The Dog Flu Virus is Here
Tuesday, June 30, 2009 According to today’s Science Times, there’s a new dog flu virus going around—H3N8. It has struck predominantly in Florida, New York City’s northern suburbs, Philadelphia and Denver, says New York Times health reporter Donald McNeil, but has been found in 30 states. (It was first found in 2004 among a group of Florida Greyhounds.)
Brachycephalics—dogs with short snub noses—are particularly at risk, say some vets.
H3N8 can be passed by dogs rubbing noses or sharing a water dish, and humans can carry it on their clothes, says Dr. Cynda Crawford of the University of Florida. She predicts it kills five percent of the dogs who contract it. The virus tends to exist in places where dogs live closely together such as shelters, kennels and pet stores. Says the article: “Some veterinarians have found that the dogs that tend to die from it are the 'brachycephalics'—dogs with short snub noses.”
I did some research and found that the most common sign is a cough that lasts for 10-21 days, longer than typical “kennel cough.” Symptoms may also include a nasal discharge and a low fever.
The good news is, the United States Department of Agriculture approved a vaccine last week. (It’s unclear whether the bordatella vaccine will do anything to protect your dog or whether your vet will currently have the vaccine, but I’m checking with my veterinarian to get more information.)
For more information on the virus, check back this week on Dr. Crawford’s NY Times blog by clicking here. If you have any additional information, please share it!
Reader Comments (2)
Short stub noses/ What on earth do u mean? Medical risk? Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm......PUGS RULE!!!
I'm pretty sure that Pepper had this. The scariest part was how long the cough lasted - it was a good 16 days before Peps was better. She was miserable, and the antibiotics that the vet gave her to prevent pneumonia didnt help a bit. this was definitely a virus and much worse than anything she'd had before.