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ProMED-mail is a program of the International Society for Infectious Diseases <http://www.isid.org>
Date: Fri 23 Aug 2013 Source: WJLA [edited]
Pet owners and veterinarians are concerned in Montgomery County [Maryland] where an outbreak of dog flu has hit; 6 dogs have become sick and 2 dogs have already died.
The reports came from 2 individual vets, who wanted to make sure other vets knew.
"This is probably one of the 1st reports of me hearing it in the county," says Dr. Adam Jaffe with the Montgomery Animal Hospital.
Vets have known about the mutated equine virus since it 1st appeared in Florida a couple years ago.
The concern here is that most dogs are not immune to it.
"A lot of these dogs, a large percentage of these dogs are going to get sick, and some are going to require minimal care and others will require moderate care," Jaffe says.
Like humans, the doctor says, younger and older dogs are more susceptible. Jaffe says if any cough persists longer than 5 to 7 days and your dog stops eating, you should contact your veterinarian.
You can also get your dog a flu shot, especially if your dog goes to a dog daycare or dog park. At least one official recommends dogs stay away from dog parks until the scare subsides.
Jaffe says he makes it mandatory that all dogs that visit and stay get the shot.
[Byline: Hatzel Vela]
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Communicated by:
ProMED-mail from HealthMap Alerts
[The "canine influenza virus" is an influenza A H3N8 influenza virus (not a human influenza virus) that was originally an equine (horse) influenza virus. This virus has spread to dogs and can now spread between dogs.
The number of dogs infected with this disease that die is very small. Some dogs have asymptomatic infections (no symptoms), while some have severe infections. Severe illness is characterized by the onset of pneumonia. Although this is a relatively new cause of disease in dogs and nearly all dogs are susceptible to infection, about 80 percent of dogs will have a mild form of disease.
In order for this disease to reach "pandemic" status, it would have to involve more than a few counties. By definition, a pandemic involves a communicable disease that is spread over a large region. When discussing human disease it is generally thought to encompass large masses of land, such as several countries and even continents.
Treatment largely consists of supportive care. This helps the dog mount an immune response. In the milder form of the disease, this care may include medication to make your dog more comfortable and fluids to ensure that your dog remains well-hydrated. Broad spectrum antibiotics may be prescribed by your veterinarian if a secondary bacterial infection is suspected.
If you take your pet to a dog park, a boarding kennel, or play dates, then it is advisable to ask your veterinarian about the approved vaccine for your canine pet.
To date, there is no evidence of transmission of canine influenza virus from dogs to people and there has not been a single reported case of human infection with the canine influenza virus. While this virus infects dogs and spreads between dogs, there is no evidence that this virus infects humans.
However, human infections with new influenza viruses (against which the human population has little immunity) would be concerning if they occurred. Influenza viruses are constantly changing and it is possible for a virus to change so that it could infect humans and spread easily between humans. Such a virus could represent a pandemic influenza threat. For this reason, CDC and its partners are monitoring the H3N8 influenza virus (as well as other animal influenza viruses) along with instances of possible human exposure to these viruses very closely. In general, however, canine influenza viruses are considered to pose a low threat to humans. As mentioned earlier, while these viruses are well established in horse and dog populations, there is no evidence of infection among humans with this virus.
Portions of this comment were extracted from: <http://www.cdc.gov/flu/canine/>.
Maryland may be found on the HealthMap/ProMED-mail interactive map at: <http://healthmap.org/r/2NNa> - Mod.TG]
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