Tag: H3N2

New Vaccine for Epidemic H3N2 Dog Flu Now Available

Earlier this year, the H3N2 dog flu virus became an epidemic, sickening dogs in 24 states across the country. It was first confirmed in Illinois, where more than 1,500 Chicago-area dogs were infected.

Before dogs became sick in the Chicago area, H3N2 had never been reported in the United States, but there have been outbreaks in China and South Korea since 2006. H3N2 is believed to have been brought to the U.S. by a dog from Asia, or a dog who visited Asia and became infected.

The symptoms of H3N2 include coughing, sneezing, fever and lethargy. Most at risk are puppies, older dogs and dogs with weakened immune systems. While most dogs recover within 10 to 30 days, some have developed pneumonia and other serious health issues. At least six dogs have died from H3N2.

Until this week, the only vaccine available was for preventing another strain of dog flu, the H3N8 virus. It was not known if that vaccine is effective against this new strain.

On Nov. 20, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) issued a conditional product license for Merck Animal Health to release its new Canine Influenza Vaccine H3N2. The vaccine became available to veterinarians Monday.

“Based on the highly contagious nature of the strain, the severity of clinical disease and the rate at which we were seeing newly diagnosed cases, we knew we needed to act fast – both to help veterinarians and pet owners contain the outbreaks and develop a vaccine to protect dogs against it,” said Kathleen Heaney, DVM, director of Companion Animal Technical Services at Merck Animal Health, in a news release.

According to studies, H3N2 produces 10 times more virus than H3N8, making it “far more contagious,” said Edward Dubovi, Ph.D., of the College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University in the news release. “Preventing the transmission of the disease through vaccination is highly recommended for those dogs that have lifestyles that put them at greater risk.”

That riskier lifestyle includes frequent social activity with other dogs at dog parks, doggie day care facilities and boarding kennels.

Dogs who are healthy and at least 6 months old can receive the new vaccine, which is delivered in two doses several weeks apart.

The new vaccine will be a lifesaver, said Dr. Kristie Johansen, a veterinarian at Sugar Hill Animal Hospital in Atlanta.

“It will be very significant for us,” she told WSB-TV.

Dr. Melissa Bourgeois, another vet at the hospital, recommends that dogs get both the H3N2 and H3N8 vaccines, since both strains are currently spreading in Atlanta.

Here are some important tips for preventing your dog from getting the H3N2 virus.

Photo credit: bazusa

Georgia Shelter Kills Dozens of Dogs with Respiratory Symptoms

More than 60 dogs were euthanized Monday at the Clayton County Animal Control (CCAC) shelter in Jonesboro, Ga., only because they may have been infected with the H3N2 virus. Most dogs recover from this respiratory flu within 10 to 30 days.

“Treat all dogs like we treat our children. We don’t put our children to sleep when they get the sniffles,” Tandra Matthews, one of hundreds of people outraged by the killings, told 11Alive.

Dave Edwards is a rescue volunteer who monitors Atlanta Pit Bull Networking on social media. (The majority of the dogs killed Monday by CCAC were Pit Bulls, one of the breeds that the shelter only allows to be released to rescue groups.) Edwards told CBS46 Wednesday that rabies is the only disease he could think of that would automatically require such a “mass extermination” of shelter dogs.

Clayton County Police Deputy Chief Michael J. Register told CBS46 Friday the shelter was trying to protect the healthy dogs, and offered no further explanation.

“If we don’t euthanize the number of animals that are exhibiting symptoms, you run the risk of jeopardizing the whole facility,” Register said. He said the infected dogs were quarantined last weekend, and then killed Monday.

When asked if the shelter had considered providing medicine to the infected dogs, Register said it had not.

The symptoms of the dogs killed were “coughing, running nose and sneezing,” according to a statement released Friday by the Clayton County Police Department. The department did not say whether the dogs were even confirmed to actually have H3N2.

After an assessment was completed by veterinarian medical personnel, those alleged experts recommended that the sick animals be euthanized, the police department stated.

Coughing, a running nose and sneezing are also symptoms of kennel cough, a contagious respiratory illness that is common in animal shelters. In fact, earlier this year, a shelter in Gwinnett County, Ga., experienced a kennel cough outbreak. Did its veterinarian medical personnel advise the shelter to kill the sick dogs? No way. Those dogs were quarantined while the shelter was disinfected.

In response to public complaints at a meeting Tuesday night, Clayton County Commission Chairman Jeffrey Turner told CBS46 he agrees that something needs to be changed at the shelter. Back in 2009, Clayton County voters approved construction of a new shelter, but six years later, nothing has been done.

Turner said he predicted a new shelter could be completed in 18 months.

As of June, the H3N2 virus has spread to 13 U.S. states. Most at risk for becoming infected with this flu are puppies, older dogs and dogs with weakened immune systems. Many dogs that have it show no symptoms at all. Click here for tips for preventing your dog from becoming infected.

Photos via Clayton County Animal Control Rainbow Bridge Facebook page

How to Prevent Your Dog from Getting the H3N2 Dog Flu

The epidemic H3N2 virus has spread to at least 24 U.S. states. Most at risk for becoming infected with this flu are puppies, older dogs and dogs with weakened immune systems.

The H3N2 strain cannot be transmitted from dogs to humans, but it can be transmitted to cats. No cats have yet been diagnosed with this flu strain.

While most dogs recover within 10 to 30 days, some have developed serious issues, such as pneumonia. Six dogs have died from H3N2.

H3N2 Prevention Tips

If you live where the flu has been reported, do the following to prevent your dog from becoming infected:

  • Keep your dog on a leash whenever you leave your house.
  • Keep high-risk dogs at home, away from other people’s dogs.
  • Wash your hands and change your clothes after you are in contact with another dog to reduce the chance of transmission.
  • Routinely monitor your dog for the flu symptoms listed below.

Susan Nelson, clinical associate professor in clinical sciences at Kansas State University’s Veterinary Health Center, said the main thing is to be vigilant about where you’re taking your dog and watching for signs of illness.

“My advice to dog owners is to watch the news and be aware of where the disease is across the country,” Nelson said in a news release.

H3N2 Symptoms to Watch For

The following are some of the symptoms of both the H3N2 and H3N8 canine flu strains, according to Cornell University:

  • Coughing
  • Nasal discharge
  • Loss of appetite
  • Lethargy
  • High fever

The symptoms are typically more severe for the H3N2 strain. However, about 20 percent of infected dogs show no signs of this flu.

According to the ASPCA, dogs are most infectious before the symptoms appear, and continue to be infectious for about 10 days.

If your dog does show any of the symptoms, isolate him from your other dogs and take him to the vet. (Some animal hospitals have set up separate areas for infected dogs, or are asking pet parents to stay in their cars with their dogs instead of in the waiting room.)

Treatment for H3N2

“The veterinarian might prescribe medications, such as an antibiotic (to fight secondary infections) and/or a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory (to reduce fever, swelling and pain),” the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) reports.

“Dehydrated pets may need fluid therapy to restore and maintain hydration. Other medications, or even hospitalization, may also be necessary for more severe cases.”

Most dogs recover from the flu within 10 to 30 days.

As of Nov. 23, the new Canine Influenza Vaccine H3N2 is available. The vaccine is delivered in two doses several weeks apart to dogs who are healthy and at least 6 months old.

Photo credit: hernan.mojarro

Vaccine for New H3N2 Dog Flu May Be on the Way

Thanks to researchers at Kansas State University, a vaccine for the epidemic H3N2 canine flu virus, which has now spread to 13 states across the country, may be developed.

A case of the flu was reported in Minnesota today. The H3N2 virus has already been confirmed in Illinois (more than 1,500 dogs have been infected in the Chicago area), Alabama, California, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, New York, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, Texas and Wisconsin.

Most at risk for becoming infected with H3N2 are puppies, older dogs and dogs with weakened immune systems. While most dogs recover within 10 to 30 days, some have developed serious issues, such as pneumonia. Six dogs have died from H3N2.

There is currently a vaccine for another strain of dog flu, the H3N8 virus, but it’s not known if it is effective against this new strain.

Before dogs became sick in the Chicago area, H3N2 had never been reported in the United States, but there have been outbreaks in China and South Korea since 2006. H3N2 is believed to have been brought to the U.S. by a dog from Asia, or a dog who visited Asia and became infected.

Today Kansas State Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory officials announced that the H3N2 research they’ve been conducting has given them new insight into this strain. They will now be able to test dogs specifically for H3N2, and their findings may lead to the development of a vaccine.

“We can perform hemagglutinin and neuraminidase gene sequencing — the H and N portions of the strain — on a sample that is positive for canine influenza,” Ben Hause, an assistant professor of diagnostic medicine and pathobiology, said in a news release.

“This gene sequencing will allow us to compare how close of a genetic match the virus in the sample is to other canine influenza isolates and provide important epidemiological information, allowing us to track how the virus is evolving in dogs.”

This discovery is important for designing a vaccine and determining if the virus is mutating, Hause said.

The test for the H3N2 virus is currently only available at the KSU Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, but its availability will likely grow as the flu continues to spread.

Click here for tips on preventing your dog from getting the H3N2 virus.

Photo credit: bazusa

 

Dog Flu Spreads to 12 States across the US

The epidemic H3N2 canine flu virus continues to spread across the United States. Cases were recently reported in Texas and Georgia, and according to Cornell University, the flu has been confirmed in 10 other states: Illinois (more than 1,500 dogs have been infected in the Chicago area); Alabama; California; Indiana; Iowa; New York; Massachusetts; Michigan; New Jersey; and Wisconsin.

Most at risk for becoming infected are puppies, older dogs and dogs with weakened immune systems. While most dogs recover within 10 to 30 days, some have developed serious issues, such as pneumonia. Six dogs have died from H3N2.

People cannot get this flu from their dogs, but the H3N2 virus can be transmitted to cats. So far, no cats have been diagnosed with this flu strain.

“The virus spreads from nose to nose (or direct) contact between dogs,” Keith Poulsen, a professor of veterinary medicine at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, told USA TODAY. “As people travel and expose dogs to other dogs with the virus, they will bring the virus back to their hometown. This is how the virus has spread from the Chicago area to Wisconsin, Iowa and Texas. Similar to how respiratory disease spreads at a daycare or airport — people sneezing and coughing on each other.”

Click here for tips on preventing your dog from getting the H3N2 virus.

Photo credit: Tony Alter

 

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