Canine influenza cases popping up here

Cities such as Chicago and Atlanta were hit hard with the virus last spring and over the summer, with dozens of H3N2 cases reported in both cities. Reporting canine influenza is not required in Arizona and some other states as it is for human strains, and so it is difficult to get an accurate count.

Out-of-state dogs arriving here for the winter months could bring the virus, which is not always symptomatic, said Michael San Filippo, spokesman with the American Veterinary Medical Association. About 80 percent of the dogs that become infected show symptoms, he said, but one in five do not.

“It’s popping up across the country, more or less,” he said.

There are two strains of canine influenza, including one that has been around since 2004 called H3NH. The current strain is an avian flu that has been tracked back to Korea and China, San Filippo said.

“Because it’s new here, dogs haven’t been exposed to it and so they were very vulnerable,” San Filippo said. There’s no vaccine for the new virus, he said, but there is one for the older, H3NH strain.

Symptoms of dog flu include the same things people experience: fever, nasal congestion, lethargy and a bad cough.

“What you’ve got to worry about are the secondary infections, such as bacterial pneumonia,” he said. Dogs who die after contracting influenza typically succumb to secondary, bacterial infections. It is unclear how many have died after getting this strain, but over 2,000 dogs nationwide were confirmed positive as of May, an American Veterinary Medical Association report shows.

“Usually within two weeks, the dog should be getting better,” San Filippo said.

Cases of the virus showing up in cats haven’t been reported in the United States, he said, but cat cases have been reported in parts of Asia. There is no indication it can spread to people, he said.

Linda Hutson’s dog Lucy became very sick earlier this month, along with three other dogs Lucy frequently plays with. Lucy, was treated with cough medicine and an antibiotic. She was not tested for canine influenza.

“On that Sunday night, when she kept getting sick and was just constantly throwing up, it was very frightening,” Hutson said. “I couldn’t sleep. I just wanted to be right beside her.”

What scared Hutson was that Lucy couldn’t hold down any medication and was experiencing a “horrible, deep cough” that sounded like she was choking.

After a few days and a second trip to a veterinarian, Lucy was able to take her medicine without throwing up. She remained lethargic for a couple more days, but then started getting her energy back.

On Thursday, about 10 days after her first symptoms, Hutson took Lucy to the dog park again.

“It was just wonderful to see her running around again,” Hutson said.