Vets warn of dog flu
STAMFORD — Veterinarians are advising pet owners to look for symptoms of canine flu in their dogs.
Two strains of dog flu have recently popped up in the Northeast, with pockets of the viruses affecting dogs in parts of New York City.
According to data from the Canine Influenza Virus Surveillance Network, operated by Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, about 100 cases of canine flu have been diagnosed in New York. A few cases have been detected in Kentucky and one in each New Jersey and California.
“There are two strains of canine influenza, H3N8, which is derived from equine flu, and H3N2, which is a newer strain that came over in 2006 from China and Korea,” said Dr. Elisa Mazzaferro, staff criticalist at Cornell University Veterinary Specialists in Stamford.
“The strains are important only because of the potential for shedding, meaning the time period when the dog can transmit the virus,” she said. “So, dogs with H3N8 can potentially shed for about five days after showing clinical signs of infection, whereas the dogs with H3N2 can shed for almost a month — 24 days.”
Both are transmitted through nasal secretions, Mazzaferro said, “so similar to when a human sneezes or coughs, dogs could infect other animals by being in the immediate proximity of other dogs or in a place where they share water bowls or have common contact with other things in their environment.”
Dogs that are in close proximity to each other have the highest risk of getting sick, Mazzaferro said.
“The majority of dogs that come in contact with other dogs that have dog flu, you’ll never even see clinical signs,” Mazzaferro said. “Some dogs that do come in contact with dog flu and then come down with the virus can show signs of pretty high fever, coughing or general malaise — not wanting to eat, not wanting to drink and/or lethargy. Some will develop discharge, nasal or eye discharge.”
Though unusual, Mazzaferro said some cases can result in more serious conditions.
“About 10 percent of the dogs that actually develop influenza can get secondary bacterial infections, including pneumonia, which brings the potential for serious illness and even death, but that is extremely rare,” she said.
Mazzaferro said there have been no cases reported so far in Stamford.
Mazzaferro said tracking the number of flu cases can be challenging because not all dogs that are showing clinical symptoms are tested.
In the past 45 days, Mazzaferro said, “there has been a cluster of about 100 cases detected in New York City, and there’s another small cluster near the Illinois-Kentucky border.”
Mazzaferro said owners should keep their dogs away from other animals that appear sick. Minimizing time at dog parks, doggy day care or boarding facilities and avoiding shared water and food bowls would also lessen an animal’s likelihood of infection. Mazzaferro also recommended frequent hand washing and advised pet parents should be wary of their dog’s behavior, keeping an eye out for signs of coughing, fever, loss of appetite or lethargy.
“I think people should take precautions, but I don’t think that there’s going to be a giant outbreak here,” Mazzaferro said.