The Dog Flu Has Come to Massachusetts: MSPCA Warning

MASSACHUSETTS—The first care of the canine flu was confirmed this week, and its the first case confirmed for the year, according to the MSPCA’s Angell Animal Medical Center in Boston.

A six-month-old poodle was treated and released on Aug. 14 after a two-day stay at the hospital—and now the MSPCA is urging owners of at-risk dogs to consider vaccinating their pets against the highly contagious virus.

“We cannot confirm that this case was ‘patient zero’ in Massachusetts, but we do know that this dog had not traveled to states that have recently experienced outbreaks of flu,” said Dr. Virginia Sinnott of Angell’s Emergency & Critical Care Unit in a statement. “We must therefore recommend dog owners take preventative measures to reduce their pet’s chances of contracting the virus.”

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The poodle arrived on Aug. 12 at Angell with a high fever and a cough, and veterinarians checked him out for infectious respiratory diseases.

“Even as we treated the patient with fluids and antibiotics we ensured that every surface in our critical care unit was disinfected to prevent the spread of the virus,” said Sinnott, who underscored that the flu virus is extremely easy to kill so long as surfaces are cleaned before any other dogs can touch them, in a statement.

No other dogs at Angell have come down with the flu.

“Since the first patient was admitted, however, we’ve had two other dogs arrive with flu-like symptoms—and we should know whether those dogs are flu-positive by early next week,” said Dr. Sinnott in a statement.

Doctors could not confirm an exact strain of the flu; there was too little virus present.

There was too little virus detected to confirm the exact strain that the poodle had contracted.

“H3N2 is the strain that everyone worries about because it’s in the news a lot,” said Dr. Sinnott in a statement. “We must keep in mind that, for most dogs, flu—even H3N2—is just a nuisance. They’ll feel crummy for a couple days and cough quite a bit, but it is generally not fatal.”

Sinnott recommends that dogs experiencing coughing, fatigue, labored breathing or lack of appetite be immediately evaluated by their veterinarian.

Sinnott stresses tried and true prevention measures to reduce the risk of our dogs falling sick, in particular heeding the following guidelines:

1) If traveling with dogs to any of the states that have experienced an outbreak (including New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin and California), steer clear of all dog parks, veterinary hospitals (save for emergency treatment) or other areas in which dogs assemble. Follow Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine’s real-time canine flu tracker for updates on positive tests around the country.

2) Consider having your dog vaccinated against the flu—but do not mistake vaccination as a sure-fire preventative as there are many different strains and, just like with the human flu vaccine, it is not effective 100 percent of the time. Dr. Sinnott estimates that the vaccine is about 60 percent effective.

3) Know the primary signs of canine flu which generally include coughing, runny nose, decreased activity, decreased appetite, and generally seeming unwell. If any of these symptoms are present, call your veterinarian immediately.

4) If your dog is sick, seek treatment at your veterinarian’s office or Angell—but inform staff upon arrival if you suspect flu, and keep well clear of all other dogs in the waiting area(s).

Canine flu is not fatal in most cases, nor does it pose a threat to humans, cats or other pets. However, the odds of dogs contracting the illness after exposure are nearly 100 percent. And the experience is a miserable one, as dogs can be sick for an average of ten to 20 days.

For more information about Angell Animal Medical Center’s Emergency and Critical Care Services click here.

Photo via Shutterstock