Canine Influenza Virus Is Spreading In The U.S. With Outbreaks Among Dogs

It’s already been a “ruff” flu season, in more ways than one. Humans in the US have been dealing with a large increase in influenza cases. That was after Covid-19 precautions for the past couple of fall and winters apparently put flu seasons on pause. And now those with legs, that is, dogs, have also suffered outbreaks of flu, specifically dog ​​flu. Veterinarians have been reporting outbreaks of such diseases in various parts of the US including Texas and California, according to the following KRON news segment:

Yes, it has been a world of infected dogs or at least a country with many dogs passing a highly contagious H3N2 strain of canine influenza virus (CIV) to each other. If you are human, it is highly unlikely that this CIV strain will infect you and make you sick. However, if he has a tail, a strong need to smell other dogs’ butts, and a tendency to chase sticks when someone throws them, contracting this CIV strain can leave him looking like a sick puppy or a sick adult dog, depending on how old you are. . If you are not sure if it is a dog or not, see your doctor or perhaps your vet as soon as possible. It will be important to know how to measure the possibility of getting sick from canine flu and for other aspects of your life.

CIVs are similar to human influenza viruses in many ways. A dog sick with canine influenza may end up transmitting the virus to others through direct contact, contaminating surfaces with the virus, or dispersing virus-laden respiratory droplets into the air by coughing, barking, or singing. Since dogs don’t typically wear face masks or cough into their elbows, a single dog in a kennel or doggy daycare can quickly infect many other dogs. Since canine flu may not be as common as human flu and many dogs may not be vaccinated against CIV, many dogs may be highly susceptible to contracting the virus. Like the human flu, you don’t need to have symptoms to be contagious.

According to the American Veterinary Association, about 20% of dogs with canine flu do not show any symptoms. The exact number is unclear as dogs don’t often say “dude, I’m not feeling well.” Symptoms tend to appear two to four days after the initial infection. Common symptoms include fever, persistent cough including something called “kennel cough,” thick discharge from the nose, discharge from the eyes, and poor appetite. Dog flu can also make you tired if you are a dog. Or maybe dogs can use the term human tiredness for lethargy. However, most dogs fully recover from such symptoms in approximately two to three weeks. However, there is a risk of infections progressing to even more serious disease such as pneumonia, especially when secondary bacterial infections occur. Dog flu can cause death, but that happens in less than 10% of all cases.

Why has dog flu been on the rise? Well, the dogs could blame the humans. After all, humans are responsible for many of the world’s problems, such as pollution and dancing with the stars. It’s not that more and more dogs have decided to go to kennels and doggy day care. This has been a result of more and more people commuting and returning to work in person in 2022. More dogs have been traveling, too, but not because they’ve been worried about losing their frequent flyer miles or trying to demand a “revenge trip.” “. in who knows who. No, the human owners of the dogs have been the most likely to travel more this year than the previous two years. And where their human owners go, dogs tend to go. Because why wouldn’t a dog want to go through airport security?

So how do you avoid dog flu if you are in fact a dog? Well, you could stay away from other dogs that may be infected. Any dog ​​that is infected with CIV should be isolated for the duration of the illness. But you know how good dogs are at declaring they have dog flu and keeping themselves isolated. You can also get vaccinated against the H3N8 and H3N2 strains of CIV if you are a dog. This will be especially important if you are a dog who frequents dog parks, kennels, dog raves, local Dogbucks, or any other dog hangout. The vaccine is not 100 percent effective in preventing canine flu, so it will be important to be careful around other dogs. Don’t just sniff every other dog’s butt. But the vaccine can reduce your risk of contracting the “very” real virus, regardless of the anti-vaccination nonsense you’ve heard on Tailbook, Barker, or whatever social media platform dogs tend to use.

Again, if you’re human, don’t worry about getting the canine flu. It is true that this currently circulating H3N2 CIV strain used to be for birds, but over time it acquired the ability to infect dogs. However, there is no evidence that this particular virus has mutated to the point where it can infect humans. With surges in Covid-19, flu and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infections and many people avoiding wearing masks like dogs avoid chili peppers, humans already have plenty of other respiratory viruses hounding them this holiday season.