What You Need To Know About A Potentially Deadly Canine Influenza Outbreak In Brooklynon May 16, 2018 2:37 pm
Veterinarians are sounding the alarm about an outbreak of canine influenza in Brooklyn. The malady can cause cause https://www.avma.org/public/PetCare/Pages/CanineInfluenza.aspx" rel="nofollow - flu-like symptoms in dogs ,
including coughing, sneezing, nasal discharge, and loss of appetite.
But for up to 10% of dogs, this flu could be fatal, even if it is
aggressively treated, says Dr. Natara Loose, the veterinarian at https://www.theneighborhoodvet.org/about-us/" rel="nofollow - The Neighborhood Vet
in Brooklyn. Veterinarians are strongly encouraging that dog owners get
their pets vaccinated for the flu and get the booster two weeks later.
There is no guarantee that the vaccine fully protects against the flu,
but it can greatly minimize the symptoms.
Once a dog has the illness, it takes three to five days for it to develop symptoms, and the dog can be contagious up to 30 days after
contracting the illness. According to the American Veterinary Medical
Foundation, most dogs recover in 2-3 weeks, but even after recovery, a
dog could be contagious for weeks.
Dr. Loose said that she had three reported cases in her clinic that
were contracted from a doggy day care, and she knows of three other
reported cases from the same doggy day care. (Dr. Loose declined to
identify the day care, citing patient confidentiality.) Loose said that
there are no concrete figures on the number of dogs infected, since
there is no central database and there are multiple labs testing for
this disease. But Dr. Loose confirmed that there are four other cases
from a local ER in Brooklyn, and in her view the Williamsburg/Greenpoint
area seems to be a hub for this virus.
A veterinarian at Crown Heights Animal Hospital said they received
reports of a case of canine influenza from the veterinary clinics https://bluepearlvet.com/brooklyn-ny/" rel="nofollow - BluePearl and http://www.verg-brooklyn.com/" rel="nofollow - VERG-Brooklyn . We asked these clinics for comment and will update this post with any relevant information.
The flu strains H3N8 and H3N2 are highly contagious. Up to 80% of
dogs exposed to the virus will contract it. The flu is airborne and
contagious up to 25 feet, according to Dr. Loose. Any place with a high
concentration of dogs increases the likelihood of catching the illness,
and dogs do not have to touch each other to spread the virus.
Humans can’t catch canine influenza, but can spread it to dogs
through their hands or their clothing. It remains contagious on hands
for up to 12 hours, and on clothing for up to 24 hours, so dog owners
should wash their hands and change their clothes regularly if they think
they have come in contact with a sick dog, said Dr. Loose.
Dog walkers could spread the disease if they are petting dogs with
the flu and not washing their hands or changing their clothes, and it
could be spread if they use the same leash or safety collar on many
different dogs. Dr. Loose recommends that people who use dog walkers
should ask if any of the dogs they walk have experienced symptoms of
canine influenza, and what they are doing to prevent its spread.
If you suspect that your dog has the flu, you should call your vet
immediately, and your dog should be taken directly to a quarantine room
in the vet’s office. Do not escort your dog in through the reception
area, because it could infect any other dog waiting there. It is even
possible the flu strain could spread to cats, but there have been no
reported cases of that happening in New York.
One of our readers contacted us to say that his dog, a three year old
hound, contracted influenza. He said that his regular doggy daycare
reported 5 cases of suspected kennel cough, but that those could have
been the flu. When his dog began to develop a cough, his girlfriend took
the dog to their veterinarian. The vet reacted like it was an emergency
and said that they would have to bleach all the rooms that the dog had
been in. The dog is currently recovering at home under quarantine, and
has been prescribed a round of antibiotics.
For more information, visit the American Veterinary Medical Foundation’s https://www.avma.org/public/PetCare/Pages/CanineInfluenza.aspx" rel="nofollow - page on Canine Influenza. Source and stock photo: http://gothamist.com/2018/05/16/canine_influenza_brooklyn.php" rel="nofollow - http://gothamist.com/2018/05/16/canine_influenza_brooklyn.php
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