Highly Contagious Dog Flu Spreads in The Midwest
CHICAGO, April 17 (UPI) — A highly contagious strain of the dog flu is sweeping across the Midwest, already killing six dogs and sickening hundreds of others in four states.
At least 1,300 dogs in Illinois, Wisconsin, Ohio and Indiana were infected in the past few weeks, researchers from the University of Wisconsin and Cornell University said.
The virus, identified as H3N2, causes symptoms that include a high fever, loss of appetite, coughing, nasal discharge and lethargy, but may also not produce any symptoms at all, said researchers at the New York State Animal Diagnostic Laboratory at Cornell University. It can also cause infections and respiratory illness in cats.
Researchers previously attributed the dog flu epidemic to the H3N8 strain of virus, which had been identified in the United States in 2004. The H3N2 is the same strain common in southern Chinese and South Korean dog populations since 2006 and is new in the United States. The disease is not thought to spread to humans.
“It is not known if the current vaccine will provide any protection from this new virus, but it does protect against H3N8, which is also in circulation in some areas,” Cornell University researchers said. “Other preventive advice remains the same: In areas where the viruses are active, avoid places where dogs congregate, such as dog parks and grooming salons.”
Andrew Streiber, a veterinarian at the El Segundo Animal Hospital in California, told KTLA is transmitted through sneezes, coughs or nose contact. The virus can also live on surfaces and be carried on clothing and shoes, he said.
