[News] A New Deadly, Contagious Dog Flu Virus Is Detected in 7 States - YorkieTalk.com Forums

fasteddie · 09-22-2005, 11:39 AM

[Originally found by NewYorkieMa&Pa]

A new, highly contagious and sometimes deadly canine flu is spreading in kennels and at dog tracks around the country, veterinarians said yesterday.

The virus, which scientists say mutated from an influenza strain that affects horses, has killed racing greyhounds in seven states and has been found in shelters and pet shops in many places, including the New York suburbs, though the extent of its spread is unknown.

Dr. Cynda Crawford, an immunologist at the University of Florida's College of Veterinary Medicine who is studying the virus, said that it spread most easily where dogs were housed together but that it could also be passed on the street, in dog runs or even by a human transferring it from one dog to another. Kennel workers have carried the virus home with them, she said.

How many dogs die from the virus is unclear, but scientists said the fatality rate is more than 1 percent and could be as high as 10 percent among puppies and older dogs.

Dr. Crawford first began investigating greyhound deaths in January 2004 at a racetrack in Jacksonville, Fla., where 8 of the 24 greyhounds who contracted the virus died.

"This is a newly emerging pathogen," she said, "and we have very little information to make predictions about it. But I think the fatality rate is between 1 and 10 percent."

She added that because dogs had no natural immunity to the virus, virtually every animal exposed would be infected. About 80 percent of dogs that are infected with the virus will develop symptoms, Dr. Crawford said. She added that the symptoms were often mistaken for "kennel cough," a common canine illness that is caused by the bordetella bronchiseptica bacteria.

Both diseases can cause coughing and gagging for up to three weeks, but dogs with canine flu may spike fevers as high as 106 degrees and have runny noses. A few will develop pneumonia, and some of those cases will be fatal. Antibiotics and fluid cut the pneumonia fatality rate, Dr. Crawford said.

The virus is an H3N8 flu closely related to an equine flu strain. It is not related to typical human flus or to the H5N1 avian flu that has killed about 100 people in Asia.

Experts said there were no known cases of the canine flu infecting humans. "The risk of that is low, but we are keeping an eye on it," said Dr. Ruben Donis, chief of molecular genetics for the influenza branch of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which is tracking the illness.

But with the approach of the human flu season and fears about bird flu in Asia, there is much confusion among some dog owners who have heard about the disease.

Dr. Crawford said she was fielding calls from kennels and veterinarians across the country worried that they were having outbreaks.

"The hysteria out there is unbelievable, and the misinformation is incredible," said Dr. Ann E. Hohenhaus, chief of medicine at the Animal Medical Center in New York.

Dr. Hohenhaus said she had heard of an alert from a Virginia dog club reporting rumors that 10,000 show dogs had died.

"We don't believe that's true," she said, adding that no dogs in her Manhattan hospital even had coughs.

Dr. Donis of the disease control centers said that there was currently no vaccine for the canine flu. But he said one would be relatively easy to develop. The canine flu is less lethal than parvovirus, which typically kills puppies but can be prevented by routine vaccination.

Laboratory tests, Dr. Donis said, have shown that the new flu is susceptible to the two most common antiviral drugs, amantidine and Tamiflu, but those drugs are not licensed for use in dogs.

The flu has killed greyhounds at tracks in Florida, Massachusetts, Arizona, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Texas and Iowa. Tracks and kennels have been forced to shut down for weeks for disinfection.

In Chestnut Ridge, north of New York City, about 88 dogs became sick by early September, and 15 percent of those required hospitalization, said Debra Bennetts, a spokeswoman for Best Friends Pet Care, a chain of boarding kennels. The kennel was vacated for decontamination by Sept. 17.

About 17 of the infected dogs were treated at the Oradell Animal Hospital in Paramus, N.J., where one died and two more were still hospitalized, a staff veterinarian said.

The Best Friends chain owns 41 other kennels in 18 states, and no others have had an outbreak, Dr. Larry J. Nieman, the company's veterinarian, said.

In late July, at Gracelane Kennels in Ossining, N.Y., about 35 dogs showed symptoms, said the owner, Bob Gatti, and he closed the kennel for three weeks to disinfect.

About 25 of the dogs were treated by an Ossining veterinarian, Glenn M. Zeitz, who said two of them had died.

"The dogs came in very sick, with high fevers and very high white blood cell counts," Dr. Zeitz said, making him suspicious that they had something worse than kennel cough.

A spokesman for the New York City Health Department said that there were "a few confirmed cases" in New York but that the city was not yet tracking the disease.

Veterinarians voluntarily sent samples to the Animal Health Diagnostic Center at the Cornell School of Veterinary Medicine, which was the only laboratory doing blood tests.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/22/na...rticle_popular

jesscruz · 09-22-2005, 12:36 PM

how scary is that!!!!

rrosenberry · 09-22-2005, 12:38 PM

That is frightening!

Kelz · 09-22-2005, 07:30 PM

that's scary!!

NewYorkieMa&Pa · 09-23-2005, 06:43 AM

Hi Eddie! Thanks for posting this after I sent you the article. I really wanted everyone to be informed! :-)

txshopper73 · 09-23-2005, 06:53 AM

WOW! This is pretty scary! Just one more thing to worry about when it comes to our furbabies!

Marie · 09-23-2005, 07:17 AM

This is so scary and terrifying. I heard this on the news.

fasteddie · 09-24-2005, 11:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NewYorkieMa&Pa

Hi Eddie! Thanks for posting this after I sent you the article. I really wanted everyone to be informed! :-)

No problem, sorry for not giving you credit when I first posted this, I was in a complete rush, I'll edit the first post.

MeganS · 09-30-2005, 08:12 PM

oh no!! how scary!! thanks for the info!

bettyeanne · 10-01-2005, 01:33 AM

Welcome to YorkieTalk! Thank you so much for sharing information regarding the treatment of this virus!! Do you have a Yorkie? We would love to hear all about it. We get a bit carried away by these amazing little YorkieBabies and information regarding their health is invaluable!! Thanks!!

pixiebaby · 10-01-2005, 05:23 PM

Hi, Ilive in Hawaii. I have not heard anything about flu here. What are the symtoms.My Baby gets real sick about once a month, she won't eat or drink.even her "chocolate" brownies. Her poop at this time will be runny,and looks like chewed up beets,and mucas. I worry about her a lot. Also, her hair is coming out on her legs from chewing. She scratches a lot, even tho she is on a good flea and heartworm program. Has anyone had this happen?

shecass · 10-01-2005, 05:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pixiebaby

Hi, Ilive in Hawaii. I have not heard anything about flu here. What are the symtoms.My Baby gets real sick about once a month, she won't eat or drink.even her "chocolate" brownies. Her poop at this time will be runny,and looks like chewed up beets,and mucas. I worry about her a lot. Also, her hair is coming out on her legs from chewing. She scratches a lot, even tho she is on a good flea and heartworm program. Has anyone had this happen?

Welcome. Have you had her to the vet and told them about your concerns? Sounds like she may have some type of allergy either to fleas if she has them or something else. I use Frontline & have had no problems. I also use Interceptor for Heartworms. How old is she? How long has she been doing this? I really think that maybe if you haven't already you need to take her to the vet for a check up to see if there is anything medically wrong with her.

By the way I'm Sheila. I have 2 yorkies Mollie 1 1/2 years old and Wyatt 9 weeks. Also Precious a 14 year old Shih Tzu and Sadie a 6 year old Chocolate Lab.

whispersmom2 · 10-01-2005, 07:49 PM

Hi and thanx for the info. The meds that have been tested and were successful are not yet labeled for dogs. So, the vet would have to dispense them or write a prescritpion so that the human can fill the prescription at their own druggist.
As for Pixiebaby's problem, I don't know the cause but I can tell you that I would have my vet do studies and send out any tht need to go to an outside lab. Your description sounds like HGE and could be serious. There are a lot of reasons for that. Good luck with finding the cause..

DomLee · 10-03-2005, 06:33 AM

I hope you all realize that he/she (druv) is spamming the forum.

Do a search for his name associated w/ Tamiflu...and you'll find a few links on other sites he/she posted in. Most of the posts, make reference to the that website.

Now, regarding this dog flu...this will probably be something that we'll have to deal w/ forever. Especially since organizations decided to shop the hundreds of dogs that were stranded in the New Orleans area...clear across the country to say...Los Angeles, CA and other parts of the US. (Personally, shipping them clear across the country did not make sense to me. They should've kept them demographically closer...)

NewYorkieMa&Pa · 10-03-2005, 11:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bettyeanne

Welcome to YorkieTalk! Thank you so much for sharing information regarding the treatment of this virus!! Do you have a Yorkie? We would love to hear all about it. We get a bit carried away by these amazing little YorkieBabies and information regarding their health is invaluable!! Thanks!!

Thank you for the warm welcome! I am so happy to be apart of YT! We are searching for our Yorkies as we speak, none so far, and hope to be proud Yorkie parents before year end. Doing a lot of research and I have been very fortunate to network with other YT members.
Most importantly, I know how important information is and if there is anything I can contribute to our overall union of keeping each other informed, that is what I am here to do!!!

09-22-2005, 11:39 AM	#1
fasteddie *YT 6000 Club Member* Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Seattle, WA Posts: 6,238	[News] A New Deadly, Contagious Dog Flu Virus Is Detected in 7 States [Originally found by NewYorkieMa&Pa] A new, highly contagious and sometimes deadly canine flu is spreading in kennels and at dog tracks around the country, veterinarians said yesterday. The virus, which scientists say mutated from an influenza strain that affects horses, has killed racing greyhounds in seven states and has been found in shelters and pet shops in many places, including the New York suburbs, though the extent of its spread is unknown. Dr. Cynda Crawford, an immunologist at the University of Florida's College of Veterinary Medicine who is studying the virus, said that it spread most easily where dogs were housed together but that it could also be passed on the street, in dog runs or even by a human transferring it from one dog to another. Kennel workers have carried the virus home with them, she said. How many dogs die from the virus is unclear, but scientists said the fatality rate is more than 1 percent and could be as high as 10 percent among puppies and older dogs. Dr. Crawford first began investigating greyhound deaths in January 2004 at a racetrack in Jacksonville, Fla., where 8 of the 24 greyhounds who contracted the virus died. "This is a newly emerging pathogen," she said, "and we have very little information to make predictions about it. But I think the fatality rate is between 1 and 10 percent." She added that because dogs had no natural immunity to the virus, virtually every animal exposed would be infected. About 80 percent of dogs that are infected with the virus will develop symptoms, Dr. Crawford said. She added that the symptoms were often mistaken for "kennel cough," a common canine illness that is caused by the bordetella bronchiseptica bacteria. Both diseases can cause coughing and gagging for up to three weeks, but dogs with canine flu may spike fevers as high as 106 degrees and have runny noses. A few will develop pneumonia, and some of those cases will be fatal. Antibiotics and fluid cut the pneumonia fatality rate, Dr. Crawford said. The virus is an H3N8 flu closely related to an equine flu strain. It is not related to typical human flus or to the H5N1 avian flu that has killed about 100 people in Asia. Experts said there were no known cases of the canine flu infecting humans. "The risk of that is low, but we are keeping an eye on it," said Dr. Ruben Donis, chief of molecular genetics for the influenza branch of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which is tracking the illness. But with the approach of the human flu season and fears about bird flu in Asia, there is much confusion among some dog owners who have heard about the disease. Dr. Crawford said she was fielding calls from kennels and veterinarians across the country worried that they were having outbreaks. "The hysteria out there is unbelievable, and the misinformation is incredible," said Dr. Ann E. Hohenhaus, chief of medicine at the Animal Medical Center in New York. Dr. Hohenhaus said she had heard of an alert from a Virginia dog club reporting rumors that 10,000 show dogs had died. "We don't believe that's true," she said, adding that no dogs in her Manhattan hospital even had coughs. Dr. Donis of the disease control centers said that there was currently no vaccine for the canine flu. But he said one would be relatively easy to develop. The canine flu is less lethal than parvovirus, which typically kills puppies but can be prevented by routine vaccination. Laboratory tests, Dr. Donis said, have shown that the new flu is susceptible to the two most common antiviral drugs, amantidine and Tamiflu, but those drugs are not licensed for use in dogs. The flu has killed greyhounds at tracks in Florida, Massachusetts, Arizona, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Texas and Iowa. Tracks and kennels have been forced to shut down for weeks for disinfection. In Chestnut Ridge, north of New York City, about 88 dogs became sick by early September, and 15 percent of those required hospitalization, said Debra Bennetts, a spokeswoman for Best Friends Pet Care, a chain of boarding kennels. The kennel was vacated for decontamination by Sept. 17. About 17 of the infected dogs were treated at the Oradell Animal Hospital in Paramus, N.J., where one died and two more were still hospitalized, a staff veterinarian said. The Best Friends chain owns 41 other kennels in 18 states, and no others have had an outbreak, Dr. Larry J. Nieman, the company's veterinarian, said. In late July, at Gracelane Kennels in Ossining, N.Y., about 35 dogs showed symptoms, said the owner, Bob Gatti, and he closed the kennel for three weeks to disinfect. About 25 of the dogs were treated by an Ossining veterinarian, Glenn M. Zeitz, who said two of them had died. "The dogs came in very sick, with high fevers and very high white blood cell counts," Dr. Zeitz said, making him suspicious that they had something worse than kennel cough. A spokesman for the New York City Health Department said that there were "a few confirmed cases" in New York but that the city was not yet tracking the disease. Veterinarians voluntarily sent samples to the Animal Health Diagnostic Center at the Cornell School of Veterinary Medicine, which was the only laboratory doing blood tests. http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/22/na...rticle_popular __________________ YODA & WINKY R ::: RIP Winky ::: RIP Yoda! Last edited by fasteddie; 09-24-2005 at 11:05 AM.

09-22-2005, 12:36 PM	#2
jesscruz YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: seaside,ca Posts: 1,763	how scary is that!!!! __________________ mommy's little baby coco bear

09-22-2005, 12:38 PM	#3
rrosenberry & Bailey & Bella Donating Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Ohio Posts: 8,164	That is frightening! __________________ Rhonda, Bailey, Josie and my angel Bella Rue' "Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened." ~Anatole France~

09-22-2005, 07:30 PM	#4
Kelz YT 2000 Club Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Yukon, ok Posts: 2,885	that's scary!! __________________ Kelly- momma to Parker, Star,Zoe, & Kegan.. RIP Silly Lily OK Yorkie Rescue - http://okyorkierescue.org

09-23-2005, 06:43 AM	#5
NewYorkieMa&Pa Donating YT Addict Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Brooklyn Posts: 682	Thanks! Hi Eddie! Thanks for posting this after I sent you the article. I really wanted everyone to be informed! :-)

09-23-2005, 06:53 AM	#6
txshopper73 Donating YT 14K Club Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Texas Posts: 14,226 Blog Entries: 1	WOW! This is pretty scary! Just one more thing to worry about when it comes to our furbabies! __________________ As always...JMO (Just My Opinion) Kimberley

09-23-2005, 07:17 AM	#7
Marie Mom loves Gucci Donating Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: New York City Posts: 6,427	This is so scary and terrifying. I heard this on the news. __________________ Huggies, Gucci and Marie http://www.dogster.com/?132187 "I have been egged"

09-30-2005, 08:12 PM	#9
MeganS Donating YT 7000 Club Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: New Jersey Posts: 12,016 Blog Entries: 1	oh no!! how scary!! thanks for the info! __________________ Megan "I have my dreams, I have made plans." - The Pirate Queen All Gave Some; Some Gave All

10-01-2005, 01:33 AM	#10
bettyeanne Donating YT 7000 Club Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Alabama, etc. Posts: 9,031	Welcome to YorkieTalk! Thank you so much for sharing information regarding the treatment of this virus!! Do you have a Yorkie? We would love to hear all about it. We get a bit carried away by these amazing little YorkieBabies and information regarding their health is invaluable!! Thanks!! __________________ Toto's Mom - http://www.dogster.com/?206581 Yorkie Rescue Colorado - http://www.yorkierescuecolorado.com/ "The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has limits." -- Albert Einstein Last edited by fasteddie; 10-03-2005 at 09:27 AM.

10-01-2005, 05:23 PM	#11
pixiebaby YorkieTalk Newbie! Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Hawaii Posts: 4	Pixiebaby Hi, Ilive in Hawaii. I have not heard anything about flu here. What are the symtoms.My Baby gets real sick about once a month, she won't eat or drink.even her "chocolate" brownies. Her poop at this time will be runny,and looks like chewed up beets,and mucas. I worry about her a lot. Also, her hair is coming out on her legs from chewing. She scratches a lot, even tho she is on a good flea and heartworm program. Has anyone had this happen?

10-01-2005, 07:49 PM	#13
whispersmom2 Inactive Account Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: MD Posts: 2,985	Hi and thanx for the info. The meds that have been tested and were successful are not yet labeled for dogs. So, the vet would have to dispense them or write a prescritpion so that the human can fill the prescription at their own druggist. As for Pixiebaby's problem, I don't know the cause but I can tell you that I would have my vet do studies and send out any tht need to go to an outside lab. Your description sounds like HGE and could be serious. There are a lot of reasons for that. Good luck with finding the cause..

10-03-2005, 06:33 AM	#14
DomLee YT Addict Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: SoCal Posts: 300	I hope you all realize that he/she (druv) is spamming the forum. Do a search for his name associated w/ Tamiflu...and you'll find a few links on other sites he/she posted in. Most of the posts, make reference to the that website. Now, regarding this dog flu...this will probably be something that we'll have to deal w/ forever. Especially since organizations decided to shop the hundreds of dogs that were stranded in the New Orleans area...clear across the country to say...Los Angeles, CA and other parts of the US. (Personally, shipping them clear across the country did not make sense to me. They should've kept them demographically closer...) Last edited by fasteddie; 10-03-2005 at 09:28 AM.