Dog Flu Is Back, Too

NYT HEALTH: Dog Flu Is Back, Too
By Emily Anthes
Section: Health
Source: New York Times
Published Date: December 2, 2022 at 02:00AM

Canine influenza can spread quickly through shelters, kennels and day care facilities, although most dogs will recover on their own, experts said.

When a few dogs started coughing at a Texas animal shelter in October, veterinarians were not initially alarmed. The shelter, Operation Kindness, had seen its share of sick dogs.

But these coughs seemed to linger, and the handful of hacking dogs soon turned into dozens. By mid-November, 86 percent of the shelter’s roughly 150 dogs were ill.

“This was just so fast-acting,” said Ed Jamison, the chief executive of Operation Kindness, which is based in Carrollton, just north of Dallas.

Laboratory testing revealed that the dogs had contracted a highly contagious strain of canine influenza, known as H3N2, which has caused a spate of recent outbreaks across the South. Veterinarians have warned clients about the virus on social media, doggy day care facilities have closed and shelters, including Operation Kindness, have suspended adoptions.

The virus, which has caused periodic outbreaks in the United States since 2015, does not currently pose a risk to humans, experts stressed, and most dogs that contract it do not become severely ill. But the disease can progress to pneumonia, or even be fatal, in a small percentage of dogs.

Although canine influenza can flare up at any time, the recent rash of cases could be fueled, in part, by recent changes in Americans’ behaviors, some veterinarians suggested. Shelters that emptied out during the pandemic are full again, they said, and the resurgence of travel and reopening of offices means that more dogs are spending time together in kennels and at day care, where the virus can easily gain a foothold.

“We had a bit of a quiet period during the first couple years of Covid,” said Dr. Silene St. Bernard, the regional medical director for Southern California at VCA Animal Hospitals. “While people were home, their pets were home. And we didn’t see as many of these contagious viruses spreading around.”

Experts are urging dog owners to remain alert for symptoms — which may include coughing, fever and loss of appetite — especially if the virus has been reported in their area. And those whose dogs spend time in social settings may want to consider a canine influenza vaccine.

“You need to think about what risks you take,” said Edward Dubovi, a virologist at the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine who was part of the team that identified the first strain of canine influenza. “If you go to a dog park — we have one here in Ithaca, and there may be 30 or 40 dogs running around in there — that’s a risk. If that’s part of your daily routine, and flu is in the area, then you just might want to go get a vaccine.”

Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/02/health/dogs-canine-flu.html

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