Canine flu could spread: Omemee vet

Medical officials say it’s possible cases of canine flu in Windsor and Essex County could spread further in Ontario.

The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit has confirmed H3N2 canine influenza in eight dogs. The first two were imported from South Korea through the U.S. and the next five came in contact with the original two.

Officials with the health unit said they have not been able to find a link between the eighth case, announced Feb. 1, and the previous seven.

These were the first cases found in Canada.

Dr. Kathleen Norman, the president of the Ontario Veterinary Medical Association, said the canine flu “absolutely” could spread elsewhere in Canada.

It’s positive that most of these cases are related to the dogs that were imported, she said, but this eighth case may change the situation. However, she said she would want to be sure the dog was diagnosed properly and it certainly had no contact with the other seven dogs before raising the level of alarm.

“Now if we actually have a dog that has truly been diagnosed with that virus and doesn’t have any contact with those dogs, then yeah, we do have to be worried that it’s now in Ontario in our areas,” she said by phone from her Omemee veterinary clinic.

Norman said it is also important for people to understand that several organizations - including the OVMA, the Ontario Veterinary College, local health units, the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs - are working together to address the situation.

Dogs which come in contact with other dogs that have tested positive are “definitely at risk” because it is “highly infectious between dogs and dogs only,” she said.

Phil Wong, the environmental health manager for the health unit in Windsor, said the investigation into the cause of the eighth dog’s illness is ongoing, but “at this point in time, there is no indication” it has a connection with the previous cases.

He said his inspectors are “doing everything we can” to contain the virus to Windsor and Essex County.

“Right now, our inspectors are out there and they’re ensuring that these animals are being confined,” he said. “There’s constant follow up, so we’re pretty confident that it wouldn’t spread.”

Norman said current protocols advise veterinarians to consider administering the vaccine to dogs if they are traveling to areas where the virus is known or if they are visiting areas where they will be in contact with several other dogs.

“If we are now going to be a risk area, then we are going to have to change those protocols and certainly the OVMA will make sure that if recommendations are made, that all of the veterinarians in Ontario are notified,” she said.

The respiratory disease-causing virus appeared in the United States in Chicago in early 2015 and eventually spread to other parts of the country, including Georgia and North Carolina.

Dog-owners who wish to have their pet checked for a respiratory illness by a veterinarian are advised to call the clinic ahead of time because canine flu can be treated on an outpatient basis.

The virus can also survive in an environment for up to 24 hours, but common disinfectants can inactivate the virus.

Dogs may take five to seven days after coming in contact with the virus before showing symptoms.

“I think that the most important thing is people who have questions to please contact their veterinarian because their veterinarian is going to have the answers for them,” Norman said.