Dog Flu Cases Surge as Veterinarians Urge Vaccinations
Some regions have seen a rise in cases this winter, including Philadelphia, North Texas and Minneapolis.
Veterinarians are urging dog owners to get their pets vaccinated against canine influenza due to a surge in cases reported in several parts of the U.S. this winter.
Canine influenza, also known as the dog flu, is a contagious respiratory disease in dogs caused by specific Type A influenza viruses known to infect dogs, and is different from the seasonal influenza viruses that spread annually among people, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In the vast majority of cases, it is not considered life-threatening, the CDC said.
Some regions have seen a rise in cases this winter, including Philadelphia, North Texas and Minneapolis.
Symptoms for dog flu include a cough, runny nose, fever and reduced appetite, according to the CDC. Most dogs usually recover from canine influenza within 2 to 3 weeks, but in more severe cases some dogs can develop secondary bacterial infections that can lead to more severe illnesses or pneumonia, the CDC said.
“We’re really looking for changes of their behavior,” veterinary microbiologist Stephen Cole told CBS News Thursday. “Are they acting listless, or lethargic, or not wanting to eat? In addition, keeping a close eye on their respiratory rate: Are they breathing faster? And their respiratory effort: Are they needing to take deeper breaths to catch their breaths?”
Veterinarians urge owners to seek professional care when symptoms arise, as the disease can be confused with kennel cough.
Owners who observe dogs coughing, sneezing or exhibiting nasal discharge should seek medical attention for their pooch, Dr. Gary Richter, a veterinarian and pet health expert on Rover’s Dog People Panel, advised in an interview with PopSugar.
All dogs are susceptible to the flu, no matter their breed or size. An infected dog can spread the virus to canine friends by direct contact; barking, coughing or sneezing; contaminated objects, such as collars and leashes; and “by people moving between infected and uninfected dogs,” according to the American Veterinary Medical Association.
Richter says dogs will often be treated with antibiotics.
“The symptoms of canine influenza can initially look very similar to kennel cough, but there is a laboratory test that can confirm the diagnosis,” Richter told PopSugar.
There are eight interesting facts related to dog flu.
1) Dog flu is a respiratory disease in dogs, and it’s contagious.
2) There are two different dog flu viruses: one is an H3N8 virus and the other is an H3N2 virus.
3) The virus was known to exist in horses for more than 40 years and spread from horses to dogs.
4) The first cases of dog flu in the United States were found in greyhounds in 2004.
5) Dog flu spreads through respiratory droplets produced during coughing and sneezing from infected dogs.
6) Doggie hotels, groomers, and dog parks can be hot spots for the virus.
7) Cats and other animals can also become infected with the H3N2 strain of the virus.
8) There have been no reported dog flu infections in people and is considered a low threat, according to CDC data.
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Comments
It’s only a matter of time before dogs will be required to mask up. If the disease does jump to humans, I put my money on Sam Brinton as patient zero.
Pretty much happens every year, often due to more importing or poor vaccination protocol (yes, these are proper vaccines that are very efficacious), hence an area with a large airport may have an outbreak. Article is correct, people do not get it from dogs but can be the other way around, which is why vaccination is important as dogs are highly susceptible.
Why treat a viral infection with an antibiotic, unless there’s a secondary bacterial infection?
Oh, just get a mask— you’ll be fine!
Vaxxxination referred to as jabs or shots as in flu shots are a medical roulette.
Are they going to re-write Peanuts to have Snoopy masked and vaxxed? Are dogs susceptible to myocarditis?
After the last few years, I’m not going in here anything they call a vaccination.
Animal vaccines are very well researched and devloped, trial tested with proper challenge data, and use actual science to improve delivery and efficacy…unlike the mRNA delivered Not-A-Vax that was given ‘no liability’ EUA approval for use on the unsuspecting public despite having gone through ZERO challenge trials (unless you include use on the General Public), and has resulted in millions of VAER’s cases for those reported (many were not).
I find it strange and reprehensible that people demand BETTER and more trustworthy vaccines for their animals than they did for themselves or their children. Speaks volumes.
When we got into dog breeding, we were surprised to learn that animal meds are subject to the same level of FDA standards as human meds.
Out where I live, a lot of our horsey people* on tight budgets buy some of “their” medications at the tack store, where prescriptions and insurance aren’t a thing, and they cost a fraction of what they do “through the system.” For example, penicillin hypos and other antibiotics and anesthetics available OTC in the walkup fridge. And, of course, our new friend ivermectin.
I myself enjoy buying “vet wrap” from Tractor Supply rather than “Coban” from CVS at 6x the price for the very same product — and the color selection is way cooler.
*Arizona’s horsey people are not the same thing as, say, Monaco’s.
Exactly, and the level of misinformation was not only dangerous it was disgusting. People who know such things looked at the MSM Hyperventilator’s as complete idiots on a grand scale who proved they can and will lie about anything they have no understanding while reading the circulated script. Same med’s thru our veterinary supplier are the same drug as the human version at a fraction of the price, however the cabal between Big Pharma-Insurance-Government creates excessive cost and constraint for no good reason. And yup, Vetwrap and Elasticon are your friend, so is Superglue in a pinch when Vetabond is not in your kit.
What breed of dog is that in the photo? That’s a fine looking animal.
Border Collie (bottom is a long haired Chihuahua)
A brown and white border collie. I didn’t know they existed. I LOVE border collies!
Primarily blk/wht but yes, brn/wht is not uncommon. Mt dad said he wanted a dog smarter than him (jokingly, he’s was a very intelligent person), got a Border Collie.
I love smart dogs. Borders, GSDs, Belgian Malanoise (spelling intentional), Rotties,etc.
The problem with the smart ones is: you need to keep them active and busy or they find things to do that may be fine in the dog world, but, not so great in the human one.
If I could, I’d have a Rottie or two, along with a border collie (or two).
But, I can’t give them the time and attention they so richly deserve.
They imply that the “surge” is above the seasonal norm, but is that in fact the case, adjusted for the animal population? The liars in our media often called normal winter flu a “surge” post-covid, which while technically true is a lie because of what they tried to imply by it.
I wonder if I’m the only person bothered by what appear to be a blitz (possibly media enhanced) of animal diseases in so many kinds of animals this year. I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s almost as if deliberate action were afoot.
They’re going to exploit the new “emergency” people-control power they have been enjoying from the “fear of disease” hot button until they wear it out. They’ve already worn it out on one side of the aisle, but running out of stupid people takes much, much longer.