Dog Flu???

[AmberLee]

I'm a fan of the Snopes Urban Legend website, but their report on a new strain of flu jumping species to over to dogs and being highly contageous, sometimes fatal, has me worried.

Do you know what states it's confirmed in???

Now I'm wondering if that's what Molly has...

[Flatcoatluver]

huh i heard of it in my state, i didn't hear around ca but i don't live in ca because i don't live there good luck i'll pray for molly.

[dukedogsmom]

It's true and I'm waiting to hear about it on my news station right now. Very scary. They don't know much about it.

[Flatcoatluver]

hey post with the info please!

[dukedogsmom]

There wasn't too much info on it. It didn't give the states but said there are eight others besides Florida that have had cases. They just said if you're going to get your dog groomed or take them to the kennel to ask about any unusual cases. They're treating the dogs with antibiotics and are trying to find a vaccine. A vet did say that some dogs will die. That's so sad.

[Flatcoatluver]

thats really sad we need to stop this flu!

[K9karen]

They think it started with greyhounds in Florida. It's spread to (and I'm trying to remember the map from TV) Virginia, Texas, NY and I think some Ohio Valley states. It said if your dog has a cough, don't just think it's kennel cough-get your dog to a vet ASAP!

[Flatcoatluver]

ok my dog so far hasn't cough but i should keep her probally away from strange dogs and dogs in my dog class

[Den Anne Pen]

Is it just in Kennels and groomers or is it all around? Are the simphoms the same as kennel cough? I have'nt heard of this flu yet.

I hope they find a cure for it before Any doggies die

[AmberLee]

Here is an extract from the larger Snopes article:

Dr. Cynda Crawford, the veterinary immunologist who first isolated it, describes the contagion as producing in dogs "a moist, productive cough that ends in a gagging response, that will persist for one to four weeks, despite treatment with antibiotics or cough suppressants. Some dogs develop a thick, yellow discharge from the nose. A very few dogs will spike a high fever, between 105 to 107 degrees Fahrenheit. They become lethargic and weak, with rapid, shallow breathing. This is likely to progress to pneumonia." She believes as many as 10 percent of the dogs infected by it will die of the disease, but others have estimated the potential death rate as between 1 and 10 percent, with the higher percentage applying to very young, very old, or infirm dogs.

No vaccine against this canine contagion exists at this time, although one is under development, and a vaccine for the equine version of this flu already exists. Presence of the virus in dogs can be confirmed only through blood tests performed at the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine. Results of such blood screens take as long as two weeks.

Dr. Crawford recommends keeping dogs showing symptoms of respiratory disease at home and away from other dogs for up to two weeks. The CDC, which is tracking the disease, issued no official recommendations.

Because the symptoms of this as yet unnamed virus somewhat mimic bordetella, a less virulent illness commonly known as kennel cough, it is hard to ascertain how widespread the flu has become. On the flipside of that confusion, vets in various parts of the country have been thrown into a panic when encountering run-of-the-mill kennel cough in any of their clients, fearing they are instead confronting cases of the new flu.

The Animal Health Diagnostic Center at Cornell University inserted a caution against such hair trigger diagnosis within a larger advisory about the potential for the flu to have spread to the state of New York: "One should not lose sight of the fact that all respiratory infections in dogs are not due to canine influenza virus. Adhering to the 'band wagon' approach could result in the failure to appropriately treat dogs with infections previously known to cause respiratory problems in dogs."

[king2005]

Its on the news here every morning. I forget what city, but one near Toronto is getting a sample of the virus to study it to help fight & prevent it from getting into Canada.

Here they are telling us that if the dog starts to cough, bring it to the vets asap.

[lizbud]

Kimmy posted about this days ago. Although there is no cure
for this, most dogs can recover.It started were large groups of
dogs are kept together like kennels, boarding places & racing
kenneled dogs.

http://petoftheday.com/talk/showthre...threadid=89211

[USApup1991]

I heard it on the news. It's going around everywhere, it scares me

[Roxyluvsme13]

It's not near TN is it??? This really worries me, because Roxy stays outside

[lbaker]

This article appears in my Associations online journal ScienceExpress. Val or somebody send me an email (not a private message.. I can't attach to a private message) and if you know how to attach .pdf files I will send it to you. I sent it to Phred but he may not have received it. The article is very scientific and technical but it's the article the newscasters are quoting.

Laurie