N8 doesn’t have a season and can persist all year long.
The scary part of this disease is that, since it’s a new virus, no dogs are immune—yet. Once the virus gets into a kennel or shelter, everyone is susceptible. That’s what happened in Fairfax. The good news is that only a few dogs will actually get sick, since most don’t become symptomatic. And of those dogs that do get sick, most only develop mild symptoms.
The complication is that even asymptomatic dogs will shed the virus and can infect other dogs. Oh, the brains behind these viruses!
Treatment and Prevention
Treatment is much the same as for kennel cough. Cough suppressants, good nutrition (here’s a good time for chicken soup. I mean it!) and often antibiotics for the secondary bacteria when you start to see a runny nose. If pneumonia does develop, your dog may need to spend some time with your vet on IV fluids and antibiotics. Most dogs recover within a couple of weeks.
Should we panic? The AVMA and Cornell Veterinary School estimate that nearly 80% of exposed dogs may get sick. But very few (less than 5%) will have life-threatening illness.
Naturally, prevention is the key to any disease outbreak, whether it’s kennel cough, swine flu, or canine influenza. All of these viruses are highly susceptible to common disinfectants. Meaning they’re pretty easy to kill. This fact is great news for all of us in shelters and kennels.
And wash those hands (between dogs!); this is still the best idea in the world to minimize spread of disease. So is staying away from coughing or sneezing dogs. If you do see a dog in Lincoln Park with a runny nose, politely point it out to his owner and ask him to take his pup home. And by all means, keep your own dog out of harm’s way.
A new vaccine just came out on the market this past May, and the biggest challenge we veterinarians have right now is determining who needs it. Like the kennel cough vaccine, the canine influenza vaccine may not completely prevent infection, but it can decrease the severity and length of time a dog is sick. And the vaccine may also keep down the virus numbers which a dog may shed and spread around to other dogs, a lot like our human flu vaccines.
Is it for every dog? The jury isn’t in on that yet, but I’d imagine not. Like kennel cough, we should probably reserve it for those dogs who are truly at risk, dogs that are going to a boarding kennel, training classes, or who are frequent fliers at crowded dog parks. So talk with your vet about your dog’s exposure risk. And by all means do us all a favor and stay home if you, or your dog, aren’t feeling well! |
